Universal Prank

Remember the days when you only had one television, five channels, and zero remotes? Remember when your harmless pranks included ding-dong-ditch, pool hopping, and toilet papering trees?

Recently, a friend was telling us about the newest prank that his teenage son and friends are pulling on unsuspecting targets. Armed with a universal remote control, they head out in the dark to find a home aglow with the embers of televised pictures and the home's occupants comfortably viewing the screen. Amid the safety of some brush or Weber grill or lawn furniture out back, the teenagers wield their universal remote and begin to control the television inside from their post on the outside. Watching these homeowners who are perplexed by their sudden inability to control their television sets makes for an entertaining amusement.

So next time you can't get your remote to work and your spouse and kids swear they had nothing to do with it, look out your window. The culprit may be hiding in the bushes.