Study Aid Review: The Probability and Statistics Tutor

 

Probability and statistics can be very easy or extremely frustrating depending on how you are taught. I can be the bane of any college algebra student if your class tacks a few weeks of it onto the end of class because it looks like nothing else that was studied the entire semester, and if you have a teacher that is not great at explaining it, it can seem like complete nonsense. It was certainly the hardest part of my college algebra class, and really the only material I never could grasp, so much so that I answered one of the bonus questions on my final "I don't care".

Jason however does a great job breaking the problems down and making sense out of them. Far better than any of the books do, and better than my teacher did. As is his style, he goes through a ton of examples, breaks down what each question is asking for, and how to interpret them so you can easily spot the difference between a permutation and combination, and when using a particular solution method is needed versus another one. Given that the math in many of the problems is extremely easy, at least at the level of the kind of problems encountered in this set (he has since released several more volumes under the title The Statistics Tutor) which tackle more complex problems than this set has, even in the more advanced problems knowing the kind of question it is and the process used to work through it is 95% of the complexity.

I have not taken a regular statistics class so I am not sure how much of that material this covers. I do know it will show you how to do most, if not all, of the problem types you would see in a college algebra class that tacks probability onto the very end of the semester. I will be taking an engineering data analysis class (which is basically just applied statistics) this fall, with a teacher that does not have a great reputation, so I am using this and Jason's other statistics sets to get the basics of the material down. I do however have enough experience with Jason's other DVD sets to know he never covers every topic that a class will expose you to, but goes through the big topics you are most likely to see on exams and quizzes. So while it is not a substitute for going to class, it will give you a good handle on the material and I highly recommend it.

I have used many of Jason's DVD sets. I have been going back to school for an electrical engineering degree. I have used, and reviewed almost all of Jason's courses, from basic algebra, to the advanced engineering material. You have to know whether a DVD will fit your learning style. He basically gives example heavy lectures. He rarely works through any kind of proof material, just focusing on problems, but at the end of the day, it is still him standing in front of a whiteboard doing problems. So if you are a visual and audio learner, it is great. He works through everything step by step and explains everything he is doing for every problem. He rarely ever skips steps and when he does it is only because it is the same thing he has shown in multiple problems up to that point and makes a point to at least tell you what steps he is skipping so you are not lost, unlike a lot of times when books skip them.

Study Aid Review: Schaum's Outline of Mathematical Handbook of Formulas and Tables, 4th Edition

 

This is a great resource, but you need to be clear on what you are getting. It is not going to teach you any material. That you are going to get from class or textbooks, or both. It is simply a book that will give you all the formulas in one place, in a much more compact form than any textbook will give you. You do not have to weave through pages of proofs, explanations, or examples to get to the end result. It covers things from the very simple to the very advanced. Realistically it is impossible to recall every formula that you come across in math and science classes. And, a lot of times people do not keep their textbooks, but you never know when you are going to have to look up a formula at some point down the road that you know exists, but cannot remember all the details of.

When I was in upper-level engineering classes, the professors tended to keep the math relatively basic for many exam questions, but there were some homework questions and class examples that got pretty detailed, and a lot of times they would just say you can solve this using ________ equation/formula and just assume we remember it. Now yes in this day and age you can find almost anything on the internet, but for those of us who prefer books, and writing out homework by hand, this is a great resource. And if you happen to have a class that gives totally open book/note exams, it is something that could come in handy.

Spoof Review: Uranium Ore

 

This stuff actually sells on Amazon for fifty bucks. The reviews are quite funny, my contribution was:

When I was back in 1955 the Doc said he was sure you could but this stuff at the store in 1985. He was off by about 30 years, but now I do not have to even waste time going to the store!

Study Aid Review: The Circuit Analysis Tutor Volume 5

 

This is the 5th in Jason's circuit analysis tutor set and the last one that deals with DC current. This, along with the other 4 volumes covers approximately 75% of the material you will get in the first semester of circuit analysis if you are in the class for EE majors, or more if you are in the class for non-EE majors. This set uses more calculus than the others, mostly differentiating and integrating exponential functions. In fact in some of the problems he goes through you do not even get a circuit diagram, just a description of what is going on and then you have to use the equations to solve them.

This set deals with inductors and capacitors in circuits that also have resistors. The RL and RC circuits. Like with all of his DVDs Jason only presumes you have the math and circuit experience to be at that point. So basically that you have learned the material on the other 4 volumes and have taken calculus. He does not assume that you have any experience with RL and RC circuits, even though some who have taken physics may have gained some experience with them in the second semester of the class. The shows how to solve each problem step-by-step and does not cut corners.

I used this set (and the other 4 volumes) and worked through them over the summer before I took Circuits I and II. I can tell you that many of the problems he works through are word for word out of my textbook that I used, and while Jason does not touch on every single concept or problem type in every chapter, he does hit the main points, and the things concepts that we were tested on. I got a B in the first semester of circuits (because of a couple of brain farts on exams) and an A in the second semester. I used Jason's math, chemistry, physics, and circuits DVDs with much success. I finished my EE degree with a 3.8 GPA and got As in most of the core classes. You will still have to study and go to class in order to do well, but if you use these as a supplement as they are intended to be used they will absolutely help you.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 45

Day 45 was a flexibility and mobility day, with the namesake routine in 645, and in XB I did the lower back six-minute routine.

The flexibility workout in 645 was good. It follows the same format as it has the entire time, seven total moves that are performed back-to-back, then you get a 45-second break. You do three rounds and then finish with box breath breathing. 

Product Review: Body BRD2800 Rider Deluxe Flywheel Dual Trainer

 

This is definitely on the lower end quality-wise for an elliptical. You definitely know you are not paying $700 plus dollars for it. It worked fine until the pedal broke at a weld point and it was no longer usable.

I was able to put it together by myself in a couple hours. I did notice that the housing that covers the inner workings was cracked, likely in shipping, but nothing major and I was still able to put it together. It is made of relatively cheap plastic though. The hardest part to put together was actually the pedal assembly because there is a little pin that goes in a hole that keeps falling out until you get the washer over it. With two people it would not be as hard, but if you are putting it together by yourself it will be a pain. And you have to do one on each side. After that, the rest of it is pretty easy.

It does have a short stride length. I am 5'7" and it is just on the edge of being okay for me. So if you are tall, you are probably going to want to look at something else. It is kind of loud when using it as a bike, but when you are standing up on it, it is relatively quiet. The display unit sits really low. It is easy to see when you are sitting on the seat, but very hard to see when you are standing up. I have not had issues with loud noises coming from the bearings like other reviewers have, but I could see it happening if it gets knocked around during shipping.

All in all, this is really a get-what-you-pay-for unit. It is okay, but not great. Certainly nowhere near gym quality. I would say if you can afford a more expensive unit you will definitely get more out of it because this is really bare bones. I would also not let someone who does not have good balance or stability use it as an elliptical because if one of the pedals breaks while standing and using it, it is a fall risk. 

Study Aid Review: The Chemistry 1 Tutor: Volume 4 - Oxidation and Reduction Reactions

 

This is the fourth volume in Jason's Chemistry 1 series, which is designed to cover the first semester of General Chemistry. If you are taking Introduction to Chemistry (or non-AP high school chemistry) what you get in the 4 volumes will cover pretty much the entire class. If you are taking the General Chemistry class (or AP chemistry in high school) you will get about 70-75 percent of what you will get in the first semester. The main topics that Jason omitted are the ideal gas laws and thermochemistry. Those are topics that may be covered in later releases.

This particular set of DVDs covers redox (oxidation, reduction) reactions. As is Jason's style in all of his DVDs, he only presumes you have the knowledge of the material that proceeds what you are working on. In this case, you need to be very familiar with net ionic equations and Stoichiometry. Aside from that he presumes you are an absolute beginner with redox reactions and walks you through step-by-step, explaining everything he is doing along the way to drill the material into your head. You end up doing so many examples that you have no choice but to learn how to balance the reactions.

The best part of the set in my opinion is how he explains the problems that require you to balance reactions taking place in a basic solution. His method is a workaround to the method that many books teach, which builds on the process of balancing reactions in an acidic solution by tacking on three additional steps at the end. Many books teach an alternate step in the middle of the process that then requires you to do a lot more work to get everything to balance. You will want to get an idea for what method your teacher wants you to use, but most of the time if you get the right answer, they will not care how you got to it, as long as you show your work.

I have used Jason's material as the foundation for my preparation to get me through all levels of calculus and the first year of physics. Even though you have to pay for the DVDs as opposed to finding the material for free online, I believe that the quality of the material and Jason's teaching style is that good. If you are a visual learner and do not need the interaction you would get with a regular tutor, and want something that will get you a jump on the material or clarify what you did not understand in the lecture, then these DVDs are the best investment you can make.

Book Review: Body For Life (Hardcover)

 

Body For Life (BFL) is a book on fitness and nutrition that was written by Bill Phillips and published in 1999. The book came out at a time when there was not really many all-in-one, workout, nutrition, and supplementation plan. It was before P90x, Insanity and the more reputable things that are out there now that do not emphasize a gadget or magic pill, but said that if you eat right and exercise (and showed you how to do both) you can transform your body. I used the program with a Bowflex and Nordic track ski machine and lost over 40 lbs.

The book is a good introduction to a fitness and nutrition plan. It is perfect for someone who wants to get in shape but needs a little motivation and does not really know what to do. Depending on your body, genetics, commitment, and goals, this can do anything from help you lose a few pounds to get you into a fitness model kind of shape. Just be aware, that depending on your body type and genetics, it may take more than just the 12-week plan laid out here to get you in great shape. I have known people who did (and still do) nothing but BFL and do look like fitness models. I have known others that have had to go beyond BFL to get in great shape. I personally have to eat a lot more strictly than the nutrition plan in the book to get in great shape.

Back in the 1990s, Phillps, a former competitive bodybuilder, was the editor of Muscle-Media Magzine and owned the supplement company, EAS. BFL sprang from a competition that he announced in the magazine, challenging people to get in shape for a chance to win his Lamborghini (which was documented in the film Body of Work). Once BFL was created, they did multiple challenges giving prizes to people who got in shape via the program.

I know people have complained that he shills for his former company's line of supplements in the book. He wrote it when he owned EAS, and when he discusses meal replacement shakes he does plug EAS's brand. He certainly does not insist you have to use it or any other supplement, and I did not feel it took away from the messages in the book at all. And, let's face it he wrote the book in part to make money and had a for-profit company. Anyone in his position would have done the same thing. Since EAS and Myoplex no longer exist, it is a moot point for anyone who was to read the book now.

While Body for Life is probably not as popular as it once was, in part because it has more competition and the fact that Bill is not affiliated with EAS or the BFL challenge anymore, it remains a great program (especially for beginners) and will provide you with plenty of motivation. The hardcover version of the book is about 200 pages and reads very easily. Most people can probably finish the book in a few hours. Throughout the book, there are testimonials, mostly by the people who appeared in the movie Body of Work, but the bulk of the book is spent laying out the fitness and nutrition programs. Each of those is a bit cookie-cutter and as I said above, may not work the same for everyone. The fitness plan can be implemented at home, but just be aware that the lower-body resistance workout is easier to do in a gym where most people will have access to more equipment that will allow them to do a wider variety of exercises and use more weight. If you are a beginner, or just someone who has gotten out of shape over time, this is a good program to start with or to get back on track with.

Study Aid Review: Extra Practice with Integrals Volume 2

 

This material covers what is for many people the hardest part of Calc II. Specifically, this set covers the area and volume integration problems and integration by parts. Jason does several problems on the disk, shell, and washer methods for calculating volume, and tons of integration by parts problems. There are a couple other topics that he covers, but those are the big ones. The two things I wish he would have shown in this set were the table method for integration by parts that make the problems much quicker and easier, and showing some of the washer, shell, and disk method problems revolving around an alternate axis. Even without those, he explains the concept far better than the book ever does.

There are a couple caveats I want to make. There are several integration techniques that you will get exposed to in class that are not on this or volume 1 of this set. They are however covered on his calculus 1 & 2 tutor and advanced calculus 2 tutor DVDs. This is really just fleshing out what was on those sets and adding concepts that he could not put into those DVDs. Also while he does a large selection of problems, he does not generally pick the hardest ones to do. He picks the kind that are most likely to show up on a quiz or exam, but not always the really hard ones you get for homework.

 I very much believe in Jason's products and his teaching style. If you use this set correctly, meaning as supplements but not substitutes for class and homework, it will help reinforce the material, shore up lectures that you may not have understood, or serve as test preparation. I made it through the entire calculus sequence at my school with straight A's and while I did have to study hard, these definitely gave me a leg up. I had confidence in the fact that I knew the material and expected to get perfect scores on my exams not just pass them. While that did not happen all the time, it did happen more than once. I was a horrible math student when I was young, and now because of Jason's DVDs and hard work, I am a very good math student and even tutor it myself.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 44

For Day 44 I did the lower body stretch routine in XB, and then it was total body power in 645.

I did not get any closer to doing the splits during the XB workout that I have gotten before. But, I could hold the hamstring stretches without as much discomfort for a bit longer than the last time I did the routine.

The 645 workout is another one in which the reps are lower, but the weight goes up (somewhat). There were a couple of exercises in which I used lower weight not so much because I could not use a heavier weight but because I did not want to swing a larger dumbell over my head in my basement with low ceilings.  Even so, I was definitely getting winded during the workout, so I was definitely working.

Study Aid Review: Calculus 1: Extra Practice with Integrals Volume 1

 

Anyone who has taken calculus can tell you that doing integration is the hardest part of the first-year calc sequence. And, if you do not get the concept early it will carry over into all the other courses where you need to be able to do integrals. The farther along you get, the more you are going to be expected to do them quickly.

This set really enforces the basic integration techniques. It starts out by introducing the concepts and the use of rectangles to approximate the area under the curve. Jason does not spend time on things like Simpson's Rule, Euler's Method, and the Midpoint Rule, which you will use in class when you first start learning integrals. So, as I have stated in other reviews of Jason's products do NOT rely on this as a substitute for class and homework. It is a supplement for a reason.

The big concepts Jason touches on in this volume are integrating polynomials, exponential, logarithms, and trig functions. Then he spends a ton of time on integration by substitution. It is the most used integration technique (at least the one that can be done without a computer the easiest) and when you learn how to do it fast, it will save your bacon on a lot of exams. In my differential equations final I was stuck on a problem where I could not figure out how to proceed, then I saw the substitution that I needed to make and was able to finish it off quickly.

The better you get at this material the easier things will be in your advanced math, physics, and engineering classes. Jason gives you lots of examples after introducing the topic and goes step-by-step through how to solve them. That process really helps sharpen your algebra skills as well, because many times the calculus part of the problem is very easy, but the simplifying (which is all algebra) is what takes the longest and offers the most opportunities for mistakes.

If your learning style is conducive to watching recorded lectures, Jason's DVDs are the best non-required investment you can make. I have almost all of his material, and it has helped me as a non-traditional student who was horrible at math when I was younger get straight A's in math. I highly recommend his DVDs.

DVD/Movie Review: American Ninja 5

 

American Ninja 5 is a movie from 1992 starring David Bradley, Anne Dupont, Lee Reyes (from the renowned Reyes martial arts family), and James Lew. Pat Morita (from The Karate Kid) is billed as a lead, but he is really only in the movie for less than 10 minutes, a couple of minutes in the beginning, a few minutes in the middle, and a couple of minutes in the end.

The plot of the movie is a mess. It is kind of a combination of the plots from the other American Ninja movies mashed together with a bit of Karate Kid (the mentoring aspect, not because of anything Pat Morita does) mixed in. The basics are a rich bad guy in Venezuela played by Clement von Franckenstein is forcing a scientist played by Aharon Ipale, to build a bio-weapon and using an army of (really pathetic) ninjas led by James Lew's character, the Viper as enforcers. 

The movie is about as bad as you would suspect, especially if you have seen the other movies in the franchise. Ultimately, this movie is not really a part of the franchise since it has no ties to the other movies. David Bradley is brought back, but he plays a completely different character than he did in American Ninja 3 and 4. Tadashi Yamashita, who played the lead evil ninja in American Ninja 1 does appear as himself at the very beginning of the movie, but there is not even a reference to Michael Dudikoff or Steve James' characters from the other movies. So, this movie is basically a total reset of the franchise that was not in any way needed. The acting and writing are horrible, but the martial arts action is good, for the most part. The movie is very cheesy and campy. There are horrible sound effects throughout the movie, and the lead evil ninja never wears a ninja uniform. Instead, he alternates between a trenchcoat and a cape from scene to scene, and he has a pompadour and a ponytail.

The DVD just has the movie itself, which starts playing as soon as the disc loads. There are no extras or bonus material, and there are no captions. Ultimately, you know what you are getting with the movie. A D-level action movie. It was one of the last ninja movies that was made after the genre started to putter out in the late 1980s. It is longer than most of the other movies in the genre (clocking in at 1 hour and 40 minutes) and definitely seems to drag on. If you accept it for what it is, it is an okay action movie. If you expect anything more than that, you will be disappointed.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 43

For Day 43 I did the six-minute lower back routine in XB for my morning stretch and then the lower body strength workout in 645.

Week 7 of 645 is another week in which you decrease the number of reps and increase the amount of weight. The first block is an EMOM block doing deadlifts. The second and third blocks each have three exercises some of which have you doing squats, some doing rows, and there are a couple of combination moves. You are also moving very fast during this workout so you will get a cardio effect and probably be sweating a lot. 

Study Aid Review: The Chemistry 1 Tutor: Volume 3

 

This is a continuation of Jason's Chemistry 1 tutor video series. In this volume, Jason mostly deals with acid-base reactions and titrations. Like in all his other videos, he will give you an introduction to the subject, tell you what you already need to understand to get the material, and then does a lot of examples. The examples he gives range in difficulty level from fairly easy, to hard. He really does try to get you to understand the thought process in solving these types of problems and going from what you know to what you need to solve. He explains really well how you will sometimes have to essentially solve the problem backward to get to the correct answer, and explains why he is doing what he is throughout the problem.

The main reason I keep buying Jason's DVDs as opposed to just trying to find things on the internet, is because he really takes the time to break down problems step by step and give you the skills you need to solve problems. And you can take those skills to solve problems in the material he does skip. This set covers about another chapter or 2 (depending on how the book you are using is laid out). From what I can tell the only material that you will get exposed to in Chemistry I, that Jason does not cover in four volumes of the Chemistry 1 tutor are the ideal gas law material and the stuff on thermodynamics. Jason has however put out a physics DVD on thermodynamics that does cover a lot of that material. As people who have taken Chemistry and Physics know there is a lot of crossover between the subjects when it comes to the thermodynamics material. Hence, if you take chemistry first it will help at that point in physics, and if you take physics first it will help you in chemistry. So if you get that set and the 4 volumes of the Chemistry 1 tutor you will know most of what you are going to need for the first semester of General Chemistry. Some of the material on the physics DVD will not necessarily be covered in chemistry, but the basic ideas are.

If your learning style is compatible with learning from a DVD, then I highly recommend this set. The drawback of course is that you cannot interact and ask questions, so if that is something you need to learn you may have to go for in-person tutoring, but this is far better than trying to learn the material out of a book.

DVD/TV Series Review: Baywatch Nights: Season 1

 

Baywatch Nights was the first series that was spun off from the massively popular series, Baywatch. The first season aired during the 1995-1996 TV season and starred David Hasselhoff as Mitch Buchannan and Gregory Alan Williams (billed for some reason as GregAlan Williams in the credits) as Garner Elerbee reprising their characters from the main series, and Angie Harmon (in her first major series role) as Ryan McBride. Early in the season, Lisa Stahl was billed as a series regular, reprising her recurring character from the main series, Destiny. Lou Rawls was also billed as a series regular, playing a totally different character than he played in his guest-starring role in Baywatch. About 1/3 of the way into the season, Stahl left the series and Donna D'Errico and Eddie Cribrian joined as series regulars, playing Donna Marco and Griff Walker respectively.

The premise of the show is that Garner gets tired of being a cop and decides to become a private detective. Mitch is an investor in the business and ends up becoming a partner, along with Ryan. The first season is pretty much a straight crime-drama case-of-the-week procedural, with a different case that was solved by the end of the episode. I would say that the show was not as cheesy as the parent show, but it did have some cheesy moments. And, because it was still set during the events of the parent show with Hasselhoff splitting his time between the two series, the writers had to do things like coming up with excuses for why Hobie would never be home in any scenes set in Mitch's house. The series was mostly stand-alone from the main series, but there was a crossover episode in which Yasmine Bleeth appeared, and Newmie (Michael Newman) appeared in a couple of episodes. The series also brought back Billy Warlock, who was a regular in the first couple of seasons of Baywatch in a guest-starring role. Other notable guest stars this season included Jason Hervey (from The Wonder Years), Michael Winslow (from the Police Academy movies), Geraldo Rivera, Stephen Culp, Carmen Electra (in a totally different role than she would play when she joined the main series), Lisa Boyle, and Christopher Mayer (billed as Chip Mayer) who fans of the Dukes of Hazard will recognize as Vance Duke from "that" season.

This DVD set is a German import and will not play on Region-1 (US and Canada) DVD or Blu-Ray players. I do not believe it is available on DVD in Region-1, so if you want it, you have to get an imported set. You will need either a Region-2 or Region-Free player to watch this if you live in the US. The 22 episodes are spread over six discs, and the sixth disc has the extras. Those include trailers for each episode that would play at the end of each episode to tease what was going to be on the next week's episode, a promotional trailer for the series, and a promotional reel that was made to pitch the series which was narrated by Hasselhoff in character, and featured Hasselhoff, Williams, and Stahl (who was playing a character named Dana, which would eventually turn into Harmon's character). Some of the scenes from the promo reel did make it into one of the regular episodes. All of those extras are in English, and then there are a bunch of trailers for other movies and tv-series that are in German. The DVD menus are all in German (but easy to navigate), and the audio tracks on the episodes default to German, but you can switch to the English language track when you watch the first episode on the disc and it will stay on the English audio track for the rest of the episodes until you eject the disc.

Overall, the first season is okay, but not great. It definitely has the feel of the 90s show and some of the plots that it used would probably not be used in a series today (at least not in the way they were written back then). They also made the weird choice to air what should have been the pilot episode, which introduced the character of Ryan and set up how the group came together, as the 8th episode. 

Product Review: Shark Navigator NV22L

 

I purchased this vacuum back around 2012 shortly after it came out. If you get past all the puffery of the infomercial (I have yet to see a product that is as great in real life as it is on the infomercial) I would say that this is a good to very good vacuum. I have a moderate-sized townhouse, most of which is carpeted. The vacuum has seemed to keep the same power or close to it, after multiple uses in each room. The drawbacks are the cord is not retractable and the way the plastic things you are supposed to wrap it around on the back are spaced, it always comes undone. Also, the attachments are not on board. They give you a bag to put the attachments in. The dust cup is a little small, but it is easy to empty.

I have not had any issues with the wheels, or issues with it stopping randomly like some Amazon reviewers noted. I have since replaced this one with robotic vacuums (to do the main parts of my floors) and a stick vacuum to do stairs. One big drawback to this one is that it did not have the lift-away functionality that the upgraded model would get, so it was kind of a pain to use it to vacuum stairs because you either had to lift it to each stair or mess with the hose and the attachments. I would definitely not call it the greatest vacuum ever, but for those in its price range, I would say that it is better than many others I have had.

Study Aid Review: The Trig and Pre-Calculus Tutor Volume 2

 

One of the big complaints about the original Trig and Precalculus tutor that Jason released it is that it did not cover enough material. In that one Jason focused mainly on the concepts of angles, the trig functions using right triangles and the unit circle, graphing trig functions, and only touched on verifying trig identities. Basically, Jason covered the main points that you have to learn in a trig or pre-calc class to do well on the other, more advanced material.

This volume fills in a lot of the other material you are going to learn in class that was omitted from the first set. Specifically, Jason really expands the coverage of trig identities material. In this set, he has sections on the double angle, half angle, product-to-sum, sum-to-product, even/odd, and Pythagorean identities. There are also sections on solving trig equations and multiple sections on the law of sines and the law of cosines. All of the material is presented in the style of Jason's other DVD sets where is does a basic introduction of the topic and then works several example problems step-by-step. He rarely skips any steps and when he does, he always lets you know and it is usually because he has shown you how to do something several times and is trying to conserve space on the board.

If you get this, the original set, and the advanced algebra tutor you will learn about 90% of the material you will see in a trig or pre-calc class. The only big topics that you will not see are conic sections and the polar and parametric equations that some classes introduce you to (usually at the very end of the class). In none of Jason's DVDs has he ever covered everything that you get in every class. He touches on the main topics and the things you are most likely to see on a final exam.

I have reviewed several of Jason's DVDs because I have found them extremely helpful. They usually lay out the material in the same or similar order you will find things in the book. The step-by-step approach really makes you learn the material (and improve the "lower level" skills that you need at that level). It is NOT a substitute for going to class or doing homework. Jason does not pick your quiz or test problems, nor does he do examples of every problem you will see in the book. You have to go to class to get an idea of what your instructor focuses on. You should use this to prepare for class or reinforce the lecture topics, and learn strategies for solving the problems. If you use it that way, you will definitely know the material well and get a good grade.

The other thing to keep in mind is your learning style. This is a videotaped lecture of a guy in front of a whiteboard doing problems. If you can learn from that kind of thing, it is the best investment you can make. If you have to be able to interact with a real person and ask questions, you are probably going to need to invest in an actual tutor.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 42

Day 42 was a rest day in 645 and for the XB routine, I did the realign routine, which is one of the 15-minute routines that I liked, but had not done since I finished the program.  This is another one of the XB routines in which I can barely get into some of the stretches and can do others very well. My hamstrings and hip flexors are still very tight, but the sides of my hips have a lot of mobility.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 41

Day 41 was the cardio routine in 645. Again, this workout did increase the intensity a bit, but not so much that it made the workout too hard to do. As has been the case so far in Phase 2, this workout reuses some moves from prior workouts and introduces new moves or new variations on moves. Also like the other workouts, this one has seven exercises that are performed back-to-back with minimal rest between them for four rounds. In the first three rounds, you do each exercise for 45 seconds and in the last round for 30 seconds. 

Book Review: Dragonlance - Dragons of Fate: Dragonlance Destinies: Volume 2

 

Dragons of Fate is, as of this writing, the newest novel in the latest Dragonlance series of novels. The book was written by the authors of the original Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy (which started the entire Dragonlance universe and includes over 200 books) as well as the Legends and Chaos trilogies, Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. This is the second novel of what is likely to be a trilogy of novels (subtitled Dragons of Destinies) that are a continuation of the novels set around the legacy characters created by Weiss and Hickman back in the 1980s. As most fans of the Dragonlance series know, Weiss and Hickman have returned to the series every so often over the years to pen new novels. Theirs are, in my opinion anyway, the best of the Dragonlance novels.

I will not go into too much detail about the plot to avoid spoiling it, but some details of the first book, Dragons of Deceit, will follow. About half of this book is set in the past, during the Third Dragon War, where Raistlin, Sturm, Destina, and Tasslehoff are stranded after the time device and the Graygem transported them farther back in time than Destina intended. The book starts by giving more detail about what happened when the group was initially sent back in time, and how they came to meet Huma and Magius. Then, they have to figure out how to get back to their time, without changing the past. In the present, Dalamar and Justarius are seeking a way to fix the time device so those trapped in the past can be rescued.

The hardcover version of the book is about 365 pages and reads very quickly. Those who are fans of the series are going to find it hard to put down. Fast readers will easily be able to finish it in a day or two. The story flows very well, and as the authors did at the end of the first book, they tease and set up how the third book is going to begin without giving away anything about how the third book will play out. This is a great return to the Dragonlance universe, the world of Krynn, and the characters that many of us who were kids in the 1980s came to love. Weiss and Hickman do a great job balancing the use of established, legacy characters with new characters. It is absolutely worth reading.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 40

 For Day 40 I did the lower body stretch routine in XB and total body tempo in 645.

The total body tempo workout was another in which some of the moves focus on the eccentric phase of the movement, doing one or two counts down and then one count up. Some of the moves in the workout were compound moves in which you would be in a bridge and then doing presses or something like that. One thing I did notice during this workout is that I am getting better at doing the under switches. Given that I could not do them for shit in PIYO, I am making progress. 

The XB routine went okay. It was not great, but I did not regress from the last time.

Book Review: Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore – The Complete Screenplay

 

This is the third book/screenplay in the Fantastic Beasts series, which is, of course, a prequel to the Harry Potter series, set during the 1920s. The story details the attempt by Grindelwald to be elected leader of the Wizarding World and Dumbledore's attempt to stop him, with the help of Newt, Jacob, and a bunch of new characters. 

I have not yet watched the movie, but I have seen the first two movies and read the first two screenplays, and those pretty much tracked word-for-word. So, if you have already seen the movie, I suspect this will be exactly what you saw in the movie. As the title of the movie suggests, we learn more about the history between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, and we get the full account of Creedence's origin. The story also includes a lot of Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth, who was a relatively minor character in the last couple of Harry Potter novels and films. However, the character of Tina is pretty much non-existent in the story until the very end. Samantha Waterston, who plays Tina in the movie has speculated she was written out of this one because of the comments she made criticizing J.K. Rowling's stance on transgender individuals. Whether that is true or not we will probably never know, but the character could have certainly been included in the main storyline and was definitely sidelined.

The hardcover version of the book is only about 350 pages long and has a lot of illustrations (which are really good) that are almost storyboards for what (likely) appears in the movie, so it is actually much shorter than that in terms of text. There are also quotes about the story and the characters from the cast of the movie included throughout the book. If you are a fast reader you can easily get through this in a few hours. The story is good. It ties up some of the storylines and definitely sets up at least one more movie and book.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 39

For day 39 I did the lower back routine in XB stretch and then it was upper body strength again in 645.

The lower back stretch was again helpful to get my morning going and loosen up my back. The 645 upper body routine was again more of a total body routine with a focus on the upper body (mostly shoulders). There was, for the first time in a while a biceps curl during the EMOM block, combined with a lateral raise. There were also some squats and rows worked into the workout as well. They actually finish the main workout with five minutes to spare so you also get to do a full cooldown.

Product Review: Epson Stylus CX4450 All-in-One Color Printer-Scanner

 

As a printer, this thing is pretty much useless. It goes through ink very fast, and when one of the colors goes out, it will not compensate with the other colors or print black only. Even if you only print in black and white it still goes through ink fast. The ink cartridges are a lot more expensive to replace than they are worth, and it is not like this does any better job printing photo quality than any other inkjet printer. 

It is however a good, and easy-to-use flatbed scanner. I only paid about $30 for it, and I really only use the scanner now. At that price it would be worth it, but certainly not for $300, or anywhere near that. You can get a flatbed scanner for far less than that, and there are far better multifunction printers out there.

Study Aid Review: Ultimate Physics 3 Tutor - Electricity and Magnetism Series - Volume 2

 

I used most of Jason's DVDs to prepare myself for my math and physics classes before I took them, fill in material from lectures that my teachers either glossed over, or did not explain very well, and get ready for tests.

To be clear, this is a tutorial DVD. To clarify for the supposed teacher that gave this two stars on Amazon because he did not process from the title of the product what it is, this is not something designed to get you interested in physics. It is to help work through actual physics problems and learn, or brush up on the material. It is Jason standing in front of a whiteboard going through many examples.

This set focuses mainly on capacitors and then the magnetic field material. The topics that you will get in the second semester of the class that he does not go through are the resistor circuit problems, inductance, and optics. That is why you cannot rely just on this to get through your class. There is material that you will see in class that Jason omits that you are going to get assigned homework on and be tested on.

Like most of the other physics DVDs Jason puts out, it is geared more toward non-calculus-based physics. However, he does in this video (and volume 1 of this set) use more calculus to show alternate ways to solve some of the problems and to derive some of the formulas. He does more derivation here than he has done in most of the other DVDs combined, but that is because many teachers require students to derive the formulas on quizzes and tests in calculus-based physics.

Like all of Jason's DVDs if you use this correctly (as a supplement to, not a replacement for class) they will definitely help you. Just know that some of the problems he goes through will be a little on the easy side for those taking calc-based physics. Although, he does give enough variety in the types of problems that he works through that regardless of what level of class you are in it will help you learn the subject.