How is this even possible?

I, for one, welcome our sentient overlords.

If I knew about patents as a kid, I would have sooo patented this shit.

That's both awesome and frightening.

@Smashville: The joy of having a computer chip in every appliance, I'm guessing. I'm a little reassured by my analog-only stove and fridge.

@Smashville: As far as I know, it isn't.
But I know how he feels about the almost-buring-down-your-house thing. I left a plastic lid in my oven once and started pre-heating the oven. Bye bye lid - hello smoke!

Weird. Plus if I was going to be on television showing off my possessed stove, I'd probably clean my kitchen first.

And how many TVs does the dude need in his kitchen?

I vote that the WTF tag be added to this as well because, seriously, WTF? (I love the Awesome/Frightening tag)

When I was a kid we had a TV that would randomly turn itself on after it was damaged and we had to unplug it at night but that pales in comparison to this. How does that even work?

Is this the beginning of Skynet? Are the machines trying to kill this man?

Why would any kitchen appliance response to an RF signal?

Another reason to love my gas stove.

@MostlyHarmless: Starts with phones and ovens talking to another... before you know it, missles and the human race is destroyed/enslaved. Well, we all knew this day was coming. Time to fortify the perimeter of the house.

@Oranges w/ Cheese - now with 50% more kitty!: Our upstairs neighbors apparently had a habit of storing pizza boxes in the oven. They forgot one night and the entire building was filled with smoke.

Lesson learned: the oven is not for storage.

He's lieing.

He can't sleep at night because his oven turned on once? Really, guy?

Your RF signal on your phone turned on your oven, which doesn't have an IR sensor? Really?

Yeah, this is some bullshit.

Of course the Russians are behind this evil technology. The Cold War just got a little warmer.

I gave out a loud "WTF" when I heard it on the radio as well. Nice to know at least consumerist still answers their tips line =)

My phone is annoying enough with the way it interferes with anything that has a speaker. If it starts trying to kill me in my sleep, I'm forseeing one dead phone.

I think a year or two ago a TV started sending "Ship in distress" beacons to the Coast Guard.

I've had televisions and computers that would turn themselves on. Actually still have the computer, I pulled the plug a few weeks ago after I woke up in the middle of the night with it rapidly cycling on and off on its own. Either that or it was trying to have its own disco rave with the rapidly flashing LEDs.

@JustinSane07: I want to know how he faked it for the news crew.

I'm not being snarky, I just want to know how he got the stove to turn on remotely at all.

@Aesteval: There is probably a short in the power switch.

@Smashville: It's not. It's a scam. The reporter is either in on it or he's a dupe.

@Rectilinear Propagation: You're assuming the news crew isn't in on it. That's a much more likely explanation.

@Cogito Ergo Bibo: I haaaaaaate people in the office who leave their phones on silent but put them near their PC speakers, and leave their PC speakers on. Get that static blip coming from all directions all day long...

@MostlyHarmless: Ovenlords?

@Rectilinear Propagation: I had a microwave that would turn on and off by itself. We finally just kept it unplugged when it wasn't being used.

@JustinSane07: Really? I'm way out of my league technically here, so I just nod. According to the CR blog ([blogs.consumerreports.org]), a repairman says the stove needs a "suppressor." Dunno what exactly it would be suppressing, but there you go. Apparently it's specifically the broiler, by the way, not the oven or the burners.

@floraposte: Most likely, seeing that it is a gas stove, its the device that keeps the gas in the gas line and away from the pilot light when the stove is off. If that is leaking, it stands to reason the stove would appear to spontaneously light itself.

@Xerloq: You win.

@Xerloq: hahahahahaha nice one. Though I believe it is the cell phones that are acting up, and not the ovens.

@Etoiles: Don't worry, its AFAIK only a trait of GSM powered devices which are being slowly phased out in favor of the HSDPA/UMTS devices instead. When I got my new phone and it started making that noise I was like WTF too.

When my phone rings, my kids start talking ... does that mean they need a suppressor too? Repairmen will say anything ;)

@harvey_birdman: I assumed the display on the stove shouldn't be changing without someone hitting the buttons but then it could just be flashing the choice that was already entered when the video shows it go from "SEt" to "HI".

I've never used that kind of stove so I don't know if it even does that.

Want to control your house?

There's an app for that.

Possibly induced current in the circuit which turns the stove on because of resonance? I can make my CO detector go off dropping a 100W carrier on 20 meters; had to move it because the run of AC 14/2 was resonant. Possibly the same situation here...

73

@Nicole: The stove in the video was gas, too, so I don't get the logic there... I think the main thing is if you have manual knobs to turn things on and off or all electronic buttons like his.

@harvey_birdman: It's only not possible if you have the analog versions - the oven/stove in my house is totally digital.

@harvey_birdman: ...you think it's more likely that a person and a news crew conspired to cook up (haha i couldn't resist) a fake story than it is that a digital oven/stove and a digital smart phone interacted in a strange way?

@S-Meow P-Meow: I'm not sure his phone could generate enough wattage to do something like that without melting.

@JustinSane07:

Possibly induced current in the circuit which turns the stove on because of resonance? I can make my CO detector go off dropping a 100W carrier on 20 meters; had to move it because the run of AC 14/2 was resonant. Possibly the same situation here...

We're talking RF here, and induction, not IR. Doubt the stove is leaking. RF can do some weird/neat things folks, especially in cheaply made, poorly shielded Chinese made appliances. Most of you cook your food with RF everyday.

73

@JustinSane07: Um, an IR receiver picks up IR, not RF. RF is picked up by pretty much anything metal. I'm guessing his stove has some metal in it. Believe me, growing up with a father that was active in ham radio, I've seen all sorts of strange things happen due to RF interference.

It's not that hard to believe. I just bought a new gas stove, and the oven settings, timer, display, etc. is microprocessor controlled. Some shielding issue around the stove electronics and RF could trigger something.

Years ago I was inspecting a chemical plant installation that was all computer controlled. One of the plant manager stuck his walkie-talkie antenna into the case of one of the controllers, keyed the mike and bought down the controller.

What's up with this quote:

"He and his wife have pet chinchillas and are thankful that Melnikov didn't leave the apartment while the oven was cooking."

Do they keep their chinchillas in the oven?

@Rectilinear Propagation: My parents had an oven while I was in high school that could perfectly cook a frozen pizza in 7 minutes if put on preheat to 475. That was an awesome oven.

I'm still trying to draw the parallel between the self-starting gas range and the owner's pet chinchillas. Seems like an irrelevant detail, like saying the owner's wife was born in New Jersey.

When I was a kid in the 60's my grandparents had one of those big, console color TVs with a remote. Sometimes when their dog walked by it, his jingling dog tags would turn it on - same frequency or something. Very unnerving in the middle of the night!

@Donathius: Chinchillas are very heat sensitive. It could be that the oven being on could have heated the apartment up to dangerous levels for a chinchilla. Could be, who knows for sure.

We've seen our cell phones affect a little egg-shaped clock we have. It changes colors and functions when you tap it, so it's pretty obvious when it happens. It's difficult to replicate, but we've done it twice now. I'm glad hospital devices are shielded now against the mischief of cell phones. /shudder/

@Donathius: The oven can cause fires if left turned on and unattended. Also, the heat can make a small apartment very hot and chinchillas are very sensitive to changes in temperature.

Ok... Creepy, buy... did you see all the stuff in the apartment!?! No wonder he has EM Issues!!!!

@Donathius: Chinchillas are actually best served deep fried, not broiled, with a pesto sauce and minced garlic.

This guy is doing it wrong!