Be it luck or fate, you have just stumbled upon ‘Killer Advice,’ the highest-ranked web-based advice column on the internet, according to a recent kidnap victim. Every week we take questions from commoners like you, and have them answered by uncommoners like the staff of Circus Killer News.

Today’s question comes to us from Carol Burkowski, a stay-at-home mom in Reddingham, Pennsylvania. She writes…

“Dear Circus Killer News,
My son and his friends were using the TV to play on his Xbox earlier today. Every time he does this he has to switch the thingy on the TV so it’s a different HTMI or something, and I can’t figure out how to make the TV go back. We have four different remotes in our house and I don’t know what button to press to make the thingy come up. Normally my son does it but he’s at basketball practice, and then he’s going to his friend’s house for a Nintendo. I’m really desperate because the Kids Halloween Baking Championship on the Food Network is tonight and if I miss it then I won’t have anything to talk about at brunch tomorrow. If you could walk me through how to switch the thing on the TV then I would really appreciate it.”

There are a few steps to solve this problem, Carol, but fortunately they’re all very easy. The first thing you need to do is figure out which remote is for the TV. The best way to do this would be to grab all your remotes and expertly juggle them around in the air. As you’re doing this, close your eyes and focus on whichever device in your house you want to control. If you concentrate hard enough, you will lose control of the corresponding remote and it will land on your head. This is the preferred method among professional channel surfers.

You could also try microwaving all your remotes. The way a remote control works is that there is a tiny radioactive isotope that links the remote and the device with a unique radiation signature. If you put your remotes in the microwave for a few minutes, the isotope will start glowing. Hold your freshly cooked remote up to its corresponding device, and that device will glow the same color. If it’s the wrong device, however, then the two will start to fizz and melt, and could explode if it’s a Samsung product.

The last best way to identify which remote is for which device is to simply look it up on the internet. Play each remote next to a different potted plant and expertly sketch out the scene to make a perfect still art masterpiece. Fax the artwork directly to the head office of any online search engine and ask them what each one is for. If they fax you back saying that all of them are for converting carbon dioxide into oxygen, then fax them back another set of remote drawings, but this time draw a bunch of arrows pointing to the remotes so that they know what you’re talking about.

Switching your television’s input is easy now that you know which remote is for the TV, but unfortunately the court order that forces the CKN staff to write this advice column states that we only need to put in 500 words a week, so you’re on your own.

*****

Written by J. S. Wydra
DISCLAIMER: Circus Killer News is a faux news blog. None of the stories on this site should be taken seriously or literally.