If you've ever been outside on a summer night, then come indoors to find you've been attacked by bloodthirsty mosquitoes, you know that those little buggers must be able to see in the dark. In fact, mosquitoes use infrared light to hone in on our body's heat in order to find our juicy bits.

Infrared light also is the same light that most television remote controls use for sending signals. If you've ever tried to troubleshoot a nonworking remote, you know it's frustrating that you can't see if the remote is "lighting up". Although it's difficult to convince a mosquito to tell you if your remote is working, it is possible to convince your cell phone, or any other digital camera, to do so.

Simply look at the infrared emitter at the business end of your remote through the view-screen of your favorite digital camera (or phone). If the remote is working, you'll see the light it's giving off very clearly. It works well and is much easier than training mosquitoes!