All posts in category Reviews

Book Quadrant: The Playful Brides Series by. Valerie Bowman

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! I finally finished reading it and it is time!

The Playful Brides Series by. Valerie Bowman

Disclaimer

This review is based on the thoughts and opinions of the lead writer of this blog! Please respect her thoughts and opinions on this series. You have been warned!

Synopsis

This series is an eleven book series that takes place in the 1800s England. We meet women who fall for men of high status in order to be courted once they have their debuts. We first meet Lucy who tries to hook up her best friend, Cassandra, with the Duke of Huntington, Derek, but ends up falling for him instead. As the story goes on, Lucy helps her gal pals in her Duchess role hook up with the men they love such as Cassandra with her long lost love, Julian, Jane with her cousin Garret, which they have a share for literature, even Delilah with her long time friend that she denies falling in love despite being a matchmaker herself. 

Thoughts

This series took me three years to read because I ended up with some of the middle titles all thanks to NetGalley but had to go back and read them all in order to know what the series was all about!! I not only bought most of them on Amazon for Kindle but also downloaded one from Bookshare. I do have to say that I enjoyed this series a lot. It was very entertaining due to how each character interacted with each other. I do admit I like Lucy and Jane the most when they interact with Derek and Garret in their respective books. I also do fit with Jane’s personality since I was pretty much the bookworm and enjoyed reading books. Well, when I did read manga I did enjoy either a cookie from Pepperidge Farm or Pocky since Jane did eat tea cake while reading. I did like the change for A Duke Like No Other and Kiss Me At Christmas because it removed the focus a little from our original cast to other characters we get to meet which happened to be Grimaldi and his wife and Dolphin with Regina since Caid and Rafe, the Cavendish brothers, knew Grimaldi after all. These characters in A Duke Like No Other and Kiss Me At Christmas took more on a mystery than a romance story.

Another thing I did like about this series is that we got to see what it was like to live in England and Scotland around this era. We got to see how balls were like, how women were like along with men, carriages, and how spies lived and the police ran, especially the Bow Street Runners. It gave us a glimpse of the 1800s without finding a time machine. Valerie painted a good picture for us as my Kindle took those page turns as I read. We even get to see how people perform plays in No Duke Other Than You where our characters performed a MidSummer Night’s Dream for charity. It was even interesting how Bowman’s event was inspired to take the potion from the Shakespearean play into the story itself as well. All in all, I enjoyed this series. Yes, I know it took me a long time to read this series but to be fair, life did get in the way including college but I’m glad to finish it.

Rating: 5 Star Paw Comets Out of 5~

This book series was a very entertaining series. We got to see what people had gone through in the 1800s and how women get married in these times. I enjoyed the characters and how they interacted with each other. I feel like I was watching a romantic comedy set at this time.I saw other series written by Valerie Bowman and may check those out and see if they still hit the high points that this one had. I can’t say that this series did not disappoint as I read each book on my Kindle. I would say check them out if you get a chance!

Well, that felt good completing a series! Next up is The Girl in the Tower which is the sequel to the Bear and the Nightingale. I will be reading Bear & the Nightingale again so I could get the flow of the series again since I reviewed it years ago during my major NetGalley kick and now getting back into it. Guys, my library is backed up to 2018 and I am not kidding about that! I am glad I am starting to get back into it. So, I will be reading as best as I can since classes are starting back up on the twenty-third this month. I am glad my textbooks are also on my Kindle so I could switch if I need to clear my brain for a little while! Trust me, sometimes studying for your Master’s you need some leisure reading in between. So, until next time!

Leave a comment
by moonleopard85 on January 12, 2023  •  Permalink
Posted in Books, Reviews

Posted by moonleopard85 on January 12, 2023

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2023/01/12/book-quadrant-the-playful-brides-series-by-valerie-bowman/

The Review Quadrant: The Volcano: Rescue from Wikari Documentary

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! I am back with another review!

The Volcano: Rescue From Wikari Review

I normally don’t review documentaries, I almost reviewed the Woodstock one from this year but this one is a good change, but first!

Disclaimer

This review is based on thoughts and opinions of the lead writer of this blog. Please respect her thoughts and opinions since this is her first documentary review!

Topic of Documentary

This documentary tells what happened on December 9, 2019 when a group of tourists toured the island known as Wikari or White Island located in the Bay of Plenty close to New Zealand. This tour was a part of a cruise that was through Royal Caribbean but what people were not expecting is surviving an eruption that took place on that day. This documentary is told by survivors including Linda and Brian Yuri, who were on their honeymoon during the cruise, Jesse Langford who lost his sister and parents, and first hand accounts of the rescue crews that have saved the ones who are alive to this day.

Thoughts

I was surprised that I found a trailer for this earlier today at work when I was trying to see about volcano movies I haven’t seen yet and that NetFlix had done the documentary. I have enjoyed a few documentaries by them, which included Train Wrecked: Woodstock 99. I almost reviewed it since I remembered that event and Peter Monne talked about it but it was hard to write it. I think this would be easier because it is a subject I enjoy.

For a few years, I enjoy disasters that have taken place in history from Chernobyl in Ukraine to the Station NightClub fire in West Rowryk, Rhode Island, this disaster has been one of my other favorites because of what people have endured at that time and never thought I would see and learn. While teaching remotely and being at U. Mass, I decided to watch some volcano documentaries one day during a cool down period and saw something called “Trapped in the Volcano” and watched it. It was about the White Island eruption and how people were trapped inside of it. I did watch the 60 Seconds Australia special which showed the Yuris talk about how they went to the island on their cruise ship, Ovation of the Seas, with other families who were on the ship enjoying their Christmas vacation on top of it. The White Island tour was part of the excursion list and people signed up for it. If you haven’t been on a cruise, which I had in 2007, part of visiting different locations you could pay for going off on adventures. I remembered sailing on Carnival and went to the Mayan Ruins of Belize where my dad and I wanted to see the ruins at some point. I do admit I did have a major bout of acrophobia during this trip since it was on a mountain and had to climb old temples but I did get to learn about the Mayans we never learned in school and it was a good break from shopping which we had done for the most part. My mom did blame my blindness but I blamed my fear of heights really and my dad did notice it. Anyways, at least I didn’t get hurt on our trip because at least Carnival did look out for people but Royal Caribbean hadn’t because White Island was an active volcano with acid lakes, mud eruptions, and steam eruptions. I would say watch the stuff on YouTube which does give you an idea of what White Island is like, I even recommend Illuminati’s episode on it for her Wild Wild World segment which I wish she kept doing.

This documentary was very interesting but I wished it would have done a little bit more since there was one survivor they didn’t feature and that was Stephanie Bower. You can watch her bits in the Trapped in the Volcano documentary, the 60 Minutes Australia special, and Mile Higher’s podcast episode on it. I did like to see what had happened with Jesse Langford, the Yuris, and Kelsey Waghorn who also survived the eruption. I did get to see this with audio description and getting to hear their accounts of what had happened to them was great because the stuff on YouTube was kind of brief with these people due to the spotlight on Stephanie and her recovery. I would love to hear more about what she went through in the eruption, again you can see her on YouTube and Tic Toc.

I did wish that this documentary could have been more than one episode, I could have enjoyed a two parter because there felt like there was more to it that can be told, especially more with the helicopter crew that rescued Stephanie and most of the other people who survived or died. What was not told, which you can find on YouTube is that most of the bodies that were left had two people wash away and I think the second episode could have expand on that especially with how rescue crews went back a few days later to get those bodies, especially one of the tour guides and Jesse’s sister, Wynnona, which we get to learn a little bit about them that they were very adventurous. I can see where we got Jesse and his family going to this island in the first place. I would also love to learn about what changed the geography of the island, as in is there still steam even though some of the audio description did mention some present day shots but not what the volcano looks like since it was a StratoVolcano, which is a cone shaped volcano coming out f the water. If you want an example, Yellowstone’s volcano is an example of this type and predictions are pointing to an eruption soon.

There was one thing that YouTube did mention and thought the NetFlix documentary should have mentioned in a second episode is that Royal Caribbean had a suit against the survivors. Mile Higher kind of went into detail with their episode where Royal Caribbean is suing the survivors which is not their fault. Yes, they signed up for an adventure but were not told that an eruption would happen that day. Remembering from what I’ve seen on YouTube, there were threats and the level was measured from one through three and apparently the island was at Level 2 due to an eruption that took place one night in 2016. At least no one was on the island. Stephanie and her family were told about this and this caused some nervousness and I can see why, if I was on that island, I would tell my dad, “I want to go back to the ship! I am not staying here!”Especially learning about how bad volcano burns are! Yes, they are not like the basic burns you could get from cooking, they are more extensive and can cause more long-term injury, scarring, and surgeries to repair the damage. Stephanie even ended back on 60 Minutes to take off her compression mask that helped heal her face burns. The Yuris did talk about their injuries in the NetFlix documentary which after watching the stuff on YouTube, I wondered how they were doing and hearing that they still have extensive burns is a major ouch, especially Brian with his ring finger on the dominant hand not working. THey showed him building a small cabinet and Laura talking about her burns on her neck and face, but what was interesting was that one part of Brian’s writ was not burned due to Laura holding it during the time of the eruption so she could hold onto him.

Rating: 3 Star Pawprint Comets Out of 5

At first I was going to give it a four but after remembering what I’ve seen on YouTube, I felt that YouTube had the better material, especially with 60 Minutes, Illuminati, and Mile Higher doing more detailed episodes on this disaster. I did like the bits that we did get to have more volcano footage because of how people used their cellphones to record this. Heck, Stephanie’s sister, Crystal, had some of the first count of the eruption because when she, Paul, and Stephanie reached the crater they had a photo in front of the black smoke that was coming out. That should have been a point to have Stephanie on this because of them getting that close along with Jesse, Brian, Laura, and Kelsey. It did help getting Kelsey to tell her part since she did yell at people to run in her group. But this documentary could have been better by adding another episode to tell more about what took place with the rescue and talking more about why crews had to hold back from going to be part of the rescue on the island, which Laura did tell 60 Minutes Australia that she was angry that they were held back and that more people could have been saved. While that is true, more people could be alive, even the Langfords and Rowerts could have survived. Plus, I felt as though YouTube had the better versions of the documentary but I can see why NetFlix had done this since the third year anniversary of this disaster did pass. You wouldn’t believe that this only happened three years ago when The Station NightClub fire happened in 2003 and Chernobyl in 1986. I think this was a good way of showing as a short piece and then let people dig deeper into the full story, which if I taught a class on historical disasters, I would show this documentary alongside Trapped in the Volcano and then used Mile Higher and Illuminati as additional resources in my class due to this documentary showing the detailed parts of the eruption and then seeing how people got trapped and the online module having an assignment with Mile Higher and Illuminati. THat is how I would teach that module.

Well, that is it for this review, I had more thoughts but it would probably take me a lot more to write into the morning but this was an okay documentary. I did enjoy Train Wrecked more though, just saying! I am still reading the final book of the Playful Brides series and will have the Bests & Worsts of 2022 sometime this weekend. So stay tuned!

Leave a comment
by moonleopard85 on December 29, 2022  •  Permalink
Posted in documentaries, Reviews, Travel

Posted by moonleopard85 on December 29, 2022

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2022/12/29/the-review-quadrant-the-volcano-rescue-from-wikari-documentary/

Anime Quadrant: Review on Sailor Moon Super, Super S, and Stars

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back k from traveling the vast nerd universe and I have an anime review this time!

Sailor Moon Seasons Super Through Stars

Disclaimer

This review is based on thoughts and opinions from the lead writer of this blog. Please respect her thoughts and feelings and to be warned this will be long!

Synopsis

After returning from the thirtieth century, Usagi and the rest of the Sailor Guardians were hoping to start on their entrance exams for high school until a nightmare hit Usagi of her silver crystal not being the same. After a new enemy appears and takes Rei’s heart crystal, she gains new powers and new Sailor Guardians appear and they come from the outer planets with Neptune and Uranus. Pluto also appears again. WHat’s this? Chibiusa is also back but as a Sailor Guardian too? Will this new enemy take them out before Pharaoh 90 does?

Sailor Moon Super S starts after Pharaoh 90 is defeated and Sailor Saturn is now asleep in baby form. A solar eclipse appears as Chibiusa hopes to return to home until the eclipse reveals a new circus and a possible new enemy that is chasing the Pegasus known as Helios. Nehelenia and her Dark Moon Circus are willing to gain the crystal Helios possess by finding the golden dream mirror from anyone in the Juban District. While battles surge, both Sailor Moon and Sailor Chibi Moon gain new powers to become Super Moon and Super Chibi Moon along with the rest of the Sailor Guardians to fight and protect whoever has this mysterious mirror and find out who Helios really is.

The final season, Stars, starts with the guardians finally reaching high school and that an old enemy Nehelenia, has been released from her mirror all thanks to a new threat in the galaxy. This also accelerates Sailor Saturn to return from her baby form to join the rest of the guardians to fight Nehelenia who has caused havoc with her mirrors. Once that obstacle is taken care of, Mamoru finds out his thesis was picked up at a university in America and was given a ride for a year and Usagi has to go alone without him. During his absence, another threat appears where Sailor Guardians are taking peoples star seeds for the bigger threat and Sailor Moon must use her new Eternal Moon form to take them on and with the help of three new guardians called the Sailor Starlights who take on the form of a popular boy group called the Three Lights. While taking on the new threat, Usagi and crew find out more of what took place among the guardians beyond their galaxy and who Galaxia is in order to save their own home and solar system.

Thoughts

I want to apologize for the crappy review of the first part of the re-dub a few years back. I was basing it off of how I was used to the old Dic dub we all knew and love but I still stand on Luna and Rei still sounding alike. I do have to say that Chibiusa did grow on me since she was better as she grew as a character in this version due to how it was the entire run of the series from Japan we know and love. Also, I didn’t like how RJ put his own two cents in after growing up with the Dic dub as well.

Like with everyone else, Pluto, Uranus, Nemptune, and Saturn also got recasts.. I already was excited Veronica Taylor plays Pluto and she does very well since Pluto is almost like a second mother to Chibiusa and of course Veronica was famous for being Ash’s mom back in the original dub for Pokemon. The ones who took up the newer voice mantles include Erica Mandez as Uranus, Lauren Landa as Neptune, and Cassandra Lee Morris Christine Marie Cabannos as Saturn. I feel that they made really good choices for these three like with Pluto. I think the casting strength was Nehelenia because she sounded like the actress they had before due to how she has all the hate towards everyone if anyone crosses her. I feel like they tried to encompass the original dub in how everyone sounded. Such as how they made Sailor Jupiter sound the closest to her original counterpart and I commented Amanda Miller on that at MegaCon years ago. I do give props to Lauren and Erica for their performances as Uranus and Neptune because Erica did a good job with the sound for Haruka in normal and guardian modes since she is very androgenous while Michiru is very elegant and can be teasing at times. I think I prefer Lauren more in this version since the original did have to follow what the directors have to tell her. Neptune does always keep elegance in her speech after her transformation.

With Stars, I was hoping to see it dubbed at some point. When Viz announced they were dubbing it for the first time, it made me really happy since Dic didn’t do it due to things that may not be best for the younger crowds and Toonami back in the day like with Uranus and Neptune being cousins. Here they introduced three new Sailor Guardians called the Sailor Starlights and well they do change from being guys to girls and since we live in different times people are more accepting. I can see where the creator came up with the idea since Seiya did explain in the season the reason they did this is due to looking for their princess and it would be easier to find her by being an idol group to attract women and that their music would reach her. One good example is that in one episode, Usagi went to one of their concerts and had the truth explained through one of their songs.. I did find the interactions between Seiya and Usagi cute and of course he did call her Bun Head like with Mamoru. I can’t wait to see how they will do the Cosmos movies since those are supposed to be slated for next year to show the Crystal version of Stars. Also, I got the story of Stars in english since I have watched some of it in Japanese and glad they did an english version.

Ratings:

5 out of 5 Shooting Star Paw Prints for Super, 4 out of 5 for Super S and 5 out of 5 for Stars. I always found Super S being a little weird and with the re-dub it did catch the wackiness of the Black Moon Circus but of course some of the monsters were weird in the end. I do have to give props for Nehelenia and the Amazoness Quartet since those are the redeeming qualities. I think Eternal did the better job with how they did Super S. Super did have a strong story since we were dealing with aliens who were looking for heart crystals and we did get the truth behind Hotaru being involved and that she was really Sailor Saturn underneath it all. I did like how she tried to fight off the evil version of Hotaru to help the guardians in the end. While Stars did have her more involved and get to see her fighting alongside everyone else. Wishing we got to see her transform in the original since she got to do that in Eternal. While Stars had the final villains being Sailor Guardians which makes sense since the first season we had Queen Beryl who was an ancient enemy from Silver Millenium’s past then in the next season we had enemies which the series did get popular. As in, we had filler aliens and then went into the Dark Moon family from the other side of the moon, then we had aliens with science in season 3 with witchcraft, a circus coming through an eclipse which that seems interesting, and end it with Sailor Guardians beyond the solar system that fought off chaos. Makes sense to end it with evil Sailor Guardians! Can;t wait to see what Cosmos has in store!

That ends this review and I’m glad I got to see the ending of Sailor Moon in english since being a teenager and enjoying the original. Now seeing that it got re-dubbed made it better. I am glad it got another chance to entertain not only old fans but introduce new fans to the series as well. What is next? I am still reading things on my Kindle but I do still have the Bests & Worsts for this year at the end of this month!

Leave a comment
by moonleopard85 on December 22, 2022  •  Permalink
Posted in anime, Reviews

Posted by moonleopard85 on December 22, 2022

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2022/12/22/anime-quadrant-review-on-sailor-moon-super-super-s-and-stars/

The Book Quadrant: The Fake by. Zoey Whitall

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! I am back with a book review!

The Fake by. Zoey Whitall

Disclaimer: This review is based on thoughts and opinions from the writer of this blog. Please respect her thoughts! You have been warned!

Synopsis

From the writer of The Best Kind of People comes a new story where a scammer who can weave many stories ruin two people’s lives. Shelby lost her wife and is going through a major bout of grief and a family who tries to come in and help her out but then finds out about a grief support group where she meets Cami, who is also going through grief herself of losing her sister and coming over cancer. Once they start becoming friends, Shelby allows Cami to live with her and help her out with getting Cami back on her feet except red flags start to sprout about Cami.

Gibson is fresh from divorce and starts living on his own in a small apartment and goes out with friends one night when Cami spots him from across the room and they start dating. He also tries to help Cami by helping her with bills and other things to get her back on her feet as well until he meets Shelby and that they notice that her stories are not lining up such as the cancer and dead sister. 

Thoughts

Man, it feels good to get back into book reviews because it’s something I had enjoyed and haven’t gotten to reading for a while due to school and work. Now that I dusted my Kindle off I am back into it! Anyways, I did like this book due to how it took an interesting turn. It was a one character vs. two since Cami is the scammer and she is scamming two people with her lies throughout this book. At first it started with Gibson since he was just out of his divorce and was getting back into the dating game and when Cami and his eyes met that was when he got caught in the web and took her home with him. She does start off with the cancer story by saying that is her final treatment that day and then went into the sister story as well and as I read the book I kind of got sunken into what Cami may say next. I did like how one of Gibson’s friends caught one of her lies by noticing that she mentioned one of the favorite bands they listened to and tried to help Gibson out right then and there. Of course, he would shake the worries off like with most scams, heck I thought the same with Stratton at first. Then we have Shelby who lost her wife and is looking out for herself by keeping herself healthy and not going down the same route if things happen, for instance she was afraid of throat cancer since she had a hard time swallowing, it does show she is going through major anxiety while grieving most of the time and when she meets Cami it calmed her down throughout their interactions and while Cami lives with her. Shelby was being a big mother role model towards Cami with how she was taking care of her but when she was noticing things were not adding up that was when the relationship decided to take a turn. When she and Gibson meet each other over dinner, they were told about each other that were not right like how Shelby was mean and completely hated men due to being a lesbian and Gibson was a gambler but after how they saw each other being who they really are, such as Gibson not being a gambler when he had police after him with suspicions of theft, they decided to work with each other to help Cami. I felt that towards the end they wanted to end Cami’s lying by having an intervention after figuring things out. I did like the part when Shelby confronted Cami in front of the grief support group since everyone didn’t want to tell her that Cami was bad news at first and Shelby just really broke the truth and left the room afterwards and even told the head of the group that they were toxic for that.

Rating: 4 Shooting Star Pawprints out of 5

I did like the book and how Whitall started the story off by showing Gibson first and how he meets Cami at the bar with his friends and then Shelby with the grief group a little bit later. Getting both characters’ backgrounds at different intervals gave a great appeal to this book but I feel that Cami’s background in how or why she started lying and scamming was not being explained enough. I think that should be placed somewhere since towards the end Lauren tried to bring her and Cami;s mom to help with finding out why things went the way they went and Shelby wanted to see where it stemmed from. I wanted to know where it stemmed from as well. But the book was good in the end with what we got to see.

Well, that’s it for this book review! I am currently reading the last book I have in one of the series I have been reading for over two years now so I can finally do the review in one big review. So, until next time!

Leave a comment
by moonleopard85 on December 20, 2022  •  Permalink
Posted in Books, Reviews

Posted by moonleopard85 on December 20, 2022

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2022/12/20/the-book-quadrant-the-fake-by-zoey-whitall/

Technology Quadrant: My Experience with the Orbit Reader 40

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! I am back with a new tech post!

My Experience with the Orbit Reader 40

I think it’s time to tell my story with this product because I feel that I need to spread the word that the Orbit Reader 40 is not my favorite device. I am still kicking myself for buying this product and man I would love to roast this thing. But first!

Disclaimer

This post is based on experiences with the device that is being talked about in this post. Please respect the lead writer’s thoughts and opinions on this particular device.

How Did I Know About Orbit and Their Products?

Well, first, I knew about the Orbit Reader 20 when I started working in 2018. It was a cute little device and I wanted to learn more about it. I even saw people use it, even with their phones and it works very well. I was interested in getting one of these but was steered away from it at first since I wanted to get a Braillenote Touch Plus of course and did have my Polaris. Then American Printing House for the Blind introduced the Chameleon and Mantis a year ago and Orbit did announce the new 20+ and the 40.

Purchasing the Orbit Reader 40

After getting my Spring refund from my time at UMass, I was on a purchasing quest and did pick up the Chameleon since that caught my eye more and the Orbit Reader 40 since I liked to go big with Braille displays. After purchasing, I didn’t know that Orbit had it as more of a pre-order and that I had to wait for it. My Chameleon did come on time though and I was having fun with it. I was mad that my Orbit was taking over a month though and seeing that it was a pre-order was a bit of a red flag. I am also noticing this with other devices they are releasing, like the Orbit B Speak if I remembered correctly  coming out soon. I did eventually receive the Orbit 40 and it didn’t turn on when I pressed the power button and that was another red flag. I did contact tech support and they told me I had to reset it. I did that and it was working. I was a little weary of it since it did refresh every time when it was in idle mode which did creep some of our buddies visiting, one time they thought they were hearing the zombie roaches from Resident Evil. Not kidding!

Trying the Bluetooth

One thing I like about Braille displays is the ability to connect via bluetooth and use it with devices such as laptops and other mobile devices so I can read what my screen reader is saying. With the Orbit Reader 40 it was not working with the Bluetooth at all. I tried it with my laptop and nothing, I even tried it with USB and it was not working either and even tried it with my phone. So, another contact with tech support and they were even perplexed and had to send it back for a repair. Once it returned, it did work as a display with my phone and ChromeBook only. I already used the Chameleon and now my Mantis with my laptop and JAWS so I decided to save those for that and NVDA. The QBraille can be bluetoothed to my laptop beautifully as well with no problem. I don’t get how or why this one didn’t want to respond with JAWS or NVDA, even a co-worker was confused that it worked with his PC not mine.

The Repair That Was the Nail in the Coffin Plus One More Thing

I had to send it for another repair again recently and after this they did something that caused me to no longer be a customer anymore since you have to do something awful to make me no longer come around and it was this! So, I had to update the software since I noticed something weird where my Orbit Reader did not want to take a charge. I contacted tech support and told them the issue and they choked it up to a software update. Doing updates on this thing is not like what you get with the other displays where you get it via wi-fi and have to plug it to A/C power to re-charge it like the Braille Sense 6, QBraille, Chameleon, Mantis, and BrailleNote Touch Plus, this one you have to download the updates via their website, you also have to do it with the QBraille but that is a lot easier since it relies on a SD card to be loaded. Here you have to connect it and hope it detects it through your computer or on the SD doing a key combination. I notice my hands do tremble after a few seconds due to limitations on motor skills but this was something that caused me to lose faith in being a customer. My unit did update but it didn’t turn on again. I did send it again for a repair and I did have to pay for it and they did fix it and sent it back and it still didn’t turn on. I was glad for Tobi moving in because he took a look at it and concluded that the motherboard may be fried. I did contact Orbit and told them that it was still not turning on and explained we went through the Troubleshooting steps and had to send it again and they said it was fixed again and called me on my birthday to tell me what the problem was since they never stated in the email and that was the motherboard was fried! That was not the real nail though, the real nail was when I tried looking at the manual on my SD card since they needed that for any more software related issues and I found the manual for the Orbit 20+ instead! You read that right folks, my SD card was switched out without my knowledge and had to contact Orbit again to get it back. They tried telling me I can just download the manual and re-download the books I had on there but it was not just books I didn’t want to tell them, it also included stuff from my Braille Sense Polaris. At least the other companies would tell me to take out my SD card after backing up every file I may have saved if it was a repair needed but not here. I still need to send their SD card back since work and school has been keeping me busy, they haven’t contacted me back as of yet.

Will I Purchase Again?

After hearing that they were going to come out with multi-linear displays, I was going to give them another chance but after the crap I had to go through, I am no longer buying an Orbit display from these guys. I feel like it’s not worth the money to send it back for a repair if it’s not performing to standard and that is what I’m looking for in a Braille device, as in it’s supposed to do what the features are claimed to do when advertised on the website. If you guys want a display with forty cells, I Would say either the Mantis or QBraille are your better devices, especially if you still have a Mac with a touch bar like I have which I use my QBraille for physical function keys. I use my Mantis with my Surface Go since the Surface series keyboards are not the greatest. And so far it has done well with what I have to do for class during a week, heck I even brought my Mantis home during the hurricane this week. If you’re wanting something smaller, I would say wait for later this October to get it back, APH Chameleon is amazing for what it does, yes the Brailliant may have NLS Bard but you can still read Bookshare books in Braille on the Chameleon and I find the key response better, especially with the grade switch when I need to enter a password or two with computer braille. Sorry but in the end, Orbit is no longer getting any of my money after this device. Another thing too is that I don’t want to bother with their tech support since I felt as though I got a run around with the software updates when things inside the units can happen. Even Tobi can explain it in a video when it comes to tech since he has built computers for friends already. When I told him he was right about the motherboard after getting home from Jacksonville on my birthday he was like, “Told you it was the motherboard!” People thought H. I. M S. had poor tech support, at least they give you better solutions than just sending in for a repair because I had better calls with them and we got the thing fixed. Also, sending these devices is not cheap by any means, as sending the Orbit back is over $30 if you don’t have a box on hand, which I didn’t at first. When I had to send the Braille Sense back, I did have a box for that and it fit the thing which ironically was my box from APH when I got my Mantis.

In the end guys, I would say not to buy the Orbit Reader 40, yes it is cheaper than the Mantis but my experience is something that should not be overlooked. I like the idea of having a bigger display to read books on but I can still do that with my QBraille by extracting my books on my computer and transfer them to the SD like with this one and can just download from Bookshare on my Mantis, I would say save up or if you are working with your local Vocational Rehabilitation services and have not gotten a display or need a new one to be a replacement then you could look at the ones I mentioned above. I bet you’re wondering about the multi-linear displays, I’d rather go with the Canute since that has been improved in their tech over time. I think what Orbit needs to do is just modernize their units with bluetooth and WiFi capabilities that work and not have this weird download and have it be detected by the unit since a lot of the technology nowadays rely on those components in the first place. Also, have the tech support study the components and be able to be prepared for how to fix it without having the unit sent back all the time, as in pass on the knowledge better to the customers too. And, test the units before releasing out right because when mine came to me where it didn’t turn on out right of the box, that was not good from the start. I have to end this here because my next post will be the spotlight on RangerStop Orlando 2022!

Leave a comment
by moonleopard85 on October 2, 2022  •  Permalink
Posted in Accessibility, Blindness, Reviews, Technology

Posted by moonleopard85 on October 2, 2022

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2022/10/02/technology-quadrant-my-experience-with-the-orbit-reader-40/

The Tech Quadrant: Braille Sense 6 vs. Braille Note Touch Plus: WHich Notetaker is the Better One?

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! It’s time for a device battle!

Braille Sense 6 vs. the Braille Note Touch Plus: Which is the Better Notetaker?

So, it’s time to put the Braille Sense 6 and the BrailleNote Touch Plus up to each other and see how well they fare against each other. I have both of these devices and was able to use them over time, especially upgrading my Polaris to the 6 when I was offered it by the vendor I went through with a funding source I went through for my Braille Note Touch Plus. They are good note takers for the same price range, however there are features I would like to talk about between both devices that may work for some and may work for others if anyone wants to purchase one of these as their notetaker. Let me start with this!

Disclaimer

This post is based on thoughts, opinions, and experiences from the writer of this blog. She has used these devices and seen how they work and how fast they are, how well they type, and so much more. Please respect her thoughts!

Weight

First off, we’re starting with how much these devices weigh. One thing about these devices is well you can carry them place to place and weight can be a factor for what you choose.The Braille Sense 6 is 1.58 on its own while it’s 2.36 pounds with the case on.  The BrailleNote Touch Plus is 2 Pounds. Not by much when it comes to weight, the BrailleNote Touch Plus is three pounds lighter despite having the Android tablet underneath the Perkins keyboard, however I feel as though the BS6 kept the same weight from its Polaris and don’t feel much carrying it around to its Humanware counterpart despite not having the tablet built into it. If you would rather go without the tablet underneath, then the BS6 would be perfect since I had the Polaris before, going from one convention room to the next without the extra weight made it easier but if the tablet won’t hurt then go with the BNTP. I would say either one would be a great choice since both of them are almost the same weight and do have cases to protect them.

Keyboard

Both keyboards on both devices are in the Perkins Brailler style. H. I M. S. did have the QWERTY style with the QWERTY Plus and the U2 QWERTY which I admit I had the QWERTY Plus when I was at school and earlier press days with Nerd Shique Universe. The layouts are different from each other due to how they were built. The BNTP has the usual six keys for the Braille Cell, the Enter and Delete, and the Space Bar, then you have your cursor keys underneath. WHile the BS6 has your usual Brailler keys but have the F1, F2, F3, and F4 keys alongside an Alt key and a CTRL key to use on the Android platform. The learning curve for both is a little different if you have used devices from both companies like I’m doing now and have been doing for the past year due to how the shortcut structure is different. Yes, first letter navigation is available for both, except the chords are different when it comes to navigating to areas on both devices. One example is doing a copy on the BNTP is delete key with the letter Y. With the BS6 is the letter C with the Enter key. I would say if you’re familiar with a certain way of typing with one device then stick with the brand of devices you’re familiar with, unless you want to switch over for a newer experience depending on which layout seems to be easier. If you have any device demonstrated for you, ask for a demonstration of key commands on both devices.

Typing

With typing on either device, I found that each device can cause a bit of noise depending on your typing speed. I type fifty words per minute and can see how the noise on each device can be cumbersome. To me the BTNP’s keys are noisier than the BS6 since HIMS has been building their devices with keys that are softer while pressing them and have noticed it with the BS6 and the Q Braille as well. While the NNTP, on the other hand, the keys not only click pretty loudly but also have the clocks while inputting Braille. You can turn these clicks off pretty easily in the settings, except the keys themselves can be noisy no matter what you do. I think Humanware should have softer keys in the next notetaker if they decide to make another one in the next few years since HIMS has developed the BS6 but the BS6 has them beat in the typing department due to how quiet they are with input and having not too loud of a typing noise makes it easier, especially if listening to someone on a phone call. I give it to BS6.

Touch Features

One feature that made the Braille Sense Polaris and the BNTP comparable was being able to have the touch features. The BS Polaris had a touch strip in between the display and the cursor routing keys while the BNTP had a built-in touch screen underneath the keyboard. WHat made them unique was that you could touch Braille on the tablet under the BNTP as a quieter option while the BS Polaris only did touch gestures like if you used it as a tablet. Unfortunately, when the BS6 was created they took out the touch gesture ability due to lack of popularity, which there was no tutorial when Humanware does tutorials on how to do Touch Braille on their device. It would have been nice if the touch gestures were kept on the newer Braille Sense since the Android system is faster and the reaction time could have a better speed increase, which was an issue with the Polaris, which I will touch upon next. So, if you want the idea of doing the touch features then the BNTP would be the best device and it wins this category due to keeping the features or shall I say having them in the first place.

Speed

Both devices have pretty good speed when it comes to reaction time. When the Polaris was around, it had Lollipop as its system and it was very laggy and almost lethargic while using it, when the BS6 arrived I was happy that the reaction times were as fast as the BNTP when it comes to opening apps, being able to with saving files, and even downloading books from Bookshare. I have to say both get speed!

Android Systems

Both devices run on tw Both devices run on two different Android versions but they seem to work the same to me. The BNTP runs on Oreo or Android 8 while the BS6 runs on Android 10. Even though 10 is newer, Oreo still runs as smoothly despite how old it is. I did write to Humanware but not sure when will they update the Android version to a later version but hoping they could do it soon since we are already in Android 11 and if they want a leg up, they should either go to 11 or stay in competition may do 10 instead like HIMS has with the BS6. There is one drawback though is that there are times where either device can’t install certain apps due to the version they run, such as One Step Reader is the new version of KNFB Reader is not optimized for BNTP while the BS6 can due to how newer it is. I can’t fault the BNTP for this since I can still use KNFB Reader and it’s useful but would be nicer to have a newer Android version. Humanware, if you’re reading this, we need a newer Android version and now!

Apps

Speaking of apps, there are apps that each device does come with when you first receive them. The BNTP comes with KNFB Reader, which is normally $100 and Easy Reader + and of course your normal Google apps due to having the Android system. While the BS6 comes with Bookshare Download, a Podcasts app, Document Reader, Online DAISY, Google Search, Wiki Search, Assistant And your usual Google apps as well. Of course you can still download apps on Playstore but you have to see which ones are compatible with your device once you check them. One thing though is that not all apps can be available, one example is Kindle is not available for the BS6 but for the BNTP, which I find weird, while Audible is available for both. I do like the other apps you can read with on the BS6 but I do like the idea that I can still use Kindle on the BNTP but it’s not accessible there. It’s basically what you like to use on either device and how much you want to use the apps and install ones that can be used, either device is pretty powerful in this department and being able to stream anime, movies with audio description, and listening to music makes possibilities endless.

Bluetooth

Final category is bluetooth connectivity. One of the features of both is being able to use these devices as Braille Displays through bluetooth. You can connect to your computer with USB but what catches most users’ ears is the bluetooth capabilities. I admit I have trouble using the BNTP with devices besides my IPhone since it’s easier to connect with that. I even tried it with my ChromeBook and it couldn’t connect since laptops that run WIndows have an easier time with the Q Braille due to the bluetooth being easier to connect. The BS6, I have an easier time connecting with any device due to not having a code to pair with, which is the problem with the BNTP. It would be better if the BNTP didn’t require a code like the BS6 and other Braille displays because bluetooth has become more streamlined over the years and easy to pair with. I even had an easier time with my Apple devices since I can use my BNTP with those devices , even my Mac even though I have to unpair it due to using the Q Braille with it for the Function Keys. I have a Macbook with a Touch Bar, that’s why. I did try pairing the BS6 with the Chrome Book but it still has the BNTP with it, I have to try it out again at a later date. I do have to say the bluetooth on the BS6 is easier with other devices that have good bluetooth connections. I think the BS6 wins this category due to how much easier it is to connect even with a computer.

Winner: It’s a Tie!

It’s hard to say who wins what despite how they advance each other in some of the categories but both devices are still powerful for what they are. Not all devices are created equal and after using them both, they are equal in speed, the BS6 has a quieter keyboard over the BNTP, the BNTP still has touch features and I do love the idea of the tablet size for Touch Braille which you need a big screen for that, and of course you have a learning curb in using the keyboard shortcut structure which I’m still learning with the BNTP myself after using Braille Sense devices over the years. 

What Should I Get If IAm New to Note Takers?

My advice is to look at both! It doesn’t hurt to go to demonstrations or have someone come to you and demo both devices to show off their features. One thing I could also suggest is ask around before choosing, as in see who has gotten either device and prefer which one over the other since they do work differently. Also, look into Assistive Technology groups that may have members that use the devices as well since they may have different ideas of the both of them from what I brought here. And, of course, think about the features you think you would use more whether it’s at school or work since these devices could be used in either environment, if you can’t pick one, there are lower cost options to think about that work equally as well, especially in the bluetooth department.

That completes this post! If you have either device, drop a comment below or if you’re wanting either one, drop down a comment, I would like to hear what you all think on either side! Next will be my Ipsy bags!

Leave a comment
by moonleopard85 on April 18, 2022  •  Permalink
Posted in Accessibility, Blindness, Braille, Reviews
Tagged ,

Posted by moonleopard85 on April 18, 2022

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2022/04/18/the-tech-quadrant-braille-sense-6-vs-braille-note-touch-plus-which-notetaker-is-the-better-one/

Anime Quadrant: Eden’s Zero Review

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe. I am back with a new post but taking a detour from the current line up of posts.

Eden’s Zero Review

Recently, RJ and I finished watching the first season of Eden’s Zero, which is the newest project from Hiro Mishima who is known for Groove Adventure Rave, also known as Rave Master, and Fairy Tail. I feel that I should give you a review but first, this bit of info.

Disclaimer

This review is based on the thoughts and opinions of the lead writer of this season, please respect the thoughts of this anime, you have been warned!

What Is It About?

This series opens up on a young Shiki on the planet for Grendel which is a planet of androids and talking with the Demon King, Ziggy, and talking about a cosmic figure called Mother. Once Shiki is told about finding Mother, she will grant one’s wish and he wishes to be friends with everyone. Fast forward years later when we meet Rebecca Blue Garden, who travels to Grendel to do a vlog on her V Tube channel about traveling the Sakura Cosmos. She runs into Shiki, who is the only human on the planet, and finds out with her cat android, Happy, that androids are no longer friends with humans with a virus that humans have given to them and causes Shiki to leave with Rebecca. Once leaving, Shiki promises to search for Mother in order to grant his wish, while traveling, he makes friends alongside Happy and Rebecca such as Homura, who was trained by one of the Shining Stars that his grandfather, the Demon King had created, Weiss, who is into building androids, and Pino, an android who was built by a future version of Weiss that ended up in a past timeline to find her creator. Alongside meeting his new friends, Shiki becomes the new Demon King and inherits the old ship the Eden’s Zero alongside the other Shining Stars, Hermit, Witch, and Sister, to find Mother to find Mother.

THoughts

Unlike with Fairy Tail, I did like this series off the bat. If you guys don’t know, at first I didn’t like Fairy Tail like I did with Rave Master and it took Todd Habrecorn to convince me that the series was awesome. I am still working on getting more of the series. Sorry, due to some finances I haven’t been getting any more of the parts but will this year since I finally got to the final arc of the series. I’m happy that NetFlix did pick this up so it is easier for us to catch up with seasons since we do have it included with our phone plan. It got us to finish the series within two and a half weeks versus months of getting the parts individually. Funimation did take a few months to record, edit, and add the features to a DVD and Blue Ray set and distribute it through the internet, FYE, and other places for people to buy. 

Like I said, I did enjoy the first season and liked the idea that this is a space opera which makes it different from Fairy Tail. Some people found this as a rip off from Fairy Tail due to how some of the characters were modeled after some of them from Fairy Tail. One example is Rebecca modeling Lucy and Shiki as Natsu. Also, we also meet Elsie who is basically Erza, then other characters looking like Fairy Tail characters showing up at certain places. I can see where this could happen but Mashima is known for re-using his character designs for other works. One example is how he re-used the Etalus version of Wendy for Rebecca’s rival for V Tube. Also, Jelal is also re-used for certain character designs, which he did come from Rave Master by the way with his design. Some artists do this actually since I’ve seen it with Yukiru Sugisaki when she used Gareas’ design from Pilot Candidate for Dark from DNAngel. 

Acting

Let’s get into the acting, shall we? The acting was pretty spot on and they did not only use some people who have appeared in one series RJ and I have enjoyed, Re: Zero, but also called back two actresses for their respective characters. Tia Ballard to be Happy in this one and Colleen Clinkenbeard not only as Mother but as Elsie Crimson. When RJ told me about this in manga form and how they had Happy in here, I was hoping they would bring Tia back to be him again since I loved this cute, blue kitty. Yes, I still have all of my Happy items! I hope to find Happy plushies from this series since he has a black tail tip versus the white he had in Fairy Tail. Of course, Tia did bring the voice back for him like with Fairy Tail and still cute as ever especially with the space fish! Yes, there are space fish, why wouldn’t there be any? ANyways, with Colleen, since she did play Erza Scarlet back in Fairy Tail, they did model Elsie after her and she is a Captain Harlock style space pirate in this one and yes she brought the ERza voice for Elsie. I’m glad that these two were brought in for these parts because if they casted anyone else, it would not be the same. I guess Bang Zoom saw the Funimation dub and knew if they did not cast these two as their Eden’s counterparts then it would have not given the series justice.

Kira Buckland plays Rebecca here and if you have seen Re: Zero, she was Beatrice in that series. I did notice that I did hear Beatrice at certain points since she was using the more adult version of that voice. I think it fits since Rebecca is supposed to be around her twenties and she’s supposed to be Lucy, I can hear a slight match with Cheramie’s Lucy voice. I don’t mind cosplaying as Rebecca since she was introduced with a cat headband and I do love cats! WHile with SHiki, we have the voice of Sean Chipblock. He is the voice of Subaru Natsuki in Re: Zero. He fits as Shiki since his character only had androids as his friends during his childhood. I understand the child-like curiosity even with having humans as friends since I have it towards technology myself. He does grow as the series goes on and we are waiting on the next season of Re: Zero since here Chiplock does more of a comedic version of Subaru while with Re: Zero, we hear more of the dramatics. I think the shift shows his range. THere are many other good actors chosen for a lot of the other characters which will take a long time to touch upon, I just focused on these few since they were perfect choices for their characters. Heck, even a favorite of ours does show up and that is Paul St. Peter, which has been a while since we saw him at conventions lately. I know he’s promoting Eden’s Zero as of late. Still, the actors were chosen very well for thiseries and it’s great to hear Tia again as Happy!

Raing: 5 Shooting Star Paws Out of 5!

This series is a great one so far since we are still in season one. I’m excited to see what the next season has to bring. This season did end on a sad note but it also ended with a positive one which would lead into the next arc. RJ is reading the manga so he is keeping up with the story. I hope it keeps being animated and we get to see more of it. In my opinion, it is not a Fairy Tail rip off. It takes place in space when Fairy Tail is an earth story. Eden takes on science fiction with some magic using Ether Gears when Fairy is more of magic. Yes, we still see elements of the two but we also see Rave Master elements as well, one call back is Elie’s blasters with the Happy Blasters Rebecca has. We do see some time travel shenanigans take place at certain parts but not to the extent that Fairy Tail had done. I would say check out the series, it is available on NetFlix and you decide if it is a rip off of Fairy Tail or not.

Well, that’s it for this review. Glad to have an anime review again. I will do the Braille Display Showcase next since I am still waiting on my subscription boxes to arrive for this month! Stay tuned!

Leave a comment
by moonleopard85 on January 9, 2022  •  Permalink
Posted in anime, Manga, Reviews, Science Fiction, Voice Acting

Posted by moonleopard85 on January 9, 2022

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2022/01/09/anime-quadrant-edens-zero-review/

Music Quadrant: Pop Punk’s Still Not Dead Tour Review

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! Another new post and it’s a bit of a detour!

Pop Punk Is Not Dead Tour Review

I felt it was time for a detour. I am still working on the Saturday Panels post but due to technology acting stupid, it got deleted and now have to re-write it. Don’t worry, I will still get that cup as scheduled. I do want to review this since of course concerts have come back and my all time favorite band was one of the many that toured. First is the disclaimer!

Disclaimer

This post is based on thoughts and opinions and observations of the lead writer of this blog. Please respect her thoughts and opinions of what she has experienced. You have been warned!

So, last night was the night the Pop Punk Is Still Not Dead Tour with New Found Glory in Orlando. When I heard Luke, who was a guest on Nash’s WTF Is Wrong With You talking about how everyone is touring again when people were getting vaccinated, I decided to search for New Found Glory and guess what? They were coming through this month and that was last night. I purchased the tickets for me and RJ and we were both vaccinated and ready to go. He was vaccinated in the summer while I got vaccinated in March since educators were up to get the vaccine. We did have to show our vaccination cards as we were going into the House of Blues at Disney Springs and had to wear masks which we did last night. I even kept an eye out for emails from Live Nation about the mandates and we followed. We did get there in time for the doors to open and it felt good to be back at the House of Blues which has been forever. I think the last time I went was for Traverser back in 2018 and that was a long time ago. Even RJ is hoping we can start going back with friends for local shows when the pandemic is done and I agree since I missed being there with friends and getting to eat at Hop afterwards. MMM Midnight Pancakes! Anyways, this show had a bit of a switch in the line up which we did not know.

When I purchased the tickets, they said that it was supposed to be Yolo, New Found Glory Hot Mulligan and Simple Plan. Unfortunately, Simple Plan backed out and they did have a replacement with Less Than Jake. We weren’t mad because we did enjoy their music. My first time hearing Less Than Jake was the Digimon Movie Soundtrack with “My Best Friends Are Metal Heads.” I still remember that scene to this day. Back to the show, I do have to say out of honestly and agree with RJ, Yolo and Hot Mulligan felt that their bass was turned up beyond eleven! I almost fell off my stool with Yolo, sorry if I got the name wrong since I hardly remembered it. I haven’t really listen to mainstream radio these days since I have Pandora, Band Camp, and my music library on my phone. I also felt that it was hard for me to understand Hot Mulligan since the lead singer was scream singing most of the time. I love a good scream band but if they’re really good and just not have the bass up so loud. I do have to say that Yolo, sorry again, was good during “Vicious Love” though, I think I prefer her over Haley from Paramore a little more. It did get better when Less Than Jake hit the stage since we were excited about them. I put them as one of my top favorite ska bands next to Ore Ska Band from Japan. Their set was a mix of old and new and it brought up when I used to download music from mp3.com back in the day since I had to rely on my dad to buy my music if I wanted the full album, I remembered getting some of the older songs and “Gainesville Rock City” was one of them actually. I was glad to see these guys and it was good to bring them on since they’re a Florida band that’s still going strong.

Finally, New Found Glory was the headliner for this one and man it was amazing! I remembered going to Warped Tour 2007 and they were great back then. I’ve been a fan since 2001 and I remembered hearing their song “Hit or Miss” for a short while. I didn’t know who they were until my brother visited and asked me if I heard of them and said, “No.” This was when Camelot Music existed and there was in the mall down the road from us and he picked up the self-titled and played the song and realized who they were and burned some of their songs and then got a copy of the album for myself a year and half later and then continued from there. I currently have the ten year anniversary edition of the self-titled, alongside Sticks & Stones, Catalyst, Resurrection, both From the Screen to Your Stereo Volumes 2 and 3, and their latest, Forever & Forever X Infinity on my phone and I listened it on shuffle, oh right, their live album as well on my phone and was glad I did and sang along with almost all of their songs. What do I mean by this? Well, they performed “Let It “Go” from their From the Screen to Your Stereo 3 and well, Jordan comes on dressed as Elsa with the wig and the most sparkly dress ever and a cast on his leg. Apparently, while touring in Pennsylvania, he broke his foot but didn’t cancel any performances so he performed the best he could with a cast covered in LEDs and he was dedicated due to all of the fans. I did sing the many other songs they’ve done like “Understatement,” “All Downhill From Here,” and so much more. My throat is still recovering from all the singing but it was worth it! They were going to do another performance of the self-titled album but only had the tickets for last night. I did forget to mention, during the performance they did perform one song they never had before and that was “Never Snows in Florida” from their first album, “Nothing Gold Can Stay and it sounded amazing live. Great to hear that one. So, enough gushing!

Rating: 3.5 Shooting Star Paws Out of 5!

I did take some points off for the first two acts since they were too loud with their bass. I’m sorry but the bass should not be that loud unless you’re in the Bass Zone at Electric Daisy Carnival and don’t have to fly off my stool while doing it either. Less Than Jake and New Found Glory were our favorite parts since they can put on a show. RJ did get confused by the Backstreet Boys being played as NFG was coming on but they did use it as a pre-cursor to the carnival intro they used since that was the theme they used for the Catalyst album. I think they did the Backstreet Boys with “Backstreet’s Back” because they were saying they have returned to Orlando and glad they have since it took me years to see them again after Warped Tour. Not only that, wishing I could have given Jordan a hug for the pain he went through with his foot since that was painful I bet and he mentioned that he loves to jump a lot during shows, heck one picture in the booklet on self-titled has him and the guitarists jumping. I did remember when I did have eye sight that it was true since during the live show in London which I have a DVD of for one Christmas that he did jump a lot.

Well, that is the end of this review, I am glad I did catch New Found Glory after so long and loved their music ever since I was a teen. It felt good to hear their music live again and getting to see them at the House of Blues was a great relief since it’s been a long time since we’ve been at a concert there. We tend to catch our local band buddies there but it was our first for a major show and the last real major show, which I know I mentioned Warped Tour but realized it was actually Rise Against Mac k in 2012 when they toured with A Day to Remember and Manzinger, which I also remembered I did get into Rise Against all thanks to the bonus CD that came with my copy of Sticks & Stones when they had the song “The Angel You Are” on that CD. Who knew? Not sure if we will catch Simple Plan another tour in the future but I still need to find a way of catching Red Jumpsuit Apparatus since they’re touring with the tenth anniversary of their first album. Not only that we did miss their set during Warped Tour that year. That will be another time. So, stay tuned guys for the Saturday Panels post!

Leave a comment
by moonleopard85 on October 18, 2021  •  Permalink
Posted in Music, Reviews

Posted by moonleopard85 on October 18, 2021

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2021/10/18/1892/

The Book Quadrant: Brutus by. Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! I am back with another review.

 

Brutus by. Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

 

Disclaimer: This review is based on thoughts and opinions of the lead writer of this blog. Please respect her thoughts and opinions on this book!

 

Last time on Immortal Matchmakers, we saw our hero Brutus heading towards the Amazon to find a tribe of Amazons that were founded by Semile in order to bring back to his men so they can avoid the apocalypse! Zack, God of Temptation, promised Minkie, the invisible unicorn, that he would be bound to her and do what she wants and gets taken away to a private place in order to bring back his long lost love, Tula.

 

Now in this installment, Brutus is now captured by the Amazons and used as their sex slave at first but when the beautiful Fina comes into his view he gets hypnotized. He finds out not only she is a princess but a well-educated one because she was sent off to university to bring back knowledge to her village to make their lives better but her queen mother has held that back by bringing more tyranny on the tribe because of what Semile had told them many centuries ago.

 

Fina has been raised to be a warrior until she has been sent off to be educated in the real world and wanted to make the tribe’s life better by showing what she has learned and be able to live more civil lives instead of the ancient ways that her mother kept on them. She even hoped to bring men to the village until Brutus appears and her heart starts to beat for him. Despite being strong and keeping some of the traditions her falling for Brutus shows that she is deprived of something for so long that it makes her insides ache and hard to resist his good looks until she meets the Mistress of Bees. She wonders is he still loving her or is she the truly the one for him?

 

While Zack is in a cave with Mikie trying to figure out how to get Tula back since she still has Tula’s body inside of her. Even though the evil unicorn cannot reveal the secrets in getting Tula’s spirit back into her body he figures out how to save the world from its own annihilation and that is what he was sent to Earth to do and that is match making.

 

Thoughts: After reading this book I felt that it was great to have that old Mimi Jean comedy again especially in this series. I liked how Brutus had his interactions with Fina and her tribe throughout the book since he had to basically be used for his…you know…sorry guys! Kind of keeping it as family friendly as possible here! It did make me have the George Takai “Oh my!” moments while reading this book. His interactions with Fina were pretty on point since in the last one he did get his heartbroken by Kelol after all since she did end up with a florist. I wasn’t expecting her to save Brutus though since Bees and Brutus have been friends for a long time and it was cute how she was pushing him towards Fina which makes sense in friends helping others to move on if they get their heartbroken like in most rom coms! It was great to see Zack get to play another big role in this book since he is trying to save the world after all with love and his comedic moments were pretty entertaining, especially when we get to see more mythical creatures take the stage alongside the other gods that haven’t been paired up with anyone yet. Like with most pantheons of course there is a thunder one in this set too.

 

I do have to say though with the ending it was unexpected though! I feel that Mimi should keep going until I read the last few pages where we could see more by next year. I don’t want to give too much away in what happens but we do get to see a bit of mystery with what takes place, heck even now Tula is going to take the stage in main character status, which reminds me! Ever since I read book one, which I need to read two and three of course, she was just so innocent and cute, even pure but by this book she definitely became more of a stronger person and a hard ass. I guess being a spirit since Forgetty finally made her realize that she needs to live more once she becomes whole again and heck Zack was surprised when she started having a Sailor’s mouth in this book. I guess going from the dresses that you tend to see older women wear and having your hair in a bun turns you into something different later on. I can’t wait to see what happens to her in the next installment depending on how it’s written.

 

Rating: Five Shooting Star Pawprints out of Five! Even though this book kind of felt like a nice end but knowing with Mimi’s writing it doesn’t feel like it’s the end. I feel that this series has been one of Mimi’s best alongside the Accidentally Yours Series and Oh Hell No! Because the comedy is well balanced and I love the interactions between the characters, especially our god characters with different humans, demigods, and other fantastical creatures. I can’t wait to see what else Mimi has in store for any of her other books.

 

Before I go, I would like to mention this and that is while reading this book I ended up losing a very close friend. If you guys have noticed how our YouTube videos have changed for a little while is because of our video Editor and best friend, Rayne. On August 27th, he went into a surgery to help him transition from female to male and well due to complications after coming home the next day he passed away after a heart attack hit him. His husband, Tobi, another awesome friend of ours and has been on the team too is more devastated as much and even more. He has been raising money to help with funeral costs.

 

I do want to say is that Rayne has been an amazing person and even though he had so much ahead of him that it felt it shouldn’t have been cut off so soon especially when he just started school for his film degree since he loved doing film and photography related things since high school. Also, he did start his own photography business which he was going to be our photographer during Omni Fandom Expo this year but due to the pandemic the convention had to be pushed back to next year and he was going to move with Tobi back to Pennsylvania and would help us with events up there by giving us content from Northern events. Unfortunately, the death happened and not sure what will happen next for us. I know we will still go to Ranger Stop Pop next year since we got word that it got switched to a new location and had to switch our reservation to there and will be talking about the event around November or December for you guys. But do want to say this before I go! It’s going to be hard without Rayne because he has been a very important person in our lives, especially here with Nerdy Shique Universe. He has given us advice and has helped with editing too. No matter what we are still a team despite what happened to him and of course we will keep his spirit alive by keeping the website, YouTube, and anything else alive because this is not the end. He has been there even when I was told to end this blog back in November after RangerStop, but I said no! Someone outside said it don’t worry. So, rest in peace Rayne. You will still be in our hearts and despite your star is gone from the Nerd Universe, but Aquarius will keep shining. Rest in Peace my prince!

Leave a comment
by moonleopard85 on September 3, 2020  •  Permalink
Posted in Books, Reviews

Posted by moonleopard85 on September 3, 2020

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2020/09/03/the-book-quadrant-brutus-by-mimi-jean-pamfiloff/

Blind Tech Quadrant: Sunu Band Review

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe. I am back with a new tech review!

 

Sunu Band

 

Disclaimer: This review is based on thoughts and experiences from the lead writer of this blog. Please respect her thoughts on the device that is being talked about in this post.

 

I bet you’re wondering what the heck is this thing. Well, it’s a watch that uses sonar to detect obstacles with vibrations. I heard about this device through A. T. I. A. and was there during 2019 with my job to see what new adaptive tech is being made. This was next to the Tap Strap, which I did get the second generation recently and will review that later on and was able to test it.

 

As you guys know my cane was broken a month before this show and I was still wary about people at conventions by watching out where I am going if I can. When I tested this out, I even had one of the guys on the team walk up to me and it vibrated and thought I wished I had this device during Holiday Matsuri so my cane wouldn’t have been broken. I didn’t purchase it until this past year since they had a showcase discount and it has been working out well for me. I was hoping to put it to the real test this year with the convention season but due to the pandemic all of the conventions we were hoping to cover for the blog were all pushed back to next year but it doesn’t mean I can’t review this item for you all since I have been talking about it on our podcast, Nerdy Shique Transmissions.

 

Set Up: When you first purchase your Sunu Band you would have to download the Sunu Band App through either the App Store or Google Play. At first, I had a hard time finding the app but had to type in the full name into the search and got it. It will prompt you through the sync where you have to have the app and the band near each other to work. Once it’s synced, first is to calibrate it to be able to have proper measurements in detecting the obstacles. Which that is next!

 

Obstacle Detection: Anything in the world can be counted as an obstacle whether it’s a table, a chair, a wet floor sign and so much more, even a person can be one if they don’t move. I’ve seen it at the anime conventions I go to, heck I still remember at Holiday Matsuri where a group of girls were sitting in the middle of the ramp leading towards the elevator banks since we were heading back to our room. With the obstacle detection you can set up the distance between you and the object in front of you or someone coming near you whether in meters or feet, which I set mine to meters since I can’t see the obstacle until I get close to it. This does help me in detecting the obstacle and able to step aside or stop and put my cane in pencil grip mode in front of me.

 

Apps: Besides Obstacle Detection, which is an app, there are other apps with this device such as your Alarms App for any time you need it to wake you up or alert you if you need to be somewhere, your Compass App for knowing direction, and my favorite one is the Place Finder App. This allows you to be able to find a place in certain categories if you need to know where it is or if you’re getting close to it. One example is that I did take an Uber to a bagel shop and it was in a plaza shopping center and put this app to the test and had to raise my hand parallel to the horizon and told me what was in the plaza, as in any stores around it or restaurants if I wanted. One weak app would have to be the TapHaptics App where you can tap the side of your thigh twice for the vibrations to pause and be able to re-activate them by doing the same gesture again. If I am not in my professional clothes or a skirt that has stretch material and tried doing this app it has a hard time noticing you doing it. I prefer just pressing the Home Button that is on the button near the sonar dot and it will tell me the time, which does help since I don’t purchase Braille or talking watches anymore since I can hear the time through the app.

 

Is It Worth It? Yes! Reason being is that as either a total blind person or someone who has some light perception this device can be a big help especially in public where there will be a lot of items in the way and it’s hard to dodge. Yes, we do have a cane or a guide dog to help us know that there is something there but the message of cane to tap can be delayed in  a bit and that sometimes happens even when I sometimes have sighted guide. You can buy this for $300 or wait for an assistive technology show like A. T. I. A. or other shows across the country where you could get this for a discount. Also, with the app you have to make sure to put in the full name because there are some other apps that can get confused if you just type in Sunu and you have to make sure the company name is Sunu as well. What is also worth it to me is being able to have this on if I leave my cane in my office and walk between my classroom and office without it. I can use it to have the vibration detect a chair if I am carrying one of my devices or looking for my phone.

 

Rating: 4.5 Shooting Star Paw Prints Out of 5! I am knocking off five points due to how sometimes it can be a little hard getting some of the features to work like the Haptics App and of course the Compass App but if you know how to level your arm with the horizon then you could get it to work. I still prefer the Obstacle Detection the most due to how many obstacles can be placed in the way of my path, heck even a crowded store like Ulta or Hot Topic, even Bath & Body Works are perfect examples since they have a ton of displays to show their products. Back in the day before my mobility skills improved and this device I would run into those tables or accidentally knock over a hand soap or lotion sample. When I wore this band before the pandemic at Bath & Body, I was able to have it vibrate on the way out since my left eye has issues detecting anything on my left. Still a good device and now recharging mine so I can use it tomorrow when my dad visits.

 

That is, it for this post! I hope I will get to test this device at a convention and once I do I will definitely include it in my convention reviews because of how many things can get in the way such as artist tables, an R2 D2 can be controlled in some areas as an example, and so many more things. For now, I will be using this for normal day use when I do get out when I can. Once I post those reviews you will know over Twitter! What is next up on Nerdy SHique Universe? My Ipsy Glam Bag of course!

Leave a comment
by moonleopard85 on August 15, 2020  •  Permalink
Posted in Accessibility, Blindness, Personal Experience, Reviews, Technology

Posted by moonleopard85 on August 15, 2020

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2020/08/15/blind-tech-quadrant-sunu-band-review/

« Older Posts