Category: Tech

Amazon Subprime

I was looking for an excuse to complain about something on Amazon, and Jeopardy! has provided it. Here’s another pop culture clue from the 1/1/26 game.

The response was wrong, and so is Alien as it appears on Amazon Prime. I ordered a 4K/Blu-ray copy of the movie at a super discounted price of $12.95. Delivery was estimated to be sometime later this month. Based on past experience with Amazon, that means availability is uncertain.

https://www.amazon.com/Alien-Sigourney-Weaver/dp/B07P83ZXX4/

The movie is available to watch instantly on Amazon Prime, in UHD format, for only five bucks. I had my doubts about this deal as well, so I applied some American Express points to make the out of pocket cost $0.00.

I was right to be doubtful. Not only is the movie in standard definition, or it’s a very poor HD transfer, the aspect ratio is wrong. Being 2.00:1, when it should be in Panavision 2.39:1, the image is stretched vertically. Here’s a sample.

I cancelled the 4K/Blu-ray disc order. Maybe I’ll buy a physical copy later.

4a Foray

The IFIXIT battery kit for my Google Pixel 4a is here. It includes a tube filled with something to heat in the microwave, to soften the glue that’s holding the OLED screen. I also have another, crafty, microwave oven option for warming up the glue. It was a gift from a friend years ago, during a bout of lower back pain.

I won’t rush into this job. Before tackling it, I’ll watch all of the available videos on the repair, to see the various techniques people have used, successfully… or not.

Germany Calling?

Here’s something I haven’t seen before in a comment submission:

Anonymous Reader
reader@example.com
176.117.65.176
Test comment: Exploring user interaction on dograt.com.

All comments from unknown sources have to be approved by me. I think I may know who submitted this, and why. If it’s him, I have this to say: I’m preparing more Prue audio clips for you!

P.S. I now think it isn’t him, because we have been in regular contact through Patreon. More likely, it’s the shockfactor_ai guy:

IFIXIT or MeBREAKIT?

Should I, or shouldn’t I? For a New Year’s project, I’m contemplating replacing the battery in my 5-year-old Google Pixel 4a. As recounted here early last year, I was forced by Google to get a new phone because of a mandatory update that crippled the battery as a safety precaution. The 4a is no longer supported by Google, but it can still do almost everything I want it to do, at least inside the house. Text messaging is available through Device Pairing with my Pixel 8a. Lacking a SIM, the only thing I can’t do with the 4a is use it for phone calls.

I prefer its size and weight to the 8a, and besides using it indoors, I take it with me on walks to listen to downloaded podcasts. The headphone jack means I don’t need to bring a DAC adapter. The only problem is the unpredictable rate the battery drains. If I’m lucky, it lasts a few hours. A new battery is promised to be unaffected by the update.

IFIXIT has a 4a battery replacement kit for not too much money. It isn’t an easy job, but I successfully replaced the trackpad in the Lenovo laptop PC. Although doing that didn’t fix whatever the problem is, I didn’t break anything in the process.

https://www.ifixit.com/products/google-pixel-4a-battery-genuine

Removing the 4a’s OLED screen, without breaking it, appears to be the trickiest step, but it’s worth a try. Having the 4a run throughout the day would make it possible to go easy on the 8a’s battery in the long run.

A bigger project for the New Year will be getting one of my Pioneer LaserDisc players working again. If I’m lucky, belts and lubrication will be all that’s needed, as was the case with my Sony dual cassette deck and 300-disc CD changer.