#this is about me accidentally ending up on the amazon reviews for the shape of water and discovering a treasure trove of whiny babies

[maryellencarter]

SO! A week or two ago I got the DVDs for both seasons of "Justice League: The Animated Series", which I hadn't seen in ten years and remembered loving a lot. Spoiler: I still love it a lot. I put off watching it for a while because I was scared I wouldn't, but then I watched it pretty much straight through without even stopping to liveblog.

So. THOUGHTS! ^_^ Any of y'all who've ever shared a fandom with me know I'm always around for one particular character. In this case, that's J'onn J'onzz, the big green guy, whose official comics codename (sensibly not used on the show) is Martian Manhunter.

(There's a bit in one of the tie-in comics where a parent is telling their kid "don't be scared, honey, he won't hurt you, that's the uhh... Martian Maneater..." which has never ceased to amuse me.)

Anyway, we all know I have a tendency to give reviews in the vein of "Good story but no werewolves", and it must be granted that I never did bother watching Justice League Unlimited because Carl Lumbly (J'onn's voice actor, Minnesota born and raised with Jamaican parents, which is apparently how you get a Martian accent I couldn't place to anywhere on Earth) wasn't a regular anymore. But y'know, it's a really good ensemble team too, even if I like Tim Daly's Superman (from Superman: The Animated Series in the same animated universe) a lot better than George Newbern's. Or, well, I did. I haven't heard *him* in ten years either. Anyway! Off topic.

SO ANYWAY. Obviously, spoilers hereabouts, although it's what, fifteen, twenty years old by now? But if you care about spoilers for somewhat elderly TV, you might not be following me anyhow.

So the meta premise, just in case anybody was unfamiliar, is thuswise: First there was Batman: The Animated Series, in which Mark Hamill was the best Joker while not being an asshole as a person, because he is a competent actor and not a dickwad. Then there was Superman: The Animated Series, which I remember as being a delight and I want to watch it again too someday. Then, because apparently if you have Batman and Superman the next step is the entire Justice League, there was this.

The actual premise is, that during an alien invasion of Earth, Superman and Batman rescue a prisoner, J'onn J'onzz, the last survivor of the Martian society the invader aliens wiped out. (J'onn and Clark get little bits of bonding over the last-of-their-kinds thing but I've always wanted more. In a fandom auction I once donated $60 for a fic on the topic, but life happened and I do not hold it against the person. Still a little sad though. It's not something I've ever quite been able to write myself.) J'onn has a whole grab-bag of superpowers including telepathy, with which he summons additional heroes The Flash (speedster, this one is twentyish goofball Wally West), Green Lantern (specifically John Stewart, a black ex-Marine), Wonder Woman, and Hawkgirl (a winged humanoid-alien woman with an energy mace). Together, they fight crime! Mostly.

Specific episodes: I'm going to use "episode" to refer to the runtime covered by a single title so I don't have to say "two-parter" or "three-parter" every single time, because this show had literally only one single-part episode out of the whole 52 episodes.

* Secret Origins, three-parter: In which the Justice League is formed and repels the invasion of Earth by the aliens who wiped out J'onn's people. A very strong start, good character intros. I will never be over the very small worldbuilding fact that J'onn is rescued by Superman and Batman, and has seen nobody else on Earth yet but invader aliens (these are what used to be called the White Martians but the show does not use this name either which I think was a wise choice), so when he shapeshifts from his more alien "natural" Martian form to the look which will be his default for the series, he chooses a briefs-and-cape look because based on the two examples he's seeing, that's what Earth people wear. It's not explicitly called out, but it's a great way to make it a little less... comic-booky that you have no less than three extra-beefy guys with almost identical costume silhouettes here.

I think the arc between Batman and J'onn is one of my favorite parts of this, the way Batman starts out being like "I still don't trust him" and winds up trusting him enough that it's their teamwork which saves the world this go-round. Also, speaking as a fan who likes me some whump, can we talk about the scene where J'onn is being mindprobed with all those tentacles under his skin? I have so fucking many feels about that scene, okay. God, that whole climactic sequence is so damn good. And his tiny lil smile at the end of the last episode! I do love me some microexpressions, nonetheless that they are animated. (I can't draw so I am constantly boggled by just the skill it has to take to draw a character so on-model that varying one line by a few pixels Says Things.)

* In Blackest Night, two-parter: The one where the extremely Kirby-designed cop robots frame Green Lantern into believing he blew up an inhabited planet. Introduces several alien members of the Green Lantern Corps. Flash trying and failing to act as GL's lawyer is fairly embarrassment-squicky to me; many of the things anybody does with Flash on this show are fairly embarrassment-squicky, although he does get some great moments. René Auberjonois does two voices, as a spherical Green Lantern and as the "witness" who helps frame GL. The climactic scene is great -- sometimes the Green Lantern ditty just doesn't work, but between the sound design and the animation and Phil Lamarr's voice acting, this scene blows me away every time. I feel like this one could have been shorter though.

* The Enemy Below, two-parter: In which (blond) Aquaman guest-stars, J'onn takes on the first of many roles where he acts as bait by impersonating a villain's target, and the thing where Aquaman cuts off his own hand to escape a manacle is very tastefully handled for a kids' show. I probably would have found that scene way too suspenseful and traumatic as a kid but I was an extremely sensitive small child. Opinions on this episode: I don't really have many. This universe's Aquaman is a *dick* who appears to live by the rule that you must always fight a superhero when you meet one on the street before explaining your business. I always squee when somebody turns out to be J'onn, because I've usually forgotten. (He usually is people and not animals or, like Odo more than once, a bag. I wonder if he has some conservation of mass thing going on or if it's just easier to animate when you keep your same basic arrangement of limbs.)

* Injustice for All, two-parter: Lex Luthor, dying of kryptonite poisoning, puts together the Injustice Gang to try to destroy the Justice League. He didn't invite the Joker, but Hulk expy and heavy hitter Solomon Grundy is also voiced by Mark Hamill, so the Joker naturally turns up around the point where Luthor captures Batman, commentating on Luthor's misguidedness in keeping Bats alive and generally providing a running peanut gallery. Clancy Brown and Mark Hamill are both always fun, so this one is pretty entertaining.

* Paradise Lost: Wonder Woman backstory-ish episode. A sorcerer turns the other Amazons to stone, then blackmails Diana into stealing four artifacts for him, which he assembles into a key to free the god Hades from Tartarus. Notable mainly for the extreme mangling of Greek mythic cosmology into an aggressively Christian shape. Not good. It does have J'onn and Flash teamed for a bit, which is interesting, and J'onn gets to one-punch a giant magic brass cobra, but that's about all there is to speak for it. It looks like the writer also did my very least favorite two-parter of the whole series, unless this is some sort of Alan Smithee situation, because the name is Joseph Kuhr and I have a half-memory I can't catch that there is *something* more than coincidence in the whole, you know. "Joe-Kuhr" thing?

* War World: Apparently this one was pretty nearly universally hated. I do not hate it, because the concept "Superman and J'onn are accidentally blown across the galaxy together and sold to an alien gladiatorial arena" is something I am 110% down for, but I wanted a lot more interaction between them and possibly a lot more fic. I can't decide if I actually want to ship them, but they're obviously very close and I want to see more than snippets of that, dammit.

That's halfway through season one. Imma go sleep. more later.

#dcau #justice league animated series #j'onn j'onzz

[genuflectx]

Attraction Review (Spoilers)

Attraction is a movie about a group of Russian high school students (college students??) living through a disaster in which an alien space ship crashes into a residential area, causing mass damage and panic. Julie is the main character who finds herself falling in love with the alien... while she still has a human boyfriend.

Did I like the movie? It was okay, albeit with bad pacing and weird writing choices. But from a terato perspective? Extremely disappointing. This isn’t even a spoiler exactly, I’m just saving you some time: the alien is NOT that sexy, four-armed robotic suit you’ll see in the pictures on Google and the trailer. The alien is just... a human. Womp womp. :(

(SPOILERS UNDER CUT)

See that thing up there? With its cool body shape and hyper strength? Its a suit. There’s an “alien” human in it. So let’s clear that up again. So this ship crashes and Julie, her boyfriend, and her boyfriend’s asshole friends are pissed about the alien crashing and accidentally killing a bunch of people. So they’re like, let’s go scout ahead and check it out! Oops, Julie sneaks off alone during the mission and the human-in-a-suit saves her from falling off a building. She realizes he’s a human when he falls down and gets hurt. Her boyfriend and his asshole friends take the suit and she secretly helps the now suitless human “alien.”

Boring stuff happens, yada yada, people riot against the government for allowing the alien to rebuild its ship instead of killing it straight away (with the added bonus that the ship is sucking up a bunch of water to repair itself, leaving the people with rations), ect ect...

So Julie and the alien chat it up and she realizes he’s a harmless weirdo that just wants to leave. There’s a few short cute scenes between them and somehow, in the course of like one day, Julie decides she now doesn’t like her boyfriend (who up to this point has been nothing but a good boy, save for encouraging her to rebel against her dad a bit) and is instead in love with this alien man she doesn’t know anything about. Wow. So romantic /s. 

Well, after her boyfriend finds out she’s been hanging with him, and Julie tries to break up with him over the phone, suddenly the now-ex-boyfriend appears with his asshole friends and beat tf out of alien boy. Alien boy just kinda takes it until Julie gets hurt. Oops, one of the asshole friends accidentally shoots the other asshole friend, and now ex-boyfriend is staging a counter-alien resistance by claiming alien boy did it. 

Bunch of people suddenly fighting the aliens, Julie fights with her dad a bit, now the military is fighting the people fighting the aliens, ex-boyfriend is in the stolen suit and is beatin on alien boy and Julie... he ends up shooting the two of them. Julie lives, alien boy dies. The ship leaves. The end.

To elaborate more on what I thought. Again, for a teratophile this movie is almost as good as garbage to me personally. The alien isn’t that sexy suit and you only see the suits a handful of times, as is typical with alien films that have some cool design like that. Then, the human alien himself isn’t really that compelling. He’s your basic alien with reduced emotions who needs help learning how to eat a pancake. Nothing new there. Might as well be a Vulcan. Just stick some pointy ears on him or some shit.

I’m not sure if Russian film sensibilities are just different or if the direction/writing/characters are just genuinely... like that. There are two clashing plots devices here that just do NOT match up well. Action-packed, harsh, typical military-styled alien invasion... and then this soft, welcome-to-earth, mushy stuff. I’m sure these could be blended together but this film could NOT decide on which it wanted to learn towards at all. On top of that the movie throws Julie and her father’s problems at you, the ex-boyfriend, a sub-plot where the alien has to retrieve something, the riots, a few scenes at school, a sub-plot where the asshole friends can’t decide how to use the suit... it’s just a mess. 

It also makes it worse how difficult it is to find the Russian version of the movie with English subs. Amazon Prime ONLY has it dubbed in English. The one thing the film has going for it is its graphics. They’re great! But it sure is a shame they don’t use them much.

Overall I’d say do not watch this movie. Watch clips of the cool alien suits instead. There’s no part of these wild plot lines that will engage you and no character in this movie will pull your heartstrings. 6/10.

#terato #exophilia #monster movie #monster romance #monster lover #review #movie review #attraction #attraction movie

[canaryatlaw]

okay, so. most of the day was fairly boring lol as expected but tonight of course was super awesome. I had set a 1 pm wake up if you’re not already awake alarm but I ended up waking up to my phone buzzing right at 11 am, it was a Chicago number so I answered and chatted with this guy from this legal company that does boring shit like document review and is doing like part time temporary hiring projects, which would obviously be a short term fix as I’m still looking for full time employment, but they pay like $20 an hour (and you don’t technically have to be licensed for some of their stuff, so being that I am licensed I miiiiiight get to do some more intense stuff for more pay? Idk, have to see) so I have an 11 am Skype interview scheduled with them for tomorrow morning to chat about that stuff. I’m obviously not like dying to get this job or anything but it’d be nice to have some income while I’m still looking, like if I did like 15-20 hours a week that’s $300-$400 so that’s not insignificant. I’m just gonna be super upfront with them about the fact that I’m seeking permanent employment and if I start anything with them there is a solid chance I will up and leave with fairly short notice, and if they’re not okay with that then we won’t do it, but I get the feeling since a lot of their shit is short term they’ll probably be okay with it. So after I got off that phone call I looked up the number for Ulta and called them to push back my haircut appointment which was booked for 12, I was trying to do think if there was somewhere I could plant myself downtown and do a Skype interview to then just run to the appointment but I obviously don’t want to do like, starbucks, and beyond trying to sneak into my old student org office at school (that’s no longer mine obviously) there’s not very many options, so I was hoping we could just push the haircut back a bit till like 2 and she happened to have an opening then so that was perfect because she gets booked up fairly consistently, so I lucked out there. After that I was lazy and went on my phone for a bit before getting up and going on my laptop at the kitchen table while I ate breakfast and then eventually moved over to the couch and was just listening to podcasts while on my computer for a while, then ended up watching the pilot of the new amazon prime show “Hanna” that’s not actually premiering to March but they were making the pilot available for like 24 hours after the superbowl for some reason and I was fairly intrigued by that (I never did actually see the movie its based on) and it was okay I guess? I wasn’t like super enthralled in it but I may give it a try for a few episodes when it comes out. The main actress is pretty good, but she’s a lot older than I thought she was (she actually turns 19 like, today) when I thought she was more like 13 or 14. and she’s apparently not been in much of anything up to this point, so good for her. After that I just turned the tv off and listened to more Panic music since I downloaded a bunch last night on top of what I downloaded after the concert last week so I could be more familiar with that while doing some computer stuff and trying to get some more Batwoman comic reading done. I was trying to see what they had on DC Universe before switching over to Comixology (which I have to pay for) but they only have issues 1-12 of her new 52 run which is apparently significantly longer than that and I burned through those very quickly, and the other ones on there are basically just one-off appearances in a random Batman story. So I guess I’ll read those then see what I can get on Comixology (they apparently have a subscription thing now which may be more affordable than paying for each comic, I’ll have to see what’s the deal with that). Around 4:30 I started getting ready, tried to do my make up very carefully and ended up trying to use my liquid eyeliner on my bottom lid which I normally don’t do but I like accidentally got some on there when trying to get it on my top lid (not sure how I managed to do that) and wanted to see if I could do the rest. It turned out pretty good in the immediate aftermath at least, but when I got home it had migrated down my face a good bit which is basically my biggest pet peeve with black eyeliner so I probably won’t be doing that again (I’m gonna see if I can find a better one at Ulta/Sephora tomorrow, since I’ll be at the Ulta and there’s a Sephora down the street and I want to find something that’s a Sephora brand product. There’s apparently also a Sally’s around there which I may also hit up for some hair dyeing supplies). But I finished getting ready and got on the bus at like 5:30 to meet Jess at her work so we could go straight to the concert from there, I was supposed to get there slightly before she got off so she could use it as an excuse to leave but the bus was being uncooperative (as public transit often is) and I ended up not getting there until like right when she got off, but it wasn’t a big deal because we weren't really in a rush being that we knew Panic didn’t actually take the stage until like, 8:30 lol. We stopped at a mcdonalds drive thru on the way where we got twenty nuggets, two cokes, and a medium fries (it’s always a debate about how many nuggets to get, because Jess is like “but I want more than 10″ when we’re splitting 20 but it’s more expensive to order 30 nuggets than it would be to order 40 nuggets and that’s just way too many (we did try that once) so I was saying we could do a 20 and a 6 piece but ended up just going with the 20 for us to split. Drove the rest of the way out, the concert was out by the airport which is a bit of a hike but we’re used to going there because most Chicago cons are in a venue that’s right by there. There was fairly massive traffic getting into the venue, and we had some momentary panic (no pun intended) regarding paying for parking because we didn't have any cash and didn’t know if they’d take card, but luckily they did so that crisis was averted. of course it’s bullshit that they’re charging $25 to just park in their giant ass parking lot, but that’s life for ya. Once we parked we had to kinda run to the venue because it was cold and we were both bumming it without our regular coats (I had a leather jacket on) so we were happy when we got in there. Got in without issue, climbed up the stairs to the top level of course and found our seats. We were literally like, the furthest section back on the side before the other seats just weren’t sold because you couldn’t be able to see (the other half of our section was actually closed off) but despite that we actually had a fairly good view and could see most of everything, just mostly from a side view and sometimes the back, lol. I was pumped though because I spent like all of last week wishing I could relive the concert and now I was getting to do that, so I was very excited. The new perspective was interesting, we got to see things from different angles which was interesting, like him popping up onto the stage when he first came out and just jumps up so it looks like he just gets shot out at fairly high speed lol. The set list was the same of course, except I’ve been listening to the music all week and actually knew the vast majority of the songs this time and could sing along, so I felt accomplished for that. I did manage to take a good amount of videos that I posted all on my instagram story if you want to check those out (@ racheleiley) and this time I didn’t ugly sing while recording lol so they’re better quality than the ones from last week. But yeah it was really good, I still got super anxious and cringey when he was on the floating piano above the crowd and very clearly not strapped into anything and like, going to the edge of the platform and I like, couldn’t watch because it stressed me out too much lol but thankfully he made it back okay. When Girls/Girls/Boys came on we hadn’t gotten the little paper colored hearts to put over our cell phone lights this time because we were in the reject section that was mostly empty, but it was still enjoyable and he definitely had no less than 10 pride flags thrown onstage at him during it which he picked every single one up and draped them over him and he was like “this is a record” which was great. But yeah, I really enjoyed all of it. When he came back out for the encore someone threw a little teddy bear onstage and he was like “aw, this is the cutest teddy bear, I’m keeping this” and put it in his back pocket as he kept performing and it was really fucking cute lol. He must be in really good shape to be doing this sometimes multiple times a week because it’s so much energy expended and his voice is so strong to be able to handle it (makes sense that he did a stint on Broadway). But yeah, I enjoyed it a lot and got much better videos this time so I’m pleased with that. Once it ended we managed to get out of the parking lot relatively quickly, definitely a lot quicker than we expected because we kinda cut around part of the line to get to the exit faster (sorry not sorry 🤷🏻‍♀️) and then made it the rest of the way home, and Jess made me walk back to my place from her apartment instead of dropping me off which she could’ve VERY EASILY done, but she was being a butt and trying to get payback because she always has to make the walk when we hang out at my place (which we do the vast majority of the time). So I walked home, thankfully it wasn’t too cold, and then spent a while uploading the videos to my instagram story because it was being uncooperative while at the concert so I had to do them all after. My roommate got home shortly after I did and somehow managed to leave her keys in the front door, but now our front door wouldn’t unlock, so she was gonna go around the back to get to the front and asked if I had my front door key, which I thought she meant the front door to our apartment, so I gave her that she disappeared. Not long after I could hear someone calling my name so I went to the front door and was like ??? yes??? but she wasn’t at the door and I was thoroughly confused as to where she could be until it occurred to me that maybe she was locked outside, so I went down the backstairs to the back door where she was in fact stuck, we had a slight miscommunication on the key situation and she couldn’t get the front door of the building to open because I gave her the wrong key, whoops, but we got it figured out and fixed the door situation so that was good. After that was settled I got in the shower and started getting ready for bed and now I am here. I’ve been writing this post for about 40 minutes and it’s now 2 am, I have to get up at at least 10:30 tomorrow to make sure I’m presentable for the Skype interview so I think I should get to bed now. Goodnight loves. Have a lovely Tuesday.

#daily journal #February 2019 #Jess tag #Panic! At The Disco

[indadeamo]

About Mothering a Foreigner

When my daughter was younger, we went for a pram ride one given Sunday. A woman passed by, walking her dog. I stopped, went on my knees, pointed to the doggie and said: “Look! Au-au!”. My baby looked at the dog, with the excitement only kids have and said: “Woof-woof!”. Perhaps a small detail to some, but I remember my astonishment and sadness when I heard that. That is not how dogs bark to me. I have not lived in my native Brazil for almost a decade and honestly, to this date, I cannot hear a “woof-woof”, no matter how hard I try. My eardrums just vibrate a crystal clear “au-au”, every single time. She did not learn that from me, but from others. It struck me like a lightning: I am mothering a foreigner.

I am not in the slightest nostalgic, left alone patriotic, but that made me realise how very little childhood references my daughter and I share. For instance, I do not know virtually any nursery rhyme she sings. I mean, why are the three blind mice running? But then, equally, how to explain why the carnation fought the rose under a balcony? She does not recreate the indigenous legend of the cassava or of the Amazon dolphin at school, and, chances are, she will never really see any of them in her lifetime. Maybe much later: I saw a squirrel for the first time when I was 15; she runs into them every morning in our garden. She spat, disgusted, feijoada when I tried to offer; I have eaten it pretty much weekly growing up. I felt victorious I could influence on her liking of Turma da Monica as opposed to Cloudbabies, but do not know if this small victory will last until Reception. Talking about Reception…Grammar School, sixth form, GCSE, A-levels? I flip nervously through all brochures, trying to trace parallels in my mind with the education system I did attend. In her “Ser mãe de gringo”, author Liliana Carneiro (@li.carneiro) list a multitude of differences between her upbringing in Brazil and, now as an expat, her daughter’s:  Mother’s Days are celebrated in different dates, while Grandparent’s Day don’t have any equivalent up here; she does not know if it is acceptable or creepy to invite kids over for playdates. She insists on celebrating Carnival Tuesday when everyone else is doing a way (waaaaay) less exciting Pancakes Day. She struggles to pronounce her daughter’s surname, just like I do! The list goes on.

Motherhood, by default, brings along countless internal conflicts. For me, this experience has been topped up with a whole bunch of other challenges. She will have to brush her teeth again at noon and will never have a birthday party before the actual birthday. She will always have a prayer next to her bed to prevent the evil eye - as she will have rue branches behind her door to prevent evil eye (ok, maybe Brazilians are a bit too obsessed with evil eyes!). I will watch her hockey games but will probably not have a clue if she is good or not, so little I get about the sport’s rules. I will do my best to help homework, from correct spellings to solve algebra problems, in a different language. I will challenge the Imperialist approach of her History books but might hear a “No, mummy, that’s not how WE tell the story here!” back. I often hear I am short-fused even when I think I am just being assertive! I am frequently tempted to nickname people immediately. In Brazil, if you meet a Camila, you instantly start calling her Ca, Camilinha, Mila, Caca etc.. Whatever you decide and you can change it anytime. In the UK, you must wait for coordinates: “I am Camilla, but I go by Milla”. It blows my mind you get to decide your own nickname! Or that you do not give a lengthy hug (pandemic aside) and invite someone you just met over for a BBQ when you literally have no food in the fridge. “Just come, we will sort it out!”, I grew up saying. Not anymore. They may all sound like small details, but they considerably change how you connect with people and express affection.

I have read the beautiful and delicate “My mom is a foreigner – but not to me”, by the American actress and author Julianne Moore. About the experience of being raised by a nonnational, she said on an interview: “My mother was from Scotland. I could not hear it, but she had an accent. When I was little and I would bring people home, they would say ‘why does your mum talk so funny?’. I would of course get really infuriated and embarrassed!”. Well, the thought of it is scary, isn’t it? I do not mind coming across as an alien to anyone else (“don’t care, no one pays my bills!” – the classic Brazilian proverb!). I nonetheless care about being a source of embarrassment to my daughter, just for being an outlander.

Just very recently, I have found out the November 5th bonfires celebrate the FAILURE of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Well, I come from a country positioned among the Top-100 countries in Corruption Index (Transparency International). A country that was exploited and subjugated by European Crowns since the 15th century; a country that suffered a coup d’état, instigated by the Americans and supported by some of its own MPs, agonising a two-decade long military dictatorship. I simply assumed we celebrated someone dared to try to explode a Parliament! I obviously now see how absurd that is. My background accidentally made me take Guy Fawkes for a martyr, not a villain. This is just one of many examples. Daily, I choose to give up my cultural capital to adhere to the mindset of the place I decided to call home. Yes, it was a decision, and yes, I review it from time to time. But anyhow, these cultural differences shape my motherhood exercising in numerous ways.

Language is possibly the most noticeable point. It is through orality that the identity of a people is shown more strongly. Quoting Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935) “My motherland is my mother tongue”. The controversial Sapir–Whorf hypothesis (1929) suggests the structure of a language affects its speakers' cognition and shape their perception of reality. For instance, if you speak a Latin language (Portuguese, Spanish, French etc), you must categorise people in terms of social dimensions (to pick a “tu” or a “vous”); German does not have present participle (-ing), so German speakers tend to focus on beginnings, middles or ends rather than in the action. Another fascinating aspect of language is the link between bilingualism and personality. Studies found that, when switching languages, people may also switch their way of thinking to “fit” the language. In the 00’s, linguists Dewaele and Pavlenko asked hundreds of bilinguals if they felt like a different person when they spoke different languages. Nearly two-thirds said they did. The connection between language and identity is, as it seems, context-based, malleable and impermanent.

Moreover, language is the element that enables bond between generations and facilitates the transfer of the cultural heritage within members of a community. All my primary fond memories are in Portuguese. This is the language my grandfather told me tales, that I heard the jokes I found funny, that I wrote my first love letter and my journal, in teen years; that I had my first arguments, learned how to negotiate and weigh in decisions.  And if we agree we are the result of our laughter, loves and struggles, then a huge part of who I am comes from experiencing life in my native tongue. I am less articulated in any other language; will I be able to advocate for my daughter clearly if she has problems at school? At the same time, I give her endless cafunes, when I am breastfeeding; I say I was dying of saudades when she comes from nursery. I look for her favourite teddies repeating “Quede?”, to which she opens her little arms in the air with a rhetorical “Where?”. All words that really do not have a perfect translation in English. Their meanings are profoundly connected to someplace else.

On his book “Raising Girls”, Biddulph provoked me to think long and hard about how my relationships with men are, how I make friends, how I keep promises and, more importantly - what are my core values. Does my daughter clearly know what I stand for? Arguably, he says, she will learn all these things from me. And then my oh-always-so-worried mind takes a pause and focus on what really matters. And truly hope that my accent, huge earrings, tattoos and constant “PDAs” (“public display of affection”) will not be a source of awkwardness but else a celebration of her own ancestry. Just a gentle continuation of a lineage of women that started somewhere is distant times, found its way among pain and joy through Portugal and Brazil and is now completing yet another honourable leg in English lands. May I be blessed, with the time and the wisdom, with the chance to help her navigate all the seas her DNA can offer.

And if things get hard, I shall read to my little gringa the poem, “lands,” by Nayyirah Waheed:

“my mother was

my first country;

the first place I ever lived.”

[thenewwei]

40 years ago I was born this evening at Flushing Hospital in New York City.

40 years later, not only am I glad to be alive, but I genuinely feel I’ve lived such a full and amazing life and am happy enough that even if I died today, I wouldn’t feel bad about it or regret much.

I didn’t always feel this way, but I do today.

I can’t remember my 10th birthday very well at all. But I do remember being a relatively happy 5th grader, having transitioned to my Flushing elementary school from Corona two years before. I can’t remember if bullies were still bothering me then, certainly there were jerks and turncoats here and there, but I had good friends, we went on some good overnight field trips in Long Island. Oregon Trail and Cops and Robbers were fun (end of 6th grade was especially awesome, if you count in Connect Four sessions) and it was still a couple of years until the horrors of JHS.

I can’t remember my 20th birthday either, but I definitely remember the circumstances. I was working in my uncle’s motel in NC cleaning dirty carpets. This was between my sophomore and junior years at Wesleyan, but I was slated to go abroad for a year at Oxford in late September.

It had been an eventful summer, at least for my young life. I had decided to turn down an internship at Wesleyan University Press for a month’s job at the circulation desk of Olin Library because I had already committed to it; probably a bad decision, but one that likely didn’t affect me much in the long term. During this time I continued to develop my relationship with a sweet and beautiful girl I had met that spring at school, my first girlfriend, who lived nearby in CT.

After that month, I came back home, took a job teaching kids at an “elite” tutor academy in Elmhurst, Queens, and was promptly fired a week later because I “couldn’t control the kids”—first and only time I’ve ever been fired from a job, and probably the first and only time I couldn’t control the kids—ha ha.

Anyway, my uncle offered me a job doing odd jobs at his motel, so I took the Amtrak down South and began working for him. Even though the work itself wasn’t too inspiring, I did meet plenty of interesting people this way, and experienced a completely different atmosphere from the North, and continued to write (I had already written a novella, novel and short story collection at this point—all bad, of course—and had won a couple of awards for high school and college kids).

My flight back—I decided to fly—was on the morning of 9/11/01. My uncle dropped me off at the airport. At the ticket counter, the woman processing my ticket told me a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center (assumably, accidentally). I laughed it off. I thought she was kidding.

When I went inside the gate, I saw the news on the TV, and realized she wasn’t kidding. I can’t remember if I saw the second plane hit live or not, but it became quickly clear this wasn’t an accident, and that I wasn’t going to make it home to NYC.

Somehow I got in touch with my uncle and he drove me back to the motel. I still remember sitting in my motel room, watching people jump out of the towers while my girlfriend, on the phone with me, told me not to watch. I took the train back a week later.

I didn’t sign up for the military, and I didn’t get drafted, since the govt decided not to institute Selective Service. As usual, I decided to follow through on the commitment I had made, for better or worse. I visited Wesleyan briefly and saw my girlfriend and friends for the last time before I went abroad on a flight where even the flight attendant was openly racist towards me.

My year at Oxford was one of the best years of my life. I had tutorials where I could read and learn what I wanted, I wrote over 50 stories and essays, I backpacked Europe extensively, including alone, and had a “trans-chunnel relationship” with my girlfriend, who was studying abroad in Paris during the latter half of the year.

I experienced some racism in Europe, most of which I’ve never written about or even talked about publicly, but compared to my experiences in gang and crime-filled NYC as a teen, it was like nothing, and on the whole, it was a good experience, even though as a person, I remember being neurotic, paranoid, depressed much of the time, and of course insecure. But I had formed great friendships, I had an on-and-off again—but mostly on—gf, and I was physically in the best shape of my life (until, possibly, now).

I do remember my 30th birthday. I was depressed and didn’t do anything special but I did have a lonely meal at a Japanese restaurant and remember complaining to an acquaintance online about my depression.

I honestly felt like a complete failure. Both my long-term romantic relationships with two great girls (sweet, beautiful, brilliant, in love with me and much else) had failed. I blamed myself and frankly, I wasn’t worthy of either of them. While I had earned two masters degrees and had a decent job (maybe not for an Indian-American or whatever, but still, not terrible), I hadn’t gotten anything but rejections for my writing. I hadn’t been published anywhere since college, I hadn’t won any awards, I had no agent, publisher, college teaching gig, or anything else, even as many of my Wesleyan classmates (Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jason Pinter, Paul Yoon, to name just a few) had already achieved publication, fame and much else. Since I pretty much judged myself solely on this standard, at least professionally, of course, I felt like a complete failure.

On the social front, I still had strong friendships, and was developing more. I still had a solid family core. I was traveling and making more friends. I was single, and I still lived at home.

Fast forward to today, and I feel completely different. I’ve published four books, albeit independently, but I’m proud of them, and I feel like each book is better than the last. I’ve gotten great reviews, they’ve hit the Amazon bestseller lists, I’ve done solid interviews, been on TV, I’m active on social media.

I’m still single after more than a decade, and I still live with my family, and I still don’t have an agent (ha ha) but so what? I still have great friends, in fact, I have more than ever. I’ve strengthened many of the friendships I had then, even at distances, and made many new ones. I’ve traveled much of the world. I have friends and acquaintances of every race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship and residency.

I live in the greatest city on Earth, where I can eat any type of ethnic cuisine at any time of the day, endlessly explore any type of culture and where I have access to pretty much anything and everything of God’s plenty including art, literature, film, scientific knowledge, and much else. I’m content with my decision not to move to Cali, at least for now. So far I’ve survived the pandemic. I’m in great shape, and I’m better than ever at basketball. I’m happy. What can I really complain about?

That said, I’m hardly done. I haven’t reached anywhere near the literary fame and stature that I’ve wanted for decades. Given the odds, I may never, but I have to keep on trying. I’ve recently won awards and grants, something that never happened to me a decade ago. My next book, Bad Americans, is progressing well.

Having been a pessimist for much of my life, I feel positive and optimistic. I think the next decade is looking up for me, or at least I hope it is. I plan to write and publish many more books, and progress my literary movement The New Wei. There are plenty of other projects in the pipeline too, of various disciplines. I’m planning another road trip across the US and other adventures. Even my dating life is better than it’s been in years. Who knows, maybe marriage and the baby in the baby carriage is on the horizon (yeah right, you wish mom, but hey, anything is possible, right?).

My 40th birthday summer has been amazing. I visited a couple of good friends near Philly. I took my recently retired parents on a fun trip to the South, where we hung out with some of our large and beloved extended family. My parents are happy. My sister, who I rarely ever talk about publicly, is happy. My good friend Bob got married and I was his proud Best Man. We had two karaoke bashes with some Bayside buds. I’m planning on having dinner with some of my closest friends tonight, weather depending. Other close friends I’ll see later. I’m taking a trip to Providence RI over Labor Day Weekend with even more. I’m planning a subway musical reading. Some of my cousins gave me ridiculously thoughtful gifts. I could go on and on.

Life at 40 is amazing. I think it will keep getting more amazing. And even if it doesn’t, so be it. It’s life. There will always be hurdles, and it has to end at some point, right?

[maepolzine]

As much as I love my short hair, I was seriously missing long hair so I got a wig off of Amazon that’s got dark roots then long, wavy blond ends. And I seriously love it. I still need to figure out how to style it without wearing a hat as right not it’s a bit obvious without a beanie that I’m wearing a wig. But other than that I’m loving it! But it was quite cold over the weekend compared to the week or two before, so I didn’t mind getting a chance to wear a beanie. Since honestly I would wear a beanie every day if I could. If you would like this wig, here’s a link to the listing on Amazon. I have gotten several other wigs from this brand and love them. Just as a note, this is the first not lace-front wig I’ve gotten from them and there is a little bit of shredding when you first wear it. But overall, it’s not too bad.

  I also realized that I am super behind in Steven Universe, but can’t exactly buy the rest of the volumes that I don’t have but I did get the next volume on Amazon to watch. I did accidentally see the spoiler regarding Rose Quartz.. and I have to say it makes a lot of sense. Not that it makes everything better but it explains things. However, I’m not super happy about Rose Quartz being Pink Diamond. Because she basically caused all of the issues in the first place. From taking over the colony of Earth then creating an alter ego to start a war instead of just telling her fellow diamonds that she didn’t want to complete the colony. And then instead of dealing with her mess, she pretended to have herself shattered which caused the other three diamonds to corrupt all of the gems left on earth minus Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst, and Pink Diamond now being her alter ego of Rose Quartz. And all that comes to mind when thinking of Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond:

“I finally know the truth. I know what you are! You’re a liar! I thought you’d never want to hurt anyone! You hurt everyone! How could you just leave Garnet, and Amethyst and Pearl, and-and Dad?! They don’t know what to do without you! Maybe they didn’t matter to you as much as hiding the mess you made! And that’s why I’m here, isn’t it?! Did you just make me so you just wouldn’t have to deal with your mistakes?! Is that what I’m all here for…?”

Steven Universe, Storm the Room

Continuing on with shows, I’m not happy that Hayley died in The Originals though I’m glad she went out on her terms protecting her daughter. This season has been the worst one so far. I still think they should’ve just been done after the previous season. Considering all of the siblings had to be separated, Elijah had his memory wiped, Hope had just started at school, and everyone was happy! But no, they had to come back and tear everything apart. As long as they don’t mess with Kol and Davina, then I’ll be fine with however this season turns out. Since we know Hope is safe since she’s getting a spin-off series coming up called Legacies. But if they destroy my OTP, I will not be fine at all. They’ve already attacked and tried to destroy it twice now.

My mom and I have also decided to start going for long walks every weekend, and eventually 3 times a week. This past week we went around Rice Lake which is around a 5 mile walk. And considering my ankle is still healing from the sprain of two weeks ago, it probably wasn’t the best idea. Pixie was insanely excited about it and enjoyed the walk like there was no tomorrow. My mom is doing it to get back in shape since she now drives all of the time for work. And I am doing it to lose weight since I have a few pounds I need to lose.

  I’ve also switched temporarily at work to an earlier shift (7:30 AM to 4:30 PM), which has actually been really nice. It’s also not a normal time as I mentioned so there’s little to no traffic at anytime as it’s in between the waves for coming and going to downtown Minneapolis. Though I have had to get used to getting up earlier, which I’m still not used to yet after about two weeks of doing it. Then again, I still wasn’t used to the other time and I’ve had the same 8 AM to 5 PM shift for 4 years. I’m just not a morning person no matter what I try and hit snooze about 3 times every morning. But that’s a lot better than it was before, I used to hit the snooze button 6 or more times every morning. So I’m getting there on my year’s goal of not using the snooze button as much. Not at the point of quitting using it all together, but I’m getting closer.

I haven’t mentioned this and I don’t know why I haven’t… but Pixie no longer chills with me on my bed. Instead she prefers laying on the rug next to my bed or underneath my bed on her dog bed with all her toys. She used to always cuddle up next to me when I’m sitting on my bed on my laptop. But now she’s no where near me, and this includes when I go to sleep. Not sure if she’s just in a mood or if it’s cooler under the bed. I’m guessing it’s the second one since our room gets really hot. In the winter our room was unbearable unless the vent was shut. And now it’s still insanely hot even though I have the vent and window open to allow in cool air… but nope my current Harry Potter Closet room is just insanely hot. But I miss cuddles with my bug… and there isn’t room in there for a fan so I’m not sure what I’m going to do. If you have any ideas how to cool down a room, I am all for it.

Weekly Discoveries/Obsessions:

Songs: Sober Up by AJR.

TV Shows: Steven Universe (Volume 4-6).

Video Games: Clue: The Classic Mystery Game.

Weekly Influencer Shout-outs:

This is something new I’m going to do every week is shout-out several influencers that I love big and small. There are tons of influencers both on Instagram, blogging, YouTube, etc. that just don’t get their voices heard or their platform has made it so they aren’t being heard anymore. So I wanted to do shout-outs to those individuals. If there is someone you don’t think is getting the attention they need let us know in the comments so we can all check them out.

Swoop / Spankie Valentine: Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

Glam and Gore / Mykie: Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

From Roses / Rebecca: Twitter | Blog | Instagram

Instinctively En Vogue / Jackie: Twitter | Blog | Instagram

Porcelain / Bridgette: Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

I did get this idea from Swoop as I thought it was a brilliant idea and I encourage you guys to do the same because maybe then content creators on any of their platforms can get the attention they deserve or has been denied to them.

Love ya,

Mae Polzine

Join the Howl of the Pack today by subscribing! Or support this blog over on Patreon so I can continue to put out quality content for you! To stay updated on everything I’m doing, follow me on Twitter as that’s where I post quick updates. Also, if you like this post, let me know in the comment section, it really helps me figure out what content you guys appreciate. Don’t be shy I would love to hear from you!

My Week in Review As much as I love my short hair, I was seriously missing long hair so I got a wig off of Amazon that's got dark roots then long, wavy blond ends.

#diary #Lifestyle #Personal #week in review

[charger-batteries]

Apple HomePod mini Review

There’s no shortage of smart speakers to choose from these days, but recent months have placed the focus on affordable, often spherical options. Apple's new HomePod mini, a $99 alternative to the larger, more powerful $299 HomePod, competes primarily against the $99 orb-like Amazon Echo (4th Generation) and the non-spherical $99 Google Nest Audio. If audio is your top priority, Apple's speaker is outperformed by Amazon's, as well as some other, non-smart wireless models in the $100 price range—the HomePod mini delivers solid, clean mono audio, but the Echo is substantially larger and more powerful, offering a stronger sense of bass response. That said, if you're already thoroughly invested in the Apple/iOS/HomeKit realm, the HomePod mini is still a strong smart speaker for the price.

HomePod mini Design and Features

The orb-shaped, 0.8-pound HomePod mini is available in space gray or white, and measures 3.3 by 3.9 inches (HW), with a flat panel on the top and on bottom preventing it from being a perfect sphere. The outer paneling is covered in an attractive, “acoustically transparent fabric” grille, and the top is a touch-sensitive control panel.

Internally, the speaker employs a single full-range, down-firing driver and dual passive radiators to enhance bass response. The down-firing driver’s audio is then dispersed by an “acoustic waveguide” that aims to capitalize on surface reflections to create 360-degree audio dispersion.

The HomePod mini might be small enough to pack in a suitcase or tote, but to be clear, it requires a power source in order to work. The hardwired cloth-lined charging cable terminates in USB-C, so the speaker can get its juice from a computer, or by connecting it to the included power adapter and plugging it into the wall.

The top panel glows white when audio is playing (or an array of foggy rainbow colors when Siri is listening or speaking) and has dedicated plus/minus buttons for adjusting volume. A single tap on the top panel plays or pauses audio, a double tap skips forward a track, and a triple tap navigates backward a track. Touching and holding the panel summons Siri, which you can also do by saying, “Hey Siri.” The controls are responsive and easy to operate.

Setup is automated and simple—just having an iPhone or iPad connected to Wi-Fi near the speaker is all it takes when you turn it on for the first time. The process involves agreeing to use Siri’s “recognize my voice” functionality, as well as syncing your Apple Music and iCloud settings, if you wish. Siri does a little demo for you, telling you how you can ask for music to be played or news to be read, though you can get more granular in Apple's Home app.

The HomePod mini is compatible with Bluetooth 5.0 and 802.11n Wi-Fi. Of course, the speaker also works with Apple AirPlay 2, so you can stream directly from Apple devices. There’s no physical connectivity here, however, like an aux input.

HomeKit, Siri, and Other Smart Functionality

The Apple Home app is designed to help you connect and automate smart home devices that are compatible with Apple's HomeKit standard. For instance, you can connect a smart light bulb from Nanoleaf and integrate it into your Home app, then use Siri voice commands on the HomePod mini to control it. Siri can turn it on and off, of course, but can also follow commands to turn the light, say, purple. Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant offer similar functionality, so you just need to make sure the smart home products you buy support the standard you want to use.

With Apple's intercom messaging function, you can send a voice message to multiple HomePod speakers throughout your home, and anyone can respond with their own voice message. Intercom messages can be sent to anyone who is part of your Home group inside the Home app. To send a voice message, you can simply say, “Hey Siri, intercom dinner’s ready,” and the message gets sent out, not just to other HomePods, but to any Apple devices you have set up in the app.

If you ask for a store’s hours on the HomePod mini, you might find that Siri has the directions to the store waiting for you when you get in your car and check the GPS via CarPlay. Ask Siri to find photos of zebras, and images of zebras will appear on your iPhone’s screen within seconds. Furthermore, Siri can recognize up to six voices on the HomePod mini, so Siri should also know that you asked about zebra images, and send them to your phone specifically.

As for audio sources, you can stream anything to the speaker from another compatible device (like an iPhone or laptop) via AirPlay 2. The speaker can also directly access Apple Music, Apple Music Radio, and Apple Podcasts, as well as iHeartRadio, Radio.com, and TuneIn radio streams. Some third-party audio apps, like Amazon Music and Pandora, have built-in integration, in which the HomePod mini will appear as a speaker option from within the app.

I have about 100GB of music stored on my iPhone 8, and nearly all of it was purchased over the years from the iTunes Store (I know, how old-fashioned of me). Before setting up Apple Music, my command, “Hey Siri, play Radiohead, ‘Decks Dark’” failed. When I clarified that I wanted to play music stored off of my phone, Siri complied, but getting a specific song to play proved difficult—Siri was happy to play “all music” on my iPhone or “shuffle music” on my iPhone, but requests like, “Hey Siri, use my iPhone’s Music app to play Radiohead,” and, “Hey Siri, play the playlist Testing Suite from my iPhone,” didn't work. Of course, you can always play music directly from your phone to the speaker manually via AirPlay 2, but the lack of integration of store-bought iTunes files with Siri voice commands is a bit disappointing.

With Apple Music up and running, Siri and the HomePod mini are both much happier. The speaker works smoothly, and music can be called up quickly.

How the HomePod mini Handles Privacy

In the era of digital voice assistants, it's reasonable to wonder: Is Siri always listening to me? Apple claims that, no, Siri isn’t listening when you don’t directly ask a question. But if you want to stop Siri from listening unless you expressly tell it to, you can turn off the HomePod mini's always-on mic by saying, “Hey Siri, turn off Hey Siri.”

Beyond this, Apple claims that when you ask Siri for anything—info from the internet, to play a song, ingredients for a recipe, etc.—the information exchange utilizes “random identifiers” to convey data back and forth. These random identifiers, Apple says, aren't traceable, so your searches are kept private. If you also disable the "send feedback" option, you have a smart speaker that should offer sufficient privacy to allay most concerns.

HomePod mini Mic and Audio Performance

The HomePod mini's four-mic array is designed to pick up voice commands from far away. We tested it with some quiet vocal commands from across a room, and can attest to an impressive reach. Obviously, if music is playing, you’ll have to speak up louder, and the mics once picked up a commercial during a football game—a voiceover said, “Hey Siri, who's leading the NFL in touchdowns,” and the HomePod mini immediately came forth with an answer. Someone in the booth during the broadcast also said something like, “Hey, seriously,” and this activated Siri, as well. I wasn’t listening to music, so this wasn’t annoying, but the potential to accidentally trigger Siri is there.

As for audio performance, Apple's “computational audio” here seems to be an example of the company creating a new term for one that already exists: digital signal processing (DSP). Nearly every speaker we test these days uses DSP to manage various aspects of the audio experience—most importantly, to prevent distortion when a speaker’s volume is maxed out. But DSP can also raise bass levels when the volume is turned low so that the audio still sounds full and rich. Apple's computational audio does these very things, along with aiding in the 360-degree audio dispersion made possible by the waveguide.

Whatever you want to call it, when a company implements DSP well, it’s usually a good thing—but make no mistake, the existence of computational audio in the HomePod mini isn't more impressive than the existence of DSP in any other speaker. Thankfully, Apple's version here allows the HomePod mini to get fairly loud for its size and price. At maximum volumes, you get a solid sense of bass depth, but the dynamics are limited to a notable degree. Again, this is par for the course with DSP, especially with a speaker this size.

On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the HomePod mini avoids distorting at top volumes—the deep bass thump is lessened to a thinner sound, but you still get a decent sense of low-end depth. At lower volume levels, the speaker does a good job of preserving the sense of bass depth so that the track still seems to pack a low-frequency punch without actually being played at a high volume level.

Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the HomePod mini’s general sound signature. The drums here can sound thin on speakers that lack enough bass depth, but on the HomePod mini they sound relatively full and even a little heavy at times. It’s Callahan’s baritone vocals that seem to stand out the most in the lower register, with plenty of low-mid richness. Thankfully, the lows are balanced out with crisp high-mids and highs, giving the vocals some treble edge and the acoustic guitar strums some bright presence. At top volumes, we again can sense the DSP squashing the dynamics to a degree, but it doesn't sound bad, and at slightly more moderate levels, the dynamics are a little more vibrant.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “No Church in the Wild,” the kick drum loop receives enough high-mid presence for its attack to retain its punchiness, while the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are more implied than delivered—we wouldn't really expect a thunderous subwoofer rumble from a speaker this size, anyway. This isn’t to say that the HomePod mini sounds brittle here—there’s plenty of added bass thump in the drum loop, just not powerful sub-bass. The vocals on this track are delivered with solid clarity and no added sibilance.

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, get a little added richness through the HomePod mini—the lower-register instrumentation is pushed forward in the mix, but balanced out well with the bright presence of the higher-register brass, strings, and vocals. This style of speaker isn’t designed for critical listening, nor for sub-bass thunder, but for casual listening it delivers some solid richness and strong overall balance.

We tested the HomePod mini on its own, but adding a second speaker to create a stereo pair can work wonders—just getting some stereo separation adds to the perception of a larger soundstage and more power. The difference between stereo mixes on a single HomePod mini versus a stereo pair of two is profound, but you're also doubling the price.

Comparing the HomePod mini with some similarly priced speakers, like the fourth-generation Amazon Echo, almost doesn't seem fair. Yes, they're the same exact price, but Amazon’s speaker is significantly larger, louder, more powerful, and provides a substantially stronger sense of bass depth. If audio is your top priority, it’s not even close—the Echo beats the HomePod mini (as well as the Google Nest Audio, for that matter) hands down.

Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant? Which $99 Smart Speaker Is Right for You?

Ultimately, the value of Apple's HomePod mini comes down to how much you want Siri in your home (or to expand Siri's reach in your home). If audio quality is your top priority, you can get better performance with the $99 Amazon Echo or with a non-smart, portable Bluetooth speaker like the $129 JBL Charge 4. But if you already use Siri as your primary voice assistant, or you're invested in Apple's HomeKit smart home system, the HomePod mini won’t disappoint—its audio capabilities are solid, and its overall value is strengthened by its smart features.

[moddersinc]

Corsair Carbide 678C Review: A Quiet Case with a Mission

I love running water-cooling loops as much as the next guy. It all starts with the right case. You almost always need to visualize the final product before actually starting your project. It hasn’t been easy to find the right case for me lately. With numerous case options, you can really have a difficult time picking the starting point. Corsair Carbide 678C is a mid-tower ATX case that has many possibilities in my opinion. Some of their signature cases which leave you speechless are Obsidian 1000D and of course, Carbide SPEC-OMEGA. Does the Carbide 678C live up to its predecessors?   Review Sample Provided by: Corsair Product Name: Carbide 678C Price at time of review: $ 199.99 USD Product was given in exchange for work done to produce this review. Technical Specifications Case Dimensions 549mm x 239mm x 497mm Maximum GPU Length 370mm Maximum PSU Length 225mm Maximum CPU Cooler Height 170mm Case Expansion Slots 7+2 vertical Case Drive Bays (x6) 3.5in (x3) 2.5in Case Form Factor Mid-Tower Case Windowed Tempered Glass Case Warranty Two years iCUE enabled No Case Material Steel, Tempered Glass Radiator Compatibility 120mm, 140mm, 240mm, 280mm, 360mm, 420mm Compatible Corsair Liquid Coolers H55, H60, H75, H80i, H90, H100i, H105, H110i, H115i, H150i Case Power Supply ATX (not included) Weight 13.056kg / 28.784lbs Case Drive Bays 3.5" 6 Case Drive Bays 2.5" 3 As you can see from the images above the shipping box of Carbide 678C is fairly plain however, it does provide all of the necessary information about the case inside. The box is recycled friendly and only has black coloring for the imagery and lettering. But what Carbide 678C lacks in external packaging it compensates with internal packaging. The case comes packaged in between of two plastic foam inserts and wrapped with a plastic bag to protect from any accidental damage. The case itself is 28LB or 13Kg. The shipping company, which, I shall keep nameless, dropped it and damaged the shipping box. When I peeked inside and saw the case in a perfect shape I felt instantly better. There isn't much that comes with Carbide 678C. An instructional manual to the case and a small box with set of miscellaneous screws and about a dozen zip ties are all that is included. . Closer Look Corsair Carbide 678C Dimensions of Carbide 678C are 549mm x 239mm x 497mm or 21in x 9in x 20in. I have mentioned that the case is about 26Lb this is due to its steel construction and 5mm tempered glass door. Carbide 678C only has one glass side. The other side is solid without any ventilation holes. Most of the case is constructed from rolled steel but there are few areas where combination of plastic and aluminum is used. The front of the case is made from plastic/brushed aluminum. The bezel opens up like a door to get access to 3.5" enclosed space and air filter. The back of the case is pretty standard design. The power supply enclosure is positioned on the bottom of the case and does not have a removable face plate so the only way to mount the PSU is through the inside. Besides 8 PCI slots on the left there are two vertical PCI type slots if you wish to mount your GPU vertically. The top of the Carbide 678C has a removable sound dampening magnetic panel and also a magnetic plastic dust cover. This case is designed to be as quiet as possible in addition to be able customize it to your liking. The bottom of the case contains one plastic dust cover that could be removed by pulling it from the front. The entire case is supported by four plastic/rubber feet. The feet are about 20mm in diameter and provide excellent grip on flat surfaces. The tempered glass door is mounted on hinges. To stick glass door to the steel case Corsair uses a set of small glued magnets on the tempered glass. Both left and right panels of Carbide 678C could be easily removed. The tempered glass slides up from the hinges without an issue for a quick maintenance. The solid right panel has sound dampening sheet that covers the majority of inner surface. The front bezel of the Carbide 678C is made of brushed aluminum and the inner bezel is made from ABS plastic. The bezel door is hung by hinges and is not removable, unlike the side tempered glass door. If you have any accessories which require 5.25" slot this case actually comes with one empty 5.25" slot for your needs. If you don’t have any 5.25" devices that you want to use, you can just remove the 5.25" drive cage. The Carbide 678C skeleton is made from steel as well. The top back left corner of the case has 4 rivets while other corners have a set of 2 rivets. Internal default cabling is being passed through the center channel and secured by zip ties. Potentially you can follow the same cable management or get creative. There are six 3.5" slots and three 2.5" for your storage needs. The motherboard tray cutout is a pretty good size. Most of the ATX motherboards will have no problem in this case with CPU mounting and access to the back of the motherboard. Corsair included three fans (400-2000 RPM) which are whisper quiet under normal operation. And as I've tested them under a full speed only produce about 42dB. Fans or radiators could be used in this case in the front, back or even on the top. Removal of the pre-installed fans is as easy as removing the magnetic dust and sound dampening panel and unscrewing a few screws. The I/O panel is found on the top of case and offers Power and reset buttons in addition to a HDD LED, two USB 3.1, Gen 2 Type C port and Headphone/Microphone jacks. Hardware Installation and Clearance Issues

Internal length: 500 mm. Internal height: 445 mm. Internal depth: 205 mm.

Front mounted:

Radiator support for 280mm and 360mm. Fan Support 2 140mm or 3 120mm. 1 Front: 140mm Corsair Fan (Included)

Rear mounted:

Radiator support for 120mm and 140mm. Fan Support 1 140mm or 1 120mm. 1 Rear: 140mm Corsair Fan. (Included)

Top mounted:

Radiator support for 420mm and 360mm Fan support 3 140mm or 3 120mm. 1 Rear: 140mm Corsair Fan. (Included)

Bottom mounted:

2 Bottom mounted 120mm or 140mm Fans.  

Power Supply:

There is no removable plate for installing PSU. Maximum length PSU is supported. (225mm but could fit extended PSUs if needed)

Video Card clearance:

There is 500mm of clearance before the reaching the front of the case if the HDD cage is removed. Suggested/Supported video card lenght 370mm.

CPU Tower coolers:

CPU heat-sink height clearance is about 170mm.(from motherboard to the glass) Large CPU backplate cutout.     Assembly of the components in to this case was pretty easy as the Carbide 678C has plenty of space to work around the tight spots. The area of concern in my build was the power supply. I am using a Cooler Master 1200 Gold power supply and it just barely fits into the power supply space but without any clearance space on the top. Fan set up and Radiator set up was a breeze as well. The entire fan system was attached to the PWM repeater and connected to the PWM controller on the motherboard. No issues with rear cabling but I wish there was more room on the back between the internal frame and the door.

Final Thoughts The Carbide 678C is a Mid-Tower (Black or White) case that demonstrates fine craftsmanship of Corsair products. The majority of this case is constructed from rolled steel sheet which in combination with tempered glass window bumps the net weight of about 28Lb This is a pretty heavy bare case. Once you start adding your radiators with pumps and power supply this weight will double and you are going to end up with a hefty case. Modding options for this case are very good as you should be able to mount up to a 360mm  radiator on the top of the case and place up to 150ml reservoir in the case with ease. Carbide 678C has space for a lot of storage (3 x 2.5" and 6 x 3.5" drives). Since a lot of the builders use M.2 drives the 3.5" enclosure could be removed from the system leaving an empty space for you to fill in with custom piping or a water pump. What I found odd is that after you remove the unwanted 3.5" enclosures you are left with these rectangular holes without any covers. Doesn't looks great if you ask me. When I was looking at the painted parts of the case, I found no issues of cracking or scratching of the paint. This is a very strong positive point in my opinion. You want a paint job to last years and when you find that case you were looking for and the paint job is "Meh" it could turn very disappointing.

But for what it is worth the case is gorgeous. Carbide 678C does not come with RGB controller however, the case would fit most RGB controllers on the market. Right now, the case is being sold for $ 199.99 USD but since it’s a new product it is difficult to find in stock at retailers at the time of this review. The Corsair Carbide 678C is absolutely worth the money spent.     amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "dewaynecarel-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_design = "enhanced_links"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B07MG8LB9J"; amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "dc5cf1f6601730145015b8c38a7b8333"; Read the full article

#Carbide678C #Corsair #MidTowerCase #temperedglass

[cdrforea]

Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e Review: A Slice of Luxury

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e Review: A Slice of Luxury

"The Galaxy Tab S5e is an almost perfectly designed Android tablet for your home and a great companion for games and movies."

Slim and light

Breathtaking AMOLED screen

Attractive, simple software

Long battery life

Inexpensive

Audio disappointed

Camera is simple

Would you like this vacation an excellent price for a tablet? Check out our favorite Black Friday tablet deals.

We all want a little bit of luxury. A slightly more expensive hotel than usual when we go on vacation, tick the leather when ordering a new car and buy a mobile device that feels more expensive than it really is. This is the definition of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e. Together with the stunning screen, this is one of the main reasons why you will buy one in the store.

I spent a few weeks on the tablet and can happily say that you won't put it back on the shelf when you take it home.

Luxurious design

Samsung has distinguished itself with the style of the Galaxy Tab S5e. There are no new ways – it is a tablet and therefore quite fixed – but it manages to get all the crucial individual aspects right. The screen is the right size at 10.5 inches, the metal unibody weighs only 399 grams and is surprisingly light, while the 5.5 mm thickness contradicts virtually every belief. Any thinner and lighter, and it would be a piece of paper.

The frames around the screen are narrow, but there is still enough to grab and hold the tablet. But they're almost acceptable – you have to hold them loosely – otherwise it's too easy to accidentally touch the screen and rewind when viewing content, even with normal sized hands. The slim, cool-looking metal housing and the thin screen bezels give the Tab S5e the decisive luxury air. You really want to hold it and it puts a smile on your face when you do it.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The thin housing on the back means that the camera lens is in a bump. This in turn means that it comes into contact with any surface on which the tablet is exposed. In addition to the Samsung and AKG trademark on the back, the camera lens and antenna bands are the only distractions. It's incredibly clean, simple, and stylish. On the sides there is a connector for a Samsung keyboard, four speakers, a microSD card slot and a USB charging port of type C. It doesn't have a 3.5 mm headphone jack, which is a shame.

Any thinner and lighter, and it would be a piece of paper.

Where's the fingerprint sensor? It is located in the power switch on the right edge directly above the volume rocker. Samsung has used this with great effect on the Galaxy S10e. The Tab S5e is precise and fast, but a little too small and possibly a little too high on the body. I searched for it too often and felt my thumb along the side. I would look for it sometime and that is unfortunate. It's not that Samsung has room on the side of the Tab S5e, and a longer sensor – like that of the Sony Xperia 10 Plus – would have been a welcome ergonomic addition.

The tempting slenderness of the Galaxy Tab S5e is one thing, but it worried me a bit. Even though it never hurt, the thin frame worried me about durability. I took it on a long flight and it spent a lot of time in a backpack where I feared it would be subjected to loads that would bend the frame. It never happened, and even when the tablet is physically rotated, there is no excessive movement. I would be happier if I kept the slim, attractive Tab S5e in a bag or case on the go.

Breathtaking screen, average sound

Samsung makes good screens. No, not good, I mean stunning screens, and the Tab S5e is another one to look at in astonishment. The 10.5 AMOLED panel has a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 and looks great in any situation. There is so much color and life that even videos you are familiar with get a new look. I saw the last two episodes of Stranger Things 3 on an airplane and had to turn down the brightness almost all the way down, but the picture was still excellent and the shadows and dark scenes didn't suffer at all.

It’s not just a video that’s great. The low weight also makes it an excellent alternative for e-book readers and is ideal for games. I read with the Amazon Kindle app for many hours and changed the background color from white to a paper-like tone, which didn't tire my eyes. The light, easy-to-hold body enables longer gaming sessions even when playing. Reckless Racing 3 is fun and is visually enhanced thanks to the breathtaking colors and the screen.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

There's no question about the Tab S5e credentials when it comes to the visual experience, but what about the sound? The Tab S5e has four speakers that have been tuned by AKG – Samsung's audio experts. The speakers support Dolby Atmos. The audio is realigned when the tablet moves from portrait to landscape and vice versa. Despite all of these efforts, the sound is good, but not great.

There is a lot of volume, but voices are often lost in the mix, and increasing the volume only aggravates the situation. The chassis vibrates with noise, but not really with bass, because there is simply not that much. This is to be expected as there is not much space in the body for loudspeakers and sound chambers and the loudspeakers can be easily dampened when the tablet is held. We also had a similar listening experience with the Galaxy Tab S4.

Power and battery

On paper, the Galaxy Tab S5e doesn't impress with its technical data, since it deserves a relatively simple smartphone – a Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 processor and 4 GB or 6 GB RAM (corresponds to what is included in the Google Pixel 3a). In reality, it's more than enough to drive the tablet for the tasks it is meant to do – watch, surf, and read movies. I never had any problems playing.

Here are some benchmark results:

AnTuTu 3DBench: 152.646

Geekbench 4 CPU: 1,604 single core; 5,627 multi core

3DMark Sling Shot Extreme: 1,536 (volcano)

These numbers cannot keep up with the more expensive tablets with higher performance, but they are not displayed in daily use. The Galaxy Tab S5e never feels like a midrange smartphone despite the numbers and processor. It is wiped out in tests by Apple iPad Air, its direct competitor in terms of price.

The willingness of the Tab S5e to only sip energy increases its usefulness.

The battery on which the show runs has a capacity of 7,040 mAh and provides more than enough energy for long-term use. When used daily for a few hours, with apps and while watching videos, the battery lasted five days before it needed to be charged. The best thing is that it is in standby mode for days and uses almost no power. Tablets are not always used every day, so the Tab S5e’s willingness to drink only energy increases its usefulness.

Another great performance aspect of the Galaxy Tab S5e is WiFi, where I found signals I received more reliably than my phone when I was far from my router. This is important if you are streaming videos at home.

Basic camera

Would you like to take photos with your tablet? Sure, it's not ideal, but if necessary, the Galaxy Tab S5e will take it with its single 13-megapixel lens with a 1: 2.0 aperture on the back. On the front there is an 8 megapixel camera with the same aperture. The results are decent, with some attractive colors and contrasts, details in the shaded areas, and a nice blue sky with no oversaturation.

The pictures don't have much life and you don't want to take many in low light. Close-ups suffer from a lack of detail. The camera app has an editing suite with filters and basic tools to adjust your picture. Use the selfie camera and there are Snapchat style face filters and a live focus mode for a software generated bokeh effect. Everyone works very well, but their attractiveness will be a niche.

Whenever the Galaxy Tab S5e camera is put into action, it does more than provide enough results, but you can get a better camera experience on Apple's iPad Air.

A UI software

Samsung has installed its own One UI Version 1.1 software via Android 9 Pie. The experience is very similar and pleasant to that of a Samsung Galaxy smartphone. A user interface is clear, logical and clear. No, it doesn't look like Android on a Google Pixel, but its consistent layout makes it stylish and modern, and that's a big plus. App icons are uniform in size and shape, and navigation is quick and responsive, if a little slow at times.

Slowness is not a performance issue, but rather a design decision, as Samsung wants you to admire the transitions and scrolling. I don't know – sometimes it's a bit blurry – and I just want to find my app.

One problem that can affect others like me is the transfer of video content from a computer to the tablet. Connect it to a MacBook via USB, and you're out of luck if you want to transfer files. Android Device Manager is not working, and Samsung's outdated Mac app is not. It simply refuses to recognize what pain is when I want to have a video on my tablet. In the end I loaded a video with Google Drive. Yes, it worked, but it's awfully lengthy.

Then there's Bixby. On the home screen, swipe right to display Bixby Home, where a selection of maps contains information from some apps, Google Play, News, YouTube, and the tablet gallery. Among the helpful cards like the news, there are some curiosities like Giphy. Fortunately, you can edit which cards appear, but you can't mix the order.

The software of the Galaxy Tab S5e is easy to use, easy to adapt and also pretty.

I certainly haven't used Bixby Home very often, but Samsung has worked hard to improve the virtual assistant. The Galaxy Tab S5e has Bixby Voice, and you can activate the virtual assistant with the power button. Set this up and what can you do? Bixby's voice is surprisingly lifelike; It recognized my commands most of the time and the wake-up word "Hey Bixby" made sure it was always on. Many of the features are designed for use on a smartphone and not on a tablet that stays at home. For example, Bixby's quick commands are useful when you change profile settings for work or in the car. I don't take my tablet much out of the house, which makes this and many other commands superfluous.

Apart from that, the software of the Galaxy Tab S5e is easy to use, easy to adapt and also pretty. It makes a significant contribution to ensuring that the Galaxy Tab S5e is pleasant to live and use.

Price, availability and guarantee

The Galaxy Tab S5e costs $ 400 with 64 GB of storage or $ 470 with 128 GB and can be purchased from Samsung, Amazon, Best Buy and other retailers. In the UK, the 64 GB Tab S5e is £ 380 and the 128 GB is £ 420. If you want a 4G LTE version, it is only available from Verizon in the US and costs $ 480 plus the data plan you choose. In the UK, the 4G LTE model is unlocked and starts at £ 430.

Samsung provides a one-year warranty on the tablet against manufacturing defects in the United States, but not against accidental damage. The UK warranty is two years.

Our opinion

The Galaxy Tab S5e is an almost perfectly designed Android tablet for your home and the perfect companion for playing and watching movies and videos. The sophisticated software and performance ensure that it does not irritate, and thanks to the long-lasting battery it is always ready for use. The price is $ 399 (MSRP), and sales often drop to around $ 350.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes, and it's the tablet most people will think about – the Apple iPad. You should take a look at the Apple iPad Air, which has a 10.5-inch screen. It starts at $ 500. The smaller 9.7-inch iPad starts at $ 330, but the larger screen bezels make it look older. IPad software is great, app support is better, the screen is similarly good, and it will keep its value for the future – important if you want to resell it to fund an annual update.

If you want a more productive Samsung Android tablet, the Galaxy Tab S4 remains a good buy if you're on a tight budget. On the other hand, the new Galaxy Tab S6 is available if you want the latest Samsung Galaxy Tab hardware.

For more information, see our best tablet guide.

How long it will take?

The Galaxy Tab S5e is not waterproof and also not particularly durable. So you have to treat it well if you want it to last a long time. If you do this, there is no reason why the Tab S5e will not last for years. In contrast to smartphones, tablets are not so quickly out of date. Since drastic improvements are rare in subsequent models, there is less temptation to change them regularly.

There is no reason why you can't use the Tab S5e for three to four years if you only use it as a media player and for basic apps.

Should you buy it

Yes. The Galaxy Tab S5e is luxurious, powerful, and not overly expensive. It's not the best tablet, but it's a solid mid-range pick and will appeal to Android loyalists.

Editor's recommendations

#Galaxy #Luxury #Review #S5e #Samsung #Slice #Tab #Product Reviews

[lindafrancois]

The 20 Minute Beginner Kettlebell Workout: Try This Simple Workout at Home or Anywhere!

This simple beginner kettlebell workout will blow your mind.

How do I know? Because ours will teach you how to handle a kettlebell using Mega Man and Mario references.

In today’s guide, we’ll go over the following (click to go right to that section):

The Nerd Fitness 20 minute Kettlebell Workout (with video demonstration)

The 6 Best Kettlebell Exercises for Beginners

What type of kettlebell is best? What is the best kettlebell weight for me?

Can you lose weight with kettlebells?

Download the Kettlebell Worksheet!

These are the types of programs that we create for our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Clients, and we’re getting amazing results for people. 

Let us create a custom Kettlebell program for you! Learn more:

And make sure you download our Kettlebell Worksheet!

Grab Your Beginner Kettlebell Routine Worksheet!

Complete this workout at home or gym with 1 kettlebell.

Avoid the common mistakes everybody makes when doing kettlebell exercises.

Build strength, burn fat, level up your life!

The 20 Minute Beginner Kettlebell Workout (with Video Demonstration)

Once you’ve watched the video above (featuring Matt Shortis, a lead trainer in our 1-on-1 Coaching Program) here’s a quick recap with repetitions for the workout here:

COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING CIRCUIT 3 TIMES:

8 Halos (each side)

10 Goblet Squats

8 Overhead Presses (each side)

15 Kettlebell Swings

8 Bent Over Rows (each side)

6 Front Rack Reverse Lunge (per side)

This Beginner Kettlebell Workout is what’s called a circuit (you can learn all about circuit training here). That’s just a fancy term for doing a workout like so:

1 set of exercise A, go immediately to

1 set of exercise B, go immediately to

1 set of exercise C, and so on…

Repeat from the top!

Your long term goal should be to do 3 full circuits back to back for a complete workout.

4 if you’re on fire, like in NBA Jams.

If you can only go through it once or twice, that’s okay too!

And if you need to take a break at any time between sets or after a circuit, do it! You do you.

Prior to jumping into the kettlebell circuit, don’t forget to do some mobility warm-up (you can see our warm-up routine here):

Nothing too crazy, just something to “grease the groove” and get your body used to movement so you don’t pull any muscles once you start swinging the kettlebell.

In other words, preparing your muscles and joints to move some weight around!

A few minutes of running in place, air punches and kicks, some jumping jacks, and arm swings, should get your heart rate up and your muscles warmed for the Kettlebell Workout.

You can do all of the workout with one single kettlebell, from anywhere.

We’ll go over each more in our next section, so you can perfect your kettlebell technique.

When you’re done, do some light stretching to cool down. A couple of yoga poses would suffice. Make sure you drink water too.

Feel free to go through this routine at least once a week, and up to 2-3 times a week, with a day off between.

Remember, you don’t build muscle when you’re exercising, you build muscle when you’re resting.

Your muscles are broken down when you strength train, and then they rebuild themselves stronger over the following days of recovery!

If you just can’t sit still, feel free to do some fun exercises, go for a walk, or do one of these off-day activites.

Don’t forget to download our Beginner Kettlebell Worksheet, which covers the above sequence from Coach Matt.

You can print it out and track the number of sets and repetitions you complete, which will help ensure you progress in your training.

You can grab yours free when you sign up in the box below:

Grab Your Beginner Kettlebell Routine Worksheet!

Complete this workout at home or gym with 1 kettlebell.

Avoid the common mistakes everybody makes when doing kettlebell exercises.

Build strength, burn fat, level up your life!

The 6 Best Kettlebell Exercises for Beginners

Let’s go over each exercise in the 20 Minute Beginner Kettlebell Workout: 

#1) KETTLEBELL HALOS

Grab the kettlebell with two hands on the handle.

Raise the kettlebell above your head.

Move around your head like you’re tracing a halo.

Tip from Coach Matt: with your halos, remember to keep the movement smooth. You don’t want to accidentally slam your head with the bell.

#2) KETTLEBELL GOBLET SQUAT

Grab the kettlebell with two hands “by the horns,” aka the handle.

Keep your elbows in tight and your feet about parallel.

Then lower down like you would in a bodyweight squat.

Reverse the movement to raise back up.

Tip from Coach Matt: for the goblet squat, focus on depth. It’s more important to practice doing a full squat than to pump out reps. If you can’t make 10, don’t stress it. Do what you can.

#3) KETTLEBELL OVERHEAD PRESS

Grab the kettlebell with one hand, with the handle going down your palm (if the handle is too close to your fingers it’ll pull your wrist down).

Press straight up with your fist driving the movement (your fist would be pointing up the entire time).

Reverse the movement and bring the kettlebell back down. Then repeat.

Tip from Coach Matt: when doing the overhead press, get tight. Tightening your muscles will engage your core, offering a fuller body workout.

#4) KETTLEBELL SWING

Get down into a bent-over, flat-back position and grab the kettlebell with both hands from the handle.

Swing the kettlebell behind you, then get ready to jump up.

Jump up (without leaving the ground) and swing the kettlebell up. You should be standing tall at the peak of the movement.

Reverse the movement and bring the kettlebell back down and behind you.

Repeat.

Tip from Coach Matt: during the kettlebell swing, focus on hinging your hips. The swing is like a deadlift movement, so you should feel it in your hamstring and glutes.

#5) BENT OVER ROW

Get down into a bent-over, flat-back position and grab the kettlebell with one arm.

Pick up the kettlebell by driving your elbow up into your rib cage.

Lower the kettlebell back down by reversing the movement.

Tip from Coach Matt: try to keep your back straight and stomach tight during the row. This will help engage your legs for stabilization as you pull the kettlebell towards your stomach.

#6) FRONT RACK REVERSE LUNGE

Grab the kettlebell with one hand and rest the weight between your arm and chest.

Step your leg back (the same side your kettlebell is on) and lower down until your shin is parallel-ish with the ground (or as low as you can).

Spring back up to your starting position.

Tip from Coach Matt: for the lunges, again keep your back straight. By keeping your shoulders back, you’ll get a fuller body workout when you come in and out of your lunge.

Boom! There you have it.

The 6 best kettlebell exercises for beginners. 

If you want someone to review your form on any of these kettlebell movements, or you’re looking to level up your kettlebell game, our coaches can do just that! Our spiffy mobile app lets you send a video of your exercises directly to your coach, who will provide feedback so you can perfect your technique.

Have a Nerd Fitness Coach check your form with a kettlebell. Learn more here!

In case you’re still on the fence about grabbing a kettlebell, let’s dig into them a little bit more.[1]

What Type of Kettlebell Is Best? What Is the Best Kettlebell Weight for Me?

So you want to buy a kettlebell, eh?

They come in all sorts of materials, in all sorts of shapes, and in all sorts of sizes.

Which one you pick will come down to your personal preference, your budget, and your experience with kettlebells.

Let’s contemplate the following when picking the right kettlebell:

#1) Standard vs.Competition. A standard traditional kettlebell will be cast iron, and as the weight goes up, the dimensions go up.

For example, a 16kg (35 lb.) bell will be larger than a 6kg (15lb) bell. This isn’t true for competitive kettlebells.

No matter their weight, competitive kettlebells will have the same dimensions for bell shape, base, and handle width.

So the 16kg will look just like the 6kg. This can be helpful to make sure you are consistent with technique.

#2) Weight. In general, pick a weight that allows you to complete a workout with good form.

When in doubt, start with a lighter weight, as you can always increase the weight/size later. If you’re forcing me to pick one for you, knowing NOTHING about you, I’d say consider purchasing a 16kg if you’re a male or 8kg if you’re a female.

Now, this isn’t an exact science, and we are all unique snowflakes. If you think you’re stronger than average, go heavier. Not quite there? Go lighter.

#3) Ballistic vs. Grind. You’ll often hear the terms ballistic and grinding in kettlebell workout discussions, for fast and slow movements respectively.

Ballistic movements would be quick, like the kettlebell swing.

Grinding movements would be slow, like the overhead press. For ballistic movements, you might actually want a heavier kettlebell, to help with momentum.

For grinding movements, less weight might be in order to help with control.

For now, if you are just starting out, go ahead and stick to one kettlebell. Branch out as you advance in experience.

#4) Handle. This is where quality comes into play. You’ll be doing many, many repetitions with your kettlebell.

If the handle has rough edges, you’ll feel each and every one of the movements cut into your hand.

Not fun.

Quality matters when it comes to handles. So we’ll chat about ideal brands in a moment. I’ll end our discussion on handles by saying they are generally standardized at 35mm for thickness.

Use this as your baseline for differences when comparing bell grips.

Okay, let’s talk about kettlebell brands:

#1) Cap Barbell. This would be an ideal first kettlebell. Not too expensive and decent quality, Cap Barbell kettlebells can be found on Amazon or at any Walmart.

The Cap Barbell is the most highly reviewed and reasonably priced kettlebell we have encountered. Do you have any experience with one?

Let us know in the comments if you like it!

#2) Kettlebell Kings. You see Kettlebell Kings ranked as some of the best bells out there. Not a bad price for the quality.

Plus, they offer free shipping in the US, which is nice since you’re essentially mailing a cannonball.

#3) Dragon Door. Some call Dragon Door the gold standard of anything and everything “kettlebell.”

I wouldn’t disagree, but expect to pay for it.

#4) Onnit. Onnit rocks, and they offer good quality bells that are quite popular.

And… they sell a Darth Vader one.

I know, I should have started with that.

OUR ADVICE: Before you go buy an expensive kettlebell, check your gym!

I bet it has kettlebells, and you can try out different brands/ sizes/ weights/ styles to see which one you like the best.

Afraid of going? Here’s how to train in a gym.

Don’t care about buying your bell new?

Check out Craigslist or a used sporting goods store like Play it Again Sports for a previously owned kettlebell from a person who no longer needs it.

A used kettlebell is still a kettlebell.

Crafty? Build your own!

Here’s a video on how to make a kettlebell:

If you make your own kettlebell (be careful – you don’t want it breaking mid-swing!), please email me. I would be so pumped!

And if you need help with ALL of this and just want somebody to tell you how to train, I got you covered too.

Let us create a custom Kettlebell program that fits YOUR situation. Learn more about our Online Coaching Program:

Can You Lose Weight with Kettlebells?

If you’re trying to lose weight, a kettlebell and the workout routine above would be a great part of the plan!

The other part of the plan should be your nutrition.

As we lay out in our Coaching Program and our massive guide on “Healthy Eating,” we believe that proper nutrition is 80-90% of the equation for weight loss.

No joke.

It’s by far the biggest factor for success.

So will you lose weight training with kettlebells?

Maybe!

If you fix your diet AND begin to incorporate our kettlebell routine a few times per week, you’ll will find yourself building muscle, losing fat, and getting stronger!

So how do you fix your diet?

Great question.

Whether you choose to follow a Keto Diet, Paleo Diet, Mediterranean Diet, or something like Intermittent Fasting, the best path will be up to your goals, your situation, and your habits.

Here are some basic tips though (as we cover in our Beginner’s Guide to Healthy Eating):

If your goal is weight loss, you have to eat less than you burn each day. This can be through eating less and burning more (from the kettlebell workout above)

Processed foods and junk food make it really tough to lose weight: They have lots of calories and carbs, low nutritional value, don’t fill you up, and cause you to overeat.

Vegetables are your friend. If you don’t like veggies, here’s how to make vegetables taste good.

Liquid calories are sabotaging your efforts. Soda, juice, sports drinks: they’re all pretty much high-calorie sugar water with minimal nutritional value. Get your caffeine from black coffee or tea, fizzy-drink fix from sparkling water.

Not losing weight? Track your calories and work on consuming slightly less each day. We tackle this point in-depth in our article “Why can’t I lose weight?”

Eat more protein! Protein helps rebuild muscle, and can help you stay under your calorie limit because it’s satiating and filling. Here’s exactly how much protein you should be eating every day.

Those tips should get you started, but if you want more specific instruction and guidance, check out the NF Coaching Program – Your Coach will build a routine tailored to your individual needs and what equipment you have available:

DoWnload the Kettlebell Worksheet!

Like most things in life, the important aspect of any exercise regimen is starting it.

No matter what strength training program you choose, start TODAY.

You don’t need to get strong before you can play with a kettlebell. You can play with a kettlebell to get stronger!

Here’s that Beginner Kettlebell Workout one more time to recap:

Halos: 8 reps each side

Goblet Squats: 10 reps

Overhead Presses: 8 reps

Kettlebell Swings: 15 reps

Bent Over Rows: 8 reps each side

Front Rack Reverse Lunge: 6 reps each side

Here are the next two steps you can take with our community if you dig what we do! 

1) Check out our 1-on-1 Online Coaching program. Our coaches can work with you to pick up a kettlebell for the first time or to learn more advanced moves.

Whether you are brand new to your fitness journey, or ready to take it to the next level, we have your back!

Get strong as hell with Kettlebells in the NF Coaching Program. Learn more here:

2) If you want an exact blueprint for growing strong, check out NF Journey. Our fun habit-building app helps you exercise more frequently, eat healthier, and level up your life (literally).

We even have a fun kettlebell adventure that you can follow!

Try your free trial right here:

3) Join the Rebellion! Join our free community with a biweekly newsletter, and I’ll send you our Beginner Kettlebell Worksheet.

Simply sign up in the box below, and let us know what you think of it!

Grab Your Beginner Kettlebell Routine Worksheet!

Complete this workout at home or gym with 1 kettlebell.

Avoid the common mistakes everybody makes when doing kettlebell exercises.

Build strength, burn fat, level up your life!

I’d love to hear how this goes for you! Simply leave a comment below.

Hell, leave a comment if there’s anything else we can help you with too.

For the Rebellion!

-Steve

PS: If you are using Kettlebells to get started with Strength Training, make sure you read the other articles in our Strength Training series! 

Strength 101: How to get strong

Strength training workouts: get started!

6 Levels of Gym Workouts: never be lost again! 

*All photo sources can be found in this footnote right here: kettlebell, kettlebell press, kettlebells, kettlebell II, svershinsky © 123RF.com.

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I’m aware it’s very difficult to dig into an actual kettlebell

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The best water bottle in 2020

It’s no secret that single-use plastic is not only bad for the environment, but can harm your body, too. If you’re looking to cut down on your plastic use, a reusable water bottle is one of the best and easiest ways to start. A good reusable water bottle will last for years and withstand day-to-day stresses, such as being thrown in a bag or accidentally clanking it into a railing. Plus, having a water bottle you love might make it easier to stay hydrated all day long. 

How to pick a reusable water bottle

Water bottles are mainly made from three different materials: plastic, glass and metal (or stainless steel). All three have their own hydration pros and cons.

Plastic is lightweight and durable, but plastic can transfer a taste or odor to your beverage when you drink. Glass bottles are safer to drink from than plastic and don’t hold onto taste but they’re fragile and not ideal for rough outdoor activities like backpacking. Metal water bottles and stainless steel are also usually insulated (there’s insulation around the body) and are the best at keeping the beverages you drink cold or hot (depending on if they start cold or hot, naturally), but they can be heavy and subject to dents and scratches.

After you decide what material you want your reusable drinking water bottle to be made of, consider the lid type. Do you want a straw lid, a flip-top spout lid (like a travel mug) or a screw top? Maybe you need a lid that can attach to a backpack with a carabiner or a lid that won’t unscrew in your work bag.

Read more: 7 ways drinking more water can make you healthier

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Also, consider size and design when picking your perfect water bottle. Most companies make their bottles available in a variety of sizes, ranging from 12 to 40 ounces and beyond. Smaller sizes allow for thinner, sleeker designs with a narrow mouth, while larger sizes usually mean a wide-mouth bottle or a juglike design ideal to drink from at all-day events like beach days.

I scoured the web for the best water bottle options for the most functional and fashionable reusable water bottles from which to drink. I began my search with brands I already knew created good products, like S’well bottles, though I ended up finding a couple that aren’t as evangelized but still create cool products to help you stay hydrated.

All of these brands have received multiple customer reviews on Amazon — the bottles on this list are all in the four-star range with mostly favorable reviews on Amazon (no one can please everyone). From basic bottles to portable pouches to all-day canteens, try replacing your plastic disposable drinking water bottles with one of these reusable models. In the end, it’s up to you to decide which is the best water bottle — and to stay hydrated.

Hydro Flask

Hydro Flask exploded in popularity a few years ago and has stayed at the top of the water bottle totem pole due to its double insulated design, durable stainless steel materials and fun variety of colors. Hydro Flask insulated stainless steel bottles keep liquids cool for up to 24 hours and hot beverages warm up to 12 hours.

They’re tough enough to toss into bags and survive the hustle and bustle of your days (stainless steel, remember?), and Hydro Flask vacuum insulated bottles resist condensation, so the outside of your bottle will stay dry when you drink. The vacuum insulated water bottle comes with a standard lid and spout, but you can always mix and match to make the best water bottle for yourself.

Pressa Bottle

Some people love drinking tap water plain. Some think it’s the most boring liquid to have ever graced this planet, despite it being essential to human survival. I am one of the latter, which is why I love Pressa Bottle, the infuser water bottle with a built-in juicer. It’s a great reusable bottle for on-the-go folks who want fruit-infused water but don’t want to deal with (or forget to make) a whole pitcher full at home. 

All you have to do is put your fruit of choice in the juicer and twist the dial on top. This reusable glass bottle has a silicone sleeve (the silicone sleeve helps your grip) and comes apart for an easy clean. You can also safely clean your Pressa Bottle in the dishwasher.

Tad Martin/CNET

Previously, we listed the Platypus Platy Ultralight Collapsible as the best portable water bottle for backpacking, but since then, Platypus has come out with the Platypus DuoLock Soft Bottle 1.0 L — a sturdier, more stylish version of the Ultralight Collapsible. The DuoLock Soft Bottle has a built-in carabiner, making it perfect for clearing up space in a hiking backpack: Just clip it on outside instead of stuffing it in. You can choose from one liter or two, but in my own hiking experience, I’ve found that one liter is sufficient unless you’re heading out for a full day-long trek. 

Grayl

The Grayl Geopress Purifier filters out 99.99% of bacteria, viruses, protozoa and sediment. It holds a standard amount of water (24 ounces); it’s incredibly durable; and it’s easy to clean — a really big deal as heavy-duty filtered water bottles are notoriously difficult to clean. I tested the Grayl Geopress Purifier along with five other filtered water bottles, and the Geopress struck me as the safest and the best investment for outdoor use. 

Amanda Capritto/CNET

Glass is non-toxic, doesn’t seep chemicals and doesn’t degrade over time, making it a great alternative to plastic. The body of this Contigo bottle is made entirely of glass, while the protective outer layer is silicone and the cap is stainless steel. The outer silicone sleeve makes this bottle extra grippy (no broken glass!), and it’s top-rack dishwasher-safe.

I’ve owned many a Contigo bottle and this Purity glass one stood up to the brand’s reputation of making long-lasting, stylish, functional bottles. It’s also one of the least expensive bottle on this list; quite honestly, I don’t know how Contigo even profits off of such inexpensive bottles, especially when they seem to be high-quality and durable. But hey, I’m not complaining about a great reusable water bottle for just $15.

Amanda Capritto/CNET

All of Klean Kanteen’s water bottles are environmentally friendly thanks to the company’s patented chip-resistant, durable finish called Klean Coat. But the Klean Kanteen 20-ounce Reflect vacuum insulated bottle is especially environmentally friendly, made from just three materials: stainless steel, food-grade silicone and bamboo. It has no paint, ink, coatings or plastic.

It’s easy to carry with a nice loop handle, and the bottle is rather elegant in its simplicity. Despite lacking the insulated coating that most stainless steel bottles have, Insulated Reflect is still double-wall vacuum-insulated and the Klean Kanteen insulated bottle kept my water cold for as long as I needed it to. Hot drinks and hot liquids aren’t recommended because of the steel bamboo cap.

Amanda Capritto/CNET

The insulated, stainless steel Roamer from S’well keeps a whopping 64 ounces of water cold and delicious even when it’s hot out. I took this bottle on a 9-mile hike and it lasted me until the end. It was a hot day, so there were no actual ice pieces left, but the water was still ice-cold.

Made from food-grade stainless steel, S’well insulated bottles are perfect for long, hot beach days and for those who just don’t feel like refilling their bottle several times a day. Because it holds 40 or 64 ounces and is made of stainless steel, this insulated bottle can get pretty heavy when it’s full. Depending on your preferences, you might not want this one for hiking or walking around. It’s definitely not the easiest way to carry water on a hike, but overall, I didn’t mind toting this 64 ounce bottle.  

Paige Thies/CNET

I also tested the Astrea One water bottle for our list of best filtered water bottles for 2020, and while I wouldn’t recommend using this one with natural freshwater, it works wonders on tap water, filtering out lead, benzene, mercury, copper, chlorine and more. It also has a great design that’s sturdy, durable and easy to clean.

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The Que bottle might be the most adorable water bottle I’ve ever used. Made only of silicone and stainless steel, this bottle collapses down to half its size when empty — perfect for anyone who’s always trying to crunch space in their bag. The Que bottle is also dishwasher safe, BPA-free and 100% plastic-free. Flexible and durable, this bottle can withstand drops and falls, and bounces back to its normal size and shape even after being totally smushed. 

CrazyCap

In another category of reusable water bottles that zap away dirt and pathogens, self-cleaning water bottles use UV-C light to decontaminate water. I tested three self-cleaning UV-C water bottles and the CrazyCap Gen 2 produced the best taste and has the best suite of functions: It has a normal purification mode for tap water and a “Crazy Mode” for freshwater; an autoclean function; and a slender design that makes it great for taking along in the car and slipping into bags. 

Amanda Capritto/CNET

Try as we might, it’s not always possible to avoid a gas station run-in for a bottle of water. Maybe you forgot your reusable water bottle or you did bring it, but you’re in the middle of nowhere and need a clean refill. Enter: Pathwater. 

Pathwater is first 100% reusable, recyclable bottled water in an aluminum bottle. You can find it at gas stations and convenience stores (use the store locator) and it only costs $2 to $3, depending on the location. The water that comes in these bottles is just as good, if not better, than any water you’d get in a plastic bottle, and they are endlessly reusable and recyclable. 

I stocked my fridge with a case of Pathwater in four months ago and have been using the same set since. Even if you don’t reuse a Pathwater bottle, it takes five times less energy to recycle than a plastic bottle of the same size, according to the Pathwater website. 

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Originally published earlier and updated as new products become available.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

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