Auto Mute For Celebrities

If you are sick of hearing about the Kardashians -- or any other celebrity's latest blow-up on TV -- Arduino has the device for you.

Matt Richardson, writing over at Makezine, calls it "Enough Already." it basically mutes the TV whenever a certain celebrity's name is mentioned. He even has a video online (reproduced above) to explain how to make it. What makes this so compelling is that it can be adapted to a wide variety of subjects -- and as Richardson notes, there is a lot that could be done with the data.

The way it works is to read the closed caption feed that is transmitted along with the video in almost all broadcasts. It basically reads the text. That means it could be adapted as a built-in censor for anxious parents. Or perhaps if you're just tired of hearing about how bad the economy is. The possibilities are pretty wide-open. And it beats having to hit the mute button every time.

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