Last weekend a friend and I were watching some movies on my home theater setup. But before we got to the actual enjoyment, there was a period of ridicule directed towards me when the previously mentioned 'friend' noticed that it took 3 to 4 remotes to actually get the system to switch from mode to mode and do anything.

Let me state what should be obvious, namely that friends shouldn't make fun of friend's remote control problems.

So the plethora of remotes is my problem. Yes, el guapo, I said plethora of remotes. And to eliminate the problem, it must first be understood.

The essential remote is the Satelite remote. This odd looking device controls man's most precious commodity, the television signal. With the tap of a button I can choose between a Seinfeld rerun or a Cheers rerun. This is why some slimy fish crawled out of the mud 100,000,000 years ago and started evolving.

But yet, I still feel strangely empty at times. Sometimes Kramer's catchmark "giddyup" fails to bring a smile to my face. Similarly, the familiar "Hey Norm" can't always break the funk I'm in. It's then when I turn to a DVD. And it's then when the problems arise (mostly).

The DirecTV remote can control my TV. And indeed, it adjusts the volume and turns the unit on and off with authority. It can't change the input from one source to another, even though it has a TV Input button!! What a cruel joke that is. And it can supposedly control DVD players and stereos. But it can't. Or rather, it can't control mine.

So to change inputs I have to turn to the Sony remote. And like any good remote, it also boasts the ability to control other audio and video products. However, it can't control the satelite box. Or the DVD player. Or the Stereo. However, the TV remote is essential for choosing the input, and for routing the audio signal through the stereo if it's coming from the satelite (the wiring behind these boxes really redefines the term 'rats nest').

To run the sound through the stereo (which is, I admit, not necessary for everything), you need the stereo remote to select a source (tv in, optical in for the dvd). It's also quite handy to raise the volume. Always raise the volume. Never lower the volume. The stereo remote also boasts the ability to control just about any device, however it can only operate the stereo and the TV. The satelite and DVD player do not work.

Finally, there's the DVD remote. An unpretentious remote, it doesn't claim to control anything other than the Philips DVD player it came with.

While the situation is managable for watching Seinfeld, it's not quite as managable for Battlestar Galactica. I mean, the sound of a viper firing it's guns just sounds frakin great when it's being pumped through a stereo which is taking the 2 channel signal from the satelite and turning it into a quasi surround sound output. Hell, DVDs with real 5.1 dolby sound even better. Go figure.

So with the problem understood, a solution was sought. My first try was a 'Philips PM725S' universal learning remote. Since it could learn any functions which it did not know, this seemed like a good inexpensive way to reduce my remote clutter.

I have to say it was with some considerable anger that I discovered that the remote would only control the TV. It failed to learn a single satelite function (which is a vital remote that any replacement must learn). It couldnt even control the Philips DVD player to begin with. I had to have the Philips remote learn the signals for the Philips DVD player.

But fear not, for a solution is at hand. A solution so bold and more expensive than my Philips universal remote. I can not reveal the solution just yet, that would tip the remotes off to my plan. All will be revealed in part 2.

Note to remote designers. Code search is god. Nobody wants to sit there and enter 004,043,076,058,023, 432 to see which of the 80 Sony codes will be the one that unlocks the mysteries of the remote and allows it to work with their TV. I beg of you, use code search.

It's been nearly 2 years since I've taken ownership of my Prius. Since then I've polluted less, used less gas, and had backaches that would kill you from those damn seats. But I've never actually talked to another objective Prius driver face to face. Until yesterday.

Whiie in flyover country on business, I met a guy who drove a Prius as a company car. So I told him that one of the things that bothers me is the car doesn't feel like it costs. Meaning, the car feels like a Toyota Echo (which it shares a platform with) for twice the cost. He thought about this for a minute and said that he felt like "it was a 15,000 dollar car with a neat engine that lets it run on electric only."

Which is exactly what I've always thought.