Product Review: Roku Premiere - HD and 4K UHD Streaming Media Player

 

I took the plunge and cut the cord from Satellite TV back in 2017. I got a couple of these for free from AT&T/DirecTV NOW's promotion where you could get a free Roku for prepaying for 2 months of DirecTV Now. It comes preloaded with a few apps mainly the ones that have the remote buttons as shortcuts (on mine it was Amazon, Netflix, DirecTV Now, and Pandora). Then you can download whatever other apps you want like such as Hulu, Sling, or channel-specific apps like Comedy Central, CW, etc. Some of the apps are free, and some require you to sign in with your TV provider information.

Roku has a pretty nice free app that rotates older movies and TV shows every couple of months. The only cons I have come across which knock it down a star for me is that at this point there is no internet browser app to allow you to open web pages, it does lose internet connection from time to time, and randomly becomes unresponsive requiring you to unplug it and plug it back in. Occasionally it will just reset itself. That can be a pain in the ass, but I would say, for the most part, it stays connected to the internet fairly well. It is usually not a big deal to get it connected back to the internet or working again if it freezes, but it is kind of a pain when it happens. Overall though I am satisfied with it, and would recommend it to anyone thinking of getting rid of cable or satellite.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 49

Day 49 was a rest day in 645, and in XB I did the 15-minute Restore routine.

It had been a while since I did Restore so I would not say that my mobility in the moves was all that great.  But, I would say I had a bit less discomfort in the stretches than I did the first time I did the routine.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 48

Day 48 was the cardio routine in 645 and I took a rest day in XB, which I have been doing on the weekends.

The cardio routine was mostly a standing routine. There was one exercise that was done in plank, but the other six were all standing. There was definitely more jumping in this routine, so you do some plyometrics. There are also a couple of moves that will allow you to catch your breath a little, so it is set up very well. Again, you do seven exercises, back-to-back with minimal rest in between them. Then you get a 45-second rest, and then do the seven exercises over again. This time, you only do three rounds, and then do the cooldown.

App Review: DirecTV

 

I like the idea of a more a-la-carte TV package (not that this is truly a-la-carte), and on its face, DirecTV NOW was a very good deal (with the base package starting at $35). The $5 per month HBO add-on (which is the best price I have seen for it) is great. However, the app is glitchy. I have it on the fire stick and on Roku, and during peak times it buffers all the time (and I have a very high-speed internet connection). So much so that it is nearly impossible to watch a show. During off-peak TV and internet use time, like during the day or after midnight it works better, but unless you are a second-shift worker, that will not do you a lot of good. it is also prone to freezing up. I have taken to using the app as little as possible and using the network-specific apps (many of which you can use the DirecTV Now credentials to sign in with) and watching the shows I want to see through those because they tend to have far fewer problems than this app.

There is also no DVR option like there is on Sling or a commercial-free option for when you are watching on-demand shows. One positive is that it has a great selection of local channels. In my area, it has the local CBS, NBC, ABC, CW, FOX, and in the middle tier package the local FOX Sports channel, which Apps like Sling do not have.

++++Update++++

They are now adding a DVR option to the app, and have seemed to upgrade the stability of the app significantly. It still does crash and kick you out of it, but much of the buffering issues have been resolved. So it is still not perfect.

+++Update 2 +++

I finally got sick of the glitches and freezing so I canceled my subscription to the app after a price increase which was not warranted for the quality of the product. I have no idea what it is like now. Hopefully, they fixed the issues I experienced, but the version I was using back in 2018 was definitely not ready for wide customer release.

Product Review: Water Flosser Cordless QQcute Oral Irrigator

 

This is definitely the most inexpensive water flosser I have seen. It does take some getting used to, and you really have to go by feel since you have to bend over the sink to keep water from going everywhere as you use it. For those of us who have very tightly spaced teeth which makes string flossing difficult to nearly impossible, it is a great alternative.

+++Update+++

A couple observations after using it for a while, the high setting (which it goes to when you immediately turn it on) takes some getting used to. I used it on the middle setting (which is a pulse) for the first few days, then started using the high setting, and now I can use the high setting the entire time.

To keep water from getting all over the place (it is a water flosser so the sink area will get a bit wet no matter what) I turn it on and use it until my mouth is full, then turn it off, spit the water out, and start again. That works much better than just having your mouth open and leaning over the sink as the instructions recommend.

Finally, you do not need to charge it a full 24 hours before using it the first time (again as the instructions say). Mine was fully charged in about 3 hours, and I have used it 3 times a day every day since April 8th and did not have to recharge it until April 22nd.

Product Review: Re-furbished LG BPM25 multi system all zone region-free blu ray player

 

This works for most discs. All that is required is plugging it in, and connecting the HDMI cable. I tested it on a Region 2 DVD which gave the region error in my Region 1 Blu-ray player and it was able to play just fine. It came with instructions for how to change regions through the remote if you get an error, but I did not have to do that at all as it was able to detect and play the disc immediately without me having to switch it. I recommend this for a lower-priced region-free player.

+++August 2019 update+++
Updating to say when it works, it works well. But I have come across some Blu-rays, specifically, the UK Northern Exposure blu-ray set that was put out a couple of years ago, that it just cannot play. I get a region code error and using the remote to change regions does not get it to play. I tried connecting it to the internet to see if I could update the firmware, and that did not work either ( I got a message saying there were no updates available). Of course, that is always tricky with region-free players because firmware updates can often remove the region-free hack.

I have used the player successfully on Region 2 DVDs and a Region 5 Blu-ray set without any issues and without having to manually change the region. It just detects the discs and plays them automatically. So when it works, it works great, but it does not work for everything so that knocks it down a couple stars for me.

Product Review: 10 Checkbook Registers

 

I am one of those "old school" people who like to keep track of my transactions in the checkbook register. Since I rarely write checks anymore but have a lot of EFT and debit card transactions, the one register that comes when I do reorder checks is used very quickly. 

These provide a good way to have over a year's worth of registers without having to go to the bank to get new ones. For $6 the price is well worth it. The only drawback is the date field is very small, but since I almost never use the item/check number box I just use that if I need more space.

App Review: FXNOW

 

The menus in the app are very user-friendly and easy to navigate. You do have to sign in with your TV provider information otherwise you will only get about an hour's worth of time to watch something then you will be locked out. So you have to have a service with DirecTVNow or cable (when I used it you could not sign in with credentials from Sling TV) that gives you access to FX in order to watch more than one episode of something. Most of the FX content is split between Disney+ and Hulu these days, so if you subscribe to those (or the bundle), then you do not need to use this App.

Product Review: CAP Barbell Vinyl Coated Kettlebell

 

This is a kettlebell coated in vinyl. I have the 5 lb one, but they come in various weights. It is sturdy and holds up well, but the outer casing is light and could easily crack or break, so you do not want to drop it on anything other than a mat. Also, the handle can get slippery if you sweat a lot so a pair of workout gloves are also a good idea when using this.

App Review: Comedy Central

 

The app is mostly good and easy to use with a couple caveats which knocks it down a couple stars for me. First, they jack up the volume of the commercials, so much so that I often mute the commercials. Second, the episodes are only unlocked for the most recent shows, unless you are signed in through something like DirecTVNOW, or some other cable or satellite-type subscription. So for example, only the current week of Daily Show episodes will be unlocked. This would not be much of an issue if the app kept you signed in once you had logged in one time. It does not do so, however, and it is kind of a pain to keep signing into it if you get behind on shows and want to watch older ones.

These days, most, if not all, of the Comedy Central material is not streamed on the Paramount + App, so if you subscribe to that, there is no reason to use this one, and that gives you a better user experience anyway. But, this is available if you do not want to subscribe to another streaming service.

App Review: Disney XD

 

I used this mainly to watch Star Wars Rebels. I found it to be much smoother in terms of buffering than the DirecTVNOW app which I was subscribed to at the time I was watching Rebels. The only real irritating part is that it tended to replay the same commercials over and over (which many of the apps do), sometimes back to back. Otherwise, I think it was fine. Not great, but not bad either. Of course, this App has been replaced by Disney + (and is probably not available anymore anyway), which has a totally different (and better) user experience.

App Review: Fox Now

 

If you have a subscription to Hulu, the Fox shows are all available there, and that tends to work much better than this app. I initially downloaded it when I cut the cord from satellite TV and before I discovered the shows were on Hulu. While I did like that this allowed you to sign in and keep track of where you left off with a show, I found it to be glitchy, including freezing up and crashing quite frequently. Hopefully, subsequent updates will fix some of those issues, but since I have a commercial-free subscription to Hulu, I just watch all the shows I would normally watch through this app there.

App Review: Paramount +

 

I decided to cut the cord back in 2017 and get rid of cable/satellite TV. Because I watch many of the CBS shows I decided to shell out for a CBS All Access (now Paramount +) subscription. You would only want to download this if you actually have (or plan on buying) a subscription, otherwise, it is basically useless. Yes, it is free to download the app, as most of the TV-based apps are, but in order to watch anything on it you have to subscribe separately to Paramount+. The subscription prices vary depending on whether you want the version with commercials or whether you want to shell out a bit more for the commercial-free version and/or add on a Showtime subscription. I have the app both for the Firestick and the Roku. I would say I like the app for the latter a bit more than this one, in part because navigating the menus tends to be easier. But that is as much a function of the Firestick remote vs. the Roku remote as anything.

To be clear if you have cable or satellite and DVR, and you have no interest in watching the shows that you can only see through the app (like The Good Fight, Star Trek Discovery, and the archived shows that are no longer on the air like Limitless) then there is no reason to get this. My main issue with the app is that for some series, it will allow you to watch every episode from season 1 on, and for others it only allows you to watch the current season. And for the late-night shows (at least Colbert) you can only go back for a couple weeks worth of episodes, so if you fall too far behind you cannot watch the older episodes.

The subscription is definitely a better deal for cord-cutters than those already paying for cable. Even for those people, it does give you access to some older CBS shows that are not on the air anymore, so if you did want to watch an older series without getting it on DVD, or do not subscribe to another service where the show might be available, it will give you that option. It also allows you to watch your local CBS station live. It is certainly not perfect, but if the circumstances are right for you, worth it.

Product Review: Nicexx Adapter & Splitter

 

This is a splitter for the iPhone 7, which can charge the phone at the same time as listening to music through wired headphones. While the iPhone 7 was a clear upgrade from my Samsung Galaxy Core Prime (which is what I had before getting the iPhone 7) in almost every way, the stupidity of the design choice of getting rid of a separate headphone jack is off the charts. I have a desk job that sometimes allows me to listen to music, but since I have other people around me I cannot just blast it. 

I have invested in a pair of Bluetooth headphones, and AirPods so I do not need this anymore but if you have not done so and you need a way to charge an iPhone battery while using wired headphones, this is worth the price. I never had any issues with it when I did use it and it worked as advertised.

App Review: USA Network

 

I tend to watch a lot of the USA network shows, and after cutting the cord from regular DirecTV and switching to streaming I used this to watch the shows after they aired since when I was working nights when most of the shows are airing. 

I found I had fewer issues with buffering than I do when watching shows from the watchlist on DirecTV-NOW. Since switching over to Sling I have not used the app as much as I did in the past, but I do occasionally still use it.

App Review: The CW

 

This streaming app will allow cord-cutters to stream the shows currently streaming on The CW. It is great for those who want to stay current with the CW shows and who do not want to just wait for the DVDs/Blu-rays or for them to appear on Netflix.

The one big drawback is that you do have to sit through commercials. A more minor drawback is that the shows are not available on the App until the day after they air. So, if you want to watch them live you would need to use a live-streaming app that includes the CW or watch using an over-the-air antennal  This app just has the current (or recent) shows. It does not have older, archived shows that can be streamed on the CW Seed App.

Product Review: 1995 Marilyn Monroe Calendar

 

This was the first calendar featuring Marilyn Monroe that I purchased back in 1995. It is a great calendar with some of the more iconic shots of Marilyn along with some of the lesser-known/seen pics. This is very good if you collect calendars of Marilyn, especially if you can get this one at a reasonable price.

Product Review: ELEGOO UNO Project Basic Starter Kit with Tutorial and UNO R3 Compatible with Arduino IDE

 

This is a kit that has a good selection of components (jumper wires, LEDs, resistors, etc.) to go along with the Arduino R3 Uno board and a very tiny breadboard. The breadboard is basically the same size as the Arduino board (about 3" by 2") so you may want to get a larger breadboard depending on what you would be using it for. 

It comes with a CD that has an older version of the Arduino software. The software is what you use to code the "sketches" (which are what Arduino programs are called), and a PDF file with a lot of basic projects to get you started using the board. All in all, a relatively good, inexpensive kit.

Product Review: Casio FX115ESPLUS Scientific Calculator

 

I purchased this when I was taking chemistry because my teacher had a "no graphing calculator" policy for exams. I will say up front there are a lot of features I never ended up using because I had other graphing calculators, but not only does it have all the functionality of any scientific calculator (with the trig functions, etc.) it will also allow you to do derivatives and integrals, can solve a system of equations, store variables, etc. It is basically akin to a TI-84 without the graphing and programming capability. It is a great calculator, especially if you are in a situation where you cannot or do not need to use a graphing calculator.

Product Review: TI NSpire

 

I have almost all the TI line of graphing calculators including the 84, 85, and 89. The Nspire is very much overkill unless you are going into a hard science or engineering program, where you need to take higher-level math classes and use the concepts from those classes in future classes. In that case, it is very helpful and has a lot of advantages over the TI-89 once you get used to it.

One of the main advantages is that it is far better than the TI89 when doing integration. On the 89, you basically had to code in the integral in a format like int(x, x, 0, 10) to get it to do the integral. When doing integration on this,it is much like how you do it on the 84 plus where it gives you the integral setup like you see it in the book, you enter the limits of integration above and below the integral sign, then enter the function and then tell it what you are integrating over. And of course, unlike the 84-Plus it will give you the exact answer and not just a decimal approximation. The same is true with derivatives.

Where it really beats the 89 though is when doing integration and if you need to plug in a variable as your limit of integration, where the 89 would throw an error, this will actually do it for you. And you can even use the variable in your function as one of the limits of integration. For example, if you are an EE major taking electric and magnetic fields, when you get to Gauss's Law you often have to integrate over a variable like r, but also have to use r as one of the limits of integration. The 89 cannot pull that off, this one can. Also, the graphs it can produce are much better than the 89, especially 3D graphs which are light years beyond the crappy 89 ones.

The main thing I do not like about it is the battery. While it does have good battery life, and you can get a lot out of a charge, it is not something you can replace on your own. Unlike the 83, 84, 85, and 89 you cannot just pop the back off and put 4 AAA batteries in it. So you have to make sure it is charged well enough before you need to use it. The other thing I do not like, is I have yet to figure out how to get changing the mode from radians to degrees to stick. I can find it in the menu and change the option but then when I go back into a document or even open a new document it always stays in radian mode. Granted it is not a huge deal to just convert radians to degrees, but it is still a pain when it was much easier on the old calculators to do it.

The test mode issue is not something I have run into, but I had ample warning about it. Basically, if you end up in one of the main menus of the calculator there is an option that says "Press to Test" which gives no warning on what it does. You could realistically assume it means to run a diagnostic on the calculator, but in reality, it turns off much of the CAS capability and gets rid of some of the functions (like if you go into the trig menu you only get sin, cos and tangent and the inverses of those not the others). If you know someone that has the calculator you can connect them and get out of it easily, but if you do not, it is a total pain in the ass to get out of it. So basically, NEVER push that unless you are required to for an exam (in which case I would just use an 84-plus (or equivalent calculator) and don't bother putting this into the test mode).

I have not used every feature on the calculator and never will. But I have found it very good for what I have needed to do. I am not sure how it compares up against the HP 50 or some of the other comparable calculators by other manufacturers that are out there. It can be kind of humorous to read all the debates or arguments that go on about what is the better calculator, and my guess is they all have their strengths and weaknesses. So far I have been mostly satisfied with this and what it can do.

Product Review: Tomcat Kill & Contain Mouse Traps (2-pack)

 

Back before my townhouse was renovated in 2020 I had a family of mice in the walls, and they would occasionally get into the living areas. I used these with peanut butter as the bait and placed them on the side of the refrigerator. I caught a mouse in each one the first night, and neither escaped nor was left alive. I got a couple more and was able to get rid of all of the mice and have not had any in the house since (thanks to sealing up holes and cracks in the walls). These are very preferable to the open traps or the sticky kind. I would definitely recommend them.

Book Review: Assignment Oswald

 

Assignment Oswald is mostly a first-hand telling of the events surrounding the assassination as the author, James Hosty experienced them. It is written in an almost journal-like tone with him referencing time and dates for everything. The major points/themes in the book are:

1. The note that so many have made so much of (especially Oliver Stone in JFK) amounted to Oswald being mad that Hosty had interviewed Marina when they ended up in Dallas. Oswald basically told Hosty to leave them alone and if he did not Oswald would take action against the FBI. After Kennedy was killed and Oswald was arrested Hosty's boss told him to get rid of the note (for fear of incurring Hoover's wrath) and Hosty stupidly (which he admits) destroyed it. Of course, it eventually was uncovered, Hoover did find out about it, and Hosty was pretty much hung out to dry by the FBI.

2. Hosty was very critical of Hoover, the FBI in general, the Secret Service, Dallas Police, the Warren Commission, and the House Committee on Assassinations (who he felt were wasting their time trying to find a mob connection to the Assassination) and the CIA. At various points in the book, he skewers every one of them.

3. Hosty believed that Oswald acted alone in the assassination but believes that the Cubans and/or Russians either knew and possibly tacitly approved of Oswald's intention to kill Kennedy. This is mainly centered around the fact that when Oswald, after being given the run around in Mexico City while trying to get a travel visa to Cuba to get back into Russia, yelled that he was going to kill Kennedy, and only then got to meet with a KGB agent who was a part of the KGB group that took part in assassinations. Hosty then speculates based on circumstantial evidence that there may have been an agreement along the lines of an "if you can kill Kennedy and get back to Mexico City we will let you back into Russia" between the Soviets and Oswald. He further claims that the CIA knew this, never informed the FBI (claiming he did not know when he was investigating the Oswalds before the Assassination and never learned of it until the late 60s or early 70s), and that the Warren Commission knew of the evidence but did not pursue it and/or whitewashed (on the Orders of the White House) it in order to avoid a war that could have ended up in nuclear Armageddon.

The book is definitely an interesting read, although somewhat dry in parts and it is not likely to change anyone's mind about what happened and whether Oswald acted alone. For his part, Hosty lays out the evidence for why he believed Oswald was the lone assassin and provides some evidence for the Cuba/Russia link. Given that it is almost impossible to follow up on that thread after all these years, they will likely remain forever unverifiable unless Castro decides to fess up or there is something in the records that have yet to be unsealed which admits that connection was covered up. He staunchly defends himself against any accusation that he knew of Oswald's plan, assisted him in any way, or had any prior information that Oswald was capable of carrying out the assassination. No matter what side of the conspiracy fence you sit on, I think the book is worth reading.

Textbook Review: Modern Control Systems

 

This book is very mixed. It does some things well and some things very badly. What it does well is give a lot of real-world examples and great explanations of the theory/concepts and definitions. What it does horribly however is actually teach you how to do the problems. The approach the authors took to writing this would be much better for a masters level control systems class where you presumably already know the basics and are more interested in designing systems than you are trying to figure out how to actually work through the problems by hand. The only solutions it gives are for the multiple choice problems (which are mostly testing whether you know the concepts). There are no solutions for the problems you actually have to work out. The examples in the text itself are basic to intermediate, but provide little to no help for how to get through the harder exercises. They also have mistakes and the examples sometimes omit very critical steps in showing the solutions to the examples. And it does not just steps like taking a derivative or doing integration, which by the time you get to the point in an undergrad degree when you are taking control systems you will use MATLAB, Wolfram, or your calculator to do anyway, but actually omitting steps in setting the problems up.

Like most of the other reviewers, I think it is way too dense to be of much help in an introductory undergraduate class. The authors seemed more concerned about showing how much they know about control systems than they do actually teaching students how to do the work. If they took about half of the explanatory material out and put in more useful examples then it would be a much better book. Given that this thing is the size of an old-school phone book, it should be much more helpful than it is. If you have a good teacher you can get around some of this book's limitations. If not you will probably need to look on YouTube or do some Google searching to figure out how to do problems.

I debated between giving this two or three stars. Honestly, I see it as a 2.5 overall. If you are in an undergrad class just learning the material it is definitely closer to two stars. Once you actually understand the topic though, and are not as concerned with how to do the problems by hand, then I could see this book being more useful.

Product Review: Helping Hands Soldering Station

 

This is a good inexpensive soldering station and is definitely worth the price. The soldering iron is fine but would have been better with an assortment of tips and being able to adjust the temp. The helping hand station is very helpful to identify resistor values by bands or read the value of capacitors if you do not have great eyesight. It is also very useful if you ever have to solder wires together.

Product Review: CAP Barbell Flat/Incline/Decline Bench

 

This is a very nice bench for beginning lifters. It is lighter weight (just under 30 lbs) so it is not as heavy as those you would see in a gym (which are north of 50 pounds or so). Two people can get it together probably in under 30 min. I did it by myself and was around an hour. You will at least need two adjustable wrenches to tighten down all the bolts. All the bolts and washers are labeled. The diagrams and descriptions in the instructions give you a good idea of how to assemble it. There is a weight limit (250 lbs + 100 lbs worth of dumbbell weight). So for very experienced lifters, it will probably be too flimsy, but if you are using dumbbells in the 10-30 lb range mostly, you will be fine.

The great thing is the back goes from a full upright position to a decline so you can do decline flys and decline presses as well as decline crunches. The only thing I would be leery of using it for is doing step-ups. You are better off using a plyo box or something like that. For everything else you can use a bench for, it will work fine, especially for those who are beginner to intermediate lifters.