Netflix creates binge-pausing socks that it’s not selling

First there was a button to start watching Netflix. Now there’s a pair of socks to stop it.

Straight from Netflix’s publicity lab of made-up gadgets comes socks ideal for the narcoleptic binge-watcher. “Never again will you binge-watch yourself to sleep, only to wake up two seasons later wondering what happened,” Netflix proclaims.

The socks, using an accelerometer that monitors movement, pauses the show when it detects the wearer hasn’t moved in a while and likely has fallen asleep (and hopefully not, uh, died.) Just in case, LED lights are stitched into the socks that blink to alert the person that they’re about to pause the show unless the wearer shakes their feet.

“Netflix Socks” sounds like the perfect Christmas gift, but it’s not actually selling them.

Similar to its fabled “Netflix and Chill” button, the company has released directions to knit them instead of putting them on the mass market. The project requires both knitting skills and the knowledge of actually knowing what and where to buy an accelerometer.

The reaction toward the brand has been positive, per usual, except for this comment on YouTube: “Seriously are we this lazy as a society?”

https://digiday.com/?p=152587

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