Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day Round 2 Day 31

Day 31 was the Max Out Strength workout.  This workout is definitely one of the harder ones. The first half is nearly all leg-focused with different variations on squats and lunges. The second half is basically all push-ups or plank-based exercises. I definitely had to modify the workout a lot, but I did get in quite a few unmodified moves early on. I did some of the unmodified push-up exercises, but those are still one of my weak spots.

Textbook Review: Fundamentals of Physics

 

This is the physics textbook by Halliday, Resnick, and Walker which is the required textbook for many calculus-based physics classes. It is what I would describe as a pretty standard textbook. It gives you a pretty good explanation of the theory, and because it is for a calculus-based physics class, it has a lot of proofs/derivation of the equations (which is mainly how calculus is used in calc-based physics classes). Because of that, it does not have a ton of examples, especially examples that give a lot of guidance for the hardest problems in the problem sets. It covers all of the main topics in the first two semesters of physics. The last couple of chapters cover more advanced topics like nuclear physics and particle physics to bridge to the concepts (like quantum physics and relativity) that would be covered in a modern physics class. You definitely need to have the first couple of semesters of calculus under your belt to understand the math being used to derive the equations. A couple of concepts from multivariable calculus do get used in the book, but it is mostly you just need to know how to take single-variable derivatives and integrals. 

The problems are broken down by difficulty level. Level one problems are the easiest, and can basically all be solved by reading the chapter and understanding the examples. Level two problems are harder and require more thought and a deeper understanding of the concepts. Most of them can be solved if you understand the last example or two in the chapter text, but that is not the case with all of them. The level three problems are the hardest and the ones that are most likely to trip people up. I am a big advocate for working as many problems as you can. In a perfect world, people would be able to work through all of the problems, as the level one problems help you to get the skills to do the level two problems and so on. Of course, if you are taking a class as opposed to self-studying, that may not be possible, but if you can do it, that is the best way to use the book. I do think it is helpful to pair this with a study guide, especially one that has a lot of worked-out examples because you will definitely get stuck at some point when working on the problem set.

While I do not think the book is perfect, and honestly in all the math, science, and engineering classes that I took, I never did have a book that I would call perfect, it does give you a good presentation of the theory and has a decent mix of problems. If you pair it with something like the Schaum's 3000 solved physics problems guide, you will get through the material.

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

Day 30 was the first time doing the Max Out Sweat workout. I was able to get through the warm-up without modifying (although again doing the moves more slowly), but could not get through the first power move (in and out abs) without stopping, so I maxed out at the five-minute mark. Then, throughout the workout, I was able to do a fairly good mix of modified and unmodified moves. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day Round 2 Day 29

Day 29 was the first Max Out Power workout in this round. It went very well. I could do the exercises unmodified (albeit slower than those in the video) for the entire warm-up (of which there is only one round) and the first circuit. So, basically, the first 10 minutes of the workout. Once I got to the push-ups I had to modify, and I definitely took a bunch of breaks later in the workout. But, it was probably my best workout of this round so far.

Product Review: TP-Link AC750 Wifi Range Extender

 

I live in a split-level townhouse with four levels. As a result, there are a lot of dead zones, especially if the router is set up in the basement. This works well to eliminate (or at least reduce) the dead zones. Setting up the extender is very easy. The setup amounts to just plugging the extender in near the router, pushing the WPS button on the router, and waiting for all of the lights on the extender to light up. Then, you can move the extender to whatever area of the house you would like. There are a couple of caveats. If you have multiple dead zones, for example, because you have a split-level house, you may need a couple of these, otherwise, if you try moving the extender too far away from the router (e.g., the router is in the basement and you move this to a third or fourth floor) it will not work (or will not work well). But, if you have a router in the basement, put one of these on the second level, and another on the third level, you should get a pretty good signal everywhere. Also, while it does give you decent internet speed, it will probably not match the speed that your modem or modem/router combination will (especially with a wired connection). That said, I think it does what it is supposed to, and I definitely recommend it.

Product Review: Everlast Folding Mat 72" x 24"

 

This is a folding mat that, when unfolded, is about the size of a yoga mat, but much thicker (a bit less than 2" thick) and softer (stuffed with foam). This is perfect for doing ab work, to kneel on when you do push-ups if you have to do them on your knees, and even doing stretching and some yoga. If it is on a hard floor it will definitely slide around so you would want to put something underneath it or use it on carpet to keep it from sliding. I do not think it would be all that useful when doing, for example, plyometric jumping and/or lateral moves as there is too much danger of it slipping when you land. But, for lower-impact things that require lying down or sitting, this is perfect.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day Round 2 Day 28

Day 28 was the first Max Cardio Circuit workout of this round, and it mostly felt like day 1 all over again. I did manage to make it to about eight-and-a-half minutes before maxing out, but I was pretty much gassed the entire time. I was able to do some unmodified moves, but not nearly as many as I would have liked to.

Textbook Review: Stewart's Calculus 6th Edition

 

This is the textbook that was required for my first two semesters of calculus when I was working on my electrical engineering degree. Then, in my multivariable calculus and differential equations classes, we switched to different books. The multivariable calculus book I had to use was not worth the paper it was printed on and my differential equations textbook, while better than that, was not all that easy to follow. 

This version of the book covers all levels of calculus including multivariable calculus and differential equations (there are also versions that just cover the single variable calculus material and versions that just cover the multivariable calculus material). I got this because I still tutor from time to time and need to keep up with the material. This, of all the math books I used, was one of the better ones, but not the best. It does give a decent breakdown of the theory in the chapter text and has good chapter summaries. It does fall into the trap that many math and engineering textbooks do in that the examples in the chapter text only help with the easiest problems, but if you get assigned something from the end of the problem set, you do not have a lot of guidance. 

So, I would definitely pair this book with something like Schaum's outline of Calculus, which definitely explains some of the theory better than the book does. But, the book makes a decent presentation of the theory and provides some useful examples, which is more than some other books do. It is not perfect, but if you pair it with a study guide or two with more worked examples, you can learn from this.

DVD/TV Series Review: The Librarians - Season 2

 

+++Warning, this contains a minor season one spoiler, but no major season two spoilers +++

The 10-episode second season of The Librarians aired in the fall and winter of 2015. It picks up months down the line from the defeat of Lancelot at the end of the first season. The individual Librarians have separated and retrieved different magical artifacts, only to be reunited at an exhibition in NY. They discover that they have all been acquiring artifacts for a mysterious client who turns out to be one of the season two antagonists. From there, the show follows the same format as in season one. A mystery/case-of-the-week intertwined with episodes that advance the main, larger serial arc. This season, the big storyline deals with Shakespeare's play The Tempest and the fact that characters from literary works can come to life. 

The DVD set is a three-disc set with a decent amount of bonus material. The extras include a gag reel, seven short behind-the-scenes featurettes, and ten (one for each episode) different "Directors of The Librarians" featurettes. These featurettes are basically conversations with the directors of each episode about how the particular episode was made. So, it is a good amount of material for those who like watching bonus content.

Overall, the season is very good. The entire cast returns, and like in the first season, Noah Wyle's character Flynn only appears on a recurring basis because of Wyle's commitment to the series Falling Skies, which was airing at the same time. Pretty much every character gets a "centric" episode, with all of the actors getting a chance to shine. There are also some recognizable guest stars this season, including Drew Powell (from the series Gotham), Michael Trucco (probably most recognizable from the series Fairly Legal), and John DeLancie (who played Q on Star Trek: The Next Generation). So, if you liked the first season, you will probably feel the same way about this one. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day Round 2 Day 27

Day 27 was the P90x Back and Biceps workout again. I was able to hit the 10 rep max for a couple more exercises this week, and some of the weight amounts for exercises I hit the 10 rep max for last week went up this week. So, overall, it has been a good couple of weeks with this workout.  

DVD/TV Series Review: Beavis and Butthead - The Complete Collection

 

One thing to be noted at the outset, this is not the complete series with the episodes as they aired. This is a repackaging of volumes 1-3 of the Mike Judge Collections, adding the fourth volume which was the limited run season that aired in 2011, and then the movie that was made during the original run of the series. In volumes 1-3 each volume is split between two discs. The first disc has the episodes and the second disc has the music videos that they could get the rights to. Anyone who watched the series in the 1990s, when it was originally on MTV probably remembers that in each episode, in breaks in the story, Beavis and Butthead would watch, and make fun of, music videos. Because of licensing issues, they could not get the rights to all of the videos that originally aired, so the solution was to remove the music videos and show just air the storylines (so each episode ends up being about 20 minutes long, give or take), and then showing the music videos on disc 2.  It should also be noted that not every episode that aired is included in the set. Most of the episodes that aired are included, but there are some missing. For the fourth volume, which is the 2011 season, all of those episodes are included as they aired. In that season, instead of watching primarily music videos, during the breaks in the story, they would watch, and rip on the MTV reality shows. 

The DVDs carry over all of the extras from the original individual collection releases. Those include deleted scenes, promo spots, and special appearances that Beavis and Butthead made (such as at the MTV music awards), and a multi-part behind-the-scenes/making-of retrospective where the creators of the show discuss how it was made, the influence on pop culture, and the like. The movie has a commentary track by Mike Judge which is really good, and the extras for the fourth volume include a good discussion from the Comic-Con panel between Johnny Knoxville and Mike Judge.

For most people, the show will probably be a blast from the past. You definitely have to enjoy juvenile and sometimes stupid humor, but masked in the humor was a commentary on topics like political correctness and the topical events that were happening in the 1990s. It is disappointing that not all of the episodes are included, and we cannot get the complete shows, as they aired, but this is probably the best set that is going to be released. So, if you were a fan of the show, it is definitely worth the pickup.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day Round 2 Day 26

Day 26 was the Recharge workout from CE. There is no huge update on it. My flexibility level remains the same and I have not noticed any big improvements or backslides over the course of the first month.

Textbook Review: Fundamentals of Electric Drives

 

This was the book required for my undergraduate electric drives class in my school's electrical engineering curriculum. This book is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, according to my professor, it is pretty much the only textbook on electric drives that is suitable for an undergraduate-level class, as other textbooks get into detail that is appropriate for graduate-level classes. On the other hand, it has a lot of errors, most of which would be impossible to discover unless someone who knows the material tells you about them, such as errors in the equations. The book has a ton of equations, with little explanation beyond just a couple of examples in the chapter text of what they are useful for and how to apply them. The one plus is that the problem sets at the end of the chapter are short, but trying to figure out how to solve them with the instruction from the chapter text is not the easiest thing in the world. Unfortunately, the author of the book has passed away, so unless another professor takes up the mantle of updating the book and putting out a new edition, then this is the only edition that is going to be released, with flaws and all. So ultimately, if you are looking to teach yourself the material in the book, I would definitely look for a study guide so you can double check the material in the book, and if you have to use it for class, be prepared to ask a lot of questions.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Inferno

 

Inferno is the third movie in the adaptations of Dan Brown's novels based on the character of Robert Langdon (played in the movies by Tom Hanks). The movies are a bit interconnected, but mostly stand-alone stories, so this is somewhat of a sequel to the movies The Davinci Code and Angels and Demons, but you do not have to have seen those movies to follow most of what is going on in this one. The big thing you will miss if you have not seen the other movies is the development of the Langdon character because this movie pretty much just jumps into the story.

The main plot of this movie involves a plot by a billionaire scientist named Bertrand Zobrist (played by Ben Foster) to solve the world's overpopulation issue. Langdon wakes up in a hospital with no memory of the past few days and is immediately targeted by an assassin. With the help of his doctor, Sienna Brooks, played by Felicity Jones (probably best known for her role in Rogue One), he escapes and discovers he has clues to the plot, which points to some mass murder event and is based on Dante's Inferno (hence the title of the book). From there, as in the first two movies, the plot involves Langdon solving clues that point to even more clues, with a lot of twists and turns along the way.

For those who get the Blu-Ray, the movie looks and sounds great in the HD format (with a lot of great location shots from where the movie was filmed), and has a decent amount of extras. Those include over 27 minutes of deleted and extended scenes, short featurettes on each of the main characters, a featurette on the filming locations, and a director journal, which is basically 10 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage following Ron Howard around and interspersing his comments. Then there is a featurette on the darker imagery from the movie and some trailers for other movies.

Overall, the movie is good, but probably not as good as the first two movies. The movie does adapt the book well, but like with the first two installments, there are definitely changes made. It seems more and more likely that this movie will be the last of the novel adaptations with Howard and Hanks at the helm, despite there being two other Langdon novels that could be turned into movies. In general, I would say if you enjoyed the first two movies you will probably enjoy this one, although maybe not as much. On the other hand, if you did not like the first couple of movies, this may not do much for you. That is, of course, unless the only reason you did not like the first two movies was because of the religious tones, but in that case, you are probably not ever going to watch this anyway. 

Product Review: MaxTeck USB 3.0 to HDMI External Video Card Graphic Adapter for Multiple Monitors

 

I got this to try and hook up a monitor with an HDMI connection to my computer. Unfortunately, it did not work either as just a plug-and-play device or trying to find drivers to get it to work. So, I would recommend looking for other options.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Interstellar

 

Interstellar was the first major movie written and directed by Christopher Nolan after his Batman trilogy ended. The basic plot of this movie is that in 2067 the Earth is becoming more and more uninhabitable because of a planet-wide blight/dust bowl, which is making it harder for food to grow. Matthew McConaughey plays Coop, an ex-astronaut turned farmer who is recruited for a mission to pilot an expedition to a series of possibly habitable planets to which advance scouts have already been dispatched. To get to the prospective planets, the ship must travel through a wormhole that opened near the planet Saturn. This requires him to leave his only child, Murph (played by Mackenzie Foy at the beginning of the movie, then by Jessica Chastain later on) on Earth, promising her that he will return. The rest of the cast includes Nolan veterans Anne Hathaway and Michael Caine, as well as Wes Bentley (from American Beauty), John Lithgow, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, and David Oyelowo.

The blu-ray has a ton of great extras, and the A/V quality is stellar. The most comprehensive extra is an almost hour-long documentary on the science of Interstellar, in which Nolan explains what they did to get as much of the science correct as possible. This included using a physicist as a consultant to do things like help create the CGI black hole, and how the time aspects of the movie would work. Then, there are a series of 14 making-of featurettes titled Inside Interstellar, which details the process to make various aspects of the movie, and then the three trailers for the movie are included.

Overall, the movie is great. It is well-written and very well-acted. As an engineer, I like that they actually get a lot of the science correct (although some of it is embellished for dramatic effect), and they get concepts like gravity around a black hole and the resulting time dilation effects correct. McConaughey and Chastain are definitely the standouts, as they get the most material to work with, but the entire cast does a great job with their characters. It is an awesome movie and definitely worth multiple viewings.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day Round 2 Day 25

Day 25 was the last Friday Fight 1 for this round. I think this was actually my best workout of month one (no better time for that to happen) as I was able to do a lot more modified moves than in the other workouts. This is still a tough one for me because I get very tired during jumping-jack-based moves and have always hated push-ups, but I am definitely getting stronger cardio-wise. 

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day Round 2 Day 24

Day 24 was the last Tabata Strength workout for this round. I definitely still get very gassed during the workout and am maxing out at the same point in the workout. But, I can definitely mix in more unmodified moves.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Charmed: Season 5

 

The fifth season of Charmed was another transitional season for the show. One big, ongoing storyline was brought to a conclusion and the season finale was used to almost reset the show going forward (potentially at least). The season starts with Cole, having essentially figured out how to get out of the version of Hell that he was in at the end of season four, doing (yet again) the dance between being good and being evil. A little after the middle of the season, the show had its 100th episode which was kind of a flashback episode showing pivotal moments in Piper and Leo's relationship. Unfortunately, the show did not bring back Shannen Doherty or use clips of her, but they did find a sneaky way to get the character of Prue included (kind of). The season begins and ends with two-part episodes, with the season finale introducing a new character going forward.

The show continued to get recognizable guest stars and musical acts including Jamie Pressley, Melinda Clarke (from The OC and Nikita), Mark Sheppard (from Supernatural), Tobin Bell (from the Saw movies), Emanuelle Vaguer, Billy Drago, Tony Todd, Erik King (from Dexter), Eric Dane, Zachary Quinto (from Heroes), Norman Reedus (from The Walking Dead), Drew Fuller, and Scout Taylor Compton (from the Rob Zombie Halloween reboots). The musical acts included The Flaming Lips, Michelle Branch, and Pat Benatar. 

For those who get the blu-ray, it is yet another region-free set. There are no extras, just the episodes themselves, but there are captions in English and German for those who want and/or need them. The show gets a decent HD presentation, but given that the show has a lower budget than some shows had, the special effects can sometimes look very cheesy in HD. 

Overall, the season is a good one. Some of the issues that the show has always had, like relying on too many soap-operaish elements do remain in this season. And, as it has the last few seasons, it criminally underuses Dorian Gregory with Darryl only appearing in a handful of the episodes. On the plus side, they still show off Alyssa Milano's midriff and cleavage at every chance they get, and Rose McGowan, who was still hot and not crazy (at least recognizably so) at that point. Holly Marie Combs really did the heavy-lifting acting wise however and she definitely got the best material to work with and did a lot with her character. Ultimately, I think if you enjoyed the first four seasons of the show you will like this one, unless you only watched it for Shannen Doherty, in which case you probably will not.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day Round 2 Day 23

Day 23 was the last Sweat Intervals workout for this round. Again, I was able to do a few more reps of unmodified moves but maxed out pretty much at exactly the same point as I did last week.  

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: A Bigger Splash

 

A Bigger Splash is a 2015 movie starring Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Dakota Johnson. Swinton plays Marianne Lane, a rock singer who is vacationing in Italy with her boyfriend Paul ( Schoenaerts). Fiennes plays Harry Hawkes, Lane's ex-boyfriend who shows up at the villa Marianne and Paul are staying at with his previously estranged daughter, Penelope/Pen (Johnson). The plot basically involves Harry trying to win Marianne back and Pen trying to seduce Paul. It becomes a tale of jealousy and animosity, with a bit of a twist ending.

Overall, the story is okay, but a bit predictable. The movie is odd in a lot of respects, the first being that Swinton barely talks in the movie because her character had surgery on her throat. At most, she can whisper, so Swinton has to basically act non-verbally the entire movie. Fiennes' character, Harry, on the other hand, is totally extroverted and talks too much. Fiennes goes really over-the-top with his performance which some may like and some may find annoying. Johnson really seems out of place trying to play a seductress, which she does not have the personality for. Yes, she is hot and has no problem getting naked for a role (which she does in this movie), but she just does not seem to have the personality type to pull off the role she was trying to play.

For those who get the blu-ray, the A/V quality is good for a movie that is not special effects-laden. The extras are very bare bones, just the trailer, a stills gallery, and a handful of very short (anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes) featurettes that amount to being short character profiles

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day Round 2 Day 22

 Day 22 was the Tabata Strength workout again. As was the case with Monday's workout, I was able to do about the same amount of unmodified moves but I maxed out a couple minutes later than I did last week. This workout is still very tough because there is only one rest period, after the warmup, then you go from the five-minute mark to the end without stopping. I think once I lose about 20 lbs, it will make getting through this one easier, but not easy by any means.

Workout Update: Insanity Max 30/Chalean Extreme/Body Beast/P90X Hybrid Day Round 2 Day 22

Day 22 was the last Cardio Challenge for this round. I would say that I did about as many unmodified moves during this workout as I did last week, and I maxed out at pretty much the same point during the workout as I did last week. So, no huge amount of progress was made during this workout. 

DVD/TV Series Review: Bad Judge: The Complete Series

 

Bad Judge is a show that got ragged on by the critics who totally overlooked the fact that it was a sitcom, and not supposed to be an accurate portrayal of how court typically works. It stars Kate Walsh (from Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice) who plays Rebecca Wright, a criminal court judge who basically presides over arraignment court for a person's first appearances after they are arrested and booked, who is still a wild child who goes out and gets drunk, has boy toys and drives around in a ratty van that is always breaking down. Basically, a judge who is herself one or two steps away from appearing in arraignment court. The concept of the show is basically like the show Night Court, except this one is set during the day in Los Angeles instead of New York. The show basically alternates between the quirky cast of characters that come through the court and the goings on in Rebecca's personal life.

The DVD set is basically a MOD set that does not have any extras. Had the show aired a couple of years later it would likely not have even gotten this release. So basically, you just get the 13 episodes spread across two discs and nothing else.

Overall, the show was good, and if it would have had enough time to really find its footing could have been very good. Certainly, for those of us who know anything about how the law and the legal system work, you have to ignore some things that the writers just get totally wrong (e.g., the fact that Rebecca would be writing an appellate court brief for any reason). Even with those issues, it was well-acted and had a great cast. Tone Bell who played the bailiff for Rebecca's courtroom, Tedward, pretty much stole every scene he was in. It also had a good guest cast including Angela Kinsey (from The Office) and Ryan McPartlin (from Chuck). Chances are, most people who are looking at this by now are doing so because they watched the show when it originally aired and looking to get the DVD. I do not know if it streams for free on any of the streaming services, but if you get the DVD set, you do not have to worry about it coming and going from the streaming services. If you are just looking for a sitcom, the show is good, but really never got a chance to find its footing or get a proper resolution before being canceled.

Product Review: Marilyn Monroe Wall Calendar (2017)

 

I am one who gets a new Marilyn Monroe calendar every year. I try, as much as possible, to go for ones that have pics that are not widely seen/well-known pictures of her. That, especially if you get calendars featuring her every year, is hard to do, but this one has a good variety. It does include some iconic shots such as the subway grate shot from The Seven Year Itch, but it also includes some pics that look to be more behind-the-scenes shots from photo shoots she did and are not ones that are some of the extremely popular pictures taken of her.