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 13, 2024

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Sherlock Season 1

 


Sherlock is a series that aired on BBC for four seasons from 2010 to 2017.  It starred Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Mark Gatiss (also one of the series creators) played Mycroft Holmes, Rupert Graves played Inspector Lestrade, Una Stubbs played Mrs Hudson, and Andrew Scott played Moriarty. The twist on this version is that it is set in the modern-day as opposed to the 1800s. So, Watson is a veteran of the Afghan war, and they are using cell phones, computers, etc. Sherlock is an eccentric and borderline-crazy detective who is a master of deduction and observation. The deductions are shown through words flashed on the screen as Sherlock looks at things. If you have read all the Holmes stories, you will recognize the main plot points for each episode, but the stories are heavily adapted to add elements that work in the updated setting and remove elements that do not.

The season is set up as three TV movie-length episodes (1.5 hrs each). They are mostly independent stories selected from the writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, mixed with a larger thread throughout the episodes regarding Moriarty, who is revealed in a wonderful scene. 

The Blu-Ray set is a two-disc set. The A/V quality was mixed. The visuals were great, but the audio was just okay. The audio is quiet when the episodes are playing, which requires turning the volume on the TV way up and then way back down when the menu screen is on. One thing that would make the set better is a proper play-all mode that lets you pick up where you leave off if you stop the player. Those issues aside, the show is worth getting on blu-ray if you like getting physical discs. The extras include commentary tracks on the first and third episodes, a half-hour-long making-of feature, and the original, shorter pilot episode made before the studio wanted the extra half-hour. Overall, the season was well-written and acted. 

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