Grandpa Walt and the Four Remotes
He has been loyal to cable for thirty years. This is the week he considers an alternative.
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Grandpa Walt owns four remotes, and the one that turns on the TV is the one nobody can find. His granddaughter Mia arrived on Sunday with a small box and a big plan.
The Amazon Fire TV Stick HD plugged into the back of the TV in about the time it takes to say "which one is HDMI." One remote. A button that listens. "Say the name of the show," Mia told him. He said it. The show appeared. Walt looked at the remote as if it had personally insulted thirty years of cable.
The Echo Show 5 went on the kitchen counter so he could see the weather and call Mia without finding his glasses. He asked it about the ballgame. It told him. He asked it whether it knew anything about his knee. It did not, and he respected the honesty.
By Friday the other three remotes were in a drawer, and Walt was telling the neighbors about "this voice thing" like he had invented it.
Back in the real world: a Fire TV Stick is a streaming device that plugs into an HDMI port, and the Echo Show 5 is a compact smart display with Alexa. You will need a compatible TV, Wi-Fi, and any streaming subscriptions you want to watch.
