Product Review: Polar Balance Scale

 

This is a decent scale that can only measure body weight, either in pounds or kilograms. It does not measure things like body water, estimate body fat percentage, or things like that. It is most useful if you use it along with one of the Polar heart rate monitor watches, which it can be synced with (although not always easily), which you can in turn synch with the polar app on a smartphone. There is no way to synch the scale directly with the app, so if you do not currently use a Polar heart rate monitor, then this is just a run-of-the-mill digital scale.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Constantine: The Complete Series

 

Constantine was a supernatural thriller series that aired on NBC in the 2014-2015 season. It starred Matt Ryan as John Constantine, a demon hunter, and master of dark arts who exorcises demons from humans and sends the demons to hell. He is joined by Angélica Celaya who plays Mary "Zed" Martin: A psychic who helps Constantine find demons and Charles Halford as Francis "Chas" Chandler: Constantine's oldest friend and sidekick. Harold Perrineau (from the series Lost) also stars as Manny, an Angel assigned to watch over Constantine.

The series is basically a case-of-the-week procedural, with the team having to find and then get rid of a particular demon. There is also a serial arc that is tied to Constantine's past that we get a few hints about, but the series was canceled before it could be fleshed out. Of course, most fans of the show know that the character was brought into the Arrowverse when the character appeared on the series Arrow and then became a regular on Legends of Tomorrow. I think the series would have been a lot better off being on The CW as it could have crossed over with the other Arrowverse shows from the get-go, but it was probably too close to the series Supernatural which was, at that time, The CW's longest running show. But, the series was just too dark to get enough of a fan base on a regular broadcast network and was never going to get the kind of ratings it needed to be renewed.

For those who get the blu-ray set, the series looks and sounds great in HD. The one benefit of being on a major network is that it got a huge budget so the special effects looked movie quality. As far as extras go, there are a couple of very short behind-the-scenes featurettes, a trailer for the series, and two Comic-Con features. One is a portion of the Constantine panel (that runs about 11 minutes) and the other is the DC Comics Night at Comic-Con 2014 Presenting Gotham, The Flash, Constantine, and Arrow, which runs just under a half hour.

Overall, the series is good, but was probably doomed from the start. The showrunners made the curious choice to abandon a major character from the pilot who was clearly going to be a series regular and basically swapped her out with the character of Zed. As I said above, it was probably too dark a show to get traction on any of the major networks as it was only going to appeal to comic book fans and they alone cannot generate the kind of ratings needed to keep a series on a major broadcast network. And, given the themes of demons and the occult that occurred in every episode, there was no chance that casual viewers were going to stick with the show. So, if you watch the show, just know that the series has a pretty unsatisfying end and while the character of Constantine lived on in the Arrowverse, the plot lines (and other characters) from the series did not.

DVD/TV Series Review: The Librarians: Season 1

 

The Librarians TV series is a spin-off of the Librarian trilogy of TV movies that starred ER's Noah Wyle made in 2004, 2006, and 2008. In the series, The Library recruits Colonel Eve Baird ( played by Rebecca Romijn), of the NATO Anti-Terrorist Unit to be the new Guardian, Ezekiel Jones (played by John Harlan Kim), a consummate thief, Cassandra Cillian (played by Lindy Booth), a brilliant scientist and mathematician, and Jacob Stone (played by Christian Kane), polymath, linguist, expert in architecture, art, art history, archaeology and world cultures of the past and present, including Native American cultures, and other fields too numerous to mention, including bar fighting, to be new Librarians. We discover that Cassandra, Ezekiel, and Jacob received invitations from the Library at the same time as the current Librarian, Flynn Carsen (played Noah Wyle reprising his role), but for various reasons didn't show up for their interviews. They work out of an annex to the library, aided by Jenkins, the caretaker of the Annex played by John Larroquette (of Night Court fame).

In the first season, Wyle is a recurring character (because of his commitment to the series Falling Skies), so he makes appearances here and there, but the focus of the series is on the new characters working out of the Annex. Jane Curtain and Bob Newhart reprise their roles as Charlene and Judson as well. The ten episodes are a mix of procedural case/mystery-of-the-week and a larger serial arc involving an evil organization called The Serpent Brotherhood. The themes of the show involve time travel, magic, dragons, and more.

For those who get the DVD set, there are actually quite a few extras. There are video blogs for each episode, each episode has a commentary track with some combination of the showrunners. director of the episode, and/or members of the cast, and then there is a gag reel. Given that the show did not have a wide appeal and aired on a basic cable network, the fact that it got a DVD release at all, much less with extensive extras is impressive.

Overall, the show is very good. It got in and out of the season quickly with the limited ten-episode run, and had a lot of twists and turns packed into the ten episodes. The acting and writing of the series were great, and the show had a good special effects budget to work with because the effects did not look too fakey as they do on some shows that do not get funding that shows that air on the broadcast networks get. All of the cast members seem to have very good chemistry and Wyle made the most of his appearances, easily stepping back into the character of Flynn.

So, if you were a fan of the TV movies this is definitely worth watching as it has a very similar vibe to those, yet stands on its own very well. It also has a great guest and recurring cast including Lesley-Ann Brandt, Matt Frewer, Tricia Helfer, Bruce Campbell, René Auberjonois, Alicia Witt, and Jerry O'Connell (who of course is Rebecca Romijn's husband in real life). It is definitely worth watching.

Product Review: Graphique 2023 Marilyn Monroe Wall Calendar

 

This is a 16-month 2023 (and partial 2024) calendar featuring Marilyn Monroe. It has a mix of color and black-and-white photographs, some of which are fairly popular, widely circulated pictures of her, and some of which I have never seen before. I get a new Marilyn Monroe calendar every year, so I have seen a lot of pictures of her, and it is nice to come across one that has pictures that I have not seen before, or are different from the more iconic pictures of her.

The calendar starts out with January 2023, and each month through December 2023 are "regular" pages with the picture above and then the blocks for each day below. Then, the last page of the calendar has the last picture and small grids for January-April of 2024. So, if you are looking for a good Marilyn calendar for 2023, this is a great option.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day Round 2 Day 15

Day 15 was the Cardio Challenge workout. I actually backslid a little bit this time, maxing out a few minutes before I did last time, but I think that is mostly because I was able to do more unmodified moves at the beginning of the workout, so by the time I was nine minutes into it I was totally gassed. So, it is definitely a trade-off. I can definitely confirm that the modified versions of the workouts are much easier than the unmodified versions. 

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Limitless

 

Limitless is a movie that starred Bradley Cooper as a down-on-his-luck writer named Eddie Mora. Eddie's ex-brother-in-law gives him a sample of a new nootropic called NZT-48 which allows Eddie to have perfect recall and the ability to analyze information almost immediately. He uses the ability to invest in the stock market and make himself rich, which puts him on the radar of multiple shady characters. He also begins to experience side effects of the drug that get worse as time goes by.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the A/V quality of the movie is very good, especially being a non-blockbuster movie. The disc has two versions of the movie, the theatrical version, and an extended version. The extended does not extend the movie by much time, it just keeps in a bit more swearing, sex, and violence that is edited out of the theatrical edition in a handful of scenes. But, it does not substantially change the movie at all. There is a commentary track with the director and a couple of short (less than five minutes) making-of featurettes.

Overall, the movie is good. Besides Cooper, the other name actor in the movie is Robert De Niro and includes Abbie Cornish and Anna Friel in supporting roles. Of course, the movie is based on the widely debunked myth that humans can only use 10-20% of their brain's ability and that a magic pill can somehow unlock more (in the case of NZT, it allows a person to access and use 100% of their brain's potential). So, while you do have to suspend your disbelief to accept the premise, Cooper does a great job both in the slacker version of Eddie and the cleaned-up, polished version. At the end of the movie, we learn that Eddie is going to run for the US Senate, which is continued in the storyline of the TV series that Cooper produced and guest-starred in as Eddie. Although, some of the rules about NZT get tweaked from the movie when it goes to the series. So, if you like the movie, the overall storyline has more to it. So, if you like suspense-dramas, this is definitely worth checking out.

Product Review: SET OF 2 VHS STORAGE CASES ; STORE UP TO 34 TAPES

 

While there are probably not many of us left who have both a working VCR and some VHS tapes laying around, if you are in your upper 30s or older you may have some. I do not have many, but I do have the original Star Wars movies (without the updates added in), a couple of movies that never got a DVD release, and a handful of home movies. These are a good way to store standard-sized VHS tapes (they will not hold the larger cases like those the Disney movies were packaged in) that is easily transportable. You get two bags that each hold about 17 individual VHS tapes. The bags are fairly sturdy and can be zippered closed to keep out water and dust. They are definitely a much better storage option than just having them in a box. So, if you are one of the few people who still have some VHS tapes and you can find these at a reasonable price, they are a good pickup.

Product Review: Magazine Protectors Set Of 3

 

These are decent magazine holders and can store about 20, give or take, individual magazines that are regular-sized or smaller. They will not, however, hold something the size of the older Life and Rolling Stone magazines that were oversized. Also, they are not extremely sturdy. You absolutely have to pick them up by both handles or they will rip at the seams, and I even put one hand underneath them while I hold both handles in the other hand. That is what drops them down a couple of stars for me. But, if you are a person that still has a lot of print magazines, these are a good way to keep them protected.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day Round 2 Day 14

Day 14 was a return to P90x and the Back and Biceps workout. I think I like this one a little better than the Body Beast workout, especially since right now I have limited space for a home gym so I really don't have room to have a bench and barbell set up. Someday that will be the case and I will definitely return to Body Beast, but right now P90x workouts are the better option for me with limited space. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day Round 2 Day 13

Day 13 was just a rest day. I was not feeling well at all (I think I caught a bit of a stomach bug) so I did not even do Recharge. I mainly just stayed in bed all day and tried to get some rest. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day Round 2 Day 12

Day 12 was Friday Fight Round 1 again. Overall, the workout went fairly well even though I was a bit tired going into it. I was able to do more unmodified moves and can definitely feel my stamina getting better. I maxed out about the same point as last week, making it a few more seconds (pretty much as I have done with all of the workouts this week).  

Textbook Review: Engineering Statistics 5th Edition

 

This is basically a statistics textbook with examples and problems that are geared more toward engineering contexts than what you would see in a statistics class in a pure math curriculum. Like many textbooks, it falls into the trap of giving you the basic theory for the various concepts and showing you a couple of easier examples, then giving you a problem set with a bunch of problems that are harder than the examples in the chapter. Many of the problems require the use of statistical software (in my class we used MiniTab), but the book is not really keyed to any particular software program and as a result, does not give anything more than basic instructions about how to approach those kinds of problems.

Overall, I would say the book is okay, but not great. To be honest I hated stats in general and had to really grit my teeth to get through it. I would not say that this is something you can easily teach yourself from. It explains some concepts well, but others, not so much. For example, I never did understand ANOVA no matter how many times I read the chapter text. Most people are going to get this because it is required for a class they are taking, in which case you are going to have to get it regardless. If you are looking for something to learn stats from I would definitely look for a non-textbook study aid.

Product Review: Keurig K-Express Coffee Maker, Single Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Brewer, Black

 

This is a good option for those who only want to make a single cup of coffee or hot cocoa at a time and only want to store the k-cup pods and not canisters of coffee or cocoa. This is very easy to use. Basically, there is a water container that you fill and put on the back of the unit. You put a pod in the top and then you can select to have it dispense 8, 10, or 12 ounces of water (depending on how strong you want your drink and the size of the cup you are using). There is also a button to have it make a stronger brew, which I believe waters down the contents of the cup less.

This is perfect for a single person, someone who has limited space, etc. The only thing I have discovered is that when it initially starts dispensing it can kinda spray the stream a bit, so you definitely need to make sure your mug is exactly centered under the spout, otherwise you will end up with some dripping down the outside of the mug. Also, I have found it helpful that after every few uses with a k-cup pod, do just a run to have it dispense hot water (so run it without a k-cup pod in it). That will allow it to clean the nozzle without doing a full descaling cycle which is needed every few months. Finally, the water canister has to be aligned just right in order for the unit to operate, so you may have to reposition it a couple of times to get the thing to run. So, if you are in the market for a k-cup coffee maker, do not need a bunch of bells and whistles, and do not want to spend a fortune, this is a good option.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day Round 2 Day 11

Day 11 was the last Tabata Power workout for this round. Overall, it went about the same as it did on Tuesday. I was able to max out a few seconds later than I did on Tuesday, and was able to do more of the half-tuck jumps both at the beginning and the end of the workout. I still have to modify all of the push-up moves and max out during the triceps dips. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day Round 2 Day 10

Day 10 was the sweat intervals workout again. Nothing major to report on this one. I am still maxing out fairly early into the workout, but I have a feeling that will be the case for a while. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day Round 2 Day 9

Day 9 was the Tabata Power workout again. This went about the same as it did last week, although my back is feeling better so I was able to do more unmodified moves. I am still doing half-tuck jumps to protect my back, but I can do more of them for a longer duration before I switch over to the modified versions.  I maxed out at just over 23 minutes during the tricep dip portion of the workout.

DVD/TV Series Review: The Catch: Season 1

 

The Catch was a procedural crime drama series starring Mireille Enos (from The Killing) and Peter Krause (from Sports Night, Six Feet Under, and Parenthood). Enos stars as Alice Vaughan, a high-end private investigator in Los Angeles. Krause plays Ben Jones, her fiance who mysteriously disappears yet leaves Alice with a stolen painting. From there, the show becomes a mix of a case-of-the-week procedural that follows Alice's private investigation cases, with a serial arc in which Alice is determined to track down Ben. The serial arc is basically a cat-and-mouse game between Alice and Ben and has a lot of twists and turns. The rest of the cast includes Sonya Walger, Jacky Ido, and Rose Rollins.

For those who get the DVD set, the ten episodes are divided between two discs. The set is very bare-bones in terms of extras. It has some deleted scenes and a gag reel, but that is it. Also, anyone looking to get this should know that the show did get a second season that did not get a DVD release, so if you get the DVD you will not be able to complete the series on DVD.

Overall, the first season is good. It has a nice blend of drama and humor. It is not quite what I would call a "dramedy" as it is definitely more of a drama than it is a comedy. But, it does have some humorous moments. It is also interesting to see Enos glammed up for her role as a sexy private investigator. It is in stark contrast to her role in The Killing in which she was very much a regular person and was rarely ever made up. The season ends on a pretty big cliffhanger, so thankfully the show did get a second season to pay that off. But, the show was canceled after the second season and the show was never really properly wrapped up. So, I would say that the show is worth watching if you like the genre, but it is not worth getting too heavily invested in.

Study Aid Review: Schaum's Outline of Basic Circuit Analysis, Second Edition

 

As most science/engineering students know, Schaum's guides can vary widely in quality and helpfulness. This is one that, for the most part, is very helpful. It distills the concepts into easily digestible chunks, giving you enough of the theory to understand the concepts without getting bogged down, and many example problems. The first couple of chapters are basically an overview of various concepts, but once you get to chapter three, you will start with the material you will see in your first couple of class sessions of a circuits analysis class. The guide covers both DC and AC circuit analysis as well as power and three-phase circuits.

There are also chapters on PSPICE, which is one of the circuit simulation software programs that you may or may not learn how to use in your classes. In my electrical engineering program, we used Multisim and MATLAB, so the PSPICE chapters were of no use to me. The guide also has a chapter on Transformers which in my program was not covered in circuits analysis and only covered unless someone took Power Systems. So, not everything in the guide may be covered if you are actually getting this because you are taking a class. If, however, you are getting it to teach yourself the topic, need it for work, or just want to brush up, this is very good and much easier to understand than some of the circuits textbooks.

Book Review: Star Wars - Thrawn

 

The character of Thrawn has been a favorite of die-hard Star Wars fans from his introduction in the now Legends novels known as the Thrawn Trilogy (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command), also written by Timothy Zahn. Those novels were what many of us hoped would be made into a sequel movie trilogy, but as the actors got older (as it was set only a few years after Return of the Jedi) that became impossible. When Lucasfilm bought out Disney, it was unclear whether Thrawn would ever be included in the new material. Thankfully, he was. This novel serves as a partial origin story for Thrawn (or Mitth'raw'nuruodo), detailing his rise through the Imperial ranks from a cadet to eventually becoming a Grand Admiral.

Throughout the novel, we get an idea of Thrawn's brilliance as a tactician and master of strategy. However, that is not as much on display in this book as it was in the Thrawn Trilogy. However, that was set at a time when his skills were more refined and developed and this book is really about character development, so that does not bug me as much. The book does include minor appearances by Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, and Tarkin, but mostly the book is about Thrawn and his translator (Eli Vanto) participating in various missions as they rise in rank. The book ends shortly before the point where Thrawn was introduced in the animated series Rebels.

Overall the book has a good mix of the political intrigue that the novels set during the early years of the Empire have and action, whether it is Thrawn chasing down smugglers or dealing with Wookie raids. The book is clearly just setting up the character in the new canon for additional appearances (which would come through additional novels, the appearance in the Rebels series, and a very widely speculated live-action appearance in the new Ahsoka series. While I do not think it is as good as the Thrawn Trilogy from the 1990s, it does tell a very good story and sets up the "new" version of the character well. If you are someone who only reads some of the novels, I would definitely put this in the must-read category.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day Round 2 Day 8

Day 8 was Cardio Challenge from Max 30. Honestly, I did not have a very good workout today. I did not get a lot of sleep thanks to the Daylight Saving Time change and I think I ate a bit too much too close in time to working out. So, I was having to take a lot of breaks and slog through. But, I did get it done. 

Product Review: Innovera Universal Economy Bookends

 

These are very sturdy bookends, perfect for use on open or floating shelves, and have a wide enough base that can keep even very heavy books upright without a problem. They are definitely not fancy-looking or decorative, but they do what they are supposed to. Of course, they can also keep DVDs or CDs in place too if you are still one of those who does the physical media thing (which if you still have a lot of physical books is probably the case). I definitely recommend these.

Product Review: Coldest Sports Water Bottle - 32 oz

 

This is a more expensive water bottle for sure. That said, if you can afford it, it is head and shoulders above any other bottle I have come across. It is very well insulated. I filled it with ice and then put in some water over the course of the evening when it got down to just ice as I was drinking out of it. When I went to bed, I put the cap on, and in the morning there was still some ice left in the bottle, so the water was still very cold. I have not tried putting anything hot in it, and I am not sure that I will, but given how it performs with ice water, I am sure that it will keep hot liquids for a long time as well. And, despite being filled with ice for hours, the bottle did not "sweat" at all. There was absolutely no condensation on the outside.

The 32oz bottle is definitely too large for most standard cup holders, so if you wanted to take it in your car you would need a cup holder that is capable of expanding. But, for something that you plan to keep in one spot, this is definitely worth it.

Book Review: Star Wars - A New Dawn

 

A New Dawn was the first novel written under the Disney/Lucasfilm umbrella. The Tarkin novel was grandfathered into the canon material and the Heir to the Jedi novel had been started, but this was the first novel written completely after the merger and under the new rules that everything released in any format was a part of the canon. This novel also has the distinction of setting up the two main characters of the Rebels animated series Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla. Jarrus, had been a Jedi Padawan named Caleb Dumee at the time of Order 66 and narrowly managed to escape with his life. He went on the run and has been living as a freight pilot, who is also a womanizing alcoholic. Herra is doing what she can to disrupt the Empire at every turn, and she shows up at a mining colony that is being run by the Empire where Kanan is working, and the two end up, reluctantly, teaming up after Kanan has to use the Force in order to save himself.

While the novel does mention Palpatine and Vader, they do not make direct appearances. The book does include Rae Sloane, who is a main character in the Aftermath series of novels. At this point, she is a Captain of a Star Destroyer and has not reached the rank of Admiral. The main antagonist is a cyborg named Count Denetrius Vidian, whom the Empire dispatches to the mining colony to root out the rebels and restore production.

Overall, the book is very good. Because it is the first novel under the new canon, the hardcover version (which is out of print) is very hard to find at a reasonable price. But, you can still get it in mass-market paperback. The story does a good job establishing the two main characters but does not include the other members of the Ghost's crew at this point. It does not really suffer from not including legacy characters because there would be no reason for Kenobi, Luke, Leia, or Han to be included in this story without being shoehorned into it in a way that would not feel authentic. The book is about 400 pages long but is a fairly quick read. It is definitely one of the novels that I put in the must-read category especially if you are a fan of the Rebels animated series or plan on watching that.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day Round 2 Day 7

Day 7 was the fourth of the Body Beast back and biceps workout from the build portion of that program. Next week I am going to do a five-week cycle of the p90x back and biceps workout to transition back to that. The weights I used for the body beast workout remained the same, but I think I may be able to bump a couple of the p90x exercises up in weight since the last time I did that workout. We will see how things go. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day Round 2 Day 6

Day 6 was the Recharge stretch/yoga routine from CE. It went about the same as it did the past couple of weeks. I did find that I can crouch down a bit more in the forward-folds to crouch moves in the beginning. I cannot say that either my hamstrings or my lower back have had any significant gains in flexibility, however. So, while I am making progress it is slow.