I've been down this rabbit hole. Here's what actually works:
For navigation:
Kensington Expert Wireless Trackball – big enough to use without precision, scroll ring around the ball, sits anywhere
8BitDo Micro – programmable Bluetooth gamepad, works as presentation clicker + arrow keys, very hackable
Xbox Adaptive Controller – overkill but lets you plug in literally any button
For voice:
Wispr Flow (you're already using) – good
Talon Voice – free, hackable, lets you control everything with voice + eye tracking if you add Tobii
Windows Speech Recognition / macOS Dictation – basic but built-in
The streaming remote hack:
Yes, you can. Most use standard Bluetooth HID profiles. Pair them, then use something like JoyToKey (Windows) or Karabiner (macOS) to remap buttons to keyboard shortcuts.
My current lazy setup:
Recliner + lap desk
8BitDo Micro in left hand (next/prev/play/voice toggle)
You described exactly what makes a PM irreplaceable:
Staying out of the way
Removing blockers
Shielding the team from politics
Enabling decisions instead of making them
AI can summarize status reports. It can't protect a team from a dysfunctional stakeholder at 2 a.m., or know when an engineer needs space vs. needs support.
The fact that you're even asking this question tells me you're not the problem. The terrible PMs never do.
Don't leave. Adapt. Learn the tech enough to speak the language. Use AI to kill the busywork – then spend that time on what actually matters: people.
For navigation:
Kensington Expert Wireless Trackball – big enough to use without precision, scroll ring around the ball, sits anywhere
8BitDo Micro – programmable Bluetooth gamepad, works as presentation clicker + arrow keys, very hackable
Xbox Adaptive Controller – overkill but lets you plug in literally any button
For voice:
Wispr Flow (you're already using) – good
Talon Voice – free, hackable, lets you control everything with voice + eye tracking if you add Tobii
Windows Speech Recognition / macOS Dictation – basic but built-in
The streaming remote hack: Yes, you can. Most use standard Bluetooth HID profiles. Pair them, then use something like JoyToKey (Windows) or Karabiner (macOS) to remap buttons to keyboard shortcuts.
My current lazy setup:
Recliner + lap desk
8BitDo Micro in left hand (next/prev/play/voice toggle)
Trackball in right hand
Voice for text input
Feels slightly less caveman. Slightly.
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