Join Mehnsa

PocketBrain thought this was worth mentioning said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 8:11am ET

I would like to announce the formation of a new intellectual society -- Mehnsa.
To qualify, you have to demonstrate that you know how to use the various remote controls that go with your entertainment system to positive results. Normally, we would go to your home for this demonstration, but since this is a web meetup, we have to take your word for it. Because... meh. Why lie about that? You have shown that you will overcome language barriers, general malaise and inertia, and braved the waters of the Internet in order to watch tonight's lineup of quality re-runs and exhaustive news coverage of just that one thing. But not The Kardashians or Jersey Shore. Seriously. We have to have standards.

16 comments, 41 replies
Comment

parodymandotcom said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 8:39am ET:

Excellent. I'm an expert at losing remote controls. Oh...wait...you said USING, not LOSING. Never mind.

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MrMark said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 8:41am ET:

You just need TiVo or the Hopper (dish network)...problem solved.

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ACraigL said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 8:56am ET:

I'm a fan of the logitech harmony remotes. More that one remote makes me nuts.

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- @ACraigL But not more than one dock. Right?
  
  Mehrocco_Mole said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 9:36am ET
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- @Mehrocco_Mole Docks-a-plenty
  
  ACraigL said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 10:05am ET
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Mehrocco_Mole said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 9:35am ET:

Hey guys, I can spell IQ. Does that get me in?

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- @Mehrocco_Mole make it so!
  
  PocketBrain said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 5:22pm ET
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Teripie said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 9:38am ET:

Is there a membership card? I got to have a membership card.

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- @Teripie Oh, if there's a card with a chip in it, then, um, meh. But I'll take two.
  
  sligett said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 8:08pm ET
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- @Teripie If you can work on the design of the membership card and print it out yourself, then yeah! Forward me the design though -- I'll need one.
  
  PocketBrain said Fri, May 1st 2015 at 11:44am ET
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Foxborn said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 10:18am ET:

One harmony remote is all I need and I am master class with it (I even know what setting lets me mess with the receiver AND the DVD player) LOL

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- @Foxborn I had one of those. Lasted about an hour before my son stepped on it and destroyed the screen. Most expensive hour of TV watching ever!
  
  Mehrocco_Mole said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 4:58pm ET
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- @Mehrocco_Mole mine was about 40 buck one of the cheaper models in sale. BEST PURCHASE EVER
  
  Foxborn said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 6:49pm ET
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carl669 said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 10:40am ET:

i'm totally their.

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- @carl669 their what?
  
  tightwad said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 3:35pm ET
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- @tightwad no, not "they're", "their".
  
  carl669 said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 3:36pm ET
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- @tightwad I think he's saying he belongs to someone.
  
  Mehrocco_Mole said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 4:53pm ET
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- @Mehrocco_Mole that would have been "their's" then, maybe he is "there" as in not "here"? @carl669 which is it?
  
  tightwad said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 11:19pm ET
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- @tightwad dammit jim! not "there"! "their". i speak english good.
  
  carl669 said Thu, Apr 30th 2015 at 10:03am ET
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- @carl669 pronoun 1. a form of the possessive case of they used as an attributive adjective, before a noun: their home; their rights as citizens; their departure for Rome. 2. (used after an indefinite singular antecedent in place of the definite masculine form his or the definite feminine form her): Someone left their book on the table. Did everyone bring their lunch?
  
  tightwad said Thu, Apr 30th 2015 at 10:42am ET
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- @tightwad exactly! its what i've been trying to say this whole time! you'd think they're collective intelligence would have figured it out by now.
  
  carl669 said Thu, Apr 30th 2015 at 11:01am ET
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- @carl669 so you're trying to tell us you brought your lunch? Why not just say so and avoid all this trouble?
  
  Mehrocco_Mole said Thu, Apr 30th 2015 at 10:26pm ET
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- @Mehrocco_Mole I enjoy being difficult.
  
  carl669 said Fri, May 1st 2015 at 12:59am ET
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rockblossom said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 10:53am ET:

Define "positive results" please. Most of the time, remotes do what I expect them to. However, I have been known to accidentally open the garage door when I thought I was holding the remote to a stereo, and I auto-dialed my brother's phone when trying to change channels on the TV. (I spent the next year hearing various members of family answer the phone with : "No, I am not your TV.") These actions got results of some sort, which is arguably better than my nephew's repeated attempts to use a remote with no batteries in it.

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- @rockblossom "Positive results" meaning that the device you want to come on comes on, and it's on the channel you wanted.
  
  PocketBrain said Fri, May 1st 2015 at 11:47am ET
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- @PocketBrain So, if I get positive results about 98% of the time ...
  
  But: I can overcome Private Doubts and even Major Disconnects with relative ease, but that General Malaise is a tough old bird to get the better of.
  
  rockblossom said Fri, May 1st 2015 at 2:41pm ET
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- @rockblossom Meh, 98% is good enough. Welcome to the club! Take off your shoes, the carpet is new.
  
  PocketBrain said Fri, May 1st 2015 at 7:01pm ET
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MrGlass said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 11:43am ET:

I'm still working on qualifying for Densa

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- @MrGlass hey @densa they are talking about you...
  
  mehdaf said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 10:16pm ET
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- @mehdaf They hate us cuz they ain't us...
  
  densa said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 10:35pm ET
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jrwofuga said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 12:16pm ET:

Is there trivia?

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- @jrwofuga a) yes. b) no. c) maybe?
  
  PocketBrain said Fri, May 1st 2015 at 11:47am ET
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- @PocketBrain I ace multiple choice.
  
  jrwofuga said Fri, May 1st 2015 at 2:18pm ET
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- @jrwofuga Well, a remote control is just a form of multiple choice question. Say hi to the new recruit, folks!
  
  PocketBrain said Fri, May 1st 2015 at 7:02pm ET
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Moose said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 4:07pm ET:

I passed the at-home Mensa test, and then they invited me to take the real one and join. I'm 63% sure it was not just because they needed the dues.

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- @Moose You should have moved forward with it! How else can you alienate folks in social settings by bringing up how smart you are?
  
  marklog said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 4:27pm ET
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- @marklog Hell, he just alienated folks on the internet too.
  
  cinoclav said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 5:14pm ET
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- @Moose you have mastered meaningless statistics. You're in!
  
  PocketBrain said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 5:25pm ET
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- @cinoclav mediocre humblebrag.
  
  marklog said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 5:28pm ET
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- @marklog If you want to give some of the questions a spin... http://www.mensa.org/workout
  
  cinoclav said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 8:37pm ET
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- @Moose As a goof, I decided to take the test a few years ago. I got in with the lowest score possible. I kind of take solace in the fact that I'm the dumbest smart guy.
  
  BillLehecka said Thu, Apr 30th 2015 at 7:19am ET
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- @marklog To be fair, I found it embarrassing to broadcast shit like that. Intellectual superiority is not a great trait to brag about. And most Mensans don't like to brag about it. Those couple of braggarts, though. Just stop.
  
  BillLehecka said Thu, Apr 30th 2015 at 7:22am ET
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- @BillLehecka that is a very well constructed humblebrag. Well done :)
  
  marklog said Thu, Apr 30th 2015 at 7:34am ET
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bullrocky said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 7:29pm ET:

i have never watched a single episode of kardashians, or jersey shore.....and i am the master of my remote(s) (mostly, the clock on the vcr still eludes me)
where do i sign up?

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- @bullrocky Another satisfied customer! Errr, member!
  
  PocketBrain said Fri, May 1st 2015 at 11:48am ET
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somf69 said Wed, Apr 29th 2015 at 10:42pm ET:

My smartphone can actually change the channels if I can't find the remote

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- @somf69 Hey, I have that app on my tablet. Verrah useful.
  
  PocketBrain said Fri, May 1st 2015 at 11:49am ET
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Pamtha said Thu, Apr 30th 2015 at 4:53am ET:

I have the Comcast remote programmed just like I want it. Unfortunately the battery cover is broken. I refuse to go swap the remote out at customer service for a new one cause then I'd have to look up all the custom crap I did to it. We just hold the batteries in.

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- @Pamtha Obviously you sir are not southern! (Actually I'm a transplanted Yankee (Michigan) so, meh) Anyway as I was saying before I so rudely interrupted myself, here in the south we only need two things: WD40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn't move but suppose to or it doesn't come apart but suppose to than use the WD40. If it's loose or won't stay together than we use the Duct Tape. Duct tape that remote. Problem solved. You're welcome.
  
  Mehrocco_Mole said Thu, Apr 30th 2015 at 5:06am ET
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- Mehrocco_Mole said Thu, Apr 30th 2015 at 5:18am ET
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- @Mehrocco_Mole I am a white-glove, etiquette book owning Virginian, raised by a mother that would never have allowed anything so common as duct tape to be visible in our house. Old habits die hard.
  
  Pamtha said Thu, Apr 30th 2015 at 5:54am ET
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- @Mehrocco_Mole You use that remote for watching sports, I imagine.
  
  PocketBrain said Fri, May 1st 2015 at 11:50am ET
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- @Mehrocco_Mole Does that work on children too?
  
  Kidsandliz said Fri, May 1st 2015 at 11:10pm ET
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- @Kidsandliz How do you think it got broken? You were referring to the remote, right?
  
  Mehrocco_Mole said Fri, May 1st 2015 at 11:24pm ET
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thismyusername said Thu, Apr 30th 2015 at 11:49pm ET:

Is this the logo?

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harrison said Fri, May 1st 2015 at 12:40pm ET:

The application process

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- @harrison Ummm... hello?!? Mailing address? Sheesh!
  
  Mehrocco_Mole said Fri, May 1st 2015 at 11:31pm ET
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