Whyway 5

That’s it. I’m changing my ways. From now on it’s onety one. Thanks, Scott. I needed this.

I’ve got some answers for button questions:
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Because sometimes it works!
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Really.
Buttons are a mechanical device that are prone to being gunked up. By their very nature they are moving parts, which subjects them to friction and general entropy, and they are “pushed” by fingers, which give off residue that slides around the sides and interferes.
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If that wasn’t enough, remote controls live near couches, which continuously give off small bits of fiberous material, both from themselves and those who sit on them, propelled by microstatic electric charges from sitting friction.
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Don’t even get me started about children and food particles.
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Add to that, the mechanism inside is frequently of a “chiclet” design, which is prone to cracking through the passage of time. Speaking of the passage of time, unless your buttons have Gold contacts inside, they will accumulate a progressively thicker layer of oxidation.
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For all of these problems, something that frequently works is mashing down on the buttons, trying to establish a better electrical contact. From a user’s point of view, they can’t even necessarily tell which thing went wrong, ESPECIALLY because mashing down on the buttons sometimes even works when the batteries are just low. Because of the oxidation mentioned above and other physical factors, squishing down usually causes a better connection between the contacts of the switch, making less resistance, making it just a touch more likely to work.
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it also probably doesn’t hurt that by the time we’re mashing down on the remote controls, we’re also aiming more carefully at the device, rather than just trying to hit the broadside of the barn^W room.

maybe i’ll start shaking my ketchup packets

I had no ideas about the buttons. Next time I’m at an elevator I might just try a kung-fu kick to make me feel better. At least I’ll be pushing harder! Here’s another one…
Why is transport on a ship cargo and transport in a car a shipment?

Why do people say, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too”? Why would someone get cake if they can’t eat it? =)