AaronandSarah.net Blog!

hmm

2006-04-18T07:14:00.000-07:00

well well well folks, i've got 2 more weeks of school left and then only a few weeks until the wedding!!! found out the other day that one of aaorn's groomsmen can't do it so now we have to find someone else....aaahhhh anyways, not much else to say right now, i will update a little later...buh bye

OpenBSD in trouble!

2006-03-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know me, you know I'm an avid user of the BSD series of Operating Systems (most notably, FreeBSD). It appears another BSD project, OpenBSD, is in a bit of trouble.

The OpenBSD project is also responsible for the development of OpenSSH, arguably the most widely used SSH implementations ever. It's used in (as far as I know) every Linux distribution, as well as many commercial OS' (AIX, HP-UX, etc). The project is under financial duress, and is in need of $100,000. So let's all jump on over and help them out. Theo runs a good organization, and while he's known for trash-talking, he sure can make up for it all in the code he writes. It would be a shame to see OpenBSD fall through the cracks.

- Aaron

wedding update

2006-03-21T22:03:00.000-07:00

well as aaron already mentioned we are about 2 months away from the biggest day of our lives....our wedding!! planning is going really good though i am starting to feel the stress of school and wedding planning, but i know i can handle it as long as i keep myself in check. my sister threw me a bridal shower this past sunday and even though we had a massive snow storm, i believe that GOD decided to shine down on me and everyone was able to make it. aaron and i got a lot of stuff for our kitchen, including plates and bowls, towels, a coffee maker, a blender, pans and measuring cups and all that stuff. it was a lot of fun and now aaron and i have a good start on decorating our place. and i am having another bridal shower at the end of april, my neighbor is throughing it for me she is so sweet. anyways, my mom and me and aaron's mom and aunt are going to be making all the floral arrangements on saturday. things are really coming together. i will keep you posted with further updates.
~sarah~

Overdue updates

2006-03-21T10:11:00.000-07:00

It's been quite some time since I last posted to this blog. Let's see if I can cover the time.

Still running with MasonicForums.org. Not quite as active as I'd like it to be, however I'm just excited that people have joined. I'm planning an update of the site, and make it more of a community gathering place rather than a plain old forum. However, I'd love to strike a balance between community and "KISS" (Keep It Simple, Stupid!). Some of the most successful sites out there on the web are very simplistic in nature. The reason they are successful is because they deliver their intended message without the glitz and glamour of "whiz-bang" flash animations and things that generally take a long time to load for visitors on dial-up. That medium is not an easy target to hit, but that just makes the challenge all the more fun.

Actually not a whole lot has happened. Still have a job, which is a good thing. Sarah and I are getting married in about 2 months, and we're both excited about it. Other than that, I'm at a loss right now. So until next time...

- Aaron

New site...

2006-01-25T23:05:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I have opened yet another website... MasonicForums.org! It's a great place for Masons and non-Masons alike to meet. Go on over and check it out, you may just find yourself intrigued.

- Aaron

Shifting gears...

2006-01-21T01:22:00.000-07:00

From Investing to Anonymity. Here's a brief overview of what's been keeping me occupied these last few days (weeks?).

My job as a Hardware Technician for Infocrossing (formerly (i)Structure) was recently eliminated. So I have transferred over to the Operations team. Which means very soon I'll be working from 6PM to 6AM, alternating between 3 and 4 days a week. We'll see how this gig goes...

I've recently stumbled across a set of tools called Tor and Torpark. Tor is a tool that is used to anonymize your browsing experience. And Torpark does the same thing, however it is packaged together along with Portable Firefox so that it can be run from a USB memory stick. I'd recommend you try it out.

But wait, there's more... An OpenBSD live CD, packaged with Tor. It's called Anonym.OS, and it too looks to be a promising tool. Of course it has the same drawbacks as any live CD (most notably, it's somewhat slow). But all in all, it made for a very interesting experience. It's definitely worth a run.

Also of note, I've began running a webcam. It's a bit older (between 2-3 years old), so the images it produces aren't of the highest quality, but none the less, you may access it by visiting http://omahsoft.no-ip.com:8000/~aaron/cam/. When the camera isn't running, you will only see an image that looks like a TV that lost it's channel signal.

That's about it for now. Until next time...

- Aaron

The secret to successful investing part 4: Automation

2006-01-01T23:15:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I hope you had a happy New Year. Sarah and I just returned from a day at the Grand Canyon. Pictures to come soon... Meanwhile back to our fire-side chat about investing...

Automation. It's so simple and yet so many people easily overlook it. Whatever your investment strategy (buying stocks/bonds, or even stashing cash away in a savings account), if you automate it, it works a lot better. Think of it as "paying yourself first."

Huh? What do you mean "pay myself first?" Well it's simple. If you don't, chances are you won't reach your goal. Did you know that until 1943, the government relied on us taxpayers to magically come up with the money for our tax bill every April. At that point, the government realized that we couldn't be relied upon to do this, and began taking automatic deductions from our paychecks for taxes. Did you catch the key word in that sentence? Automatic.

If your employer offers a 401(k), participate. And max our your contribution. I don't mean all at once. Gradually work towards it. For instance, I currently am contributing 2%. My goal for 2006 is to be up to at least 5%. And for 2007, it'll be 10% or more. It especially makes sense if your employer offers some sort of contribution match. That's free money right there. If your employer doesn't offer a 401(k), don't despair. You can open an IRA through most banks and brokerages, which is better than nothing.

If Savings is your particular investment vehicle of choice (which is not really an investment, but hey whatever works), then have I got news for you. Not only does ING Direct offer one of the highest savings rates around (currently 3.8%), they make it very easy to set up automatic transfers to your savings account! It can't get any easier than that!

If government securities (bonds, etc) are what you're interested in, TreasuryDirect has what you need. I personally have an account there (and invest in series I bonds), and it's just super simple to invest in government backed securities. They also have an automatic buy program available, so go ahead and check them out!

If you're more interested in stocks/ETF's, then ShareBuilder is for you. They offer automatic dollar-based investments every month or week (and anything in between). With no minimums, it just makes sense. And if you send an email to my first name (aaron) at this domain (aaronandsarah.net) then I can send you a special invite worth $25! So what are you waiting for? Get started today saving for tomorrow!

- Aaron

The secret to successful investing part 3: Long-term investing revisited

2005-12-30T23:50:00.000-07:00

The thing you need to remember when it comes to long-term investing is... well, it's long term. You can't concern yourself with the ups and downs of the market (unless, that is, there are no ups and only downs). While you should constantly re-evaluate your portfolio and rid yourselves of stocks that no longer meet your criteria, you shouldn't just sell because the stock is coming down. Chances are it'll go back up within a few days. One thing a long term investor may do when their stocks are going down is buy more (if they are sure it's a solid investment). That way, when the market re-adjusts itself (as it will), you'll have more stocks.

Next we'll cover another big secret of successful investors... tomorrow.

- Aaron

The secret to successful investing part 2: Long-term investing

2005-12-23T23:42:00.000-07:00

In the last (and, as ironic as it sounds, first) post, I told you that the secret to being a successful investor was dollar-cost averaging. I also briefly touched on the importance of having a balanced portfolio (again, another lengthy write-up, which deserves its own moment in the spotlight). Now, I want to talk to you about the virtues of long-term investing.

I mentioned before that a lot of investors will say "buy low, sell high!" That's a lie. I honestly don't know if a lot of them will say that to you (but just about everyone has got to be thinking that right?). But for most of us, when it comes to investing, we're not doing it to make a quick buck (some of us may be, but there are, believe it or not, those of us out there who aren't a "get rich quick" kind of person). If you are looking to "get rich quick," then what I am about to say does not pertain to you.

Long term investing is, if done right, probably the best way we can prosper from our forays into the dark world of the "market". Buying a stock, fully knowing you don't anticipate selling it for at least ten years, will make you seriously think before you act. And if it doesn't, well then you're either foolish or have entirely too much money (and can afford to take some losses). You'll want to examine very closely any company you are considering purchasing stock in before doing it. And don't just buy stock because it's a company you've heard of. Get to know that company. As a shareholder, you are part owner. So you need to start thinking and acting like an owner. Get to know the company's core business. If you don't fully understand it, then you probably won't be able to successfully determine what value that company will bring you when you are ready to retire.

To invest long-term, you need to start thinking long-term. Instead of following the latest "hot tip", you should be focusing on what will be a hot tip 10 years from now. While no one can accurately predict the future, a little research may lead you in the right direction of finding a company's future.

To be continued...

- Aaron

The secret to successful investing: Dollar-cost Averaging

2005-12-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

That's right. That's the biggest secret to being a successful investor. Well... that and knowing what to invest in. But that's a whole different story.

What exactly is dollar-cost averaging? Essentially, it's the process of investing a little over time, in steady increments. You are not limited to full shares; you can buy bits and pieces and over time it will add up. For those of us who have a 401(k), we already have a general idea. A small amount of your paycheck goes into an account, and it grows over time.

So why do I think that dollar-cost averaging is the secret to successful investing? Well I must admit, I feel it takes a lot more than that to be a successful investor. For instance, a well diversified portfolio is always a wise choice (anyone remember hearing "Don't keep all your eggs in one basket" as a child?). Anyone thinking about investing will invariably ask a well-experienced investor for some "good advice". And it never fails, you always hear "buy low, sell high!". However, that doesn't quite work for everybody. Not many of us have the luxury of sitting around at work and watching streaming quotes.

So how can we maximize our investment dollar? I'm so glad you asked. By buying a little bit at a time, of course. Stocks are, unfortunately, unpredictable (but don't tell Warren Buffet that!). Sure, you can research the company, gather all the data you possibly can, but you still can't fully predict what the future will bring. Stock prices go up, stock prices come down. It's almost a daily occurrence. You, as a dollar based investor, have an advantage over the investor buying large numbers of shares. How? Well, as you're steadily going along, investing $50 a month to a particular stock, you may be buying just at a time where the stock has been coming down. So you're gathering more shares (or portions of a share) when the price is low, all for the same amount of money. Sure, if you have several thousand dollars to spare, that probably doesn't matter too much to you as you could simply buy more when the price is low. But to most of us, we don't have the luxury of kicking around that kind of money. So this makes perfect sense for the "average Joe".

So, have I got you interested in dollar based investing? Great! You're probably wondering where to turn to begin taking advantage of this awesome experience. Look no further than discount brokerage ShareBuilder. With no account minimums, no inactivity fees, and commissions as low as $4 per trade, they are definitely worth a look. And if you find them interesting, let me know and I can get you $25 free for you to invest. You can't beat that deal! You may contact me by sending an email to "aaron" at this domain name (aaronandsarah.net). That's about all I have for tonight. Look forward to my stock picks for 2006 (coming soon!).

- Aaron

Christmas Gifts

2005-12-07T22:40:00.000-07:00

I got my mom's Christmas gift today. I began playing with it after work today, and immediately ran into an interesting problem. The drive came partitioned into two parts (a "C:\" and a "D:\" drive). That would be all well and good if this were a server... but this is to be a basic desktop system used for surfing the net or reading email. There's no need for multiple partitions. So I found out the hard way that one would need a $60 program to combine these two partitions into one. There must be a better way...

I thought maybe by converting the filesystem from FAT32 to NTFS, I might be able "expand" the partition. No such luck. And now I've got an NTFS volume (which apparently Partition Magic won't work with). Enter "System Rescue CD-ROM"... which is a Gentoo-based livecd that includes QTParted. QTParted worked wonders, and now I have an 80GB C:\ drive.

That's my rant for the evening.

- Aaron

The skinny on "One"

2005-12-01T23:27:00.000-07:00

I recently posted that I applied for and indeed received the One card from American Express. I promised a review when I got it, so here it is. A more in-depth review can be found after I've had it long enough to really decide if I like it or not.

So, they say the first thing you usually notice are looks. And this card has them. It's not the "plain jane" green card... it's a darker hue of green (almost tealish). In certain angles/lighting conditions, it is blue. It's complimented by a "white stripe" sort of thing streaking across the upper left corner. The American Express "Centurion" is watermarked in the middle of the card, and the words "American Express" are written across the top (in the same color of green the card is in, on a white background).

How about usability? Well, it's very useful. How's "no pre-set spending limit" sound to you? Sounds like a license to shop! Just kidding. It would be wise to use a card like this in moderation. Although, I did break it in by taking a trip to Sonic for some dinner, then going to Wal-Mart to get some Christmas cards. Hey, you have to use it to get the $25 bonus deposited into your savings account! After returning home I bought my Mom's Christmas gift. I felt that was enough breaking in. Early next week I'll go attempt to pick up Sarah's gift (if they even still have it).

So what do I think so far? With the exception of having the prestige of an American Express card, there's nothing different... yet. Keep an eye open for a more in-depth review.

- Aaron

Dear MSNBot...

2005-11-30T19:27:00.000-07:00

That's right, this is a "Dear John" letter, written to MSNBot.

MSNBot,
You have repeatedly abused my bandwidth as you have crawled my sites day in and day out. I've finally had enough. I have banned you from this site, as well as my business site. So until your creators *ahem Microsoft* figure out how to make you more efficient, you are no longer welcome at any of my sites. I don't suspect I will see you again for some time. It's been fun, but I've moved on.

And that's that folks. I would recommend banning MSNBot from your sites as well, as it is a very unfriendly bot. Feel free to leave your comments below.

- Aaron

I've got "One"

2005-11-27T23:39:00.000-07:00

So what does this title mean? What is this "One" that I have? It's the newest offering from American Express, intuitively called American Express One. And, as the title implies, I got one.

This new card is billed as the way for someone to both spend and save. Every time you make a purchase using the card, American Express will deposit 1% of that purchase amount into an FDIC insured high-yield savings account (which is opened in your name when you are approved for the card). The APY right now is 3.5%, which brings it on par with ING Direct. Now, this account is at American Express Bank, so it works out for them as well (the more money in their coffers, the more they can lend out). By the way, you can add to (and remove from) this account at will.

The card also has no pre-set spending limit, and you have the option of paying in full or paying over time. It also has an "interest protection" feature, which means you pay interest on only those charges that you don't pay in full. So in other words, you would be paying interest on that latest vacation you took, but you won't pay interest on the groceries you charged last week. And it has a full 30 day grace period. The interest rate, however, isn't the greatest in the world, but it's certainly not the worst.

So that's about it for now. I'll post a review once I get the card. Oh yea, I almost forgot, American Express will deposit $25 into your savings account the first time you use it. And the $35 annual fee is waived the first year. More to come.

- Aaron

Updates

2005-11-13T00:15:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a while since either of us have written last, so I'll try to catch you up.

Our forums have been migrated from phpBB to SMF (SimpleMachinesForum, http://www.simplemachines.org/). So check them out, you may like what you see.

Our business is up and running. So if you're looking for a quality web host that has fanatical support, then check us out.

We had a recent tragedy in the family. Sarah's Grandfather passed away on Friday morning (November 11th, 2005). He will be missed.

Even though it's short, I think that's about it for now. I'll try to post more regularly, and I'll see if Sarah will do the same. Perhaps we can return this blog to it's former glory :)

- Aaron

It's raining on my parade!!

2005-10-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

Today is a sad day. Sarah came down Friday the 14th, and returned home today. And it sucks.

We also adopted a dog this weekend from the Arizona Humane Society (pictures to come). His name is Skipper and he's so cute. What really sucks though is since Sarah left, he's been even more lethargic than he has been all weekend. I know it's tough to adjust to a new setting like this, and it's even tougher for him now that Sarah isn't around. I hope he can come to understand.

Anyways, that's about all I have for now. We're both sad in Arizona.

- Aaron

wedding update

2005-10-07T06:18:00.000-07:00

hey hey hey everyone, yep aaron and i are getting married may 28, 2006!!! anyways, we have booked the reception hall, church and i even have my dress!! now we need to focus on the photographer, dj and limo. i will keep you all updated as the months progress and we get closer and closer to the big day!!

~sarah~

Wedding!!

2005-10-04T21:06:00.000-07:00

A recent post by Sarah suggests a wedding may take place. How right she was!

Sarah and I are to be married Memorial Day weekend, 2006. For more information, visit our special wedding section of our site.

-Aaron

wedding??

2005-09-26T06:23:00.000-07:00

well hello everyone....i know it has been a while since i last wrote anything so i thought i would write today. i have had a lot of things going on and a lot of things on my mind these last few weeks. as you all probably already know, aaron moved to tempe, az about a week ago now. it has been pretty hard for me because i miss him so much, but i just try and take it day by day. i am hoping to move down there in december, but i still don't know if that is going to work out. the other night the idea of aaron and i getting married was brought up by my parents of all people. now im thinking that this is a good idea, at least i would be able to move down and it wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg to do so. now, i am all for getting married this coming december, but i don't know if aaron is too keen on the idea, as well as my parents. but im thinking i can put a wedding together in a couple of months, it wouldn't be anything huge, just a small ceremony for relatives who can make it and close friends. anyways, i've been reading and have found that a lot of people have pulled a wedding together in a couple of months for relatively inexpensive and im thinking if they can do it i can do it. anyways, if any of you have any thoughts or could share any ideas that would be great, you could just post them on our forums, just create a new post topic!! anyways, that's all for now, out.
~sarah~

Overdue Updates

2005-09-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

Alright, everyone ready for updates? Alrighty... here we go.

So I moved to Tempe, AZ. My company ((i)Structure) transferred me. Great huh? It's rather nice down here. Now only if we can get Sarah down here...

I've fallen in love with the Opera browser. It's the neatest thing since sliced bread. And now, it's completely free! That's right, no more ads! No more $39 to get rid of them (although I was beginning to think it was well worth it). Just plain, yet beautiful, web surfing bliss. I highly recommend you give it a try. You won't regret it.

Also, let's not forget about my web hosting business. AJ Graves & Associates is open for business, so head on over and check it out. Still implementing an automated order process, so for now to place an order, submit a support ticket to the sales department (http://www.ajgraves.com/support/).

Well, that's about it for now. More updates to come.

- Aaron

Hurricane Relief

2005-08-31T20:26:00.000-07:00

Anyone remember the tsunami last December? America raised lots of money for their relief. We even had two former presidents go on "tour" to help raise support.

So where is the rest of the world now that America has suffered a major natural disaster? Thousands dead, and that number will probably rise as the days and weeks go on. So where is our aide? Is Jacques Chirac on French TV asking his countrymen to pony up a few euros? It takes a moment of need to find out who your real friends are. How about OPEC? It costs them $4 a barrel to produce and market their oil (who really needs to market oil? It sells itself these days), and yet they charge us $70 a barrel? Talk about price gouging. We should demand they lower prices by $15 a barrel, if not more. Sure, America may be the wealthiest and most powerful country in the world, but there come times when even we need help.

Tomorrow I think I'll go buy a bike. And I'll donate to the Red Cross what I would have spent this month on gas. Down with the price gougers, and God bless the victims of the hurricane.

- Aaron

Google Talk

2005-08-24T18:27:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official folks... today Google released their own iteration of an Instant Messenger. Called Google Talk, it seems fairly promising. Based on the Jabber platform, it uses open standards, and includes it's on VoIP service.

So how does it stand up? Well, here's my initial assessment.

I think it may be a force to reckon with once it's no longer a beta. In it's current state, it's very rudimentary. It doesn't do emoticons (although it will change the font color to blue when you enter a typical emoticon such as ":-P"). Basically, it's your average text chat. But what sets it apart is the VoIP capability (and not to mention there are no ads anywhere, until AIM *grr*). All in all, it works fairly well.

If you'd like to test out Google Talk, my username is cajunman4life. Feel free to chat with me sometime. And if you need a gmail invite, just let me know, I've got 50!

- Aaron

Downtime

2005-08-22T17:49:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, well if you haven't noticed, our site here has been down off and on over the last few days. The problem is this: The datacenter that hosts this server experienced an electrical failure. However, the problem should now be fixed, and everything should be well again. As a side note, I'm considering moving this site over to my own hosting services (it would make sense after all). Anyways, just wanted to keep ya'll updated. I'm in Tempe, AZ right now, checking the place out (and working). I looked at an apartment and it's really nice, perhaps I will take it. Anyways, that's all for now.

- Aaron

News Updates

2005-08-07T22:15:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a little while (so what else is new), so here's your news updates to catch you up.

Remember a while back I promised hosting? Well it's here! That's right, I've finally opened the doors on my hosting company. Well, kinda. I've got everything in place, just putting all the pieces together right now. As soon as it's completely done, I'll post the link to the site so you can check it out for yourself. Prices are reasonable too!

I'm slowly becoming obsessed again with FreeBSD. There's just something sexy about a complete operating system... while Linux is great, we too often forget that Linux, in itself, is just a kernel. Many other "tools" are placed on top of it to create an operating system, or distribution. And there are inconsistencies between distributions. With FreeBSD, everything is all rolled in to one. Kernel, userspace utilities, etc. So you're guaranteed a consistent experience. Not to mention that little Daemon is so cute!

Anyways, I'll let you know when we're "officially" open for hosting business.

- Aaron

Long time, no siege.

2005-07-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

The title of this post is my favorite quote from the game Age of Empires 2. How fitting...

So it's been a while since I've posted. Not much to talk about really. There's not a whole lot going on in my life. SSDD as they say. And I'm now at a loss for words, so maybe I'll write more later.

- Aaron