Went down to the local electronics supply warehouse, bought a light switch and 20' of wire, and made a mute switch for the tv in a box made of scrap lumber. I'm guessing that I was 10 or 11.
I even unplugged the tv first then turned it on to drain the caps first!
Of course, I got yelled at for doing it because... MOM.
I have ALWAYS hated commercials. In retrospect, I should have just not have watched the damn tv at all.