Before We left for Tokyo I had checked Geocaching.com and found there were less than 400 geocaches in the whole country. Rather than trying to decide ahead of time which caches we might be able to hunt, I just loaded all 400 in my GPS before we left home.

We only found 3 caches while in Tokyo. Since we were travelling by bus and train we could not just drive a mile to get to the next cache and usually it was at least 3 miles to the closest cache.

One of the caches we found was At the Feet of Tokyo Tower. This was a regular cache that was in a tupperware type of container and hidden in a tree in a park next to the tower. I signed the log and left a couple of my million-dollar-bill business cards in the container.

Another cache we found was a virtual cache called What Kind of Tree is Grants Pine. A virtual cache is one that does not have a container or a log book to sign. Instead, after finding the cache you e-mail the cache-owner the answer to a question that the owner uses to verify you really visited the cache.

It was amazing to find in Tokyo a tree which was planted by President Grant not too long after the civil war.

After such a long day yesterday

I woke early for some reason and after chatting with my dear wife and the office for a while over the internet, I noticed it was 6am so I went and knocked on Geoff’s door.

He was awake and so after showering and getting dressed we decided we would go visit the Imperial Palace grounds and from there, depending on the time left, decide what else we wanted to do.

Our first order of business was to figure out how to get to the Imperial Palace grounds. According to our map the Tokyo Train Station was only a few long blocks from the Imperial Palace and one of the buses near the hotel would take us right to the station. We found the bus stop and waited for the bus and when the right one came along we paid our 200 Yen and hopped aboard, ready for our first full day of adventure. The bus took us to the Tokyo train station.

After visiting the Imperial Palace Grounds Geoff and I decided to walk a bit through Tokyo. We had not planned on walking all the way to the Tokyo Tower but, by the time we were done, we would have walked a few miles, done a couple of geocaches and would be under the tower.

Just re-listened to a short little podcast describing How to Leave a Voice Mail Message at 43Folders. Wish all voice mails were that succinct. I even catch myself sometimes rambling on when I have to leave a voice mail message instead of just keeping it to the minimum.

The message only needs to answer the following questions:

1. Who am I:
2. What’s my phone number:
3. Does this call need to be returned:
4. Why am I calling:
5. Here is my phone number again, just in case they want to call.

This past Saturday was clean-up day at our house. We have been tearing things up for 2 years and some of the larger pieces could not go in to the regular trash. So I borrowed a friend’s pickup and we started loading it up.

We had railroad ties that were used as part of the stairway to the backyard, tree roots that we dug and cut out after a large pine tree was removed, branches, a section of old fence, lots of scrap wood, bags of leaves, and a bunch of other stuff.

After we got it all tied down Brendan and I headed to the dump. At the dump they weighed the truck and we proceeded to get in line to dump our load. I was amazed at all the stuff we pulled out of the truck. Brendan and I finally finished and headed back to have the truck weighed empty.

They charge about $4 per $100 pounds so I figured we would probably have to pay about $20 or $25. Well, there was a 1400 pound difference! I wondered if they accidentally weighed me twice. $56 to empty the pickup plus $20 for gas to keep my friend happy.

I think next time we will just have a dumpster dropped off at the house. They don’t cost much more than what I paid and you can take your time to load it up and not have to wait in line at the dump or unload it.

I just ran across this php code by Chris at ChrisAndAbigail.com that incorporates Phoogle into a WordPress Plugin.

Phoogle Maps (pronounced like Foogle Maps) is a PHP class that integrates itself with the Google Maps API and with the geocoder.us database to make an easy to use interface to display Google Maps on your site. With about 5 lines of PHP code you can display a customized Google Map on your website. Please note that you will need a free Google Maps API Key to use Phoogle Maps

With this code you can map multiple points on one map if you wish,or even have multiple maps per page. The code will allow you to send just an address so you do not have to have the Latitude and Longitude for the location. If you do have the coordinates, then you can use those if you want. Through the WordPress admin page you can set the default map settings and you can over ride the defaults by adding custom width, height, and zoom settings to an individual post.

The plugin does require you add php code to the post so you will need to have installed one of the plugins that allows you to do this. I use PHPExec but the author recomends Exec-PHP.

Here is a sample of the code it takes to add a map to your page.

I did have to make some modifications to get the plugin to work for me.

1. First, I figured out how to use lat/long pairs. I could find no documentation but it appears a 2nd function was added called addGeoPoint() that takes 3 arguements: addGeoPoint("lat","lon","description") and of course description is optional.
2. The plugin needs to be patched to correct addGeoPoint() function. The 3rd arguement needs to be changed from $htmlInfo to $htmlMessage=null just like the addAddress function uses.
3. Firefox messes up the formatting of the description text in the balloon. I found out that you can add some style code and fix it.

I will probably also go in and add a quick hack so that if no description is added then the description will default to the passed address or coordinates.

Right now the only post I have used this with is Tokyo Diary - Geocaching in Japan but if you put ShowMap in the search box on the right it should list any post that contains the function.

According to a press release from the Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna, California-based marketer of Internet directory listings, Yellow Pages, Inc., will pay $525,000 to settle allegations of deceptive marketing practices brought by 27 states.

“Washington and other states alleged that Yellow Pages, Inc., tricked businesses into paying for advertising services they never intended to purchase, then referred the debt to collections if they failed to pay,” McKenna said. “Washington law prohibits any sort of deceptive solicitation for products or services. Consumers must give their informed consent before obligating themselves to purchase products and services.”

The Washington State Attorney General’s Office sued Yellow Pages, Inc., in February 2005 after more than 75 Washington businesses and organizations complained about the company’s marketing practices. According to the lawsuit, the company sent deceptive mailings in the form of checks that resembled a customer refund or rebate, but instead were a contract to buy business listings on its website.

We would get one of these advertisements about every other month. They were usually a check for about $3 or $4 but the back had a statement right above where you sign saying you wish to be listed in their web directory for 1 year and promise to pay $15 for this service. Wish they could have done more, but am glad we should not be getting these anymore.

The US Postal Service wants to raise the price on stamps, from 39 cents to 42 cents, after having just raised them this year. First-class stamps have gone up 13 times since 1974, when the price to mail a letter went from 8 to 10 cents. Kearney said rate increases soon could become an annual affair.

To help offset the pain of always having stamps that are not current, the post office is proposing a new type of stamp to supplement the regular first class stamps. The post office says these ‘forever stamps’ would cost the same as a first-class stamp but would provide a hedge against future postal rate increases and end the search for 2 and 3 cent stamps every time there is a price increase.

There are two problems I see with this idea. First and foremost, this is a great deal for the post office if people stock up on stamps. This will increase current year income without any matching expense since people are ‘hoarding’ the ‘forever’ stamp. Of course, if people hold on to the stamps for a couple years and then use them, the post office will have to increase rates because they have expenses but no corresponding income. Of course that is a new postmasters problem.

Second problem is that there is an inconsistency in their story. Since these are ’special’ stamps, they do not replace regular postage stamps for 39, 42, or whatever cents. If I have a bunch of regular 39 cent stamps now, and they raise it to 42 cents, I am still going to need 3 cent stamps. They will need fewer of these if everyone is buying ‘forever’ stamps for the 3 months before a rate increase, but not reduce the need to none. Also there is no talk of a ‘forever’ stamp for post cards, and our small office mails out 100 of those a week and they need additional postage every time the rates go up.

The only way I see this really working is if the post office quits putting values on all first class mail stamps and instead put, say, a gold star on it. So any gold star stamp is always good for mailing a first class letter whether the stamp has a flag on it, mickey mouse, or Elvis Presley.

SEATTLE – Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna announced today that an Oregon man is the first defendant penalized under Washington’s new computer spyware act. Zhijian Chen, of Portland, Ore., will pay nearly $84,000 in fines and consumer restitution for marketing bogus anti-spyware software through deceptive means.

“Let this be a warning to other online advertisers – when you attempt to harm or deceive, you will pay in Washington,” McKenna said. “We will not tolerate those who try to profit by preying on consumer’s fears of spyware and other malware.”

According to the Attorney General’s Office press release this is the first settlement under Washington state’s 2005 Computer Spyware act. Chen advertised Secure Computer’s Spyware Cleaner by sending messages to PCs that simulated system warnings. Using a vulnerability in Windows’ Net Send, Chen would send messages such as: “Message from SYSTEM to ALERT … Warning! We detected a virus on your computer! We were unable to remove it automatically so please visit our site and download software to remove Adware, Spyware, and Viruses from your computer!”

Users who visited the web site in Chen’s Net Send message were encouraged to take advantage of a “free scan” to check for malicious programs. This so-called scan would always detected spyware even if none existed and users were instructed to purchase the full software product for $49.95. To top things off, this full version of Spyware Cleaner would fail to detect many spyware programs and would actually leave the computer more vulnerable than it was before.

“Chen made thousands of dollars by sending invasive messages intended to mislead consumers into believing their computers were infected with a dangerous virus and that Secure Computer’s software was the fix,” McKenna said. “In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.”

“Our spyware act not only protects consumers from spyware purveyors. It also makes it illegal to persuade someone to download software by misrepresenting that a program is necessary for security or privacy,” McKenna said.

Consumers who purchased Spyware Cleaner must file a compaint within three months to get a refund. Visit the Attorney General’s Office online at www.atg.wa.gov for more information.

This is not the only case the Attorney General’s Office is investigating. A settlement was announced with SoftwareOnline.com, of Sammamish, Wash., because of its InternetShield and Registry Cleaner products. SoftwareOnline is required to refund affected consumers and will have to pay $190,000. The Attorney General’s Office alleges SoftwareOnline misrepresented the necessity of its software for security and they used deceptive billing practices.

Say you decided to put $4,000 into a Roth IRA for yourself and your spouse. Would it be smarter to dump the $8,000 in as a lump sum or would you be better off dividing it up in some fashion and for example put in $1000 a month over 8 months? The thinking behind splitting up the investment is that if the market is going up and down over the course of the year you have a good chance of buying some stocks at the drops as well as minimizing the chance that if you dropped the $8,000, today’s price would turn out to be the highest for the whole year.

There is an interesting article at the moneychimp regarding dollar cost averaging a large sum of money into the stock market vs just dumping the whole amount in. He has a calculator in the article that you can pick the month and year you would have started and see if the money would have done better as a lump sum investment or spread out over a year using historical returns.

The moneychimp article says that dollar cost averaging will loose 2 out of 3 times according to the calculator.

Of course, dollar cost averaging will win if your start date falls right before a dramatic crash (like October 1987) or at the start of an overall 12 month slump (like most of 2000). But unless you can predict these downturns ahead of time, you have no scientific reason to believe that dollar cost averaging will give you an advantage.

I really liked his closing paragraph where he wonders why it is then that so many people persist in believing that dollar cost averaging is better. His answer:

Maybe because it has a psychological appeal: if the market dips, people will be happy because DCA will be saving them money; and if the market goes up, people will be happy regardless.

“William Eaton’s mission was way beyond foolhardy…He would have to find a weak-willed prince named Hamet wandering somewhere in war torn Egypt and convince him to try to seek his rightful throne. He would then have to mount a civil war in Tripoli to overthrow the current ruler and free 307 U.S. sailors and marines held hostage there.”

The Pirate Coast, Thomas Jefferson, the first Marines and the Secret Mission of 1805 is an amazing but true story of the young United States in an awkward Mediterranean war against Tripoli and its state-sponsored terrorism of the sea, also known as the Barbary Pirates. Based upon the diaries and personal correspondences of those involved, Richard Zacks has given us a unique view of the U.S. dealings with Tripoli, Jeffersonian politics, and early naval operations. The intrigue and political dealings of of the time are explained in context and provide insight that would otherwise be hard to comprehend in today’s world.

The book also gives readers a unique insight into mindset of the Arab world. In the same way that Americans of the time had no problem with using captured Africans as slaves, the Arab world saw nothing wrong with making slaves of non-Muslims who were either captured on routine raids of neighboring countries or captured in battle on land or sea.

The Muslim regent of Tripoly, Yussef Karamanli, sent out vessels, aka Barbary Pirates, to harass, sink, or capture the ships of nations that refused to pay tribute. President Thomas Jefferson’s (public) response to these demands was, “Millions for defense, but not one penny in tribute!”

The Automatic Millionaire is subtitled, “A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich”, is written by the David Bach who has recently been showcased on the Oprah Show’s “American Debt Diet“. He is the author of Give What You Didn\’t Get - Steps Toward a Karmic Psychology (1997), Smart Women Finish Rich (1999), Smart Couples Finish Rich (2001), 1001 Financial Words You Need to Know (2003), Start Late, Finish Rich (2005), and the latest The Automatic Millionaire Homeowner (2006). Start Young, Finish Rich is scheduled for release in 2008.

Chapter 1 of the book is titled, “Meeting the Automatic Millionaire”, and introduces the McIntyres, a couple who were attending one of the author’s classes. The author states that their story changed his life and can change the reader’s. I did not catch why these ‘millionaires’ were attending a class on ‘how to finish rich’ but that is besides the point.

This is the philosophy behind the author’s “Automatic Millionaire” approach:

• You don’t have to make a lot of money to be rich.
• You don’t need discipline.
• You don’t need to be “your own boss.” (Yes, you can still get rich being an employee.)
• By using what I call ‘The Latte Factor’ you can build a fortune on a few dollars a day.
• The rich get rich (and stay that way) because they pay themselves first.
• Homeowners get rich; renters get poor.
• Above all you need an “automatic system” so you can’t fail.

The chapter introduces a number of these ideas. First, the McIntyres are introduced as a couple of modest means who earn about $50,000 a year but who have a couple million invested for retirement. They had money automatically put into their individual and company sponsored retirement plans so that they never ‘missed’ the money.

They both gave up smoking and earmarked the money that had gone to buying cigarettes towards investment. Except for their home, they do not ‘do debt’. Their cars and boat are bought used and not financed. They turned their first home into a rental property when they purchased their new home. They also mention in passing having their bills automatically paid each month, be it the mortgage or their donations to their church.

The idea to pay yourself first is not new to Bach. Stanley and Danko talk about this in ::amazon(”",”The Millionaire Next Door”)::. Givens taught this in his ::amazon(”",”More Wealth Without Risk”):: and George Clason is perhaps the best known for teaching this in ::amazon(”",”The Richest Man in Bablyon”)::. Many people have written about the idea of paying yourself first, many more have read about it, but few have implemented it. The question will be, can Bach make this automatic. Can we become “Automatic Millionaires” without discipline? That is his claim. We will see.

Geoff and I had decided that we wanted to see the Tokyo Tower but had no desire to pay 1500 Yen ($15.00) each to go up to the viewing platform since we planned to go to the Tokyo Metropolitan Govt. Building where from the viewing area that encompassed the 45th floors of both towers we would have a great and free view of Tokyo.

The Tokyo Tower is the worlds tallest self-supporting iron tower. It was completed in 1958 as a symbol of Japan’s rebirth as a major economic power and serves as a television and radio broadcast antenna as well as tourist attraction. Standing 333 meters high, the tower is 13 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower of Paris which it was modeled after. At the time it was built the tower was the tallest structure in Tokyo, but it has since been superseded by several buildings.

We did check out the 4 floors at the base of the tower that are dedicated to tourists and their money. Many of the attractions, such as a wax museum, which had an admission fee did not interest us.

We did meander through the the video game arcade where Geoff posed for a picture with a game he played when he was much younger, bopping alligators as they poked their heads out.

I also got Geoff to pose in front of what can best be described as a Hello Kitty Shrine. Not only did it have bells above it that you could ring by pulling a rope next to Hello Kitty, but I actually saw a little boy of about 8 clap his hands and bow in front of Hello Kitty just like we had seen adults do at the shrines.

At the roof level there is an outdoor amusement park with rides designed for small kids. Looking up at the structure of the tower made an interesting photo.

Photos:

• Tokyo Photos
• My Tokyo Tower Photos
• Everyone’s Tokyo Tower Photos

The Zojoji Temple in Shiba Park <<- Previous || Next ->> Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo

Chapter 2 of The Automatic Millionaire is subtitled, “Becoming an Automatic Millionaire on Just a Few Dollars a Day.” According to the author the trick to getting ahead financially is “watching the small stuff — little spending habits you have that you’d probably be better off without.” We spend money because we have it. If we get extra money we do not save it. The proof that we do not save extra money is that anytime the government wants to jump start the economy they talk about cutting taxes - the government knows we will spend the extra money and rather than save it.

In this chapter Bach introduces The Latte Factor and as he quotes People magazine, “A latte spurned is a fortune earned.” If you can quit wasting your money on frivolous spending and invest it instead then you can get your money to work for you, instead of you working for money. He saying “It is not how much you earn but how much you spend” is just a twist on the more common “It is not how much you earn but how much you keep.”

The author contends we all have things we waste our money on each day. These things add up. Over a month they are big money, Over a year even more. Over a lifetime at compound interest — possibly a million dollars. Yes! Saving 5 dollars a day for 40 years adds up to over a million dollars! Before reading this book I have already searched for my “Latte Factor”. I was spending $2.00 a day on Diet Coke and another $2.00 a day for lunch. (Yea, I am cheap). But still, this is $20.00 a week that I have found I can eliminate, thus saving over $80.00 a month.

He then goes on to show how compound interest can work for you. There is a chart showing how a 15-year-old only has to save $3,000 for 5 years in order to have $1.6 million at age 65. A 19-year-old has to save for 8 years, and a 27 year old would have to save $3,000 a year until they were 65 and still only have $1.3 million.

The first chapter stated that the reader could become an automatic millionaire without any discipline or will power. Changing your lifestyle will take quite a bit of discipline and will power — even though the results will definitely be worth the effort.

We are in the process of purchasing some property to build a new office building. The office will be on Clearwater, west of Columbia Center Blvd. It has been interesting working on site plans for the new location.

The building will be about 40ft x 100ft and will be large enough to hold our office as well as having enough space for 2 other similar size offices that we will lease out.

The photos show the undeveloped property.