Welcome

Welcome to my ever-evolving blog. It started out as a blog on Beachbody workouts and products, mainly when I was a Beachbody coach. I no longer coach, not because I don't believe in Beachbody's programs (I subscribe to Beachbody on Demand and use their workouts every day), I am just not a salesperson and hated that aspect of it. I am more than willing to answer questions about my experiences with their products and the various workouts, and I feel freer to do so without the appearance of giving a biased review of something.

I have also started adding reviews for various things I have purchased like movies, books, CDs, and other products. This was brought about by a fight with Amazon in which all of my reviews were removed over a completely bullshit allegation that I posted a review that violated their terms of service. After going back and forth with the morons in the community-reviews department (even after they admitted that my posts did not violate their guidelines) they restored my account (which took them six months to do), but I have been posting my reviews on my blog to have them preserved in case something like that happens again. And here, I will post uncensored reviews so I will swear from time to time and post reviews that may be longer than Amazon's character limit. Everything I post here on any topic or product is my personal opinion, and I take no compensation for any product reviews I post. I am a member of Amazon's vine program and because I get those products for free, I keep those reviews on Amazon only, but everything I have purchased with my own money, whether from Amazon or some other store/website/outlet, I will post here.  

I also plan to do some longer blog posts on various topics, such as how to learn physics, how to get through calculus, and longer reviews of workout programs as I do them. Basically, whatever strikes me as interesting at the time.  As you can see if you navigate around the blog, I had many years in between postings. During that time I was going back to school to get an engineering degree, and learning material that I avoided my first time through college was a different experience and one that gave me a lot of insight into how to do well in those classes, which I will try to impart here for those who are looking to get a science or engineering degree. 

Friday, September 22, 2023

Product Review: Roku Express

 


This is an inexpensive option for cord-cutters (kind of an oxymoron since it still has cords) i.e., those who are looking to ditch cable or satellite TV. It is basically a box that attaches to your TV via an HDMI cable, and then allows you to download various apps, some free, some paid (e.g., Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Sling TV, YouTube TV, etc.) through which you can watch TV or movies.

The setup is easy. You just plug the Roku box into one of the HDMI ports on your TV, then connect it via a USB cable to a power source, which can be either through a USB port in the TV or connect the USB end of the cable into a power adapter that plugs into a regular wall outlet. Then you just follow the on-screen prompts to set it up, which will include connecting to your home's wireless network, telling it what you like to watch so it can suggest apps to download, and either setting up or logging into your Roku account (if you have an account set up). So, as long as you are not completely technophobic, you can get it set up in a few minutes.

There is absolutely no activation fee to set up the box. You have the option to set up Roku premium content (like HBO, Showtime, etc.) but you do not have to activate any of those. There are a bunch of free apps, including the Roku channel which have TV shows and movies, and usually play commercials throughout the shows, but those are generally past seasons of shows. If you want to watch current shows you either have to pay for a service like Sling TV or the like or get an HD antenna to connect to your TV to watch shows over-the-air.

Overall, this is a very good deal. Just to note, it will not play content in native 4k, so if you have a 4k TV you may want to upgrade to one of the more expensive boxes that will allow you to get the best resolution. But, if you have a regular HD TV that outputs 1080p, this is a great option. And, the remote is about 1000 times better and easier to use than the Amazon Fire remotes. So, if you are deciding between a Roku and one of the Amazon Fire devices, that may be something you want to consider. Roku does have an Amazon Prime app, so you can play all the Prime video content if you are a Prime member.

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