Saving for a rainy day... (Part III - Short-term savings)

In parts I and II of my Saving for a rainy day series we looked at long and medium term saving options. Now the question comes up what are you going to do with all that leftover money that isn't going into your retirement fund and your medium term savings account. Well, presumably you want to keep it liquid (accessible), but you also want it to be making some interest. The good news is you can do achieve both of these goals pretty easily. My two pieces of advice would be to put your short term savings in a money market account or a high-yield savings account.

The biggest difference between these two options is how safe your money is. A savings account is typically a deposit account that is offered by a bank and is insured by the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation). This means that even if your bank fails, your money is safe... well up to a limit, if you have more than $100,000 in FDIC insured accounts, you may need some additional coverage and you should definitely stop taking financial advice from me. A savings account does have some access restrictions, but for the most part, you can easily get to your money if you need it.

A money market deposit account is typically not FDIC insured. However, this does not make it unsafe, just slightly less safe than a typical savings account. The money market is a trading market in which banks offer relatively safe short term loans to other banks. They make these loans with money provided by their clients. The nice thing about a money market account is that it gets excellent interest rates considering how easy it is to access to your money (you may have a limit of how many withdrawals or how many checks you can write in a month). Most money market accounts offer their users a debit card and a checkbook. These two tools are typically not offered to savings account customers, but whether you need them depends on how you save money.

I have both a high yield savings account and a money market account. You might even be able to open both of these type of account through your current bank. However, if you are looking for a place to put some money, or start saving some money, here are some suggestions:

High Yield Saving Accounts:

• Washington Mutual Special Savings Account
• 5% APY (Annual Percentage Yield)
• You must sign up online
• The sign up process is very quick and easy but you are required to open a checking account at the same time. There is no minimum balance in the checking account and a $1 minimum in the savings account.
• This is the account I have because it was easy to link the new accounts to my existing checking account with WaMu.

• E-Loan Savings

• 5.25% APY
• You must sign up online
• $5,000 minimum initial deposit, $500 minimum balance to keep account open
• Great account if you have a lot of money you want to sock away for the short term.

Money Market Accounts:

• AmTrust Bank

• 5.36 APY
• You must sign up online
• $1,000 minimum initial deposit, $1 minimum to earn interest
• FDIC Insured

• Check out this great tool from interest.com to find additional money market accounts with great rates of return.There are many other methods to save your money. But hopefully this series of posts has provided you with some new information that will entice you to go out there and find out more about how you can make your money work for you.

Bad Blogger

To all my friends, family and other loyal readers. I am sorry that I have been so negligent about posting lately. I was on vacation last week, but unlike normal vacations which should be filled with much relaxation and blogging, my recent break was filled with graduations, birthdays and a wedding. Rest assured however, I have not forsaken you, more blog posts are coming soon. And, in the meantime, feel free to check out my photo albums for pictures of some of the fun I had during my week away.

Saving for a rainy day... (Part II - Medium-term savings)

In Part I of my Saving for a Rainy Day series, I went over some thoughts and ideas about long-term savings, primarily saving for retirement. In this post we will review medium-term saving. I would define medium-term saving as anything that will take longer than 18 months to save for. So, this could be saving for a car, house, your children's education (even if you don't have children yet), etc. (Oh, if you are currently making car payments and you plan to buy another car at some point in the future, I thought this was a great tip.)

The most important part about medium-term savings is making sure that you follow through and actually save. I mention this because unlike with a 401k, no one is going to pull your medium-term savings out of your paycheck for you. However, you do have some options to make saving a little more automatic than you might think. Below I will suggest some companies that can help you save for the medium-term.

As I mentioned in Part I, you want to make sure your medium-term savings comes out of your budget after your long-term savings, but before most other expenses. This would require you to have a budget. When I say you need a budget, I don't mean a general idea of how much you spend each month, I mean a real, written budget. The simplest solution to the "I don't have a budget" quandary is Pear Budget it needs a program such as Excel to run, but if you don't have Microsoft Office, OpenOffice is a good (free) alternative.

Now that you have a budget, figure out ways to trim money from it. Some examples include:

• Reduce your cable plan to basic or cancel it all together. Then, when you need to be entertained, check out a book or DVD from the library (no commercials).
• Make coffee at home instead of going to Starbucks.
• If you can't cut Starbucks out completely, go to the gift card approach. If you typically spend $40 a month at Starbucks, buy a gift card for $25 and force yourself to make that last for the entire month.
• When you are about to buy something use Google Product Search or Frucall to make sure you are getting the best deal.
• Cancel your home phone, you are already paying for your cell phone and I don't think I am going to talk you into giving that up.
• There are plenty more examples of ways to save money, and once you start reviewing your budget and where you spend your money, you will start to realize ways to put more money towards savings.

OK, now that you have discovered ways to save a few more dollars each month, I would encourage you to consider investing them. Yes, investing money is a bit riskier than simply putting it in a savings account with a guaranteed interest rate. But, accordingly the returns from investing are quite a bit higher than the average savings account's interest rate. You can always be conservative, investing in a fund that tracks that S&P 500 or the Dow Jones has, over time, been a safe bet. If you want to invest in a selection of stocks, a mutual fund, or an index fund take a look at ShareBuilder. I think this is a great medium to long-term investing service. Basically you agree to invest a certain amount weekly or monthly and in exchange they give you great rates on their investment fees. In addition they don't care how little you invest, so if you are just getting started on the investment wagon, this is a great tool.

If stocks, index funds, and traditional mutual funds are too risky for your blood you can look into things such as corporate or municipal bonds. Another lower risk option would be putting your savings into a Money Market account. I hold one at TD Ameritrade and I have been relatively happy with their service and product offerings. If all these financial terms and savings and investment options are freaking you out I would suggest that rather than hiding in a hole and never saving or investing anything that you consider talking to a financial adviser. If you want to stick with a good ol' savings account for your medium-term savings, stay tuned for Part III of the Saving for a Rainy Day series, Short-term savings.

To be continued...
Part III - Short term savings (coming soon)

Previously:
Part I - Saving for a rainy day... (Part I - Retirement)

Saving for a rainy day... (Part I - Retirement)

Most of my friends are now gainfully employed. Even the friends who are still in school are right on the verge of finishing their medical, law, fashion degrees. One of the things about actually earning a living is that most of us have been (rightfully so) taught to save some of our hard earned cash for things like vacations, homes, rainy days, and the big R: retirement.

The thing I have noticed is even though our generation knows that we should save, very few of us know the basics of saving. Now I hardly claim to be a financial expert, but I do have a few tips.

The first thing you want to do is to figure out exactly how much of your salary you can contribute each month to savings. Even if you are not in a financial position to save that much, you should still put something aside, it will get you into a good habit for the future. Plus, you can increase your savings as your income increases. (I have a rule that every time I get a raise I increase the percentage of my salary that I put into my 401k -- it works great because I don't notice the extra amount coming out of my paycheck because the pay just increased.)

Keep in mind how much you can potentially save and we will break that into three savings categories: short-term, medium-term, and long-term.

Let's start by looking at the most important category, long-term savings. This is likely the money you are putting away for retirement. A lot of people have stuck to the rule that 10% of their income should be saved for retirement, but this can vary quite a bit depending on your situation, so I suggest checking out this very simple calculator from CNN. It will give you an idea of what percentage of your salary should go to retirement savings.

There are a number of options on how to save for retirement, you have probably heard of the 401k, the Roth IRA, and a traditional IRA (factoid: IRA stands for Individual Retirement Arrangement, however many mistakenly attribute the A to account) but very few know what the difference is... well here is an incomplete, but still handy, table:

	401k	Roth IRA	Traditional IRA
Tax Exposure	Money invested in a 401k is taken out of your paycheck and it is tax deferred. This means that you do not pay taxes on the savings until you take distributions during your retirement.	Money is invested in a Roth IRA after you have paid taxes on those earnings. The money is not tax deductible, but you don't have to pay taxes when you take distributions during your retirement.	Money invested in a Traditional IRA is taxed with the rest of your earnings. However, investments are tax deductible, meaning you get the taxes back at tax time. You will have to pay taxes on your distributions during your retirement.
2007 Max Investment	Under 50: $15,500 50 and over: $20,500	Under 50: $4,000 50 and over: $5,000 (values are total for Roth and Traditional IRAs) There are income limits that could prevent you from saving with a Roth IRA, check the IRS website for more information.	Under 50: $4,000 50 and over: $5,000 (values are total for Roth and Traditional IRAs)
Employer Involvement	The 401k plan is set up by your employer. Often an employer will offer matching contributions for a certain percentage of what you invest.	The Roth IRA must be set up by the individual at a financial institution. There is no employer involvement and no matching contributions.	The Traditional IRA must be set up by the individual at a financial institution. There is no employer involvement and no matching contributions.
Planned Distributions	You can begin taking money out of a 401k at age 59 1/2. You must start making withdrawals by age 70 1/2 unless you're still employed.	You can begin taking money out of a Roth IRA at age 59 1/2. Withdrawals must be money that has been invested more than 5 years ago.	You can begin taking money out of a Traditional IRA at age 59 1/2. You must start making withdrawals by age 70 1/2 unless you're still employed.
Early Distributions	If you make an early withdrawal (before age 59 1/2) that does not fit into the exceptions, such as disability, the penalty is 10% of the withdrawal plus taxes.	If you make an early withdrawal (before age 59 1/2) that does not fit into the exceptions, such as disability, the penalty is 10% of the withdrawal plus taxes.	If you make an early withdrawal (before age 59 1/2) that does not fit into the exceptions, such as disability, the penalty is 10% of the withdrawal plus taxes.
Changing Jobs/Accounts	If you change jobs you can roll your 401k into your new employer's 401k plan or you can convert it to an IRA.	Funds can be transferred to another Roth IRA at another financial institution.	Funds can be transferred to another Traditional IRA at another financial institution.

Financial advice for people varies based on their specific situation. However, one thing is a given: If you company offers matching contributions on 401k investments, then you need to invest at least the amount required to get the maximum match. For example, my employer matches 50 cents on the dollar for the first 6% of my salary that I save. It would be foolish not to save at least 6% of my salary, they are offering free money. If your employer offers something similar make sure you are getting the maximum matching amount. As an added bonus every $1,000 you put into your 401k saves you approximately $300 on taxes.

Now let's assume that the CNN calculator mentioned above told you to save 11% of your income and you have already invested 6% in your companies 401k to get the maximum free matching money. For most of my peers I would advise just increasing the investment amount to the full 11%. However, another option that some financial analysts advise is to put the remaining amount you need to save into a Roth IRA until that maxes out at $4,000 per year.

Speaking of Roth IRAs, if your company does not offer a 401k (or a 403b which is very similar), then you need to take the initiative at set up an IRA. For most younger people a Roth IRA is superior to a Traditional IRA. There are a few reasons for this and you can use this calculator to review your individual situation, however, you will likely be in a higher tax bracket when you retire, so if you can pay taxes on your earnings now, you will be able to take your disbursements tax free when you retire. Tax free earnings are a rare thing in the United Sates... if you can find a way to make it happen, such as Roth IRA, then make sure you take advantage of it.

At this point most of the money that you determined you could save in the first step should be eaten up by your long-term retirement savings. That is OK, that is the way it is supposed to be. If you are young, this is the best time to save, that money and all the interest it generates will double, on average, every 7 years. This is called compounding and it is powerful stuff. For example, if you were to invest $1,000 at age 20 and get an average return of 10% a year until age 65 you would have $73,000. Now, if you saved that same $1,000 when you are age 50, you will only have $4,200 at age 65. The more you can put in now, the more you will have when you are older. Saving for retirement today is especially important considering retirement programs such as pensions and Social Security are quickly disappearing . You can no longer count on your employer or the government to take care of your retirement... you have to do it!

There are many other investment vehicles for long-term savings, in fact the Roth 401k is a fairly new plan that some companies are implementing. However, this is supposed to be a quick guide to savings.... there are plenty of other resources out there for more in depth looks at long-term saving strategies and I encourage you to check them out.

Hopefully you do have a few more dollars left in each pay check to go towards medium and short-term savings. Those two topics will be covered in the upcoming posts.

Continued...
Part II - Medium-term savings
Part III - Short term savings (coming soon)

No one notices the horrible presentations...

Now that I have worked in Corporate America for a while I have come to notice that 99% of all business presentations are awful. They are dull and boring and normally consist of someone reading their PowerPoint slides to you. They have to read them to you because 1) they are poor presenters and 2) the font on the slide is too small that you wouldn't be able to read it yourself. However, unless you like the nostalgia of your Kindergarten teacher reading to you, this kind of presentation is not very effective.

Guy Kawasaki of the How to Change the World blog and Garage.com led me to this great presentation. I believe it illustrates that the inverse of a horrible presentation that no one notices or remembers is an awe inspiring show that your audience will go wild for, (a show that does not rely on a PowerPoint template).

Check it out!


(If you are using a feed reader it may be blocking the Flash slide show. Click through to my blog to view.)

I, Roomba

My ol' college buddy (and one time RA) Scotty G. made a short film with his girlfriend Candice. And like any good short film producer he has uploaded it onto these here internets. It even stars two other UPS alumns Jeff Grimm and Nik Perleros.

It is in two parts, they are both short and they can be found below... enjoy!

Part I


Part II

Resume Resources

A number of my friends have recently been working on creating or revising their resumes. I don't know what makes me the de facto resume reader, but let me tell you, if I were to charge for resume reading services, I would have a few more bucks in my wallet.

Anyway, I thought I would put together a list of what I believe to be some pretty good resources for the resume writer.

Emurse is a great site dedicated to helping people create, share, and store resumes online. Even if you don't use their service, you have to check out their Complete List of English Power Words and their article on writing entry level resumes.

In addition to great words to use on resumes their are also some that could hinder your job search, check out this article on the 25 Words that Hurt Your Resume. Also you might want to look into a few of the other mistakes that can cause your resume to scream, "Don't hire me."

For a complete guide to resume writing, explore the guide put together by the Rockport Institute entitled, How To Write a Masterpiece of a Resume.

Once you have a draft of your new resume put together, you might want to check out this blog entry on how a hiring manager will likely look at and think about your resume. It offers some great insights and some helpful suggestions.

Getting all your content up to snuff is step one, getting your resume looking good is step two, check out this site for tips on how to give your resume a face lift.

Another resource that I have found to be incredibly helpful is my university's career center. Even if you have been out of school for a while it is probably worth checking out what kind of services your alma mater may offer their alumni.

Once you have gotten your resume all dolled up, it would be terrible if the individual you are emailing it to does not use the same word processor as you. Or, perhaps she does not have all the same fonts on their computer causing your resume to display differently on their screen. Once you have completed your resume, consider converting it to pdf for distribution. You can do this on the web using a service like this one. Or, if that doesn't work check out PrimoPDF which I wrote about here.

My resume could probably benefit from the advice found in the links above, but if you need an example to get you started, click on the picture below for a full size version of my own CV.Please feel free to leave comments below if you have some additional resume resources that others might find useful.

Free Hugs

Last week was a tough one for our country, this week is sure to be better... in that spirit I post the Free Hugs video, if you haven't seen it or it has been a while, it is worth checking out:

More information about the Free Hugs Campaign can be found at http://www.freehugs.org or, of course, Wikipedia.

Get your ol' PC working like new

Is your old Windows XP computer running a little slower than it used to? Are pop-up advertisements ruining your way of life? Do you sometimes go to the library instead of waiting for your computer to load Internet Explorer?

Well if any of these issues are the case, here are step-by-step instructions and links on how to get your PC running like new again.

Trevor's Computer Clean Up Regimen

Step 1) Uninstall any unneeded/unused software

• Goto the Start menu, then select Control Panel, then select Add or Remove Programs.
• Go through the Change or Remove Programs list and then uninstall any programs that not needed.
  

Step 2) Scan for and delete any spyware/malware
(There are multiple programs to run in this section because no one program seems to be able to catch all the spyware/malware that is out there. The good news is, all the programs are free for personal use.)

• Download, install and run Ad-Aware

Click Check for Updates Now link, click Connect button, when update is complete click Finished button.

Select Scan Now button on the right hand side of the screen, select Perform full system scan radio button, make sure the options Search for negligible risk entries and Search for low-risk threats are both selected with green check marks, and click the Next button.

The scan could take a while, so go read a book for a while, when you return click the Next button. On the Scan Summary tab click the check boxes next to all items listed and click the Next button. Click OK when the program tells you how many items will be removed.


Exit Ad-Aware and if the number of infestations you had was particularly bad, you might want to restart your computer before moving on to the next scan.

• Download, install and run Spybot Search and Destroy

When you first run Spybot, the wizard will begin, first click the button to Backup your registry. Then click the button to Search for updates, then click the button to Download all available updates. Once that download is complete the program will likely restart itself.

On the left hand pane of the Spybot window click Immunize and then click the Immunize button on the top pane of the immunize window labeled with a green plus symbol.

On the left hand pane of the Spybot window click Search & Destroy and then click the Check for problems button on the top pane of the Search and Destroy window.

The scan could take a while, so go clean your room, when you return click the Fix selected problems button that illuminates on the top pane of the Search and Destroy window.

Exit Spybot and if the number of infestations you had was particularly bad, you might want to restart your computer before moving on to the next scan.

• Download, install and run AVG Anti-Spyware

Click Update icon on the top pane of the AVG window, click Start Update button

Click Scanner icon on the top pane of the AVG window, click Complete System Scan button

The scan could take a while, so go outside and enjoy the sunshine, when you return click on the button on the bottom of the screen to Apply all actions.

Exit AVG Anti-Spyware. Right click on the AVG icon next to the clock and turn off Start with Windows and select Yes when the dialog box appears. Then right click the AVG icon again and select Exit, once again select Yes when the dialog box appears. If the number of infestations you had was particularly bad, you might want to restart your computer before moving on to the next step.

Step 3) Cleanup, repair and optimize your registry

• Download, install and run Eusing Free Registry Cleaner

When the program opens, click the Scan registry issue button in the top left of the Free Registry Cleaner program window.

This scan should complete fairly rapidly and when it is done, click the Repair registry issue button in the top left of the Free Registry Cleaner program window.

When the repair operation is complete, exit Free Registry Cleaner.

• Download, install and run NTRegOpt

Click OK on the welcome screen and allow program to scan and optimize your registry.

When the completion window appears, allow the NTRegOpt program to reboot your computer.

Step 4) Delete unneeded files

• Download, install and run CCleaner

Review list of items that will be deleted, and if this is acceptable to you, click Run Cleaner on the bottom right of the CCleaner program window.

When cleaning is complete, exit the CCleaner program by clicking the close box in the upper right of the CCleaner program window.

Step 5) Update your software

• Download and run filehippo.com's Update Checker

Update Checker will scan the programs installed on your computer and check if there are any available free updates for them. A web page will open with any available updates.

Click on the green arrows to download any updates.

Install the downloaded programs as desired.

Step 6) Defragment your hard drive

• Download, install DirMS

Close all other programs, including this web browser.

Run DirMS Defragmentation Utility.


On the DirMS main window, click Defragment.

This will take a while, and you probably shouldn't use your computer while it is defragmenting, but the good news is, it is your last step. When the program completes you can exit it and enjoy your 'new' computer!

Oklahoma Declares Watermelon State Vegetable

Brandon first pointed this news story out to me... this past week the Oklahoma state senate decided to declare the watermelon as the state vegetable. This is despite the fact that a watermelon is, of course, a fruit. However, Oklahoma already has an official fruit (the strawberry) so that designation wasn't an option.

read more | digg story

Best Financial Advice... Ever!

The most surprising part: the advice comes from Saturday Night Live.

UPDATE: I submitted this story on digg.com and it has become quite popular... You can digg it too, click here.

Quick Reference

The Verizon Yellow Pages was delivered to my front door the other day. I immediately put the very large book in the recycling bin. I laughed as I did this because I could not remember the last time I used a traditional copy of the Yellow Pages. In fact, I don't often use any physical reference book these days... everything seems to be available online. Below is a list of what I consider to be the best and most useful reference sites on the internet, in no particular order:

• Encyclopedia - Wikipedia
• Dictionary - Merriam-Webster or Dictionary.com
• Thesaurus - Thesaurus.com
  
• Rhyming Dictionary -RhymeZone
  
• Financial/Investment Dictionary - Investorwords.com
  
• Atlas - nationalatlas.gov
  
• Maps - Google Maps
  
• Yellow Pages - Yahoo! Local Yellow Pages
  
• Movies - The Internet Movie Database
  
• Real Estate Values - Zillow.com
• Automated Translation - Google Language Tools
• Notable Birth Days - Born Today
• Finance Web Site - Yahoo! Finance or Google Finance
• Urban Legends - Snopes.com or The Straight Dope
• Names (popularity over the past 130 years) - NameVoyager
• Unpublished 800 Numbers - Hard to Find 800 Numbers
• Reverse Phone Number Lookup - Reverse Phone Directory
• Recipes - Food Network.com

Some other sites worth checking out (although they may not fit into a strict "reference" category):

• wikiHow's How To Use English Punctuation Correctly
• Foreign Service Institute Language Courses
• 13 Things that Do Not Make Sense
• Timeline of Trends and Events (1750-2100)
• Common Errors in English

Do you use any other/additional online references? Leave a comment and let me know.

Update me...

There is a great little site called filehippo.com — it is a great repository of shareware and freeware programs, and as you may know, I am very fond of free programs. Anyway, with the abundance of great freeware out there, a problem arises... how do you know if you are up to date with your software?

Our friends over at filehippo.com come to the rescue again with their new program: Update Checker.

This is a sweet little program, and it is easy too. First you download the program, then you run it. Update Checker quickly scans your computer to see what version of programs you have and it displays a report like the one shown to the right giving you the option to download any available updates. Click the green button and your download it activated. How much easier could it be?

Pop Quiz, hot shot!

Name the five guarantees provided by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

I know what you are thinking... "Whoa, since when do I take orders from Trevor's blog, or from any blog, for that matter?" But recently I have become a little concerned about rights erosion in the United States and it scares me that some people don't know what our rights are. Anyway, I thought rather than whining about it, I could at least do my part to remind everyone of their high school civics classes.

OK, without further ado, the text of the First Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

So, what are the five (maybe six, depending on how you count, but a group of five is easier to keep track of, so we will go with that):

1. Freedom of religion
2. Freedom of speech
3. Freedom of the press
4. Freedom to assemble
5. Freedom to petition the government

Remember those five rights, they might come in handy some day.

e.g., i.e., etc.

Well, I am not about to become a Latin usage website because, honestly, I know nothing about Latin. That being said, there are some common phrases that are used in English quite a bit and I have been looking into their proper usage lately.

Here is my brief overview of common Latin abbreviations:

• e.g. stands for exempli gratia and it roughly translates to "for example." It is used to give examples of something that you just stated.
  

  I do not eat at fast food restaurants (e.g., McDonald's and Burger King).

  One of my favorite podcasts, Grammar Girl, also points out that you don't need a etc. after your examples because they are merely examples and people will assume that there are others that could be added to the list.
  
  
• i.e. stands for id est and it roughly translates to "that is." This is a clarification or explanation of what you just stated.
  

  I only like food that is served fast by restaurants (i.e., frozen desserts and sodas).

  In the case of i.e. the writer is not giving examples, they are a clarification, and it can be assumed that they are the only foods the writer likes.
  
  
• et al. is actually the abbreviation for two Latin phrases: et alibi and et alii. Et Alibi means "and elsewhere" and its abbreviation can be used used at the end of a list of places to denote that the list continues. Et Alii means "and others," you will often see et alli's abbreviation used at the end of a list of people indicating that there are more people who remain unlisted.
  
  
• etc. stands for et cetera and it is translated to "and the rest." This abbreviation is often found at the end of lists when et al. does not apply. You do not want to ever end a list with the phrase "and etc." because this translates to "and and the rest."
  

Oh happy day!

That nagging feeling in the pit of your stomach...
That notion that you have forgotten something big...
Something, monumental...

Well don't worry, it has not passed yet, but you better start making preparations, because March 4th, 2007 is a big day.

You still have time to get you cards and presents in the mail...
You still have time to decorate...
You still have time to commemorate...

For those of you who have not yet guessed it, Sunday is my 10,000th day. Yes, I will have been on this planet for, count 'em, 10,000 days since my birth on October 17, 1979. Now I know that tradition calls for sending a dollar for each day that the person has been alive, but this is completely unnecessary as a Starbucks' gift card, a star in my name or a charitable donation would all suffice as reasonable 10,000th Day gifts.

Random Quotes from Random Emails

I know, I know, I have been an absentee blogger lately, for that, dear reader, I apologize. I will offer a full explanation in a later blog post, but right now I am trying to clear out two very full inboxes. So, I thought I would include some random quotes I have written -- they are from some random emails as I engage in The Great Inbox Cleanup of 2007.

"Old and odd... true, but really, who doesn't like fists of spaghetti?"

"Damn painted clowns! They are like bowls of fruit without the banana."

(No, they aren't supposed to make sense, they are taken out of context, that is where the humor is derived from...)

"...so I decided NO WORK last night and took advantage of Mr. Tivo."

"...and if we can think of 6 more [songs] and we can make a 10 track Top Alternative Covers of Rap CD!"

"We have attached this year's ballot, fill it out before you come and bring it -- the person who gets the most correct will win bragging rights and a big kiss from Asia."

"Does Papa John put nuts in his Pizzas?"

Saving you money

This seems like a pretty good idea -- it is a program that logs onto your cell phone account and tracks/informs you of your minutes used/left in the month.

Now you will be able to afford to take me out to dinner instead of paying overages on your phone bill.

http://www.watchmycell.com/

This will blow your mind...

From the Sweet Links department:
Here is your Quantum Physics lesson for the day, in cartoon form, for everyone's enjoyment. Trust me on this, it is five minutes well spent. (Double slits will never be the same for you again).

A few of my favorite podcasts

If you have an iPod or similar digital audio player you should be listening to podcasts. Free audiso content on the web — it is what we were all looking for back in the days when illegally downloading music was still legal.

Below I have listed a few of my favorite podcasts with a link to their homepage and a link to iTunes so you can subscribe yourself:

• This American Life
  
  If you have not heard This American Life, it is quite possibly one of the greatest radio programs ever. Each week host Ira Glass picks a topic and does a number of stories on that topic talking to interesting people from all over the country.
  


• Grammar Girl's Tips for Better Writing
  
  Everyone can benefit from a tip to improve their writing abilities, and Grammar Girl has come to the rescue.
  
  
• Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
  
  The weekly news quiz from NPR. A great way to catch up with the weeks news and enjoy a little academic humor at the same time.
  


• And of course there is the the Princeton Review's Vocab Minute which I wrote about here.
  

Professor Livingston, I Presume...

When I was in college I took a personal finance class... I was a senior and I needed to take an elective that would not be too demanding. Despite the fact that I majored in business and took plenty of 400 level classes in the subject, I still learned one of my most valuable lessons in Professor Livingston's Business class for English majors. I now pass her advice onto you:

Do not use a credit card for anything that you will not have at the time that the bill arrives.

When you are in college and have no income, this advice seems inapplicable and possibly even impossible. But once I was out in the real world, I realized that this was some of the best personal finance advice out there. Not using your credit card on things that are immediately used up or consumed automatically makes you more financially responsible, and in a world where credit card companies are consistently trying to get you to open a new account, a little responsibility with revolving credit is a good thing.

This means that you should not use your credit card for eating out, bar bills, or gas. Vacations and groceries are out too... Think of it, all of a sudden this one little piece of advice forces you to live within your means.

In addition, when you do restrain yourself to only using your credit card on things that you will have when the bill comes, you have some flexibility if you ever get in a financial bind. You may be able to return the item that you should not have purchased in the first place or you could sell it on eBay. Either way, if you still have the item when your credit card bill comes it still has value, the same can't be said for that round of drinks you bought at Lazy Larry's 'British' Pub.

Should I Upgrade to Windows Vista?

I have been asked by quite a few people lately if I thought it was a good idea to upgrade their computer systems to Windows Vista. My thoughts on the subject:

Windows Vista is the newest major operating system release from Microsoft. The last major release was Windows XP in October 2001. Before that was Windows 98 in June (surprise) 1998. So they do not release these things too often. So, if you run Windows, you will probably end up running Vista sooner or later (you buy a new computer, a new piece of hardware or software requires it, etc.).

So my two assumptions are that that Vista will be the primary operating system for computers for the next 4-6 years and that eventually you will be running Vista. So, why not start now and get the benefits of the whole life span of Microsoft's next gen OS?

So now that you have decided to run Vista, the next question is, should I upgrade my computer or should I buy a new one with Vista pre-installed?

My advice to people with computers more than a year old... buy a new computer with Vista pre-installed. If you try and upgrade your older computer it will probably go something like this:

1. Buy Windows Vista ($100-$260) depending on the version (more on this later)
2. Upgrade video card to support Vista ($89-$250)
3. Upgrade RAM and/or hard drive to support Vista ($50-$150)
4. One year later: Encounter some kind of problem due to old hardware, old software, etc.
5. Decide to buy a new computer with Vista pre-installed

Sure, if your existing computer is working flawlessly and you have no problems or concerns in the world, there is nothing wrong with waiting to get a new computer, but you don't need to upgrade either. That would be a waste of time and money.

If, however, your computer is less than a year old (or you have a powerhouse from a little over a year ago), then run the Microsoft Upgrade Advisor and see what you will need to do to your computer to get it ready to run Vista. Chances are you will not need to change much (maybe you will need to swap out the video card).

Oh, and as some people have noticed, there are quite a few versions of the new Vista OS, for most standard home users, I would suggest Home Premium (upgrade: $159).

Lost in Translation

So when I was in Mexico a while back, I was looking at the DVDs on sale at the grocery store and I noticed Sofia Coppola's movie, Lost in Translation. However, since I was in Mexico the title was in Spanish, Perdidos en Tokio. Wait a second, that translates to Lost in Tokyo.

Maybe it is just me, but I find the fact that the title of the movie Lost in Translation was actually lost in translation. I suppose you could say that Ms. Coppola asked for it?

Ladies and gentlemen, the Human Sling Shot

I don't know why, but this video just cracked me up...

I'm the lead writer of my blog, baby!

So when I was trying to come up for a name for my blog I considered all the options... OK, so really all that I could think of was "Trevor's Blog" and "You Wanna Know What I Think?" Obviously, the latter won out... The title was actually favored to win all along, namely because it was the title of my column when I was the Editor for my high school's student paper.

As easy as it was for me to come up with a blog title, it was a bit more challenging to find a suitable URL for my blog. You see, http://trevor.blogspot.com was already taken, as were most other variations on my name. And, although http://youwannaknowwhatithink.blogspot.com was available, it seemed a bit too long.

So I decided to get clever (where my logic normally diverges from the rest of the world's) and I thought about what would most people first think when I asked them the question, "You wanna know what I think?"

"Not really, Trevor"

Thus my blog's URL was born, http://notreallytrevor.blogspot.com.

(This posting was written in order to explain where the "not really Trevor" came from and possibly offer some insight on my humor. As for the title of this post, it is a play on the lyrics of a song, but we can save that for another day.)

Polythelia

Random fact of the day: Polythelia is the medical term for the condition of having more than two nipples. Here is the article in Wikipedia for your educational enjoyment.

Start looking for a job 24 Hour Fitness counter boy

So I went to the gym tonight and at the entrance there was a new turnstile and biometric reader (read: fingerprint pad) where there had not been a turnstile or biometric reader before. It turns out that from now on, instead of being welcomed by two or three 24 Hour Fitness employees, I will simply press my thumb down on the pad, type in my phone number -- and presto: access granted.

I am sure many of the muscle endowed counter personnel think this is a wonderful stress-relieving, load-lightening new technology... but the wiser among them can probably see the writing on the wall: start looking for a new job, the day is coming when we will be (as they say in England) made redundant.

It's always sunny in San Diego

Today

Sunny High 79°F Precip 0% Wind: NNE 6 mph Max. Humidity: 16% UV Index: 3 Moderate Sunrise: 6:52 AM PT Avg. High: 66°F Record High: 78°F (1983)

Scouring the internet so you don't have to...

In case you haven't noticed the Interesting Stuff from 'Blogs I Read' box on the left hand side click here for a well put together page (thanks Google) of some of the things I find on the internet and think are the most interesting.

Congratulations!

As some of you may know my brother and sister are graduating from high school this year... the implications of this event are numerous and I probably won't post much about their personal lives. However, a little recognition never hurt anyone. Recently Heather was accepted to the University of Portland and Tyler was informed that he would be receiving a Sequoia Award and scholarship.

I don't know if either of my siblings read my blog, but if they do: I am very proud of and excited for both of you, I am sure this is the beginning of many more great things that will happen this year.

Pedometer

Many of you may not realize this, but I really like Rice Krispies, made by the good people at Kellogg. This evening, while I was pouring myself a bowl of Krispie goodness, out of the box fell a plastic-wrapped digital pedometer (we have come a long way from secret decoder rings). Along with the pedometer there was the instruction sheet that I have included for you below.

I think that instructions 1-6 are pretty good pointers on the use and opperation of . However, I do think "instruction" 7 is a little odd: "The battery is not replaceable or rechargeable." I must say that if you are going to make something digital, replaceable or rechargeable batteries does not seem like too much to ask for, but I suppose it was free...

"Instructions" 8 and 9 were the ones that really caught me off guard:

"8. Participants take part in exercise at their own risk"
"9. Kellogg's will not be held responsible for any illness or injury that is incurred while using the pedometer"

I know there are some that accuse the populous of the United States of being too litigious, but come on, this is just ridiculous... "Really? I exercise at my own risk?" I almost wonder if the lawyers wrote this line to give people ideas on what they could in fact sue Kellogg for.

As for "instruction" number 9, I understand that if I break my arm while using the pedometer Kellogg does not wish to be held responsible. However, what if the non-replaceable, non-rechargeable battery inside the pedometer blows up on me. I think, in this case, Kellogg should be held responsible for my injury -- no matter what a little piece of white paper says.

Thus, I call "instructions" 8 and 9 bunk. And, sadly, instruction number 4 is probably necessary for many people to figure out how to make their pedometer work.

Coca-Sony

Q: What do Sony and Diet Coke have in common?
A: They are both the topic of this trivial blog post.

Below are a couple things I learned over the holidays that I wanted to share...

The first Sony product was a rice cooker, and as the Sony website states, "tasty rice was a rarity." In fact not only would the cooker under and over cook the rice, but it was also rumored to have spontaneously combusted on some occasions, not unlike some of their more recent products.

My good friend Brandon reported to me last week that the 12 ounce, 20 ounce, and 32 ounce varieties of the popular beverage, Diet Coke list the number of calories to be zero. I also discovered that the 64 ounce size (commonly known as a 2 liter bottle) of Diet Coke lists the caloric content per serving to also be zero. However on a single-serving 42 ounce Diet Coke, the caloric content is listed as 5 calories. This seems to be a an incredible feat of Coke's mathematicians or chemists... for the same Diet Coke that is packaged in a 32 or 64 ounce bottle has zero calories, but in a 42 ounce container it has five calories.

A quick look at Wikipedia and explanation is offered -- FDA guidelines allow any serving containing less than five calories to be listed as calorie free. In actuality all Diet Coke contains calories, probably somewhere around 0.10 calories per ounce. However, because the 64 ounce bottle has multiple servings in it, pursuant to FDA guidelines, they can list it as a zero calorie product. And, single serving sizes smaller than 32 ounces also contain less than 5 total calories, and once again, according to the FDA <5=0. Only the 42 ounce king size Diet Coke tops the calorie scales and must report the horrible truth: even diet soda contains calories.

Y2K7

Happy New Year!

I hope that everyone had a blast this evening wishing 2006 a fond farewell and welcoming 2007 with excitement and expectation... and if you are feeling a little nostalgic for times gone by, don't forget what actually happened in 2006*.

As for me, I am hanging with the family (less one) in Palm Desert, California. Yeah, I decided to forgo some of the crazy parties I was invited to (OK, crazy parties that I am sure I would have been invited to...) to chill with the 'rents and my Bro -- the four of us had a good time. We went and saw The Good Shepherd and then had cheesecake before heading back to the hotel to watch the Waterford Crystal Ball fall on New York (what an odd tradition). And speaking of that tradition, this was the first year that the previously mentioned ball was lit with LEDs as opposed to halogen lights... interesting, huh?

Well whether or not you are into ball lighting technology or not, have a very happy 2007 -- I wish you and all those that are important to you a very special new year.

*may not be safe for work -- probably depends where ya work...