https://qz.com/1299827/amazon-introduces-the-fire-tv-cube-a-streaming-device-that-could-be-the-end-of-tv-remotes/

TV owners have all experienced this moment: Right when you’re about to watch something, the remote control seems to have evaporated. You pull off every couch cushion and look under every seat until, at last, you spot it. Except wait, that’s just the remote for a DVD player you haven’t used since 2009.

As smart and useful as our TV sets have gotten, how we interact with them remains quite dumb. Companies have tried to make remotes simpler to use by paring down their numerous buttons, or partially replacing them with other input methods. For a while, Samsung thought it was a good idea for us to wave at our TVs, and Apple added a trackpad to its remotes. But the most compelling idea has always been simply telling our TVs what to do.