Here's an unexpectedly cool article from the NY Times about the TiVo remote control and some of the thoughts that go into designing a remote control. And the sidebar has a pretty interesting (although disappointingly brief) slide show of other remote controls and their poorly-designed features (side-by-side volume control instead of up-and-down, etc). It actually makes me think that if there isn't one already, a web page featuring the most poorly engineered remote controls -- or, even broader, the most poorly engineered consumer products -- would be pretty cool. There's gotta be something like that out there already... right?

Update: A very quick google search helped me find a really comprehensive remote control review site, but all the reviews seem to be too positive for me to get any humor value out of it. And also, in what might possibly be the worst idea ever, the Weemote, a remote control for children. Look, if your child can't figure out how to use the remote control, maybe that's a sign you should turn off the TV and make him read a book. Terrible idea.