decoder

On a good day, one might find a colorful plastic top that spins; on a great day, the rare and much-coveted secret decoder ring.

As the titular character of “The Amateur,” Charlie comes off as timid and cautious, both at home and in his professional life as a decoder at the CIA.

But ultimately he would put that through his decoder and his processor and do what was right for the people.

The electrodes gather data by measuring electrical signals from the brain, and the decoder interprets that information and translates it into game action.

A precursor to cable, the service used a technology called Phonevision to deliver first-run movies and live sporting events through phone lines and a decoder installed in the home.