Letter: Zapped by Year 9

From Diane Hale

I was interested to read Barry Fox’s article on “smart zappers” (Review, 19 November). I could have used the information two months ago, however.

As a teacher in a local secondary school, I am timetabled for two Year 9 groups on a Thursday afternoon and decided one week that a video was particularly relevant. Lesson 1 went well; no technological hitches and an interested class. Lesson 2 was not so successful. After only a few minutes the volume increased, then returned to its previous level. This was repeated a number of times; the VCR went into picture search and back to normal play; it stopped completely and restarted – all of its own accord.

I had the remote control. There was obviously another – which I couldn’t see – or a jinx in the machine. After 20 minutes I aborted the exercise.

It wasn’t until the next day I overheard the comment that a particular rogue in Year 9 had a watch which doubled as a remote control.

I was most relieved to realise the experts at the electronics exhibition could be fooled as I was. I don’t feel quite so bad after all.