Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 53

For Day 53 I did lower body flexibility in XB and Upper Body Strength in 645.

The 645 workout was another de-load workout which meant every block, aside from the EMOM block, has just two sets in it. Again, there was a longer warm-up and a shorter cooldown. Most of the focus of the workout, as has been the case with all of the upper body workouts, is on the shoulders with just a couple of biceps and triceps exercises mixed in.

The lower body XB routine went fine, with no real improvement or regression.

Product Review: Newness Premium Apple Corer Remover

 

It is great if you want to make baked apples, or some other dish where you do not necessarily want wedges, but want the core removed. 

It is not flimsy at all (which can happen with less expensive kitchen gadgets), is made from quality material, and is easy to use. I am very satisfied with it.

Product Review: Hefty Scented Small Garbage Bags

 

If you have a small or a small-to-medium trash size trash can in an office, bedroom, or bathroom these are a good option. If you have a true medium size trashcan these will likely be too small. Whether they will be a little small or way too small, depends on the size of the can. 

They are not good for square trash cans unless the can is extremely small, but can be used on round cans that border on medium-sized. For example, I have a medium-sized square trash can that cannot fit in at all. I have another medium-sized round can that, while these don't fit it perfectly, will work on it. I also have a small square(ish) can, and these are perfectly sized for it. 

Product Review: Nicetown Blackout Curtains

 

I am one of those who need a room as dark as possible (at least at night) in order to sleep well. The townhouse complex I live in has lampposts that are on all night, one of which is pretty close to my bedroom window. I got the black curtains to block as much light as possible, and these block out nearly all the light coming through which is much better than my old curtains. I would not say they cancel a ton of noise, but they do seem to keep as much of the cold that comes through the windows in the winter from getting all the way into the room. So, they do have some energy efficiency. But, even if you do not care about those aspects if you are just interested in the blackout effect, I definitely recommend these.

Product Review: Gain Dryer Sheets

 

These have a great scent, and it is very nice to have as a subscribe and save item on Amazon so you do not have to remember to buy them as you are running out. Plus, the box is about three times the size of what you would find in a grocery store for almost the same price. 

Book Set Review: The Complete Sherlock Holmes (Easton Press)

 

This is a three-set collection of the complete Sherlock Holmes mystery stories and novels, written over the period of time from the late 1880s to the late 1920s by Sir Authur Conan Doyle. The volumes are titled The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Later Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and The Final Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Between the three volumes, the 56 short stories and four novels are spread across nearly 1800 pages. The first volume is the longest, at 753 pages, the second volume is just over 450 pages, and the third volume is just over 550 pages. As is the case with all of the Easton Press books, they are leather-bound with gold-trimmed pages, and have a built-in cloth bookmark. There are 160 illustrations (and the illustrated pages do not count toward the overall page count of the books), many of which were in the original publications in which the stories were printed.

Most of the 56 stories and 4 novels are written from the perspective of Dr. Watson, who introduces and then narrates the cases. Watson, of course, plays the more straight-laced sidekick to Holmes' quirky and offbeat lead. This is the first time I have read any of the Sherlock Holmes stories in years, and the first time that I have read the entire collection. A few of the observations that I have are:

1.    The old English style of writing and dialect definitely takes some getting used to. For example, Doyle will use the word ejaculate like we would use the word exclaim. Even if you are a relatively fast reader, you may have to slow down as you are reading these. 

2. The various stories are relatively disconnected. From time to time events from other stories will be referenced, but for the most part, this is a collection of stand-alone procedural mysteries. 

3. Unlike what you might expect if you have watched the BBC TV series or the recent movies starring Robert Downey Jr., Moriarty is not as big a foil for Holmes as you might think. He only appears in one of the stories and is referenced in a few others. 

4. The TV series that starred Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman heavily adapted the stories from the books. If you watched all of the seasons of the show you will definitely recognize some of the elements from the stories easily, and others seem nothing like what the show depicted. 

Overall, the stories are good but very quirky.  They are probably not necessarily the easiest stories for someone in the modern-day United States to read and easily pay rapt attention to every word. But they are classic mysteries that are worth reading.

Product Review: Magic Hue WiFi Light Bulb, Soft White, Smart Sunrise Wake Up Light Bulb, 60 Watts Equivalent

 

This is a smart LED light bulb that I mainly got for the sunrise feature because while having a smart plug is great, it can be jarring having a light turn on full blast at 5 a.m. in a dark room. In the app, you basically tell it what percentage you want the light to start at, where you want it to end, and what time frame. So you can have it go from 0% to 100% over the course of 10 min, a half hour, or whatever interval you would like. You can also set it to turn on and off at different times or control it through the app. As with a smart plug, you leave the lamp "on" and the bulb turns itself on and off.

The setup was fairly straightforward and is much like connecting an echo unit to your Wi-Fi. There are a few steps involved, including downloading an app, but nothing that is overly complicated. I will update this review in the future should the need arise, but so far, I am very satisfied, and definitely recommend it.

Product Review: Amazon Brand - Solimo Lawn & Leaf Drawstring Trash Bags, 39 Gallon

 

I have a townhouse so do not need them for much yardwork (aside from a small garden outside my patio), but love to have larger bags when I am doing "spring cleaning" and generally purging stuff from various rooms. They can also be used for light yard work. Having a subscribe and save option is great to keep from running out because these are not necessarily something I would remember to get when I go to the grocery store, or even always look to see if I am running low before going to the store. Now, I can just have it set to send a new batch every 6 months and get a built-in reminder to see if I need to move the order up a month or skip a month. They are sturdy and have a drawstring closure, which I personally prefer to the ties. I definitely recommend them.

Product Review: MedCenter Monthly Medication Organizer

 

I got this for my mom, who has to take a boatload of pills each day because of being in congestive heart failure and chronic pain. To complicate matters she has to take them in the morning and evening and routinely has taken them late, or forgotten to take them at all on a given day. And, she has never had a good system to keep track of what she did or did not take on a given day. This solves both problems. It comes with 31 separate cases which have compartments for morning, afternoon, evening, and night. You could, if you so desired, fill them all up at the beginning of the month, or do it on a weekly basis.

The clock/alarm component comes pre-set with 4 different alarms. The only thing that knocks this down a star for me is that you cannot disable or enable individual alarms. They can only all be on, or all be off, so if you only need to have two alarms set you must set multiple alarms for the same time, so more than one goes off together. For example, setting the morning and afternoon alarms for the same time. Also, the clock unit talks for everything, which is great for people who have poor eyesight or are blind (although there is no braille on the clock surface, so someone who is blind would need assistance with the initial setup), but you cannot turn that off, so if you are setting the clock or one of the alarms it talks through minutes and seconds which is a bit annoying. Nor is there a real volume adjustment. The only volume adjustment you can make is via a switch on the back that allows you to choose from loud or very loud. So you will get at least a loud verbal reminder to take your pills at whatever time(s) you set (plus a backup reminder a half hour later in case you ignore the first alarm even after turning it off). There is no option to have it just buzz like a "regular" alarm clock. Basically, we recycled the clock and just set reminders on Echo devices.

Those issues aside, it is a great option for an older person who has to take a lot of pills, whether it is every day, every other day, etc. The compartments are big enough to hold a good quantity of pills unless you take a lot of very large (as large as some multi-vitamin tablets for example) pills. But if most of your pills are relatively small they will all easily fit. It is a bit pricey for a pill case, but definitely worth it under the right circumstances.

Product Review: UPOWEX Resistance Bands Set - 5 Stackable Exercise Bands

 

I use these in conjunction with some of the Beachbody workout programs like P90X. I love the fact that they are stackable, so you can increase the resistance beyond just using a heavier band. The only thing I would do to improve the set is to add a 5lb band so you can increase resistance in smaller increments, and include a second set of handles so you can have a couple different bands ready to go without having to unclip the handle from one band (or set of bands) and clip them onto another. But, you can find 5lb bands and extra handles online pretty easily.

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 52

Day 52 was stretching day again. For XB I did the lower back routine and, of course, in 645 it was mobility and flexibility.

The 645 routine was another good, but tough one. Again, there were seven exercises that you cycle through for three rounds. Each exercise is something that has been done earlier in the program, but a couple of them have some twists that make them slightly different (and generally harder). Then, at the end of the routine, you finish the routine off with five minutes of breath work. 

Product Review: LG BPM25 Blu-Ray Disc Player

 

It is a decent refurbished blu-ray player at a reasonable price. The only drawback is that it does not have a wireless adapter, so if you want to connect it to the internet to use any of the streaming services or need to update the firmware, you have to use an ethernet cable. By this point, I doubt that most people will stream anything through the player since there are much better options like Firesticks and Rokus and since almost every TV is a smart TV, but you still have to update the firmware from time to time to play newer blu-rays. That is really the only drawback. Otherwise, it is easy to set up and gives a nice 1080p picture (as long as your TV supports a 1080p output), and upscale DVDs to a better picture.

Product Review: Prepac Locking Media Storage Cabinet

 

This is a pre-fab media storage cabinet. One person can put it together in about an hour and a half. You really just need a Phillips screwdriver, a hammer, a drill, and a small drill bit. It is mostly put together using screws and cams, and then a particle board back that you hammer nails into. The doors are put together so that you can put three rows of DVDs, blu rays, or CDs in each door, and then three rows along the back of the cabinet. It would be nice if they would have made it about 2 feet taller so that another row of DVDs would fit both in the middle compartment and each door. They provide three shelves for each door and the center compartment, but there is dead space because whether you use the third shelf or just put DVDs on the bottom of the cabinet itself, you can only get three rows of DVDs/blu-rays in each door and the center. If it were a bit taller you would be able to use the third shelf, and then put a fourth row on the bottom and end up getting another 40-50 in it, which would be nice for those of us who have a large movie collection, and have not ditched the physical discs just to stream everything.

The only other piddly point for me is the locking mechanisms. Each door has its own lock, one side uses a key and turns a thin plastic piece into a grove in the top, and on the other door you have to attach a latch that you physically move up and down when the door is shut (you have to reach inside when the other door is open to engage it, then shut and lock the other door) to lock that side. It should be made so the key lock is in the middle and will lock both sides simultaneously. And you have to lock the doors to keep them from swinging open. The doors are hinged, and they will not stay closed if you leave either side unlocked. I have also discovered that the doors can warp over time (especially if you slide them across the floor (even with the doors shut) while they are full) so that the doors will not stay locked even when you turn the key. That is a bit of a double-edged sword because the doors stay shut now even when it is unlocked, but the locking ability is basically useless.

Those issues are what knock it down a few stars for me. If not for that, it is easily a five-star product, especially given it is something you have to put together yourself and is relatively inexpensive. Once it is put together it feels very sturdy. It does not feel like a good gust of wind will take it apart, which is sometimes the case with the put it together yourself furniture.

App Review: Amazon Music Unlimited

 

If you are a Prime member on Amazon you do get the basic version of Prime Music included. The basic version is good but does have songs and albums that disappear every so often and does not have licensing rights for everything that is available on the Unlimited version. This will get you the most albums from most artists who have ever been popular or at the very least had one hit song. There have been a couple songs that I have not been able to find, but I have been able to find the vast majority of the songs I have been looking for on Unlimited.

The App is fairly user-friendly and allows you to easily find music in your library which are songs you own or have added, or you can listen to stations that play songs by artist (and artists similar to them), by genre, or damn near any parameter you can think of. There are also many podcasts available through the app as well. It is a relatively inexpensive way to access almost every album that has been released.

Product Review: mDesign Narrow Dresser Storage Tower Stand with 4 Removable Fabric Drawers

 

This is a very small set of drawers, perfect for a relatively small space. It comes with everything you need to put it together (the screws are put in using a supplied Allen wrench). The only thing that is kind of a pain is that the drawers are folded up and when you first put them in, the sides collapse inward, so you have to put something in that is somewhat stiff (I used mass-market paperback books) until they stop doing that. Otherwise, it will work perfectly to hold socks, underwear, and t-shirts or smaller items like pens and paper if you are using it in an office. It is the perfect size to set next to a dest or bookshelf.

Product Review: mysuntown Winter Hats for Men, Ushanka Trapper Hat

 

I got this because I live in a state that has (at least at times) harsh winters. This is very warm, covers your entire head and I think would fit most people very well. I like that the face mask part is removable (it snaps on both sides) if you do not want to use it. I do not use it, since I have a winter coat that zips up over the face.

The only thing that would make this a little better is if it were a bit wider so it would have a better fit if you are wearing a pair of over-the-ear headphones. You can still get it on, but depending on how wide your headphones are it may not fit as snugly. But, if you have earbuds in, it is just fine. Overall, it is a very good winter hat. 

Product Review: Men's Quickshark Snow Boots

 

I live in the upper midwest where we get pretty horrible winters that can be cold and have a lot of ice and snow. I have no problem walking on the snow in these. When there is glare ice on the ground with little to no snowpack to provide traction, I can slip a bit in these and wear traction cleats on them (when I am taking the dog out in the winter). The boots are always very warm even in below-zero temperatures, and they are easy to slip on and off. 

The only drawback for me is that they are a bit light. These feel like a cross between a pair of tennis shoes and a pair of work boots. So, I mostly use them when driving as long as I am going someplace where I know I will not have to trudge around outside. I tend to prefer a bit heavier boots if I am going to be walking around outside for any significant amount of time, but for those who like lighter boots, these are a good option.

Book Review: How to Make Patent Drawings

 

This is a companion to the great book Patent It Yourself. I have the 7th edition, which was published in 2015. This edition put the focus on drafting the drawings on paper, which is hardly ever done now, and had a focus on drawings for actual mechanical devices. The one thing it was lacking was a good discussion of how to do drawings for computer-related inventions (which a lot of times are block diagrams and/or flowcharts) in which a lot of times you are patenting a method or an algorithm and may or may not also be patenting a physical system or device. The book does, however, give a good breakdown of the various Patent Office rules regarding drawings, which can be a pain to deal with. Given that any patent application that requires drawings (which is almost all of them) is not considered complete until the drawings are turned in, they must be done correctly.

There is a decent discussion (although it hopefully has been updated in the new edition) on using computer programs to create the drawings. There is a basic discussion for using CAD programs and the authors do provide the names of some programs to use. Hopefully, an updated edition will have a chapter about creating drawings using Visio (which is a program that many professionals use) and what software is better for different types of drawings than others. For example, some software programs are better for mechanical drawings and some programs are better for block diagrams. 

The more you can do the drawings yourself, the more money you will save. Drawings tend to take a lot of time even for patent attorneys, and there are some drawings that even attorneys who like to do their own drawings have to send out to professional drafters. As I said in my review for Patent it Yourself, I would not begrudge anyone who wants to save money when trying to obtain a patent. It is a very long and expensive process even if you do it yourself. Likewise, I would not criticize anyone who makes the decision after reading Patent it Yourself that he or she does not want anything to do with tackling the patent process on their own. If you are going to try it yourself, I definitely think reading through this and the book Patent it Yourself is a good idea. Going through that material will, at the very least, give you an idea of what to expect and allow you to make an informed decision. And, if you do decide to hire a professional, the more you know about the process and can provide helpful input, the easier (and less expensive) the process is likely to be. And, the better drawings you can provide the professionals up front, the easier and less expensive the process tends to be.

Product Review: SEOH 1000ml Graduated Glass Erlynmeyer Flask

 

This is a pretty basic graduated Erlenmeyer flask. The only thing to note is that the opening is pretty wide so if you plan on getting one to use the old baking soda-vinegar balloon trick for a chemistry or thermodynamics class, this will not work for that. For anything else you may need one for, however, this will be fine assuming you need one with this much capacity.

Product Review: Apple Pencil (1st Generation)

 

I have this along with an iPad Pro. Aside from the fact that you have to charge it, unlike passive styluses, it is perfect. Even so, the charging is quick and can be done by plugging it into the lightning port on the iPad itself, or you can connect it to a charger through an adapter that comes with the pencil. It also comes with an extra tip. It is fairly easy to set up, although the instructions are printed in tiny print that is hard to read. Basically, you just make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your iPad, plug the pencil into the lightning port, and tell it to pair when the dialog box pops up.

If you are a student taking notes for class on an iPad or iPad Pro, it is indispensable. There is little to no lag/latency (at least not that is noticeable like there was on the first generation pen tablets), it is easy to control, and if you get one of the screen protectors that mimic the feel of paper (I use the Sapper paper-like screen protector) you can barely tell any difference from writing on paper. It does take a little getting used to because it does not feel exactly like a pen-and-paper writing experience, but once you get the feel of it, it is very close.

Product Review: Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (2017 Model)

 

I got this to basically use two apps, Notability and Dropbox. I recently finished an electrical engineering degree and have my class notes in a bunch of different notebooks and three-ring binders. I use Notability to transfer my paper notes to an electronic format and back them up to Dropbox. I also use Dropbox for work so I can access any work files on the iPad when I am on the bus going to and from work.

The setup is extremely easy, especially if you already have an iPhone. You can just connect to it via your phone and it will automatically connect to your Wi-Fi, have your Apple ID settings (you still have to enter your ID and password, but can skip most of the setup screens) entered, and know any other apps you have downloaded.

For what I use the iPad for 64 GB is plenty big, but obviously, the more expensive models can get you a lot more. I got the 12.9" model expressly for taking notes since you can mimic an 8.5 x 11" piece of paper. For anyone who is just going to use it for school or work, it is a perfect size. If you plan on using it as a more traditional tablet (surfing the internet, reading e-books, etc.) you may want to get one of the smaller models since this is larger and heavier and gets to be kind of a pain to hold and maneuver.

Product Review: Filtrete Advanced Under Sink Quick Change Water Filtration System

 

I installed this in the process of installing a new faucet, so the whole process was a bit more complex than it probably normally would be. My only complaint with the process is that the written instructions contradicted the arrows on the filter housing showing the input and output sides (go with what is on the actual housing). Once you get that figured out, it is a pretty easy process. 

There is a slight dip in water pressure when running cold water, but it is still much better than the faucet mount filter where when you switch it to filter the water it dribbles out and takes forever to fill up a pan, large water bottle, or pitcher. It is also a lot better than filling up a pitcher that has a filter in it and you have to wait for the water to drip through the filter and have to fill the upper chamber at least twice, to fill the pitcher up. And, the water does taste good after being filtered. I definitely recommend this.

Product Review: Valisy Brushed Nickel Stainless Steel Single Handle Pull Down Sprayer Spring Kitchen Sink Faucet

 

I have a townhouse that was built in the early to mid-1970s and built with very cheap materials. I have been looking to replace the faucet with an inexpensive but nice pull-down faucet, and this one has been great. It was very easy to install. The instructions were written in somewhat broken English but were easy enough to follow. I also installed an under-sink water filter while I was putting this in which added a little bit of complexity to it, but honestly, the hardest part was getting the old faucet off. I would definitely recommend this if you are looking for a replacement faucet but do not necessarily want (or need) to get a high-end faucet.

Book Review: Patent Ease: How to Write Your Own Patent Application

 

This book is mostly useless. It does have a couple of good tips (like how to differentiate your invention from what already exists), but it is not anywhere near detailed enough to sit down and write your own quality patent. While the author does give some wording tips for the specifications and roughly describes how to do things like diagram the invention, the author only scratches the surface. And some of the advice in the book (like the "post office patent" idea which the author admittedly says is a long shot that the courts may not accept (they will not)) is not even worth considering. There is no in-depth discussion about how to write claims. The claims are the most important part of the patent and something patent bar study prep courses spend multiple sessions (2-3 hours) discussing. Nor does he go into enough detail about what can and cannot be patented, or how to do a sufficient prior-art search. Prior art searches are not something that you have to do before writing a patent, but it is a good idea to know what it is and how to do one so you can decide whether you want to look for prior art before you spend the time to write your own patent. 

It seems that this was originally an ebook which was then printed in hardcopy because he references a lot of blank forms (some of which are reprinted in the book) and his sample patent (parts of which are reprinted), but there is no information about how those purchasing the book can get access to them. On a more picky point, the font that they used when printing the book is horrible. The type is so small, that if you have poor eyesight at all, it will be difficult to read.

While I do think the book is mostly useless, I would not call it completely useless. The main issue with the book is that it is not nearly as detailed as what you would need to successfully write your own patent application. Certainly, patent agents and attorneys are very expensive and I would not begrudge anyone who does not want to spend the kind of money that it would take to have a professional write the application. That said, the process of applying for a patent is very detailed and mistakes (even minor ones) can lead to the application getting rejected outright or, even if the patent is granted, still make it very difficult, if not impossible, to enforce your rights. There is a lot that goes into the process and it has to be done right. 

If this book is paired with the much more detailed and substantive DIY book, Patent it Yourself, some of the information in this book, when used in conjunction with Patent it Yourself can be helpful. But, this book alone is not going to give you everything you need to know to write a quality patent (or anywhere near it). Nor does it give you enough information to make an informed decision about whether you actually want to attempt to write a patent application on your own or whether you want to seek out professional help, whether through a law firm or one of the pro-bono services inventors can use. 

Workout Update: 645 and XB Stretch Hybrid - Day 51

Day 51 was somewhat of a return to the normal workout routine. In the morning I did the lower body flexibility routine in XB and for 645 I did the total body power de-load workout.  

The XB routine was exactly the same as the last time I did it. The 645 workout was hard, even doing fewer reps and having the longer warm-up. The last block was four sets of depth drops, which was hard mainly because the cast was joking with each other the entire time, and doing them when trying not to laugh is tricky because it is easy to have your concentration broken.