Robert Adler, the man who invented the remote control , ran out of batteries, his manager announced today.

Mr Adler, who had not moved from the couch for thirty years, invented the first ever remote control. Engineers then spent six months trying to free him from underneath his enormous invention. Once free, he made a less bulky version. Early versions featured various innovations, including imagination and a javelin.

Finally Mr Adler managed to develop the device we know and love today. "I wanted something that the whole family could operate easily" he said "Combining technology with the ability to hide it underneath cushions and in the toilet. When I finally designed the prototype of the device we use today, I literally came".

The one problem Adler had in inventing the device was that he never actually owned a television.

Source: http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s5i15235