It was summer. My mom and her friend were having boring conversations. My little brother and a somewhat bratty neighborhood boy were out playing in the yard, and I’d had enough of them. So I did what any kid would do—I went into the front room and turned on the TV. I still remember the sound of the screen coming on, waiting for the picture to come on as the set warmed up. The rabbit ears didn’t pick up many channels, leaving me with few options beyond re-runs. And there was no remote for this o…