Thursday, April 30, 2015

ATF: Together or Apart

This series will include as many of my all-time favorite (ATF) tunes as I can get my grubby little hands on (so to speak).  Now, each one included in each edition will have some connection with the other—albeit only as a figment of my imagination, but they will not be numbered.  For I just cannot bring myself to rate some higher than others.  So, this will not be a countdown, but if you are enjoying them as much as I do, it won’t matter.  Besides, with no countdown, this could go on forever and ever!  Oh, and despite the fact that there is absolutely no way your musical tastes could be as exquisite as mine, I welcome any suggestions you might dare to make.  For I am, after all, quite magnanimous by nature.



We Belong
Pat Benatar
We belong
We belong to the light

Many times I’ve tried to tell you
Many times I’ve cried alone
Always I’m surprised how well you
Cut my feelings to the bone
Don’t wanna leave you really
I’ve invested too much time
To give you up that easy
To the doubts that complicate your mind

We belong to the light
We belong to the thunder
We belong to the sound of the words
We’ve both fallen under
Whatever we deny or embrace
For worse or for better
We belong
We belong
We belong together

Maybe it’s a sign of weakness
When I don’t know what to say
Maybe I just wouldn’t know
What to do with my strength anyway
Have we become a habit
Do we distort the facts
Now there’s no looking forward
Now there’s no turning back
When you say

We belong to the light
We belong to the thunder
We belong to the sound of the words
We’ve both fallen under
Whatever we deny or embrace
For worse or for better
We belong
We belong
We belong together

Close your eyes and try to sleep now
Close your eyes and try to dream
Clear your mind and do your best
To try and wash the palette clean
We can’t begin to know it
How much we really care
I hear your voice inside me
I see your face everywhere
Still you say

We belong to the light
We belong to the thunder
We belong to the sound of the words
We’ve both fallen under
Whatever we deny or embrace
For worse or for better
We belong
We belong
We belong together
We belong to the light
We belong to the thunder
We belong to the sound of the words
We’ve both fallen under
Whatever we deny or embrace
For worse or for better
We belong
We belong
We belong together
We belong to the light

We belong to the thunder



Since You’ve Been Gone
Head East
I get the same old dream
Same time every night
Fall to the ground
And I wake up
So I get out of bed
Put on my shoes
And in my head
Thoughts fly back to the breakup
And these four walls are closin’ in
Look at the fix you put me in

Since you’ve been gone
Since you’ve been gone
I'm outta my head
Can't take it
Could I be wrong
But since you’ve been gone
You cast the spell
So break it
Do it do do
Do it do do
Do it do do
Can't take it

And in the night I stand
Beneath the backstreet lights
I read the words
That you sent to me
I can take the afternoon
But night time
Comes around too soon
You can't know
What you mean to me
Your poison letter
Your telegram
They go to show
You don’t give a damn

Since you’ve been gone
Since you’ve been gone
I'm outta my head
Can't take it
Could I be wrong
But since you’ve been gone
You cast the spell
So break it
Do it do do
Do it do do
Do it do do
Can't take it

Ah ah
Ah ah
Ah ah
Ah ah
Ah ah…

If you will come back
Baby I'm here
Whenever you want
Do it

Since you’ve been gone
Since you’ve been gone
I'm outta my head
Can't take it
Could I be wrong
But since you’ve been gone
You cast the spell
So break it
Do it do do
Do it do do
Do it do do
Do it do do
Ever since
You’ve been gone

Since you’ve been gone

Since you’ve been gone

Do it do do
Do it do do
Ever since
You’ve been gone

Lyrics From: [eLyrics.net]

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Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Cable Television Ad-whacking


In the Come Monday edition [Digital to Analog], I talked about converting videos digitally-recorded off of the internet to an analog format so that they could be recorded on VHS tapes for my mother-in-law.  Well, I also set up the computer we have hooked up to our television to digitally-record shows we have on VHS tapes.  This was accomplished through the [Roxio Easy VHS to DVD 3] converter.

I also re-recorded onto the computer some of the shows we were keeping on our DVR to watch later (and watch over and over again, in Arlynda’s case).  For the Roxio converter can record anything playing on the television it is hooked up to.

Well, it was while editing (cutting out the commercial advertisements) some of those shows that I noticed something that struck me as being rather odd.  For at the beginning or end of one complete commercial would sometimes be a snippet from another completely different commercial.

Oh yeah, that had my curiosity piqued.  So, I started trying to pay close attention to what was going on during ad-breaks while watching current programming, and I found that what I am calling “ad-whacking” happens a lot.  The following video should give you an idea of what I am talking about.


Did you catch the ad-whacked World Wildlife Fund commercial between the Mattax-Neu-Prater and CNN ads?  It was very quick.  So, I made the following video with the speed slowed way down after showing the sequence again at regular speed.


I wound-up recording 271 ad-whacks in anticipation of this becoming a big deal.  The following ad-whack of a Gerber Life Insurance commercial is a more typical example than the WWF one.


Alas, all of the hours I spent recording and editing ad-whacks appear to be for naught.  For I have yet to receive a single response back from the advertisers I attempted to contact.  Oh, and the ad-whack examples I had for them were all documented by showing on the screen the time, date and what show it occurred.  The advertisers I attempted to contact were Gerber Life, Rosetta Stone, Stamps.com, Southern New Hampshire University, The Art Institutes, TrueCar.com, uSell.com, World Wildlife Fund and Zulily.com, and there are many more I did not try to contact after getting the hint.

So, is it that those businesses just do not care about their commercials being ad-whacked because of having so much money to spend upon advertising or is it just part of placing ads on television?  After all, time must be made for local advertisements, and ad-whacks usually happen before or after a local commercial is inserted into the national mix.

I do not know.  For all of my questions concerning what is going on have been left unanswered by those who just might know, and I have grown tired of pursuing the matter.

I stopped recording ad-whacks last summer and returned to zipping through commercial breaks as usual.  I still notice an ad-whack here or there every once in a while, and I have been seeing it happen more frequently on ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC lately.  Whereas, I rarely caught an ad-whack on the main network channels back when I was trying to pay close attention.

What came as quite a shock to me is that ad-whacks appeared to happen the most frequently on CNBC.  For I would think that a business channel would be tightly focused upon their own good business practices.


In all fairness, it may not be CNBC’s fault.  For it may very well be more in the hands of the individual cable companies and local television stations to produce advertising blocks.

Back when I was still trying to be serious about pursuing this, I asked my sister-in-law (with DirecTV) to record a six-hour segment of Animal Planet, which is a channel we also have access to through Mediacom Cable.  I also recorded the same six-hour segment and then compared the advertising blocks.  What I found was that when the advertising blocks occurred was set by the network while the content varied between what was broadcast on DirecTV and Mediacom.  Most of the blocks had the same commercials at the same time, but different ones were whacked at the different times, with the biggest difference being virtually no local advertising on DirecTV.  Their ad-whacking involved inserting commercials for other programs on DirecTV while Mediacom had a lot of advertisements for local businesses.


Whether or not ad-whacking and some other things are simply a matter of sloppiness or something sinister is set for next week.  I can imagine you being hardly able to wait—right? 

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Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Sites To See #435

The SOLE purpose of this series is to help call attention to sites that I think many would find most interesting—in one way or another.  Just to be clear, inclusion in this series is not necessarily meant as an endorsement, and I have included sites that I found rather disturbing.  The link below each image is to the site itself, and each image is linked to the particular post from which it was taken when applicable.  Please, go see for yourself.  Oh, and as of August 10, 2012, I will be no longer including sites that have auto-play and word verification engaged.




















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Monday, April 27, 2015

ATF: For Better or Worse

This series will include as many of my all-time favorite (ATF) tunes as I can get my grubby little hands on (so to speak).  Now, each one included in each edition will have some connection with the other—albeit only as a figment of my imagination, but they will not be numbered.  For I just cannot bring myself to rate some higher than others.  So, this will not be a countdown, but if you are enjoying them as much as I do, it won’t matter.  Besides, with no countdown, this could go on forever and ever!  Oh, and despite the fact that there is absolutely no way your musical tastes could be as exquisite as mine, I welcome any suggestions you might dare to make.  For I am, after all, quite magnanimous by nature.



The Wedding Song
Mary MacGregor
He is now to be among you
At the calling of your hearts
Rest assured this troubadour
Is acting on His part
The union of your spirits here
Has caused Him to remain
For whenever two or more of you
Are gathered in His name
There is Love
There is Love

Well a man shall leave his mother
And a woman leave her home
And they shall travel on to where
The two shall be as one
As it was in the beginning
Is now and 'til the end
Woman draws her life from man
And gives it back again
And there is Love
There is Love

Well then what's to be the reason
For becoming man and wife
Is it Love that brings you here
Or Love that brings you life
And if loving is the answer
Then who's the giving for
Do you believe in something
That you've never seen before
Oh there is Love
There is Love



The Breakup Song
Greg Kihn
We had broken up for good
Just an hour before
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah
And now I'm starin’ at the bodies
As they're dancin’ across the floor
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah
And then the band slowed the tempo
And the music took me down
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah
It was the same old song
With a melancholy sound
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah

They don't write 'em like that anymore
They just don't write 'em like that anymore

We'd been living together
For a million years
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah
But now it feels so strange
Out in the atmospheres
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah
And then the jukebox plays a song
I used to know
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah
And now I'm starin’ at the bodies
As they're dancin’ so slow
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah

They don't write 'em like that anymore
They don't write 'em like that anymore

Now I'm windin’ up
Starin’ at an empty glass
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah
Cause it's so easy to say
That you'll forget your past
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah

They don't write 'em like that anymore
No
They just don't write 'em like that anymore
Oh they don't write 'em like that anymore
They just don't write 'em like that anymore
They just don't
No they don't
No no
Uh-uh,
They just don't write 'em like that anymore
They just don't...

Lyrics From: [eLyrics.net]

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Sunday, April 26, 2015

A Sunday Drive

Back during our childhood, our parents would often load up my brother and me after Sunday morning church services for a leisurely drive around where we lived.  Even though we were seeing mostly familiar sights, it was still good to see them again, and this is why “A Sunday Drive” sounded about right for the name of a series revisiting familiar sites that are well worth seeing again and again.  The link below the image is to the site itself, and the image is linked to the post it was first included in here.

 Link: [2 Bags Full]



















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Friday, April 24, 2015

Sites To See #434

The SOLE purpose of this series is to help call attention to sites that I think many would find most interesting—in one way or another.  Just to be clear, inclusion in this series is not necessarily meant as an endorsement, and I have included sites that I found rather disturbing.  The link below each image is to the site itself, and each image is linked to the particular post from which it was taken when applicable.  Please, go see for yourself.  Oh, and as of August 10, 2012, I will be no longer including sites that have auto-play and word verification engaged.



 Link: [Picturit]










 Link: [Red Handed]





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Thursday, April 23, 2015

ATF: Magical Mysteries

This series will include as many of my all-time favorite (ATF) tunes as I can get my grubby little hands on (so to speak).  Now, each one included in each edition will have some connection with the other—albeit only as a figment of my imagination, but they will not be numbered.  For I just cannot bring myself to rate some higher than others.  So, this will not be a countdown, but if you are enjoying them as much as I do, it won’t matter.  Besides, with no countdown, this could go on forever and ever!  Oh, and despite the fact that there is absolutely no way your musical tastes could be as exquisite as mine, I welcome any suggestions you might dare to make.  For I am, after all, quite magnanimous by nature.

Link: [Triumph]


Magic Power
Triumph
Something's at the edge of your mind
You don't know what it is
Something you were hopin' to find
But you’re not sure what it is
Then you hear the music
And it all comes crystal clear
The music does the talkin'
Says the things you want to hear

I'm young
I'm wild
And I'm free
I’ve got the magic power
Of the music in me
I'm young
I'm wild
And I'm free
I’ve got the magic power
Of the music
In me

She climbs into bed
She pulls the covers overhead
And she turns her little radio on
Had a rotten day
So she hopes the DJ's gonna play
Her favorite song
It makes her feel much better
Brings her closer to her dreams
A little magic power
Makes it better than it seems

She's young now
She's wild now
She wants to be free
She gets the magic power
Of the music in me
She's young now
She's wild now
She wants to be free
She gets the magic power
Of the music
From me

If you're thinkin' it over
But you just can't sort it out
Do you want someone to tell you
What they think it's all about
Are you the one and only
Who's sad and lonely
You’re reachin' for the top
Well the music keeps you goin'
And it's never gonna stop
It’s never gonna stop
It’s never gonna
Never gonna
Never gonna
Never gonna stop

The world is full of compromise
The infinite red tape
But the music's got the magic
It's your one chance for escape
So turn me on
Turn me up
It's your turn to dream
A little magic power makes it
Better than it seems

I'm young now
I'm wild now
I want to be free
I’ve got the magic power
Of the music in me
I'm young now
I'm wild
And I'm free
I’ve got the magic power
Of the music
I’ve got the music
For me

I’ve got the power
I’ve got the power
She’s got the power
She’s got the power
You’ve got the power
You’ve got the power
You’ve got the power
You’ve got the power


Link: [Heart]


Magic Man
Heart
Cold late night so long ago
When I was not so strong you know
A pretty man came to me
I never seen eyes so blue
You know I could not run away it seemed
We'd seen each other in a dream
Seemed like he knew me
He looked right through me
Yeah

Come on home girl
He said with a smile
You don't have to love me yet
Let's get high awhile
But try to understand
Try to understand
Try try try
To understand
I'm a magic man

Winter nights we sang in tune
Played inside the months of moon
Never think of never
Let this spell last forever
Well summer lovin’ passed to fall
Tried to realize it all
Mama says she's worried
Growing up in a hurry
Yeah

Come on home girl
Mama cried on the phone
Too soon to lose my baby yet
My girl should be at home
But try to understand
Try to understand
Try try try
To understand
He's a magic man Mama
Ah
He's a magic man

Come on home girl
He said with a smile
I’ve cast my spell of love on you
A woman from a child
But try to understand
Try to understand
Oh
Oh
Try
Try to understand
Try try try
To understand
He's a magic man
Oh
Yeah
He's got the magic hands

Come on home girl
He said with a smile
You don't have to love me yet
Let's get high awhile
But try to understand
Try to understand
Try try try
To understand
He's a magic man
Yeah
Oh oh

Lyrics From: [eLyrics.net]

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