AZDana

My poor little blog

AzDana — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:58:58 +0000

I haven’t posted on it in eons. I used to love adding new posts, but for some reason, it became a chore to keep coming up with new stuff here. I am doing tons of writing elsewhere, mostly schoolwork, but my blog is definitely suffering because I haven’t given it any attention for awhile. I do log in, but that’s to toss out the spam comments left behind.

Another reason I have abandoned my blog is that it needs a new theme. I’ve got one halfway made, but I haven’t had the time to finish it. So I log in, kick out the spammers, throw my hands up in the air because I haven’t finished the theme, then go on to do something else. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I hope I can break the cycle soon. In the meantime, maybe I’ll just post videos when I log in, so at least I feel like I’m doing something. Speaking of videos, here’s one my son found:

Sunday Hymn: Oldest Christian Hymn

AzDana — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:07:12 +0000

You’ll have to watch the entire video to learn why it’s title says it’s the oldest Christian hymn. It is set to the tune of “Danny Boy” by Kermit Rye, who does a stirring a cappella rendition:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Lyrics copied from its Youtube page:

Christ Jesus who, though in the form of God
Did not demand his rights as the Divine
But laid aside his mighty power and glory
And took the form of a slave becoming man.
And yet as man he was humbled even more,
Becoming obedient even un–to death,
And in his death he died as a crim-in-al,
Giving up his life upon that cruel Roman Cross.

Therefore God honored him above all others,
Giving him a name above all other names,
That at His Name every kne – e should bow
Upon this earth, below and above as well.
And every tongue confess Him as the Lord
That God His Father might be glorified.
There-fore rejoice and again I say rejoice;
That all may know that the Lord is near at hand.
(last line repeats)

Where I’ve been since November…

AzDana — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:42:21 +0000

After watching this video, I haven’t been able to spot laughing long enough to post. Watch it for yourself, you’ll see what I mean:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Still haven’t fixed the broken Polaroid tv

AzDana — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:57:48 +0000

I ordered the capacitors and bought a soldering iron. I just haven’t had any time to sit down and dismantle the dead Polaroid. Well, I probably could make the time if I had to, I’ve just been interested in doing other things. I have to admit, primetime tv has never been a high priority in my life. About the only shows I watch are “Survivor”, “Amazing Race” and “The Apprentice”, and I can watch them online if I want. I have a large tv in my living room, so I can always watch that. But now that I think of it, I can’t remember the last time that tv was even turned on.

So instead of fixing the tv and watching it, I’m trying to overcome my Photshop-phobia. I have a feeling that I am the only person in North America that doesn’t know how it works, so I’m doing my best to conquer it. I’m actually using PhotoShop Elements 6, which is supposed to be the easy version of PhotoShop. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it sure is a lot more fun than soldering PC boards.

Bob Hope, Funny Comedian and Brilliant Political Analyst

AzDana — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:25:09 +0000

Before there was Dennis Miller, before there was Steven Crowder, Bob Hope provided an excellent and insightful analysis into politics:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Silent Film Festival: Drunken Larry goes to the market

AzDana — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:57:38 +0000

I love old movies. I think many of them are better than what’s currently offered by Hollywood. I’ll take a film with Harold Lloyd or Buster Keaton over any of last year’s Oscar winners. I found a video that may become an instant classic among silent films. I don’t know if it’s real, but I laughed my head off at this video. Even if it’s staged, I wonder if any beer drinkers will recognize themselves:

Click here to view the embedded video.

My Polaroid LCD HDTV STINKS!!!!!

AzDana — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:39:03 +0000

My Polaroid LCD TV worked great when I first got it on October 5, 2008. The clarity was so good that I could see every hair in John Stossel’s moustache. I don’t watch a lot of tv shows, but I was glad the Polariod television had a good picture when I did watch it.

That all changed this morning. I grabbed the remote, hit the “ON” button and got NOTHING!!

No picture, no sound, just a black vacant screen staring back at me.

So I got online and starting searching. Apparently, this problem is very very common for Polarod. I went to ConsumerAffairs.com and there are nearly FIFTY pages of complaints and most of them sound exactly like what I encountered.

In one of the most recent posts, Glen of Nutley, NJ writes:
Purchased a 32″ Polaroid TV from Circuit City in NJ in late 2006 for 850. 1 year and 1 week after purchase i had no sound or picture and had to unplug to turn off like many others. Even though I only missed warranty by 1 week Polaroid did nothing for me. Went to local repair shop and paid almost 300 to fix i believe it was power supply and 2 capacitors.

Looks like Glen and I have something in common, although mine lasted one year and 17 days. Thankfully, I did find a guy that posted a fix for those that are handy with a soldering gun. I don’t know who stivO is, but I am so glad he posted detailed instructions on fixya.com . I haven’t held a soldering iron in over 20 years, but tomorrow I’m going to give it a try. In the meantime, if you are considering buying a Poloroid LCD televison, please PLEASE reconsider and do your research first.

(Btw, I know how to spell Polaroid and have intentionally included its common misspellings in my post in case someone makes a typo while using a search engine. Welcome, Googlers!)

My poor neglected blog

AzDana — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:13:56 +0000

I feel so bad about not posting regularly here. If blogs could sue their owners for abandonment, mine would make a fortune. I do plan on keeping it going as soon as my life gets just a little less hectic. In the meantime, I apologize to all visitors for the cobwebby feel to the place.

P.S.- If you are one of the many people that are here because you googled “homemade spy gadgets”, could you please let me know what you’re looking for? I get tons of hits for that phrase, and I’d be happy to post a few hints and tips for snooping, if only I knew for sure what people want. Are you looking for ways to catch a neighbor that’s stealing daisies out of your flower garden? Are you looking for something to make for your kids? I am totally perplexed by the vast number of people that come here looking for spy gear. Can you let me know what you’re looking to find?

Afghanistan Peace-1, Doves-0

AzDana — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:32:40 +0000

Remember that old 70s commercial with a bunch of people having a Kum Ba Yah moment while singing:

I’d like to build the world a home
And furnish it with love
Grow apple trees and honey bees
And snow-white turtle doves
Chorus:
I’d like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I’d like to hold it in my arms
And keep it company

Let’s hope this video isn’t an updated version of that ad:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Is it monsoon season?

AzDana — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 03:55:44 +0000

I think it is officially monsoon season here in the Valley, which means that I will get a thimbleful of rain while someone on the next block over gets a massive downpour that floods their yard. I was hoping for a real deluge tonight, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. I should be glad that the weather’s pretty quiet in my area. In Gila Bend and Ajo, 2,300 people have been without electricity since Sunday because of the monsoons. They got hit with a storm with wind gusts up to 100 miles per hour. 47 power poles were knocked down and nine transmission towers were damaged in the area. Some are saying the power won’t be 100 percent restored till Wednesday. Thankfully, they’ve set up a temporary shelter in a local high school, and a local agency is sheltering the pets of the people that are staying at the high school.

Can you imagine what it would be like to sleep in a high school gym in the middle of summer? It’s one thing to rough it when you go camping, but I don’t think anyone would enjoy sleeping in a gym with a bunch of strangers. I guess I should be glad that the little storms I’ve seen so far haven’t turned into anything big. I’d hate to have to sleep on a cot away from home and not even have a batch of fresh s’mores to show for it.