February 21, 2007, - 12:38 pm

Two Important Obits: The Nazi Enabler vs. The Remote Control Inventor

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There were two important passings of note, last week.
Maurice Papon, a former French cabinet minister who helped the Nazis perpetrate the Holocaust, died at 96 on Saturday.
Unfortunately, for his complicity in deporting 1,690 Jews from France to their torturous deaths in the Nazi concentration camps, he barely did any time. Although he was the highest-ranking Frenchman convicted for crimes against humanity. Though Papon played a starring role in the Nazi Vichy regime, he was only found guilty in 1998 and sentenced to only 10 years in prison.


Maurice Papon Helped Nazis Murder Jews; Robert Adler Invented the Remote

He fled France to avoid prison, and when he finally went to prison, he was released in 2002 becaue of “poor health.” He was allowed to live out his final 4 years and most of his life before in peace and tranquility, unlike the suffering and murder he put 1,690 of his fellow Frenchman through, merely because they were Jews.
Then, there is Robert Adler, a Jew who was born and raised in Austria. He was fortunate enough to leave Europe for a job in the U.S. working for Zenith. He co-invented the Zenith Space Command in 1956. Today, we know it as the remote control.
Attention, Muslims: yet another invention you constantly use, invented by an “evil Zionist.”
Adler also contributed tremendously to our war efforts in World War II. From The Money Times:

Adler, during World War II, worked on high-frequency oscillators and electromechanical filters in aircraft radios. He is known for his work in surface acoustic wave technology used in color televisions and touch screens. During his lifetime, Adler was granted 180 patents for electronic devices.

From AP:

During World War II, Adler specialized in military communications equipment. He later helped develop sensitive amplifiers for ultra high frequency signals used by radio astronomers and by the U.S. Air Force for long-range missile detection.
Adler also was considered a pioneer in SAW technology, or surface acoustic waves, in color television sets and touch screens. The technology has also been used in cellular telephones.

Incredibly, Adler was attacked for inventing the remote, but I like his response:

He downplayed his role when asked if he felt his invention helped raise a new generation of couch potatoes.
“People ask me all the time ‘Don’t you feel guilty for it?’ And I say that’s ridiculous,” he said. “It seems reasonable and rational to control the TV from where you normally sit and watch television.”

Robert Adler, a great American, died Thursday at age 93. Blessed Be His Memory (Z”L).




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6 Responses

Very interesting.
Two men from the same generation: On the one hand you have a man who wanted to do things to benefit mankind, and on the other, a man who contributed to its destruction.
It’s also amazing how the French government turned a blind eye to Maurice Papon all those years and how it helped him escape his prison sentence.
Robert Adler – Rest in Peace.
Maurice Papon – Rest in Piss.

Thee_Bruno on February 21, 2007 at 1:18 pm

Dr. Adler was Zenith. Lucky Gold Star took control of Zenith in 1995, full control in 1999. They wanted the patents which Zenith held, by then the name was no longer worth much. The story goes that the Korean had questions about the broadcasting of stereo sound in NTSC television. They asked who could help them, and were told Dr. Adler. They could not find him. Later that day they had questions about IR remote control codes, asked who would know, they were told Dr. Adler. Then they had questions about SAW filters, once again they were told ask Dr. Adler. At that point the head engineer got on the telephone to Korea and demanded that ten engineers be on the next plane to Chicago. For Zenith one man was enough, but for LG there was going to be ten to replace Dr. Adler. Nice fellow, he will be missed.
Project manager, Zenith radio 1979-1989.

Burt on February 21, 2007 at 5:57 pm

not to rain on your parade but IR control was invented by the nazis, (cf. “my tank is fight” Zack Parsons, citadel press) the technology was first used on tv remotes by adler but the effing nazis had antitank missiles and night vision back in the late thirties.
not that anyone really cares about all that..
AND, the first remotes worked by sound waves like “the Clapper” and were called
clackers by lotsa folks.
then lastly, Jay Leno had this guy on the TOnightShow once on the 50th anniv of his invention.
I thought that was really classy and showed just how much of an old soul Leno is and how unique he is out in LaLaland.
“If man were meant to fly he’d have wings”, luddite.
“If man were meant to change the channel remotely,he’d have IR beams coming out of his/her/its eyes”, modern liberal..

playertwo on February 21, 2007 at 6:32 pm

The Zenith Space Command remote was not an IR remote. The remote contained 4 tuning forks and 4 buttons. Pressing a button hit one tuning fork producing an untrasonic sound. A microphone built into the TV picked up the sound.
The transmitter was completely mechanical. The receiver required 6 vacuum tubes and increased the cost of the TV by 30%.
(Reference: http://www.zenith.com/sub_about/about_remote.html)
A photo of the space command remote: http://www.flickr.com/photos/eklektikos/52823834/in/pool-analog/

EddNH on February 21, 2007 at 8:54 pm

Why I hate the French, part 99999999.

The_Man on February 21, 2007 at 9:30 pm

Anyone know why Papon never got a bullit in the head? Revenge is so sweet.

Dr.Dale on February 21, 2007 at 10:17 pm

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