Book Review: Walk Jog Run: For Wellness Everyone

 

Most likely the only reason you would get this is for a class that you are taking in an exercise-science program. While it does have some useful information in it, there is nothing a couple internet searches won't pull up. Some of the things the book does talk about are presented in such a dense manner that your eyes kind of glaze over trying to get through it. For example, when the author talks about putting together a walking or jogging program, the author puts together a bunch of tables with abbreviations and acronyms in them which you then have to look up in the text to figure out how to interpret it.

If you do not need this for a class, there are better, more user-friendly books and articles out there. If you do have to get this for a class, it is not really a hard read, just dry and boring.

Workout Kit and Program Review: P90X2 Series Ultimate Kit

This is the Ultimate Kit for P90x2, which comes with the Tony Horton Power Stands, a foam roller (the rumble roller), and two 8-lb medicine balls. I love this workout. I actually like this a lot more than the original version. Since most people who are considering this have already been exposed to P90x, I will highlight some of the differences for you.

1) Like P90x, it is a three-phase program. The big key for me in X2 is there is more variety. For example, in P90x aside from the recovery week, you did the same legs and back workout every week. In X2, the only program you do in more than one month is the plyometrics workout. That is in phases I and II, but not in III. There is a recovery and mobility DVD that you can also use on your rest days throughout the program.

2) X2 yoga is much better. It takes all the good stuff from the original p90x yoga but compresses it into 61 min as opposed to 90 minutes. It flows much better, and I never found myself getting bored or wishing it would stop.

3) Foam rolling is awesome. In P90x you had a stretching DVD that you could use on your rest day. Here, there is a recovery and mobility DVD, the bulk of which is foam rolling. It is hard if you have never done it before, but if you stick with it, it will make your body feel so much better. The rest of recovery and mobility is stretching and low-impact movements.

4) There is less cardio in X2. X1 had the karate workout, plyometrics, and an optional cardio DVD. The only traditional cardio workout in X2 is plyometrics, and it is very different than the X1 version. The circuits in the regular workouts however kept my heart rate up so I still burned a lot of calories. And, in phase III you basically alternate two different workouts which do have quite a bit of cardio in them, and you do the 4 moves in the circuit back-to-back without stopping, then repeat the circuit 4 times. While it does not get your heart rate up like a program such as Insanity does, it does make you winded.

5) They focus a lot on the modifier in X2. They really set the workout up so you do not need all the equipment for people who are not ready to be balancing on medicine balls and stability balls, or who are traveling and cannot take all the equipment with them.

6) While some of the workouts are similar to what you saw in X1, they are more challenging. There are still lots of pull-ups and push-ups, but you are doing push-ups on medicine balls or stability balls, which are much different than they are on the floor. Even if you have done several rounds of P90x, there will be somewhat of a learning curve in X2.

Obviously, the best workout for you is the one you can stick with. I like rotating the beachbody workouts because, let's face it, the same workout over and over gets boring, and even when split into phases your body will begin to adapt. The price on Amazon is pretty steep (you can find it for a lot less), and you always have to watch out for bootlegged copies from third-party sellers. There is always some subjectivity in what you are going to like or dislike. For people who are fans of the original, I think X2 definitely will have something to offer.

 

Workout Kit Review: P90X DVD Workout Base Kit

 

I think the infomercial has been out there long enough to know what the program is all about, so I am going to list my opinion of the pros and cons. I have done multiple Beachbody programs, and actually, this is not my favorite. That said I still think it is very good.

Pros:

1) It can eliminate the need to go to the gym. While there are some benefits to going to a gym for sure, I definitely find that working out at home saves time and money.

2) It is a highly structured program. This is a good thing if you are a beginner, because it tells you what to do on what days, and requires very little guesswork.

3) It uses resistance training and cardio but is not excessive on either one. Most of the workouts are slightly over an hour or shorter.

4) It comes with a good, easy-to-follow nutrition plan, which is essential to getting good results.

5) there are different versions depending on your goals. There is a lean, classic, and doubles version of the program. The lean is for people who do not want to put on as much muscle (it eliminates some of the resistance workouts and subs in cardio). The classic is the regular version of the program, which incorporates all the workouts, and the doubles add a second cardio workout on the resistance days.

Cons:

1) It may be hard if you are a true beginner. If you have never worked out at all, or have had a long layoff this will be hard at first. It presumes you are in decent shape to start with. It does have a person doing modified moves, which usually means using resistance bands instead of free weights and lower impact version of the body weight exercises. While a beginner can do the program, you may need to ease into it a bit.

2) It can require a substantial equipment cost beyond just the DVDs. At the very least you will need a set of resistance bands. You can get a good set of relatively inexpensive bands. You need to get a set though so you have different levels of resistance because you will be stronger on some moves over others, and will just generally get stronger during the program. However you will probably want to, at some point, get a set of weights and a pull-up bar so you can do the program fully. That can get quite expensive. You also need a good pair of cross-training shoes (not running shoes) for the plyometrics workout, because it involves a lot of jumping and quick lateral movements.

3) The program gets repetitive. Unlike P90x2 where you get new workouts each month, in this one you do the same 6 workouts for 4 weeks, then take a recovery week, then do a new rotation of workouts, which rotates in two new workouts, but the 4 others remain the same. Then in the last month, you do month one's rotation for two weeks and month two's rotation for two weeks. Some people get really bored with the workouts by that point.

4) The yoga DVD is really long. It is the longest workout clocking in at just over an hour and a half. The first 50 mins or so is great, but then it kind of transitions into a stretching and ab workout. Since the program already has three days of abdominal work built into it, and an optional stretch DVD you can use on the rest day, I personally would cut it off after the first hour or so.

Ultimately, the best workout for you is going to be the one you stick with. I think P90x is a good overall investment despite the cons I gave it. If you order from Amazon make sure it is being fulfilled by Beachbody, which is the company that produces the DVD. Some of the third-party sellers make bootlegged copies and pass that off.

Product Review: Tony Horton Power Stands

 

I got these with the P90x2 deluxe package through Beachbody. They are very sturdy and work well. They are much heavier than the push-up stands that have the "h" shape if you look at them end-on. These are especially good f you are doing wide-arm push-ups ( which were done more in p90x than x2) because they will not tip and roll on you like other push-up stands. 

Like other push-up stands (or using dumbbells) these will give you more range of motion throughout the push-up movement and are great if you have any wrist pain. I have broken my left wrist twice, and it makes doing regular push-ups hard. I have no wrist problems at all when using these. Also, these can be used to do triceps dips while you are seated on the floor, which is not something that is possible with a lot of push-up stands. So, whether you are doing P90X (or X2 or X3), or just incorporating push-ups into your workouts, these are a great option to have.

Book Review: Physics Without the Boring Bits

 

This is not a physics textbook. There are no equations (except for force equals mass times acceleration), no math, and no homework problems. Instead, it is a book that explains how physics affects the world and universe we live in. Many times in physics classes you get so wrapped up in the math that you use perspective on what any of it is good for. This book uses humor and anecdotes to explain how things from simple motion to quantum physics actually work. 

It will not help you pass a test or a quiz, but if you are a physics student it will give you an idea of why all those equations do what they do, and if you are taking a non-STEM major physics class (like physics for poets or something like that), it can help you understand the basic concepts. Otherwise, if you are just interested in science and are looking for a fun, quick and easy read this will be that as well.

Workout Program Review: Insanity Base Kit

 

Insanity was probably the second most popular program released by Beachbody, after P90x. When it was released the infomercial was on just as much, if not more, than the infomercial for P90x was, especially since P90x was getting a bit long in the tooth when this came out. Insanity is a high-intensity program that focuses on cardio. It is very hard, even if you are in shape, and is a struggle to get through. In the base set, there is no weight or resistance component to it (aside from lots and lots of push-ups, and some triceps dips). All the resistance moves come using your own body weight.

Pros:

1) No equipment needed aside from a good pair of shoes, and maybe some floor mats. You do not need dumbbells, a chin-up bar, or anything else. You do want to have or get a good pair of cross-training shoes though. A lot of people wear running shoes doing this and have lots of issues with pain or twisting their ankles. Running shoes are good for landing, but not plyometrics and lateral movements. Running shoes do not have the lateral stability to hold up when doing repetitive plyo exercises.

2) The workouts are relatively short. In month 1 they are all under 45 min, and in month 2 they are all under an hour.

3) The 60-day duration. I have done P90x multiple times and doing the same workouts for that long a time just gets boring. This is the perfect amount of time for a DVD workout series to last, and then you can decide to either re-do it or move on to another one be it P90x, P90x2 (also 90-day workouts but has different workouts in each month), or the even more advanced program, Insanity Asylum.

3) You cannot outgrow it. As you get in better shape you can go faster and take fewer breaks so it should never get easy.

Cons:

1) This is not really a program for beginners. Even the people in the videos have a hard time keeping up and have to stop and take breaks. If you have never worked out before or have gotten out of shape after a long layoff, I would suggest easing your way into this. Yes, you can do the moves slower and take more breaks when you first start out, but there is no modifier in the cast, and unless you have done Insanity Max-30, you will probably not be able to figure out how to modify the moves to make them easier like you can with other programs.

2) It is a very high impact. You are jumping and doing a lot of side-to-side movements in every workout, so if you have severe knee and/or back issues this is probably not the workout for you.

3) If you like to lift weights you will probably need to sub out either the recovery workout day or the rest day to do some upper body lifting. With all the squats and jumping you will be doing in Insanity you will probably not have to do much of a leg workout, but for people who can't go without lifting Insanity itself may not be enough.

On Amazon, the price. $144 is way too much, and I have heard about some of the "third-party" sellers selling faked bootlegged copies. If you are going to purchase on Amazon make sure it is being fulfilled by Beachbody which is the actual company that makes it.

Ultimately the best workout for you is going to be the one that you can stick with. Insanity is a good, but hard program that works if you do it. Like any workout, how well your results will be are going to depend not only on doing the workouts as hard as you can but also in large part on how you eat. Insanity does have a good nutrition guide to use as a base, but you may need to adjust your caloric intake to get the best results (and for many people that means eating more calories because the workouts are so intense). The main thing is you have to be following some kind of nutrition plan because if you are eating like crap, or on the other end of the spectrum not eating enough, the program will not give you anything like the results of the people in the infomercial.

Textbook Review: Precalculus: Enhanced with Graphing Utilities

 

This is actually a very good math book. It gives lots of examples and clear explanations (at least as clear as any math book does). I have yet to come across a math book that is an "easy" read, at least until you are about three classes beyond your current class, but I understood this one pretty well when I was taking precalculus. I did luck out and get a really great teacher for precalculus so I really did not have to read this all that much when I was in class, but when I had to, it made sense. There were times however in Calculus I, II, and III where I had to refer back to this and found exactly what I was looking for and could follow the explanation easily.

I also used this book when I tutored students so I often times have to re-read parts of it to brush up on concepts. I think it does the balancing act of giving you enough information to help guide you, but still leaves you to have to figure some things out on your own. While it is not perfect, compared to some math books out there (the crappy one I had for Calculus III springs to mind) it is pretty helpful.

Study Aid Review: The Humongous Book of Algebra Problems

 

To me the best part about this book is that it is, for the most part, just lots and lots of example problems solved step by step. The big gripe about math textbooks is that a lot of time you get a lot of explanation of the theory and formulas, but not much on how to actually solve problems. This can be compounded by the fact that some textbooks either skip steps in the examples they do solve, or they just show you how to do the easiest problems and you are left to fend for yourself on the harder problems. This book gives you a nice range of difficulty for the problems and does not cut corners or skip steps.

Of all areas of math, algebra is probably the worst to have missing steps when you are first learning it because it is the foundation for almost every other branch of math. If you are not good at algebra, you will have a very hard time in trig and calculus because they use algebra so much, that oftentimes simplifying the problems is harder and take more time than the actual calculus part. If you are going on to take classes like chemistry and physics, you absolutely have to be good at algebra because it is used to solve many problems. While proficiency in algebra will not guarantee you will do well in those other classes (you still need to know what equations to use or what concepts apply), even if you know the chemistry or physics material if you cannot do algebra you will have no shot at actually solving the problems.

While I never say any supplement be it DVD or book form is a substitute for going to class or doing problems assigned in your book this will definitely help you because chances are you can find a similar problem in this book, see how it is solved, and apply the process to your homework problem. The author also has similar books for other levels of math up to the first year of calculus. If you find this one helpful you may want to check those out as well.

Product Review: Slendertone ab belt

 

If you are one of those people who want instant results without effort, do not waste your money on this. The only way you are ever going to see your abs is to get your body fat down. You can use this, or do 1000s of crunches and if you are not eating properly and doing some form of cardio and resistance exercise you are never going to get ripped abs. The sole purpose of this thing is to replace your abdominal workout. 

The unit I have is the older version of this, which has 4 "workouts" (basically the amount of time increases each level from 20 min to 40 min, and an intensity setting from 1-100. I have never had an issue with it not turning on, aside from when the batteries drained. It does go through battery power pretty quickly, which is one of the cons. I can't really remember the manual that came with mine, but I do not remember it being all that hard to follow. I use it three days a week, and I definitely notice my core being stronger, my posture getting better, and my abs are sore after each use.

Study Aid Review: How to Ace the Rest of Calculus

 

The textbook I had for multivariable calculus was absolutely worthless, so I really leaned on this, Khan Academy, Patrick JMT on YouTube, and the Mathtutor DVDs for Calculus 3 to help figure out how to do the problems. 

Unlike some of the book supplements out there, this one does not cover everything you will see in class. The book hits the most important topics and gives several examples, tells you what to look out for, and what some common mistakes are. If you are in Calculus 2, this is not really going to help much. It is almost exclusively things you are going to see in multivariable calculus like double and triple integrals, partial derivatives, Green's Theorem, and the like. You will get some of the sequence and series material you will get at the very end of Calculus 2, but it does not go into all the integration techniques you will learn in Calculus 2. So, if you are in the first or second semester of Calculus, you want what is essentially Volume 1 just titled How to Ace Calculus.

Study Aid Review: Ultimate Physics 3 Tutor - Electricity and Magnetism Series - Volume 1

 

First, as the word TUTOR implies this is a DVD to help you learn how to do physics problems. It is not a DVD on the history of physics, a documentary, or a "physics is great" kind of set. It is simply a supplement to help you learn the process of how to do problems.  If you are not in physics, teaching yourself physics, or close to taking physics this is probably not for you. You would be better off looking for a good documentary. Also if watching a recorded lecture does not fit your learning style you would probably not get the most out of it.

For those of you who have the need for it, this is the best supplement that I have found that presents problems in the same manner as the material covered in your book. Jason (Gibson) has structured this DVD and volume 2 of this set to introduce the topic, give some of the theory behind the topic, and present the equations that will be utilized in one section, then he starts working on the problems on that topic in a separate section. This helps split some of the material up, especially when the "lecture" material can take over an hour for some of the topics. It just makes things flow better, and he can give more example problems that way.

Like the predecessor physics DVDs he has put out, it is geared more toward algebra-based physics than calculus, although he does begin to add more of the calculus theories for some of the material. Some of the problems he goes through require very basic integration, and, if you are taking calculus-based physics you should have had at least a semester of calculus by the time you get to this material. So, the calculus he uses should really not be hard. Jason does a lot more deriving of the equations in this series than he has in his other DVD sets and really does try to show how the various electric field and electric potential equations are related to each other. But unlike what you may get in class, Jason does not skip steps or presume you know more than you really do. Of course, if you do not follow it the first time around you can re-watch the sections. At the core, it is giving you examples of how the questions are worded, and strategies for how to solve them. The problems range from very easy "plug and chug" examples to more complex deriving and proof kinds of problems where you are manipulating the formulas but are not given numbers. If used as a supplement to class and homework this will help you immensely.

Study Aid Review: The Calculus 1 & 2 Tutor - 2 DVD Set - 8 Hour Course

 

I want to start out with a caveat for anyone thinking of getting this or subscribing to Jason's site. If you are going to be taking Calc 1 and 2 at the college level, you would be best served to get both this DVD and the Advanced Calculus 2 DVD because, depending on your school, what is covered may not be in the same order as what Jason has laid out. Of course, if you subscribe to the site you will get all of the lessons and much more content than what was originally included on the DVDs.

This DVD basically covers derivatives and integrals. It goes very in-depth into both those topics and covers all the main differentiation and integration rules you need to know. Again you need to keep in mind that this is a supplement and does not cover everything you will see in class. I can only use my class as a reference, but we started with a review of functions, then went into limits, then derivatives, and will finish with an introduction to integration. There are also a couple of the topics covered on the Advanced Calc DVD set that will be covered in my Calc I class, which is why I am using that DVD set along with this one. Plus I plan on continuing on to Calc II, so I will eventually end up using both.

The one big topic from first-semester calculus that Jason does not go into much is the topic of limits. He explicitly says at the beginning of the video that is he not covering everything and explains why he excludes most of the material on limits in this set. He has, however, subsequently added a limits tutor, that will cover the material that was missing from this DVD, which is helpful because limits are covered extensively at the beginning of the semester before you get into the differentiation rules.  If you try to study just from this, skip class, and do not do the problems in the book, the first test or two will be a disaster. So don't fall into that trap. And while Jason does not cover most of the limit concepts that you will have to go through in class, I found knowing the material on the DVD ahead of time helpful to understand the "big picture" limit concepts even though I did not know the mechanical process for taking limits ahead of time. He also does not cover all the types of applied problems (word problems)that you will see in class.

Ultimately whether you find this DVD useful will depend in large part on how you learn. This is basically like watching a lecture on TV. Obviously, you cannot interact with Jason as you can with a tutor, and you are limited to the problems that he works out. Some of his problems will match what you get in class, while others may not. I look at these DVDs as showing the basics and presume I will encounter more complicated problems in the book and on the exams. I use them before class to get an idea of what is going on, then from time to time during the semester if there is a concept I did not get completely in class from my teacher, or if I need to brush up on something. If used in that way, and if your learning style is conducive to that kind of presentation, this will be a great investment.

As I said above I strongly recommend that you get this and the advanced calculus tutor dvd if you are taking classes at the college level. There are things in that DVD set like the L'Hospital's rule and inverse trig functions that you will likely go over in first-semester calculus that you will not get on this DVD. The section on L'Hospital's rule will also give some insight into limits. The other concept that Jason does not go into much at all on this DVD is the "technical" process for taking integrals. He does explain it very briefly, but he does not go into detail about how to use the sum of areas of approximating rectangles to calculate the integral. In my class we only got through the first chapter on integration, the first three sections of which deals with that concept. Then we got to the fundamental theorem of calculus, (the second part of which is what Jason does many examples of), and integration by substitution which is also covered in depth here. Many of the sections on integration that are on this DVD will be covered in second-semester calculus (calculus II) at the college level.

In all, this DVD covers about 80% of what you can expect to see on the final for the first semester of college-level calculus. There are definitely things not presented on the DVD that will be covered in class, so again use this as a supplement, not a replacement for going to class and doing homework problems. This is the material that if you can master it you will do well in the class. Mastering this material will also help you understand the concepts that will be covered in class that are not presented here.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: American Ninja 4: The Annihilation

 

American Ninja 4 is the (almost) final movie in the American Ninja franchise of movies, and one of the final movies released by Cannon Films (which also released the "Ninja trilogy" in the early 1980s, along with a string of low-budget movies and the disastrous Superman IV.) 

This movie was released in 1990 and brought Michael Dudikoff back into the franchise, having his character "Joe Armstrong" team up with David Bradley's character Sean Davidson. I think the studio was probably trying to recapture the magic of the first movie, which was an unexpected low-budget hit in 1985, but ended up just making a movie that was even worse than the awful American Ninja 3. The plot basically cherry-picks elements of the first three movies, adds a couple of twists to the rich bad guy part of the plot, and sprinkles in a bit of "Mad Max" dystopian renegades. And, much to Michael Dudikoff's disappointment, did not bring back Steve James to reprise his character, which if you watch the making-of featurette, was a conscious decision by the producers not because James turned them down.  Needless to say, that combination did not work.  The fight scenes are awful, and the "main" evil ninja is a white guy with an eye patch. He is not even remotely threatening, and the henchman ninjas are totally pathetic, like killing themselves on an obstacle course pathetic.

The movie clocks in at just over an hour and a half, which is a similar running time to the other movies in the franchise. The A/V transfer of the blu-ray is good, but not great. About what you would expect of a low-budget early 90s movie. For extras, there is a 15-minute making-of featurette that was produced in 2016 and is mostly a conversation with the director of the movie, Cedric Sundstrom, a music video that has clips from each of the four movies set to a bad 80s song, and the theatrical trailer. This is basically the final movie in the series because, while American Ninja 5 was made with David Bradley as the star, he played a completely different character, and Dudikoff did not return for that one.

This is a movie that you have to take for what it is, a bad, low-budget action movie with bad acting and writing. It is basically something you would get just to keep a collection complete, and maybe watch if you are in the mood for a cheesy action movie. 

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 27

Day 27 was the last day of Phase 1 in 645 and was the cardio workout, and for XB I did the 6-minute upper body mobility routine.

The cardio workout in  645 was not a de-load workout. It was the regular kind of workout doing 7 moves for four rounds. Some of the exercises in the workout are the same as in the prior workouts, and some of them are new.

The upper body mobility routine was fairly good. It is one in which you are on the ground the entire time, and do exercises that work your forearms, shoulders, and core. 

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 26

Day 26 was Restore in XB and the Phase 1 de-load version of Total Body Tempo in 645.

Restore went pretty well. I actually used my handheld trigger point roller (which is similar to a foam roller, but is made of plastic and has three spiky balls on the roller that you can use to roll your legs and lower back) before the routine. I think that helped me get a bit deeper into all of the stretches.

The 645 workout was similar to the other workouts this week. The warm-up was longer,  then there were three blocks of exercises. The first two blocks had two exercises, and the third block had three. For each block, you do two sets of each exercise, and there is no rest between the exercises, but 45 seconds of rest between the sets.

Book Review: Why America Slept: The Failure to Prevent 9/11

 

Why America Slept is a book by Gerald Posner, probably best known for his book about the JFK assassination, Case Closed. The book was published in 2003 and details the lead-up to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and what was known and missed by various entities, both in the US and overseas. 

Posner, in the author's note at the beginning of the book, states that he began investigating the attacks relatively shortly after they occurred. Of course, twenty years later a lot more is publicly known than was known in 2001-2003 when he was investigating and writing this book. That said, Posner was able to uncover a lot, including material about what might have been known by the German government (where three of the pilot hijackers had been studying before they were recruited into the plot that would become 9/11) and what members of the Saudi government and/or royal family may have known. Posner also details much of the pissing contest that was going on between the CIA and the FBI not only at the time but throughout the two agencies' history, which led them to either not share information or ignore information that came from the other agency. Posner also excoriates the Clinton administration for being more concerned with public relations and looking tough than they were about actually going after Osama Bin Laden, even when they knew he was a threat, and the Bush administration for basically sitting on its hands for too long when it came to going after al-Queada. The chapter about the Saudis is particularly enlightening as it sheds some light on at least some of what is probably in the redacted portion of the 9/11 Commission Report, which many feel was redacted to protect the Saudis and our access to their oil. In the end, 

Posner argues that if the various agencies like the CIA, FBI, and INS would have worked together and not ignored red flags, if the Clinton and Bush administrations had done a better job going after al-Queada, and if local law enforcement in NY would have done a better job investigating what was essentially an al-Queada cell (although loosely affiliated) that pulled off the 1993 WTC bombing and the murder of the head of the Jewish Defense League a few years before that, 9/11 may have been prevented.

The book is relatively short, about 240 pages overall. Most fast readers can probably finish the book in a day or two (at most). The substantive portion of the book is just under 200 pages, then there are several pages of notes, a bibliography, and an index. The main text includes some footnotes that flesh out the material in the text, then there are a bunch of endnotes that mainly cite specific sources, but a few of the endnotes also provide some additional context to the main text. It is absolutely a book that I consider to be a must-read, even if you are someone who has read many of the other books and/or watched evens some of the many documentaries about 9/11.

Book Review: Oath of Loyalty (Mitch Rapp Series #21)

 

Oath of Loyalty is the 21st book in the prolific Mitch Rapp series of novels, and the 8th book written by Kyle Mills after taking over the series from the creator, Vince Flynn, after Flynn's death in 2010. The book, published in 2022, is set immediately after the events of the prior novel, Enemy at the Gates. I will not spoil the plot too much, but it is basically about the fallout of the events of the prior novel and includes more than one cat-and-mouse game involving Rapp. The book ends in a way that the next book could go in a totally different direction or the plot line could be continued in the next book or in later books. 

Overall, this is probably the best book in the series of the ones written by Kyle Mills. The book is just over 350 pages and is a very fast read. It has a very good blend of action and suspense, and Mills does a good job getting to the end with readers wondering how everything will play out. Mills again weaves in elements of real life into the book, specifically the political divide and hatred of the "other side". The fictional President Cook is clearly a play on t***p, but a much more dangerous version because, unlike the real thing, Cook is actually smart. Mills even goes so far as to call Cook's followers cult members, which is exactly what t***p's ball washers are. And, Cook's Wife is clearly a play on Hillary Clinton, written as ambitious and power-hungry in a marriage of convenience. It is absolutely a must-read for fans of the series.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 25

Day 25 was the Refresh routine in XB and Upper-Body Strength in 645.

During Refresh, I felt like I had a bit more mobility than I did the last time I did the routine. This is one that challenges me, but it does not really have any moves that I hate in it, so I will definitely work it into the rotation until I finish the entire 645 program.

The 645 workout is the de-load week of upper-body strength. It again mostly focuses on the shoulders and back, and not much on the biceps and triceps. There is an EMOM block of lateral raises, and for that block, you do four sets. For the other two blocks, each consisting of three exercises, you just do two sets of each exercise. In this workout, there is a longer warm-up and a longer cooldown. The warm-up and cooldown are each about ten minutes, give or take, and the main workout is about 25 minutes. 

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 24

Day 24 was the Restore routine in XB and the mobility and flexibility routine in 645. 

Restore went well. I actually felt that I could go a little bit deeper into the various hamstring stretches and I could bend a little farther in the seated hip stretches at the end of the workout. 

The 645 workout does not really change during the de-load week. You still do seven exercises, back-to-back for three rounds for the main part of the workout. Then, instead of breath work to finish it out, you do a few balance exercises which (apparently) prepare you for what is coming in Stage 2 of the program.

Book Review: Star Wars - Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade

 

Rise of the Red Blade is the newest canon novel in the Star Wars timeline. It is set over a span of many years, starting during Episode II, giving an alternate view of the Battle of Geonosis, which started the Clone Wars and ends in the years between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. The main character is Iskat Akaris, who is a Padawan at the Battle of Geonosis, becomes a Jedi Knight after the battle when her master is killed, and eventually becomes one of the Inquisitors. 

I will not go into too much of the plot so I do not spoil it for people, but the book is partly about how Iskat is turned, but it also, toward the end of the book, provides a lot of insight into how different Inquisitors were turned, and what their lives were like after they were. We learn how deeply Palpatine's agents were embedded in the Jedi temple, and how some of the Inquisitors were basically groomed whole they were Jedi.  And, we also see another perspective of Order 66 and learn that Order 66 for the groomed Jedi did not occur the same way as it did for other Jedi. The book does feature a lot of main characters from the Skywalker saga including Yoda, Mace Windu, Palpatine (both as Chancellor and as Emperor), and Darth Vader. If you have watched the Rebels animated series, the Obi-Wan series, and/or played the Fallen Order video games, some of the Inquisitors featured in those appear in the book as well. 

The book is just under 350 pages, and it reads very quickly. Fast readers can definitely finish it in a couple of days. The story flows very well, and I like that the author spends most of the book detailing Iskat's life before she was an Inquisitor and building up to her turn. It is definitely one of my must-read canon novels. 

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 23

Day 23 was the Energize routine in XB Stretch and the de-load version of Total Body Power in 645.

Energize is definitely a routine that I am going to stick with as I finish the 645 program. It is a blend of the routines from XB that I really like and those that I do not like. So, doing this routine is a way to advance to the routines that are a bit harder. 

The 645 workout was another de-load workout so the warmup was much longer (almost 20 minutes) and in the first two blocks, you only do two sets of each exercise. The focus of the exercises is on the shoulders, core, and chest in blocks one and two. In the third block, you do four sets of lateral bounds. In the first two sets, you go slow and try to balance yourself between the jumps. In the final two sets, you jump continuously without resetting. For the exercises in which you use weights, you are using the heaviest weight you can use to do 10 reps. The workout is challenging but is a bit less intense than the workouts in the prior three weeks. 

Book Review: Letters from an Astrophysicist

 

Letters from an Astrophysicist is a book by Neil deGrasse Tyson (who hosts Star Talk and the recent Cosmos reboots, as well as appearing on docuseries like The Universe) in which he prints responses to letters (or emails) he has received, social media interactions, and letters (or social media posts) that he has written directly. In some instances, he also prints the text of the letters he received and then his response, and other times he just summarizes what the person wrote to him and then prints his response.

The topics of the letters in the book vary to anything from the origin of the universe to the possibility of alien life, to the great science versus religion debate. Tyson shows responses to letters that thank and congratulate him and "hate mail" that he has received. His responses definitely give you an interesting look into his view of science, technology, the universe, politics, and a whole host of other topics. The book is relatively short, just under 300 pages, and fast readers can easily get through it in a day or two. 

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 22

Day 22 is the start of week 4 in 645 and the final week of Stage 1. So, today's workout was lower-body strength again. And, in XB it was the Restore routine again.

Restore went about as well as it did a couple of days ago. No gains or losses in my range of motion.

The final week of stage one is what Amoila calls a "de-load week". It is akin to what P90X called a recovery week. This is a bit different, however. Instead of just doing low-impact workouts, you are still doing the same kinds of exercises, you are just reducing the number of sets (aside from during the EMOM block). In the EMOM block, you still do four sets, but for blocks 2 and 3, you do three exercises, back-to-back like usual, but you only do two sets. So, you are cutting (approximately) 30-60 reps out of each block. The workout is still 45 minutes long, but to make up for the time lost to the reduced number of reps the warmup is much longer (about 15 minutes) than usual. For the exercises that you use weights, you are still doing 10 reps with the heaviest weight you can use for 10 reps. For the bodyweight exercises you are doing those for 35 seconds, doing as many reps as you can in that amount of time. 

Product Review: TodoMedia Slimline 6mm Single 1 Disc Blu Ray DVD Case, 6mm Blu Ray Cases (10 Pack)

 

As anyone who collects physical blu-ray discs knows, the cases can become damaged during shipping. This is a pack of 10 replacement cases that can be used to replace a damaged, single-disc case. Or, if you burn your own blu-rays you can use it to package your own discs. One thing to note, these are very thin. The spine is just 6 mm thick, which is much thinner than many blu-ray cases that most movies come in. As a result, if the case you are replacing is thicker (e.g., 11 mm) then the cover art will probably not fit in this case. So, unless you just want to have a variety of replacement case sizes on hand, make sure to measure the width of the case you are replacing to make sure that these will work for you.

Book Review: Enemy at the Gates (Mitch Rapp Series #20)

 

Enemy at the Gates is the 20th book in the prolific series of novels started by Vince Flynn and continued by Kyle Mills. The book, published in 2021, was the seventh in the series that was at least partially written by Mills. As most fans know, Mills finished the novel "The Survivor", which Vince Flynn started, but was not able to finish before he passed away.

This novel was really the first hard reset of the story that Mills did. That was something that Flynn did every couple of books, but the first six books that Mills wrote had a storyline that was fairly continuous. The events of this book take place six months after the events of the book, Total Power. In this one, there is a new President who has autocratic tendencies and is distrustful of the CIA in general, and Irene and Mitch (who is still not technically working for the CIA anymore) specifically. The plot involves an attack on a medical research facility in Uganda that is funded by the world's first trillionaire, and headed by a brilliant scientist who is working on a way to create a vaccine that can kill all viruses, even the common cold. The new President is hesitant to launch a rescue mission and does not want Rapp to get involved. 

The book is relatively short. The hardcover version comes in at exactly 340 pages. It is a relatively quick read, and fast readers should be able to finish it in a day or two. Mills has really found his tone and voice with the series. He definitely pays homage to Flynn's work and stays true to the characters, but does not do a carbon copy of what Flynn did. For example, where Flynn would identify what party the various politicians belong to, Mills goes with the Veep formula and keeps it ambiguous. In this book, President Cook and his wife seem like an amalgamation of t***p and the Clintons, which was a good move (in my opinion) since he cannot be accused of bias against either one. Mills does weave some real-world topics into the book, specifically the political divide and the hatred the two parties have for each other and things like COVID. It is definitely a good book that is worth reading, especially if you are a fan of the series.