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. 

Monday, December 22, 2025

Book Review: Just Visiting This Planet: Further Scientific Adventures of Merlin from Omniscia

 


Just Visiting This Planet, published in 2025, is the second book by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, reprinting correspondence from the question-and-answer column of Star Date magazine, in which Tyson answers letters from the public as the fictional Merlin, an intergalactic traveler from the Andromeda Galaxy. The chapters are organized topically, covering topics such as black holes, our solar system, other star systems, other galaxies, possible other universes, and more. Some responses are humorous, some are a bit snarky, and some provide a pretty detailed scientific explanation of the given topic. However, the responses are written in such a way that you do not need a science or engineering degree to understand them.

The hardcover version of the book is just under 320 pages. It reads pretty quickly, especially if you have a bit of a science or engineering background, or have read any of Tyson's other books. It is absolutely worth reading, especially if you are interested in Astronomy or Astrophysics.

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