Product Review: Colgate 360 Extra Soft Toothbrush for Sensitive Teeth and Gums with Tongue and Cheek Cleaner

 

This is a two-pack of toothbrushes that have soft bristles and on the other side of the bristles a tongue and cheek cleaner. While they are marketed as extra soft, I would say that they are softer than normal, but not as soft as others out there, and are not close to some of the toothbrushes with "ultra soft" bristles. They are still very good if you have moderately sensitive teeth and gums, but if you have more severe dental issues, then you will probably want to look for something with softer bristles than this.

Book Review: Star Wars: Cataclysm

 

Cataclysm is the third (in chronological order) main storyline, adult canon novel in the Star Wars canon material. It is set during the early High-Republic era and picks up shortly after the events of the previous book, Battle of Jedha. The story is still set around the warring neighboring planets of Eiram and E'ronoh. The Jedi discover that "The Path of the Open Hand", which is basically a cult that appears to be set up as the precursor to the Nihil who are the antagonists in the later High-Republic novels, sabotaged the peace talks on Jedha and are using the warring planets as a part of the larger plan to take out the Jedi. The climax of the story occurs on a planet called Dalna, where the Path has a stronghold, and a massive battle between the Jedi and the Path occurs.

This book finally does what I have been waiting for the High Republic novels to do, namely incorporate Yoda, the most recognizable Jedi alive at the time, into the larger storyline. In all of the other novels, be they the adult novels or the young adult novels, if Yoda is mentioned, it is in passing and amounts to a sentence or two. In this book, he actually appears and takes part in the story. Actually, he and Yaddle both appear, and Yaddle has an even larger role in the story.

The book is a good blend of action and suspense. It reveals more about the mysterious entity that can block the Jedi's use of The Force and turn people to ash (which introduces a bit of a plot hole in the later High Republic novels in which the Jedi seem totally clueless about what it is), and the author does a good job of making you care about and get invested in the new characters, having used the two previous books to establish those characters. The other big issue I had with the first batch of High Republic novels (which occur later in the chronology than this book) is that it seemed like every book introduced a bunch of new characters and it would take three books to return to the storylines of previously introduced characters. And by then, it was hard to keep them all straight. While this book does introduce some new characters, many of the characters that were introduced in the books Convergence and Battle of Jedha also appear in this book, so it feels like a cohesive story. 

In my opinion, this is the best of the High-Republic novels (at least so far), with the proviso that I have read all of the adult novels and most of the young-adult novels set in the High-Republic era. The story flows well, it wraps up the story told in the first two books and provides almost a blank slate from which future books can pick up. The book is just under 400 pages and can easily be read in a week or so, depending on how fast you read and how much time you have to read. It is definitely on my must-read list for die-hard Star Wars fans.

Supplement Review: Premium Mushroom Gummies Supplement - Mushroom Complex for Immune Health, Brain, Mood & Stress Support

 

This is a blend of mushrooms, specifically Lion's Mane, Turkey Tail, Reishi, Chaga Extract, and Cordyceps. You get 90 gummies total (two gummies make up a serving). If you are one who is aware of some of the health benefits of mushrooms but hates the texture of eating them raw or cooked (or the thought of eating fungus creeps you out), these are a good option. They do not taste as good as some other mushroom gummies (to me anyway), but if you don't like the taste you can always chase them with something you do like to mask the flavor a bit. Of course, it is pretty much impossible to know how much benefit you get from any supplement like this, and it is not likely to make you go from feeling like crap to feeling in perfect health overnight. But, if you are aware of the health benefits of the mushrooms in the blend, I believe it is worth trying.

Product Review: Computer Speakers, Bluetooth Computer Soundbar, HiFi Stereo, 3.5mm Aux-in Connection, USB Powered Computer Speakers

 

This is basically a soundbar that can connect to a computer (desktop or laptop) or a tablet (assuming it has an AUX port). It powers via a USB connection, so it definitely has fewer wires than the old-school computer speakers that had to be connected together via a wire and had to be plugged into a wall outlet and it is definitely a major upgrade in sound quality over the PC speakers on my laptop. 

The sound through the speaker is very good (in my opinion anyway, but I am not exactly an A/V wonk), and the big feature for me is that it can be connected to devices via Bluetooth, so I can play things from the apps on my phone through the speaker, and do not have to wear headphones to get better sound than what is emitted through the speakers on my phone. I definitely recommend this.

Product Review: Allen Company Safety Fit-Over Glasses for Use with Prescription Eyeglasses

 

This is a comfortable pair of safety glasses that will fit over prescription eyeglasses. The frames of my prescription glasses are rectangular shaped and fairly thick because I have thick lenses. These fit over my prescription glasses well. They are not tight nor do they move around too much or fall off my nose. These are perfect for use when woodworking, trimming tree branches, or the like. I would definitely recommend them to anyone who needs a pair of safety glasses to wear over their prescription glasses.

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 44

Day 44 was Trimetrics in X3 and Sweat in PIYO. Both of those went pretty much the same as the last time I did each of them. No gains, but I did not regress or backslide either.  

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 43

Day 43 was Decelerator in X3 and Sculpt in PIYO. After a couple of times doing the modified version of Decelerator, it is a bit easier than it was the first time I did it, but it is still very hard, especially if you are using a full range of motion. This was also the first time doing the Sculpt workout in PIYO. It is another strength-focused workout that has you doing a bunch of squats, lunges, and push-ups and fewer yoga or pilates moves. If you can get through the strength intervals workout, you should be able to make it through this one without much problem.

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 42

Day 42 was the rest day in X3, which I took advantage of. Tomorrow will start up the doubles workouts again incorporating in month 2 of PIYO so I can finish up X3 and PIYO at the same time. 

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 41

Day 41 allowed for a choice between Total Synergistics or Complex Lower. I decided to do the latter since I was not a huge fan of TS and had not done CL in this round of X3 yet.  In CL, you do four rounds of the same five exercises. All of the exercises are some version of a squat or lunge and some of them require you to balance on one leg as you do the exercise. So, it is another one that is very challenging, and if you are doing the workout for the first time, depending on what kind of shape you are in, you will probably need to modify most of the moves, at least during the first round until you figure out what you are doing.

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 40

Day 40 was the Tiometrics workout and the first time since block 1 that this workout is on the schedule.  Like Agility X earlier in the week, this one is still challenging, but a bit easier than the last time I did it. I still had to modify most of the moves, but there were a couple in which I could finally do all three versions, which was nice to see.

Book Review: Star Wars Timelines

 

"Timelines" is what I would describe as a coffee table book. It is not a novel that people are likely to read word-for-word, cover-to-cover. It basically summarizes the Star Wars canon, incorporating material from the novels, comics, video games, animated series (e.g., Rebels, Clone Wars, and Bad Batch), live-action series (e.g., The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and The Book of Boba Fett), and the movies. The book has multiple "main" timelines that set out events in relation to The Battle of Yavin when Luke blew up the first Death Star. The first timeline summarizes the early history, starting about 25,000 years before the Battle of Yavin (abbreviated BBY). Then the last timeline is the rise of the First Order, which ends with the battle of Exegol (basically the end of The Rise of Skywalker movie) 35 years after the Battle of Yavin (abbreviated ABY). 

Each of the main timelines has several "sub-timelines" that flesh out details of events that happened in the main timelines. For example, in the Fall of the Jedi timeline, events like Order 66, Obi-Wan and Anakin's battle on Mustafar, hiding Luke and Leia, etc., are all detailed. The sub-timelines for the High Republic timeline summarize the events in the various High Republic novels, such as the hyperspace disaster. The sub-timelines also provide short character profiles for the various characters, and the major characters like Anakin, Luke, Leia, Obi-Wan, etc., get their own dedicated timeline that summarizes the major events in their lives. 

Overall, the book is good. As I said above, it is not one that most people (aside from the most die-hard of die-hard fans) are likely to read in full, and definitely does not read like a novel. But, if you are one of those people who does not read all of the books or have not played the video games (like Fallen Order), it has some of the detail and information on some of the characters that you may not be familiar with. Also, it does not include the events of the most recent seasons of The Bad Batch and the Mandalorian, since it was written before those were completed. But otherwise, it is very comprehensive and is worth getting for anyone who is more than just a casual fan.

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 39

Day 39 was X3 yoga again. There is really nothing new to report about this workout. I do not think I had any flexibility gains or losses from the last time I did the workout.  The only thing of note is that I could get a little closer to doing crow (which has always been very tough for me) for at least a few seconds.

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 38

For day 38 in X3 you have the choice of doing "The Challenge" or complex upper. I chose to do the latter since I have not done that one before. Complex upper has you doing five moves, for four rounds. Basically, you do the five moves, take a short break, then do the same five moves again. It is a full-body workout that has you doing chin-up/pull-up moves, legs and arms, and core. I personally like The Challenge more than this one, but I think they are pretty close in terms of difficulty and intensity. 

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 37

Day 37 was a return to the agility-x workout for the first time since the end of month one. It was still challenging, but definitely easier now than it was the first couple of times I did it. Because you are jumping both forward and back and laterally, you do need enough room to really get the most out of the workout, but you can modify a bit if you need to because of space limitations, which I definitely have in my basement.

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 36

Day 36 was the Decelerator workout in X3. This is a very challenging boot camp type workout that has you doing squats and pull-ups, but the twist is that you are doing the moves slowly and are often doing exercises like sumo squats while on your toes, and elevator pull-ups in which you hang (bottom floor) then pull yourself to the middle and then get your chin over the bar, holding each floor for a few seconds. Then you also do some explosive moves like a jump with a freeze landing with one foot off the floor and in a lunge-type position.  The prior workouts do prepare you somewhat for this one, so there is a reason it is in the third block. As I said in the last update, this week I am not doing any of the PIYO workouts so I can end them at the same time. 

Book Review: Hoax: Donald T***p, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth

 

The subject matter of the book is apparent from the title. It is basically about the inner workings of FOX during the run-up to the 2016 election and throughout the 2017-2021 presidential administration.

The book was written by Brian Stelter who, at the time, was the host of one of the Sunday shows on CNN (Reliable Sources). In it, Stelter covers how FOX pretty much abandoned all pretense of being a news organization and became a propaganda machine for the orange genital wart with the early morning and prime-time entertainers basically in a non-stop circle jerk with agent orange, which ended up pushing out the few pure newspeople that (like Shep Smith) that the network had left. Stelter definitely had sources (whom he kept anonymous) inside FOX and inside the White House, the latter of which confirmed that the "executive time" on the schedule was just the time that t***p was watching TV and tweeting about the various news shows that he DVRd. Stelter got a lot of good behind-the-scenes dirt but did not manage to get everything, such as the fact that Fucker Carlson privately hates t***p and that all of the hosts that verbally fellate t***p on a nightly basis then talk shit about him behind his back.

Stelter admits up front that he did not write this book as an objective journalist, and he most definitely interjects his personal opinions of Fox, the people that run it and work there, t***p (and his administration as a whole). The book is about 350 pages (some of which are just footnotes citing to different sources of information) but is a pretty quick read. It is something that, if you read relatively fast, you can get through in a day or two. It is a revealing look behind the curtain at FOX and exposes some of the hypocrisy of those who work there. While I would not classify it as a must-read, it is definitely worth reading if you are into news, politics, and current events (with some gossip mixed in too). 

Book Review: The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda

 

The Black Banners is a book about the investigations against and attempts to capture members of al-Qaeda, really from the time it began to become a threat to the United States, up to the killing of Osama bin Laden. It was written by Ali Soufan who was an FBI agent stationed in the NY office, who worked for John O'Neil, and who was one of the lead investigators of the bombing of the US Cole and heavily involved in the interrogations of various al-Qaeda members after the 9/11 attacks. 

In the book Soufan provides his perspective on the fight between the FBI and the CIA before 9/11 and the two agencies' refusal to cooperate with each other. Of course, Soufan is coming at the issue from the FBI's point of view, but he is convinced that if the CIA had shared relevant information with the FBI (especially after the FBI requested information that Soufan states the CIA claimed to know nothing about, but actually had a lot of intelligence on) before 9/11 that the attacks could have been stopped. He also rails against the "enhanced interrogation techniques" that were authorized by the Bush administration and were largely carried out by the CIA and military contractors. Soufan is convinced it amounted to torture and did not yield any useful information, whereas the traditional interrogation techniques that he and other FBI agents used garnered a lot of useful information from detainees, including the identity of Osama bin Laden's courier, and led to the discovery of bin Laden's location in Pakistan. Soufan also alleges that one of the detainees that he initially questioned probably could have provided information that would have led to finding bin Laden sooner, had Soufan been allowed to let the detainee make a phone call to his family, which was overruled.

The material can be quite dense, and it is hard to keep all the people that Soufan mentions in the book straight. There is an appendix in the back of the book that does detail who the key players mentioned in the book are (or were), but even if you read that first, keeping all of the names straight can be difficult. There are some portions of the book that are redacted with black bars. In a note at the beginning Soufan states that while the FBI cleared the material in the book, he was required to submit the book to the CIA for review (which he argues should not have been the case), and the redactions are largely due to the CIA. Frankly, some of them are very stupid, such as a sentence like "I interviewed so and so, and I asked him about [insert topic]," and the only thing that would be redacted were the two Is in the sentence. In some cases, however, entire pages of material got redacted. Most of the redactions are in the final 2/3 of the book in which Soufan discusses the interrogations that occurred after 9/11. 

The book is over 500 pages long and is not what I would call a quick read. If you have read other books such as The Looming Tower (or have seen the Hulu miniseries of the same name, in which Soufan and O'Neil are basically the main characters), you will know some of the material in the book. However, Soufan provides a lot of behind-the-scenes information that would otherwise not be known if you haven't read this book. It is very informative and definitely worth reading.

4k-UHD Box Set Review: The Dark Knight Trilogy

 

This is, as most probably know, the trilogy of Batman movies (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises) that were written and directed by Christopher Nolan, and starred Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Batman Begins (released in 2005) represented the resurrection of Batman in live-action movies after the turd that was Batman and Robin had pretty much killed it off in 1999, and arguably set the stage for the success that superhero movies have had to this day, including the MCU movies because Nolan (and the studio) wanted to make a serious movie that was grounded in some kind of reality. The Dark Knight (released in 2008) is best known for the masterful performance of Heath Ledger playing The Joker, and The Dark Knight Rises (released in 2012) was a good conclusion of the story. The movies have a strong supporting cast including Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy, Ken Wanatabe, Anne Hathaway, Katie Homles, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhall, Mathew Modine, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, and Joseph Gordon Levitt (among others). 

In this set, each of the movies is packaged in individual cases within a decorative outer box. Each movie is a three-disc set with a 4k UHD disc and two regular blu-ray discs. The UHD discs just have the movies themselves, and then one of the regular blu-rays has the movie (which can be played with an in-movie experience that pops up facts about the movie throughout) and the second regular blu-ray disc just has special features. For each movie, you get 2-3 hours of bonus content with a lot of behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes that include interviews with members of the cast and crew, as well as featurettes on some aspect of the overall Batman mythology, and trailers. The A/V quality of the UHD discs is awesome, especially for the scenes filmed in IMAX for the second and third movies, and are reference quality, especially if you have a large screen and a great sound system to watch it on.

Overall, the movies are great. They are, arguably, the best of Batman in live-action. I liked that they set the movies in the "real world" and made his gadgets have some grounding in reality so it looked and felt like the things in the movie could happen in real life. In my opinion, Bale, at least up to that point had done the best job playing both characters (Bruce and Batman) in live-action and being believable in both roles. I think Michael Keaton was a great Bruce Wayne, but was not as believable as Batman. I think Kilmer played a good Bruce Wayne and a good Batman, but he was not as good as Keaton or Bale as Bruce and not as good as Bale as Batman. And Clooney was not great in either role. I think the A/V quality of the UHD presentation is good enough that it warrants the upgrade even if you already own the movies on blu-ray. I definitely recommend this set.

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 35

Day 35 was the rest day for X3 and the intervals workout again in PIYO. I decided that next week I am just going to do the X3 workouts, then will add the month 2 PIYO workouts in the week after that so that I finish both programs at the same time. 

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 34

On Day 34 I did the pilates workout in X3 which was supposed to be done on Wednesday and then did Define Upper in PIYO. The Pilates workout was still very challenging, and I definitely had to skip some reps on some of the moves and modify many of the moves to get through it.  It is not a workout that is going to be a breeze for someone who has not done Pilates in the past. If you are going to keep up with the two women (Stephanie and Shawna), you will have to have done a lot of beginners and intermediate Pilates, or have a background in dance or gymnastics so you have great flexibility. 

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 33

Day 33 was CVX in X3 and a rest day in PIYO. This was the first time doing CVX since block 1, and I felt that it was a little easier than the last time I did the workout, but still not what I would call easy. I definitely am not close to being able to keep up with Traci Morrow, who is doing the advanced version of all of the exercises. 

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 32

Day 32 was supposed to be Pilates x in X3, but I did not look at the schedule and did X3 yoga instead, and then I did the Define Lower workout in PIYO. Nothing new to report for either of the workouts. I did not feel like I had any major gains in either of them, but no setbacks either.  

Workout Update: P90X3 and PIYO doubles workout- Day 31

Day 31 was accelerator in X3 and strength intervals in PIYO. Accelerator is still very challenging but is easier than the last time I did it, and the strength intervals workout went the same as it did. I definitely like the shorter PIYO workouts, and I really wish they would do a version in which every workout was 30 minutes or less. 

Product Review: Cascade Platinum Dishwasher Pods

 

You get a decent amount (37 in each package) for a reasonable price. I am not quite sure why they put 37 in the package, but if you wash dishes once or twice a week, this pack will easily last two to three months. They can be used in any dishwasher that has a door for pods, and they get dishes clean, without food particles or residue (as long as you do not stack the dishes in a way that prevents water from getting to all the surfaces of a dish). It has regular dishwasher detergent and Dawn soap to fight grease, as well as a rinse aid, so you do not have to purchase that separately. Personally, I like that this is packaged in a bag as opposed to the larger tubs because it saves space under this sink. 

4k-UHD/Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises

 

This is the third and final movie in the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight Trilogy starring Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film is set eight years after the events of The Dark Knight with Gotham being mostly crime-free and Bruce Wayne holding up as a recluse in Wayne Manor while Batman is vilified for killing Harvey Dent. Dent is still being held out as a hero, and the law passed in his name allowed the police to keep all the criminals he prosecuted locked up. When a new threat to Gotham emerges, in the form of a mercenary named Bane (played by Tom Hardy) who was excommunicated from The League of Shadows, Bruce must bring Batman back to try and save the city.

The 4k-UHD version is a three-disc set. The UHD disc just has the movie itself, and then there are two regular blu-ray discs, one with the film and one with most of the extras. The regular blu-ray with the movie on it does have a second-screen experience that allows you to watch the movie with exclusive content that pops up as the movie plays. The bonus disc has about two hours worth of behind-the-scenes and making-of material, and an hour-long featurette on the Batmobile, basically discussing its evolution during the comics and the various live-action versions. It included interviews with Adam West and the creator of the Batmobile from the 1960s TV show, as well as Tim Burton, Joel Schumacher, and the crew members who designed the cars for the pre-Nolan movies, and then extensive interviews with the design team from the Nolan movies. The A/V quality of the UHD disc is wonderful, especially during the Imax sequences that are scattered throughout the movie. 

Overall, this is a fine end to the Nolan Trilogy, which absolutely revived the live-action Batman franchise and arguably paved the way for the boom of superhero movies that would follow 2005's Batman Begins. The main supporting characters/actors (Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman) were all brought back, and the additions to the cast were, of course, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway playing Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Joseph Gordon Levitt who is a GCPD member, as well as Ben Mendelsohn (from Rouge One), Marion Cotillard, Adien Gillian (from Game of Thrones), and 80s star Matthew Modine. And, Cillian Murphy makes yet another appearance as Dr. Crane. Some of the supporting character's roles are definitely larger than others. Hathaway does a great job as Selina Kyle, although playing a much different version of the character than any of the other live-action versions of her, and Hardy is very good as Bane, especially having to act through a mask through 99% of his scenes. There were rumors that the original plan was also to work Joker into the third movie, however, after Heath Ledger's death, that role was never going to be recast, and they did not even use archival footage or deleted footage from the second movie of Joker in this one. While I still think that the second movie, The Dark Knight, is the best in the trilogy, this is a worthy follow-up and definitely worth watching.