First SAE publication!!!

That's right, folks! Here's a link to one of the first technical publications that I've been involveld in:
Adaptation of a Variable Displacement Vane Pump to Engine Lube Oil Applications SAE2007-01-1567
Authors: David Staley, Bryan Pryor, Karl Gilgenbach, General Motors Corp.

Zecco.com account finally set up

Got the email from zecco today claiming my account was set up. A little slow, but I guess this is how long free takes. Tomorrow I'll put money in, and we'll see how long it takes until I can complete my first trade.

As always, more to come
Bryan Pryor

Finally - A cure for death!

According to a recent article at Forbes.com:

MONDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- Women who took low to moderate daily doses of aspirin had a reduced death rate, especially from heart disease, according to decades-long research.

The research, based on data from a major trial that has tracked almost 80,000 women since 1976, found that women who reported using aspirin on a regular basis had a 25 percent lower risk of death from any cause than women who didn't take the drug.

The risk of death from cardiovascular disease was 38 percent lower for aspirin users, and there was also a 12 percent reduction in cancer deaths that took effect after a decade of aspirin use, the researchers found in their report based on the Nurses' Health Study....

Perhaps I'm mistaken, but I have been under the assumption that the death rate has remained pretty constant at around 100% for the past 10,000 years or so. However, it appears that now with the simple use of aspirin, women can lower their risk of death. I'll bet that's really going to screw up the estimates for Social Security & medicare.
~Bryan Pryor

Zecco.com Update

It's now 24 hours after submitting my application, and all I've received to this point is the standard auto-reply emails (your account application has been received...)

Note to zecco: you should let new customers drive around the trading tools at this point. Make some watchlists... do some fake "paper-trading" to get a good feel for how the system works. Sure, I expect it to take a few days to be able to use the account, but let me get a feel for the goods now that I've signed up.

Another note: I've found some other reviews online that alerted me to the fact that I need to file a W-9 with zecco.com, or they will remove 28% of the balance from your account after 30 days. IMHO, that's a HUGE faux pas, considering this is not mentioned at all during the application. This should be standard fare, part of the application process. Get this fixed, zecco!!! Now I'm going to have to waste another stamp sending you a W-9 in the mail.

More to come....
~Bryan Pryor

Signed up for Zecco.com

So, I filled out the applications for zecco.com. I chose to also email the scanned documents to them to expedite the process. We'll see how long it takes for me to be able to place trades with them. It took about 1 week with my fidelity account to become active.

In the mean time, I'll be learning their website and looking at the tools they have available. Expect a more thorough review once I am up and running.

The sky is falling

Yet more proof that Michigan is among the worst places to drive. I'm sure you already know about the crappy drivers, the weird geographic phenomenon that doesn't allow turn signals to work in the Detroit Metro Area, and the potholes that can (and do) tear tires off vehicles.

Now, you also have to worry about bowling ball sized pieces of concrete falling onto your car, too! Sorry Granholm, but I don't think spending all of our money on education is going to do anything but give other states a good source of highly educated graduates willing to go wherever there is a job.

Moral of the story: bring JOBS to Michigan first, then the graduates will have a reason to stay. With no jobs, graduates will leave, taking even more money out of Michigan.

Your house - not always a great investment

I read this article the other day. FINALLY, someone else agrees with me!!! I've been running the numbers for about 2 years and I just didn't see that buying a house was that great of an investment. Sure, I'll buy a house anyway becuase I want freedoms you just can't have as a renter, but I'll probably keep the investment in mind when looking at how big I can afford.

Trying out Zecco.com

I've decided to try out zecco.com for the free trading service. Up to 10 free trades per day or a total of 40 free trades per month seems pretty reasonable to me, especially with only a $2500 account balance. It sure beats my current Fidelity account which charges $19.95 per trade at my current commission level. Sure, Fidelity has more features and gets cheaper once I start making over 36 trades a year, but I'm not that rich yet. I'm still one of those beginners that started with $0 a few years ago and am slowly saving.

Personally, I really dislike the business models that put more burden on the small, poor guys than they do the rich guys.

Stay tuned over the next few months to see my review of zecco. Let's hope it's good, since I'm putting my money where my mouth is.

Post # 2 - Thoughts on Government

Here's a thought - Make all representatives and senators wages tied directly to minimum wage. That is, if they want to give themselves a cost of living adjustment, they have to do the same to the minimum wage.

Blog Post #1

Testing to see if the new blog is set up properly.