Study Aid Review: The Ultimate Physics 2 Tutor Volume 1: Thermodynamics

 

This set is honestly, probably a bit overkill for the amount of Thermodynamics you are likely to be exposed to in Physics. Most physics curriculums tackle Thermo for a couple of weeks (at most) either at the very end of the first semester or the very beginning of the second semester. This will give you all the theory behind the concepts of Thermo and the equations that you will need in Physics. But, Thermo also comes up in the first year of Chemistry (at least part of which any engineering major will need to take) and is offered as a stand-alone engineering class that will either be required or an elective, depending on what area of engineering you are studying. While the examples that Jason goes over on this set are not exactly like the problems you would see in an engineering Thermodynamics class, the theory is the same, and will definitely help you.

The set is divided into three discs, each of which has several lessons/sections.

Disc One Contains:
Section 1: Thermometers and Temperature Scales
Section 2: Expansion and Contraction of Solids and Liquids
Section 3: Kinetic Theory of Gases

Disc 2 Contains:
Section 4: Heat
Section 5: Latent Heat and Phase Change
Section 6: Heat Transfer by Convection, Radiation, and Conduction
Section 7: Work, Heat, and PV Diagrams

And Disc 3 Contains:
Section 8: The First Law of Thermodynamics
Section 9: Heat Engines and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
Section 10: Refrigerators
Section 11: Entropy

For me, the section on PV diagrams was very helpful, and it is probably the lesson that helped me the most in my engineering Thermodynamics class. We did not really discuss them much in physics but used them all the time in the engineering class. Like Jason's other sets, he breaks down each topic providing enough theory to make the topic understandable without getting bogged down in the minutia. Then he goes through examples to help solidify the topics. It is just him standing in front of a whiteboard giving a simulated lecture, however, and not everyone's style of learning is conducive to that. But, if yours is, this is a great set that will be helpful beyond just a physics class.

Study Aid Review: How to Solve Physics Problems

 

This is a decent book to help you learn the concepts of physics and give you some exposure to the theory. It does have some helpful information at the beginning of the book about how to approach class, how to test yourself to determine if you are learning the concepts, etc. The two main drawbacks are that it does have a bunch of typos. I have not come across anything that made what it was trying to say incomprehensible, and I did not notice errors in the worked-out solutions (but I did not go through them all). Second, like most physics supplements, even though it does discuss some calculus concepts, it does not have examples of what I would describe as multi-part or compound problems that you often get in calculus-based physics classes.

A lot of times, the calculus in calc-based physics is used in lectures to derive the formulas, but when you have exams, you do not have to actually use much calculus. So, teachers tend to make the problems harder than what students in an algebra-based physics class will have to deal with, and one way they do that is to break the problems into a bunch of parts and make you solve for five or six different things. And, a lot of times you have to use the solution to one thing to calculate something else. For example, you will be required to solve for time, then use the value that you calculate for time to then calculate the initial velocity, and once you have that, you can solve for something else. Problems that just ask you to (or show you how to) solve for just one thing are helpful to an extent but are not nearly as complex as what you are likely to see on an exam.

Another drawback to the book is that the drawings are really very basic. That was probably a decision to save money, and while you can still figure out what they are showing, they could have been a lot better. So, overall, this will be a good resource, to a point, but if you are taking calc-based physics (or AP physics in high school) it may not be enough.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 61

Day 61 of CE was the Burn it Off workout. I did it a bit later in the day than I would have liked, but I managed to get it done and get through it. It is honestly not my favorite cardio workout (aside from the fact that it is a bit shorter), but I much prefer P90X's plyometrics workout to this one. 

Study Aid Review: The Unit Conversion Tutor - 4 Hour Course

 

This is, in my opinion, one of the most important sets that Jason has put out, and one of the most important topics to learn if you plan on getting a science or engineering degree. Unit conversion/Dimensional Analysis is something that you will absolutely use in classes like chemistry, physics, and nearly every engineering class you take. In some classes, it is used more than others, but it is something that you will see all throughout your studies. In most chemistry and physics books, the very first chapter is devoted to the concept, but very few teachers ever lecture on that chapter or assign problems from it. Instead, students are expected to figure it out and be able to follow what the teacher is doing when going through example problems that require converting units. The problem is that the chapters in the books tend to make things way more complicated than they need to be and discuss the most obscure units that you will never see in a "real" problem. This is where Jason's set is extremely helpful and useful.

Jason starts out discussing Scientific Notation, then gets into the Metric System and SI Units, which is the foundational system of units that will be used in every single class. Then the lessons go into, Unit Conversions Involving Length, Unit Conversions Involving Area, Unit Conversions Involving Volume, Unit Conversions Involving Speed, and Unit Conversions Involving Mass and Weight. All of those will be essential to solving physics problems and the last topic is also used extensively in chemistry. The final lesson is on Unit Conversions Involving Density, which is mostly used in chemistry, but will come up in physics and classes like engineering thermodynamics as well.

The reason I say that this is one of the most important topics is that if you know how to do it well, you will reduce the number of mistakes that you make on homework problems, quizzes, and exams, and it will always lead you to the correct answer because your answer always has to be in the correct units by the end of the problem. If you do the unit conversions first, you will save yourself a lot of time when working out problems and it will be a lot easier to figure out if you have made a mistake and find the mistake. So, this is a topic that is essential to learn well and be able to do quickly. Nothing that Jason shows here is extremely complex, but it is very helpful. I definitely recommend getting this if you want to learn any branch of science or engineering.

Study Aid Review: Homework Helpers: Physics, Revised Edition

 

This is a great guide for a high-school, non-AP physics class, or an algebra-based physics class at the college level. It contains the material that you will see in the first two semesters of physics (Newtonian motion and mechanics, electricity and magnetism, waves and light, optics, thermodynamics, and nuclear physics (which sometimes gets introduced in the second semester, and sometimes it is left for the more advanced classes)). It does not cover subjects like quantum physics or relativity, or the other material you would see in a Modern Physics class to any great extent.
The introductory chapter discusses topics like unit conversion, symbols, sign conventions, and the basics of algebra and trigonometry that you will need to know. The rest of the chapters are broken into lessons that introduce the theory behind each topic, give examples, and then provide a short problem set at the end. Then, at the end of each chapter, there is a chapter test that has problem types from each lesson, and an answer key to the problems in the chapter. The answer key does not work out the problems, just allows you to check your work. So, it does not spoonfeed you everything and makes you learn the material. The examples in the chapters are fully worked out, and the problems in the problem sets are representative of the example problems.

One thing I love about the approach is that the book stresses solving the problems symbolically first, and then plugging the values in at the end. Far too many people tend to plug the numbers in as they go, which provides many more opportunities for making math mistakes. Now, most physics teachers do not kill you for math mistakes, but some do. If you solve the problems symbolically first, you show your teacher that you actually understand the problem and how to solve it, and if you screw up on the math at the very end, you will get the vast majority of the points. It also provides a good template for how to set up your answer by labeling what is given and what you are trying to find, which shows that you can interpret what the question is asking for correctly.

If there is one drawback to this guide is that it does not have a lot of multi-step problems. Meaning problems where you have to calculate one parameter (like time) using one formula and then take that result and plug it into a different formula to solve for a different parameter (like distance or velocity). Those kinds of problems are almost exclusively what you will get on calculus-based physics exams because they are more complex than problems that amount to just "plug and chug" where you are given all the information you need to solve the problem upfront. But, because this is geared for the "easier" problem types, just know that if you are going to be taking calc-based physics the examples and the problems you get in this guide are going to be similar to your easiest homework problems, and will not be anywhere near as complex as the hardest homework problems or any exam problems you will have. But, even if you are going to be taking calc-based physics, this can be used to learn the theory (especially if you cannot easily follow the textbook or your teacher is not a good lecturer) and provide you with basic examples from which to build from. So, I highly recommend this regardless of what level of physics you are taking.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 61

Day 61 of CE is the first Push Circuit 3 workout. It is another workout full of compound moves, and every move has a breakdown set. The upper-body moves are either some variation of a shoulder press or a chest fly (or push-ups). The lower body moves are either squats, lunges, or deadlifts. It is another very challenging workout, especially if doing shoulder presses with even moderately heavy weights is tough for you. Shoulders are definitely not my favorite body part to work, so Push 2 and 3 are a bear for me to get through.

Book/Study Aid Review: Student Solutions Manual for Blanchard/Devaney/Hall's Differential Equations, 4th

This is actually one of the better solution manuals I used when I was taking math. It is light on explanation, but that is really what the book is for. The book was not the best written and did not always make for the easiest read, but between the book and class lecture, I could figure it out. This has the solutions to the odd-numbered problems from the book. One of the reviews complains that it does not have the solutions to the even problems, but every student solution manual has just the odd problems worked out. Only the instructor's solution manuals have all the problems worked out, and those are very hard to track down (obviously). Generally, if you can work the odd problems you can figure out how to do the even problems.

What makes this better than some of the other solution manuals is that it has solutions for the vast majority, if not all, of the odd problems. I have used other student solution manuals that only have some of the odd problems worked out, and that is a pain. And, of the problems that I used this to check my work (my instructor assigned some problems from the book and made up others of his own), I did not notice any errors, so the editors did a good job. So, overall, it was a good investment.

 

Product Review: Shark VacMop Multi-Surface Cleaner

 

This is for use in the shark vacmops, although I am sure it could be used in any robotic mop that allows for using more than just water. I use it on vinyl plank flooring on my main floor (which is waterproof and pretty much indestructible) and it works great on that kind of flooring. It claims to be multi-surface, so you should be able to use it on any hard surface, but I do know that they have a separate product that is specifically for hardwood floors. The scent is very nice, subtle, and not overpowering. And, it dries fairly quickly. It is reasonably priced, and lasts a long time, as long as you do not have to mop every day.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Chuck: The Complete Fifth and Final Season

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from season four, but no major giveaways from the final season.+++

The fifth season of Chuck is another partial season, that was basically given to wrap up the series and provide the fans with a proper ending. It starts out with a short time jump from the end of season four with Chuck and Sarah married and having used the billion-dollar gift to rebuild the base under the Buy More and start Carmichael Industries. Morgan has the new intersect and is brought along on missions, but left in the car, much to his disappointment. The overarching story arc throughout the season is that everything from season one on has been manipulated as part of a larger conspiracy that the team has to try and unravel. The supporting cast is not used as extensively this year as it was in prior seasons, likely due to budget cuts, but there are some great Jeffster moments, the highlight of which is Jeff getting clean and basically figuring everything out. There are a bunch of great guest stars this season including Mark Hamill, Brandon Routh, Carrie-Anne Moss, Angus Macfadyen, Linda Hamilton, and Bo Derek, playing herself in a great episode.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the show looks and sounds great in HD, as it always has. The extras include commentary tracks on the final two episodes, a feature on making the final episode, a tribute to the fans of the show who were basically the reason it kept going as long as it did, a feature on the music of the show, and a few features on the beginning of the show, the evolution of the show, and predictions from the cast and crew about where the characters would end up in the future. There are also deleted scenes, a gag reel, and full versions of the Buy More commercials. So, a lot of extras for those who like them.

Overall, the season was bittersweet. It did give the fans a proper ending that the season four finale did not provide. It was not necessarily a happily ever after ending for the show and definitely left some things unresolved, but I think the show did a nice job taking a risk by not giving an ending that tied up every single thing and had all of the characters in a perfect place at the end. There were some very good episodes and some clunkers in the season, but like the series as a whole, the season was good overall and ended the series at the right time.

Book/Study Guide Review: The Physics Problem Solver

 

The REA problem-solvers guides give you a lot of example problems on all of the major topics you will come across in the first year of physics. It does cover some of the more advanced material that you would come across in a Modern Physics class including Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, but I just took the first two semesters of physics which covers Newtonian Mechanics, Optics, Waves, Electricity, Magnetism, and Thermodynamics. The book definitely has a lot of examples covering those subjects, but I am not sure how extensive it gets into the higher-level concepts.

The guide does lay out some of the theory, but it generally confines that to a few pages and then gets into the example problems. It works out the examples in a lot of detail, and it gives you strategies for how to solve the various problem types. The two cons that I noticed when using this is that the diagrams are pretty basic. It definitely does not give the kind of higher-quality drawings that the textbooks will give you, but they do provide you with enough detail on how to attack the problem. Second, the solutions do, at times, skip steps. Usually, they are things that you should know how to do by the time you are taking physics, but sometimes it can be hard to figure out how they got from one point to the next. The guide also has a wide range of problem types, both the "easier" problems that you will get in algebra-based physics and the more complex problems that you get in calculus-based physics. And, it does go over calculus concepts like the dot product and cross product that you will need to solve some problems that actually use calculus. So, it will be helpful no matter what version of physics you are taking.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 60

Day 60 of CE was the burn intervals workout. I actually found that I had more stamina during the workout today than I have had this entire round of CE and was able to jump a bit more than I had when doing the workout previously. Definitely a good sign.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Bridesmaids

 

Bridesmaids was a comedy written by SNL alum Kristen Wig, who plays Annie a woman in her 30s going through a typical mid-life crisis. She agrees to be the Maid of Honor at her best friend Lillian's (Maya Rudolph) wedding. She then has to plan festivities and get the other bridesmaids (played by Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and Ellie Kemper) to the wedding and pull off everything without a hitch. Of course, there are a ton of hitches that come up along the way. The movie is really a spoof on the craziness of wedding planning, wedding events, the whole Bridezilla phenomenon, and more. The movie does have a lot of gross-out jokes and more raunchy comedy, especially involving Melissa McCarthy, who steals pretty much every scene she is in, but it is really meant to be a tongue-in-cheek comedy that makes fun of weddings, not to be taken seriously.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, you get both the theatrical and extended (unrated) versions of the movie. The extended edition adds about five minutes to the run time, and really nothing that changes the movie or really makes it better. The extras include a commentary track with director Paul Feig and many of the cast members and writers, then there is a half-hour long behind the scenes documentary, deleted and extended/alternate scenes that run for almost an hour, a short gag reel, and then some in-character featurettes that basically have the actors riffing or improvising during different scenes (some of which were scenes that made the movie and others were not).

Overall, the movie is very good. It definitely has some of the raunchy and adult comedy that the Apatow universe of movies are known for (he was a producer on this movie), so it is not something I would call family-friendly by any means. It is almost a female version of The Hangover, although not as good as the original Hangover movie. As you can see from the widely varied reviews, not everyone will like it, but if you are looking for a more adult comedy this is definitely worth checking out. Personally, if you are on the fence about whether it is something you would like, I would try to stream it before shelling out for the physical discs. But, if you know you love the movie and like going through bonus material (or just prefer physical media to streaming) this is definitely worth the pickup.

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.  I will also start the long process of linking my class material (lecture notes, notes I took out of the books, and my worked-out homework problems) from my math, science, and engineering classes). 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. 

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 59

Day 59 of CE was the first go around with Push Circuit 2. It is a very hard circuit working the shoulders for the upper body moves, and again doing a lot of leg lifts, and squats at the same time to work the lower body. Again, every move in the circuit has a breakdown set. Sometimes the breakdown set is whatever shoulder exercise you are doing, sometimes it is the lower-body exercise, and in one instance it is a set of three push-ups.  Doing the shoulder exercises while balancing on one leg is very hard, even if you are using very light weights, and there were a couple of exercises in which I actually had to use less weight than I originally planned on because it was just too hard to lift and keep my balance. So, it is a good, but very challenging workout. 

Book Review: The Kremlin's Candidate

 

This is the final novel in the Red Sparrow series of spy novels involving the Russian double agent Dominika Egorova. There is a time jump from the end of the second novel, and now Dominika is in the running to become the new head of the SVR. This means she will have unparalleled access to information to feed to the Americans, but it also puts her in more danger as it becomes much harder for her to pass the information along to the CIA. The main plot of the novel is that there is a Russian mole, code-named Magnit, who is in line to become the new director of the CIA after the death of the current director. Of course, if the mole becomes the director, Dominika's identity immediately becomes known to the Russians and she would be sent off to a Gulag and killed. So, there is a race to uncover the identity of the mole and prevent the mole from being confirmed as director, and it, of course, includes the usual spy thriller twists and turns with nearly every main character in danger at some point.

The book clocks in at about 430 pages. It is not an extremely fast read (it took me 21 days to get through it, and I am a fairly quick reader), but how quickly you can get through it really depends on how much time you can devote to reading it. The chapters are fairly short, anywhere from five to ten pages on average, so there are plenty of natural stopping points if you read just an hour or two at a time. There are a few new characters in the book, but the focus is mostly on the established characters, especially Dominika and Nate, and Putin plays a very large role in this novel, much moreso than he did in the prior two. The ending does leave open the possibility of additional stories, but the tone would definitely be changed somewhat because the characters definitely end up in a very different place from where they started. Chances are, it will be the end of the story, however, especially since the Red Sparrow movie pretty much flopped and there is not any pressure to keep a movie franchise alive. If you liked the prior novels, this is definitely worth reading.

DVD/Movie Review: Clueless (Whatever! Edition)

 

Clueless is the iconic mid-90s coming of age movie starring Alicia Silverstone, Brittany Murphy, and Paul Rudd (in one of his first roles), and sporting a supporting cast of Breckin Meyer, Donald Faison, Wallace Shawn, Dan Hedaya, and Stacey Dash. It is loosely based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel Emma, and directed by Amy Heckerling who also directed the 1980s coming of age classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

The movie is basically set around the life of pampered rich girl Cher (played by Silvertone) who can argue anything to get what she wants, as taught to her by her lawyer father (played by Hedaya). In her high school, she is the leader of a group of girls just as vain and clueless as she is, including her best friend Dionne (played by Dash). Brittany Murphy plays Tai, a new student at the school whom Cher takes on as her charity case to make her over into one of the groups. When Tai's personality changes Cher then sees firsthand how she treats people and ultimately learns to grow up. The other big plot revolves around Cher's love life. She tries to make out with her school crush and is surprisingly rebuffed, and then falls for Rudd's character, which is a bit creepy given that he is her stepbrother.

For those who get the Whatever! edition of the DVD, the extras include the trailers, a bunch of behind-the-scenes featurettes (seven in all ranging from about three minutes to almost twenty minutes), and then a bunch of previews for other movies. So, if you like bonus material, you get a good amount here.

Overall, the movie is a classic. It is very funny and has some dramatic moments. Yes, the thought of Cher and Josh becoming a thing is a bit creepy and is probably not something that would be added to the storyline if it was made today, but it was not the focus of the movie by any means. Of course, the various actors have gone on to have wildly varied careers since Clueless with Silverstone basically having retired from acting, Rudd making blockbuster movies (and hardly aging), and Murphy having tragically passed away after her career hitting a bit of a slump. It would be nice if they make a 20th-anniversary Blu-Ray within the next couple of years and get the cast together to do a commentary track and new cast interviews. Who knows whether that will actually happen, but for now, this is a great version of the movie (there is a Blu-Ray upgrade of this set floating around out there), and it is definitely worth watching.

DVD/Movie Review: Dirty Love

 

Dirty love is an early 2000s movie that starred and was written by Jenny McCarthy. She was not quite at the height of her fame (when she was Playmate of the Year and then in her MTV days), but she was not far removed from it. It is basically a comedy about a hot girl getting dumped, doing a bunch of stupid stuff, and then ending up with the geeky guy who really loves her (played by American Pie's Eddie Kaye Thomas).

I would not really classify it as a romantic comedy, more just a straight-up comedy. And, anyone who is familiar with McCarthy's brand of comedy knows that it is raunchy. While there is some sex (more discussion than actual depiction) there are some boob shots from McCarthy, who has never been shy about taking off her clothes. But, they are fairly quick and it is not anything all that explicit.

For those who get the DVDs, the extras include a commentary track by McCarthy and the director John Asher (whom McCarthy was engaged to at the time the movie was made), some behind-the-scenes clips, and cast interviews. Nothing spectacular, but they're for people who want to go through the bonus material

Overall, the movie pretty much stays in its lane and does not try to take itself too seriously. No, it is not an award winner by any stretch, but it does not pretend to be. It is just kind of a dumb, fun movie with MaCarthy poking fun at herself, and her and Carmen Electra looking good. If you expect anything more than that you will definitely be disappointed. But, if you take it for what it is, a dumb movie that has some funny moments, then you may enjoy it.

DVD/TV Series Review: The Incredible Hulk: Season 5

 

Season five of The Incredible Hulk is barely a season, just seven episodes. For those who are not aware, the series was actually canceled by CBS before the fifth season would have aired, but, the producers filmed the first seven episodes to be aired in the fifth season at the end of season four to have ready in case a strike shut down Hollywood productions. I don't know if the strike ever materialized, but unbeknownst to anyone involved with the show, the head of CBS decided to can the show basically right before he was fired from the Network, and as a result, the show was left without any real conclusion to the story. The seven episodes were really just the same story-of-the-week episodes that the show had been running since the first season. Jack Colvin only appears in a single episode, and what ended up being the series finale (which for sharp-eyed viewers features a young Xander Berkeley, probably best known for his roles on 24 and the series Nikita), while a good episode (the best of the season) was just another "regular" episode. The showrunner, Kenneth Johnson, did try to get CBS to agree to film an additional six episodes to give the story a proper conclusion, but that never came to pass, and thus the show just abruptly ended.

For those who get the DVD set, the only extras are a 20-minute retrospective on the series in which Johnson and some of the other writers and producers shared their thoughts on the series. Of course, Bill Bixby had passed away by the time any of the extras for any of the seasons were filmed so he could not participate, and Lou Ferrigno was not interviewed for the feature. Then, there is a gag reel from episodes throughout the series, basically involving Bixby, which is funny but does include a lot of swearing (for those who care).

Overall, the season, for what it was, was good, but very much incomplete. It definitely had that early 1980s feel to it, and like the other seasons, some things hold up better than others. Surely the series would not be made the same way today as it was back then. For one, there probably would have been a lot less of recycling the same guest stars in different roles. This season Diana Mulder, who had guest-starred as David's sister in an earlier episode, played a nun in a convent near the Mexican border in an episode that involved the local bad guy trafficking illegal immigrants across the border and making them work for him. Even though the season ended abruptly and without a proper conclusion, if you have liked the other seasons, this one is worth having if nothing else to complete your collection.

DVD/Study Aid Review: Texas Instruments TI-89 Calculator Tutor - Volume 2

 

This is the second volume of the TI89 calculator tutorial from Jason. This one covers things you will absolutely use in the latter portions of a pre-calculus class and throughout all levels of calculus and engineering. The first volume covered the stuff that is important to know when you are in algebra (where you likely will not be able to use the calculator because it can give you the answers to almost everything), but this one goes through calculating derivatives and integrals, working with vectors, creating and editing matrices (which will be used a lot if you go on to higher-level classes), and graphing parametric and polar equations. Jason also covers some of the statistics functions of the calculator, but honestly, if you have to take a statistics or data analysis class when it comes to making the plots, you are most likely going to use something like Excel or one of the Statistics-specific computer programs like Minitab to do your homework, so chances are you will not be relying on the calculator all that much. So, I think he could have focused less on the plots and more on the actual calculations. Then he finishes with a couple of sections on differential equations.

The TI89 is a calculator that a lot of people getting hard science or engineering degrees use because it is very powerful and can give exact answers. That is also why a lot of teachers will not let students use it. But, unless you get one of the programs (or figure out how to make your own) to show the exact steps, you still have to figure out how to work out the answer. But, if you know how to use this, you can use it on an exam to know the correct answer and use it to check your work or know what the answer to the problem should be while you do your work. This will help you get familiar with the major functions of the calculator, which is essential if you are going to use it efficiently.

Textbook Review: Linear Algebra and Its Applications, 4th Edition

 

This was one of the required books for my Calculus 4 class, which was a combination of an introduction to linear algebra and an introduction to differential equations. So, it was not a full course for either subject and as a result, we did not cover everything in this book. 

This is a pretty standard math book. It explains the theory fairly well and generally does not make it harder than necessary to learn the material. It gives a decent amount of examples, although, like all math textbooks, the examples tend to be of the "easier" problems, while the problem sets can get a lot more complicated. One thing that was a pain about the book is that many times in the answer key at the back, instead of giving an answer to an odd-numbered problem it will refer to the solution manual, so you could not even get the answer to the problem to see if you did the problem correctly.

Overall, I would say it is a decent book. It is not the best math book I had to use as I was getting my degree, but it is certainly not the worst. If you are trying to learn the material yourself, it will be a helpful reference, but you may want to get one of the study aid supplements out there to help you work through the problems.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 58

CE day 58 was the recharge and ab-burner workout. Nothing was really new about this one although I could get a bit deeper into the crouches at the beginning of the routine, so my hamstrings are getting more flexible. I can also do more of the ab-burner moves without having to alter them. My lower back is still not strong enough to do all of the moves with my legs elevated, but I can do more of them. 

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 57

Day 57 of CE was the first day of the Push workouts, which meant Push Circuit 1. In the Push month, you go back to doing 10-12 reps for each exercise (which Chalene annoyingly calls sets during the workout) and go back to doing an upper-body and a lower-body workout at the same time. And, many of the lower-body exercises (at least in Push 1) involve you balancing on one leg in order to engage your core.  Also, in the Push month, every single workout has a breakdown set after you max out, but not every breakdown set involves the upper body. In some of the exercises, you will break down with squats instead of biceps or triceps (which are the two upper-body parts that are targeted in this workout). Overall, it is a good workout, but very challenging. I had to use much lighter weights during this workout than even in the Burn month because of the fact that balancing on one leg is much tougher than doing a squat and bicep curl at the same time.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Dollhouse: Season 2

 

The second season of Dollhouse almost feels like two different shows. For part of the season, it is much the same story of the week kind of show that it was in the first. Then, once the announcement was made that the show would be canceled, it rushed to tell the "rest" of the story that would have been dragged out more over at least a couple more seasons had they got the chance to make them. The show was on thin ice after season one and it was brought back for a second season with a much-reduced budget so more of the show was shot on the set of the dollhouse and they rotated which of the series regulars appeared in which episodes. This season also saw other alums from Whedon's shows appear in recurring roles, specifically Summer Glau and Alexis Denisof. Dichen Lachman and Enver Gjokaj are really the standouts this season, and Alan Tudyk was great as Alpha in a couple of episodes he returned for.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, there are commentary tracks on selected episodes, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and a couple of making-of featurettes. Of course, the show was made before Whedon's fall from grace due to his awful treatment of (some) of the cast and crew on his various projects, so he is featured heavily in the extras. Whether that lessens your enjoyment of them or would make you avoid watching them is something you have to consider. But, in general, if you like watching the extras, there is a lot there.

Overall, the season was good, but because it was yet another show that was canceled before the story could really be told, felt rushed. You do get a good sense of how the show would have been wrapped up if it had been given a 4-5 season run, but it is not as satisfying because they had just a few episodes in which to end the series.

DVD/TV Series Review: Fairly Legal: Complete TV Series Seasons 1 & 2 DVD Collection

 

Fairly Legal was a USA Network original series that ran just two seasons from 2011 to 2012. It starred Sarah Shahi (at that point best known for her roles on the series Alias, the other short-lived series Life, and the L-Word). She plays Kate Reed, a lawyer who worked in her father's law firm, but stopped practicing law to become a mediator because she thought that the legal system treated people unfairly. She still works for the firm, which is managed by her "evil" stepmother, Lauren, played by Virginia Williams. The rest of the main cast is rounded out by Michael Trucco, who plays the assistant district attorney for San Fransisco and Kate's ex-husband, Justin, Baron Vaughn who plays Kate's sarcastic assistant, Leo, and in the second season, Ryan Johnson, who plays a new partner at the firm, Ben Grogan. Gerald McRaney and Esai Morales have substantial recurring roles as well.

The series is mainly a case-of-the-week format in which kate has to mediate some dispute, either involving a client of the firm or via court-ordered mediation. To say she does things in a very informal way is an understatement, and the show definitely makes the process seem more exciting than it actually is. In the second season, the show takes on more of a soap opera-like tone with a love triangle between Kate, Justin, and Ben. Unfortunately, the show never really managed to boost its ratings and was canceled after the second season. The writers were definitely setting up storylines for a third season that would never materialize and does leave fans feeling a bit underwhelmed as there are threads that get dangled in the series finale that will never be paid off.

This set is just the first and second season DVD sets packaged together. So, the extras are just what was included on the individual season sets. For the first season, the extras included commentary tracks on select episodes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. In season two, there are just deleted scenes and a gag reel. Shahi is great on the commentary tracks and ends one of them with a pretty funny story about her first day of filming on the L-Word that ends the commentary in a very colorful way.

Overall, the series is very good and deserved a longer run. I would not say that it was as good as series like Psych and Burn Notice but was definitely on par with series like Covert Affairs and In Plain Sight. That, of course, is very subjective, but for me, that is where it falls compared to the other series that were airing on the network at the time. I cannot guarantee that everyone will love the show, but if you have not seen it and are looking for a good dramadey, it is worth checking out.

Workout Update: Chalean Extreme Day 56

Day 56 of CE was the last day of the Push phase, which was a rest day. Of course, as I have all along, I did the recharge workout and the ab-burner workout. Tomorrow marks day one of the third phase, the Lean phase, so the workouts will switch up again. I plan to do Lean Circuit 1 right away in the morning tomorrow to get it out of the way. From what I remember, the lean circuit workouts are very challenging, so it will be interesting to see how they go.