LCDs are becoming nicer than CRTs in just about every respect except one: degaussing. Much fun was had back in the day, pressing a button and watching a wobbly picture, and hearing a neat thump sound. Often I would hold a magnet near the tube while degaussing so I could feel the magnetic field. With the advent of liquid crystals, degaussing might soon be a forgotten memory.

We mustn’t let this happen! A little bit of coding could create a degaussing simulator. It takes your current view, and runs it through a distortion filter, bouncing the picture all over the place. A selection of prerecorded audio samples would play over the speakers, fading out along with the picture effect. Choose from different monitor types, such as flat screen tube, trinitron, or big old 21" behemoth.

Now you can have hours of pointless yet wondeful fun, without even worrying about frying the degauss circuit.
-- Aq_Bi, Apr 27 2011

I totally agree, and want to see this taken a stage further, *everything* should include a Degauss button which when pressed, makes it go thhhtwonggg-k in that most pleasing manner.

Don't know about anyone else, but I used to make a point of saving-up my gauss, so that I'd get a particularly satisfying thhhtwonggg-k the next time I pressed the button.
-- zen_tom, Apr 27 2011


Brilliant idea - and, yes, toasters, electric toothbrushes, digital watches, etc. should all have degauss buttons.
-- hippo, Apr 27 2011


...lawnmowers, grandfather clocks, furniture, bibles...
-- mitxela, Apr 27 2011


Do you want a Vertical Hold button too?
-- phundug, Apr 27 2011


I miss the "bing ... click" of my old monitor as it turns on and then slumps into standby.

Now when I turn on the power all is silent.

It should come with a turn on delay too, the colours swimming and fading into focus.
-- neelandan, Apr 27 2011


Was it" your previous job" befor or after you threw the monitor our of the window? Cause, or effect?
-- 8th of 7, Apr 27 2011


Degaussing buttons ought to have tiny high-pitched degaussing buttons on them which you have to use before you can use the proper degaussing button
-- hippo, Apr 27 2011


Bloody Raster-farians...
-- 4whom, Apr 27 2011


<nostalgia>

O for the great pioneering days of computing; the flashing front- panel lights, the arcane mantra of the bootstrap loader, the heady aroma of warm bakelite and paper dust from the console teletype …

</nostalgia >
-- 8th of 7, Apr 28 2011


Someone should make an iPhone app for this
-- DenholmRicshaw, Apr 28 2011



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