Grandma's Shiny Button

Apr 6 2011

The Problem

  • Grandma moved from New York to Los Angeles
  • Grandma wants to listen to every Mets game
  • Grandma is legally blind and has never used a computer

First Solution: Internet Radio

Steps for Me

  1. Buy Grandma a Squeezebox Internet Radio Player
  2. Set the first preset to WFAN, the Mets radio station
  3. Teach grandma to use the preset

Steps for Grandma

  1. Press the preset

Outcome

Fuck, they blackout all the games.

Second Solution: Drive an iPad Over

Steps for My Mom

  1. Subscribe to MLB Gameday Audio on the iPad
  2. Remember there’s a Mets game
  3. Drive the iPad over to Grandma’s place
  4. Turn on the game and leave
  5. Come back four hours later to retrieve the iPad

Steps for Grandma

  1. Call my mom to remind her there’s a game
  2. Call my mom when the game is over so mom can turn the iPad off

Outcome

Mom says, “162 games in a season!?”

Third Solution: Remote VNC

Steps for Me

  1. Purchase Mac Mini
  2. Purchase speakers
  3. Install Mac Mini and Speakers under Grandma’s TV
  4. Install VNC software on Mac Mini
  5. Remotely launch MLB Gameday Audio in Safari, find WFAN link, enter login credentials everytime Grandma calls

Steps for Grandma

  1. Call me to turn the game on
  2. Get spooked out when sound suddenly starts coming out of her TV
  3. Call me to turn the game off

Outcome

Simon says, “162 fucking games in a season!?”

The (!?) Solution

Steps for Me

  1. Write Safari Extension to automatically load WFAN whenever Safari is launched
  2. Write Safari Extension to automatically log into MLB Gameday Audio when necessary
  3. Buy GriffinPowermate
  4. Setup PowerMate so that one button press launches Safari and raises the volume, and one long button press quits Safari and mutes the volume
  5. Teach Grandma to use the button

Steps for Grandma

  1. Push the button to turn on the game
  2. Hold the button to turn off the game

Outcome

I’ll let you know!

Update:

The button worked well for a year until a much better solution presented itself. SiriusXM now offers a special internet radio channel that automatically tunes to Mets games. That means Grandma can use the internet radio preset to listen to games.

I’ve since repurposed the PowerMate button so control iTunes and play/pause audio books for Grandma.