My son has a Disney DVD player (specifically, the DVD2000C) that was a gift. It's totally cute, but doesn't work well at all. I finally got sick of it and I brought it in to work to take a look and see what the problem was. I couldn't find anything specific and so I'm left with a sort of junky dvd player. I took a few pictures while I had it open and found it sort of interesting. No wonder it doesn't work well, it's kind of flimsy. So, if you've ever wanted to see what these look like opened up, here you go. [Oh, and yes, I know my desk is a disaster...it's just how I roll]

Taking the feet off (not sure why I did that)...


Taking a little panel off the drawer (not my hands)...


The backside of the faceplate...


An overview...


And looking inside...


Finally, a little trick I learned. A second problem with the unit is that I can't find a remote control that works for it. I've purchased 2 Disney dvd player remotes and neither works. I'm guessing either the remotes aren't compatible or the infrared reader on the unit itself doesn't work. Either way, I'm over it. At first I thought the remotes were broken, but I learned a trick on how to check. Because neither remote has any lights, the only way to see if it works is to aim it at a camera, press a button and look at it through the camera. Wow, a light! You can't see it with the naked eye. At least I know that the remotes aren't the problem now.

Basically, a guy lives in the UK. He loves XBox 360 and has bought tons of content. Guy moves to the US and asks Microsoft to transfer his account info to a US account. Microsoft tells guy that they can't/won't/don't want to do it. Guy gets frustrated and asks for help from peeps on a gaming forum. Peeps suggest making waves and all kinds of other fun things. Guy also explains plight to boss/friend at a website he infrequently writes for. Boss/friend asks Microsoft Connection for help and Microsoft Connection responds by asking to have guy fired. Huh? Boss/friend rocks and stands behind guy.

Here's the article that the guy wrote after he found out about the attempted firing.

Actually, it's been moved, here's where the article is now.

Here's the forum where the guy asked for advice.

Here's the promise of an article to be written by the guy's boss. (As soon as I see the actual article posted, I'll add it)

--------UPDATE--------
Here's the article written by the boss.

In case you care, here's my opinion. For any corporation to treat a customer the way they treated this one is just asinine. There are horror stories everywhere about how Such-and-Such Company TM treated someone like crap. You'd think that with bad customer service so prevalent, it would be impossible to actually please MOST customers. That's where you'd be wrong. It's easy to please customers. Companies do it all the time. Disney is the best example. If you have a problem at all, you need only (politely) explain your situation and 9 times out of 10 they'll resolve it...and probably in a better way than you had hoped. A great solution here, which wouldn't cost Microsoft a dime is to give this guy some credit for his lost content. The credit is digital and he has lost/needs to purchase digital content. Boom! Problem fixed. But, it seems, they'd rather bounce him around from one inept call center employee to another. Which actually costs Microsoft money in labor. I have no particular gripe with Microsoft, I have a particular gripe with poor customer service. I'd be saying the same thing no matter which company acted in this manner.

So, I’ve been wanting to get the Wii. Who hasn’t? I’ve been very patient, however.

I waited during the initial rush,

I waited during the first Christmas season,

I waited throughout the year while demand was still high and stock still low,

I waited a SECOND Christmas season, now I’d like a Wii!

GameStop had a great thing where you could by a raincheck and have a Wii by mid-January. I was literally outside of the store getting ready to buy one when hubby told me not to. He was sure that after the Christmas rush was over, demand would die down, we’d find one easy. Nothing I had read made me confident that it would happen. I knew he was wrong, but I wasn’t willing to start an argument over a toy.

Nintendo, it seemed, couldn’t keep up with demand. Demand that was fueled by overindulgent parents and greedy ebayers, aka Wii Scalpers.

I blame those two groups primarily because they feed off each other. There are parents out there who feel their kids must have everything and they must have it now! Cost, generally, isn’t an issue. That’s where the ebayers step in. There are throngs of people with (apparently) nothing but time on their hands. Why get a job when you can camp out at Best Buy, Toys R Us, Walmart and various other outlets? From there you take your newly acquired toy that cost $250 and sell it for $500, $600, $700! It’s a vicious cycle. Actually, it’s an awesome cycle if you’ve got a lot of spare time and Wii’s on your hands.

I’ve been researching and hunting and having no luck.

-I’ve signed up on itrackr.com. No luck there yet.

-My uncle works at a Walmart and he gave me a heads up on a delivery, no luck…sold out before hubby got there (within minutes of delivery).

-Called every Kmart, Walmart, GameStop, Target, etc. No dice.

-Checked Craigslist, they're available, but just like ebay...there's a huge markup.

Basically, I’m not getting a Wii anytime soon unless I’m amazingly lucky and happen to walk by an electronics counter just as the magical Wii Delivery Truck ™ pulls in.

I refuse to camp out for a toy and I refuse to pay $150 over retail (minimum). I guess I’ll just keep sitting it out. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll find one…or I’ll win the lottery.

--------------UPDATE-------------------
Well, I finally got a Wii. I didn't do anything crafty, I just finally caved and found one on ebay. I still held firm and didn't buy one from a scalper. I found a guy who had one for cost ($275 which is close with tax). He also happened to be local to me. I made an offer and picked it up the same day. It worked out great!

One of the tips I've learned actually did help me in part of my quest. Accessories are almost as hard to find for the Wii as the actual system. Target seems to never have the remotes and nunchucks in stock. One tool their website has is you can search a product's availability in your area. I knew we wanted the Nerf sports set so I checked Target.com. One of the options is to "Find it at a Target Store". It showed that one of my local Target's had it so I zipped over. Of course, there were NONE out. No one was around to ask so I looked at the place where it would have been and wrote down the product number. I then walked over to one of those price checker thingies and keyed in the number. Surprise! It showed there were some in the stockroom. I found a girl and asked her for one. She initially tried to say they were out. HA! I told her what the scanner said and sure enough, when she radioed to the back, they had some. Score!

I had heard that Toys R Us keeps a decent stock of the accessories and I stopped there to check. Sure enough, they had plenty nunchuk's and WiiPlay sets (basically a remote +9 games for $10 more than the remote alone).

This won't help you get a Wii, but hopefully you have better luck than I did.

There are a million conspiracy theorists and all of them have Google Earth. It's true, I've done the research. Hubby has joined the ranks of those who see weird things on Google Earth. I find it fascinating for about 3 minutes, then I've moved on. What do you think about this stuff?

For nothing more that something to do when you're bored, download Google Earth.

Here's a Forum all about Google Earth, strange sightings and all!



Out of Place - Google Earth


Strange Things in Google Maps (and Google Earth)


This is one of the images that Hubby is stuck on:
Weird Object in Greenland
(PS I think it's an imaging anomaly, but what do I know)



PC World did a little article on the oddities of Google Earth, they also have explanations of the images in the captions.


Google Earth Cool Places has all kinds of images of weird things you can see on Google Earth.

Also, can't leave out the nudes! Top 10 Naked People on Google Earth.

I'll take one for Christmas please!

Disappearing Car Door

This just looks supercool...I wish I had a use for it!

There are all types out there and the web has given them all their little tiny spotlight. I'm always amazed at the things people come up with...and the fact that they are given (at least for a short time) some small speck of fame. Youtube is the perfect forum for those who just didn't get enough hugs as a kid. The funny thing to me is that I work in broadcasting and it would be pretty easy for me to fill Youtube with my work...but...I just don't care to. I like looking at the stuff there, though.

I don't have a myspace page or a facebook...I don't even have a webcam. In fact, I only do this blog thing because I get bored and I like to share links with my friends. Now, if you're a stranger and happen upon this page I don't mind either. I'm not looking for my 15 minutes and virtually nothing here is actually by me. I just have some time on my hands.

Today is my homage to all the internet people...



15 Minutes of Fame according to wikipedia.



VH1's 40 Greatest Internet Superstars.



Here are a couple of funny gaming related videos that I have always enjoyed. First is the WoW version of "The Internet is for Porn".


"Fette's Vette" made using Star Wars Galaxies.


And finally, I had to find a video using my current favorite game - Vanguard: Saga of Heroes.

I wouldn't call myself computer illiterate, but the Geeksquad isn't going to be calling for my help any time soon either. I'm just an average (maybe slightly above average) computer user. I can do the basics and I know a few tricks but like most people, I'm generally confused about the higher end computer stuff.

My latest task: Set up a network at my parents' house so I can have internet access while my new house is being built. Gamermom can only go so long without slaying some fantasy critters.

My initial solution (and probably the one I'll go with) is to by a LONG cable and run it from one computer to the other. The problem with this is the fact that I know there are better ways to do it...namely wirelessly (is that even a word?). I have a PC, it doesn't have a wireless card. Ah well, I'll just do it the wrong way and forget it.

If you want to know how to do it right, you can always check Howstuffworks. They have a lengthy description which seems easy enough to understand.

Top Ten Signs That You Are An Internet Geek

10 When filling out your driver's license application you give your IP address.

9 You no longer ask prospective dates what their sign is, instead your line is "Hi, what's your URL?"

8 Instead of calling you to dinner, your spouse sends email.

7 You're amazed to find out spam is a food.

6 You "ping" people to see if they're awake, "finger" them to find out how they are, and

"AYT" them to make sure they're listening to you.

5 You search the Net endlessly hoping to win every silly free T-shirt contest.

4 You introduce your wife as "my lady@home.wife" and refer to your children as "client applications".

3 At social functions you introduce your husband as "my domain server".

2 After winning the office super bowl pool you blurt out, "I feel so "colon-right parentheses!"

..And the number one sign you are an Internet Geek:

1 Two Words: "Pizza's Here!".

My mom wants me to build her a website. I can cheat and get it done by going to one of those pre-fab websites. I just don't have a clue how to actually build one from the ground up. Maybe I should learn some HTML. HTML Goodies may prove to be helpful.

I'll also have to use some of the info on build-website.com












If you're like some of the people I know, you might just want to start here. Although, if you're reading blogs, I would hope you're already beyond this point, but who knows.

So I was perusing the Detroit Free Press Online (aka freep.com) the other day and noticed a little article about "Bots Chatting".

I was intrigued and as I read, I noticed there was a link within the web article to the REAL article done by Discover Magazine. Pretty neat stuff. The gist of it is that they got two chat computers to talk to each other. They came up with some decent conversation.

I tried talking to the jabberwacky one myself, and found it sort of lame in the end. It was interesting for a minute, but because the program doesn't have a "memory" prior to the last statement, full conversations are very difficult. Kind of like trying to have a conversation with a 3 year old.