Friday, August 26, 2005

John W. Scherer VIDEO PROFESSOR Blog for August 26, 2005

Let's talk computing!

Sweepstakes winner announced. Modesto Schools win too!
I'll be in Modesto, California on Monday August 29th for two good reasons. First I'm awarding the grand prize in our July 4th Sweepstakes. Corlene Goff of Modesto will get the keys to a 2005 Chrysler 300. Corlene entered our sweepstakes while ordering our Excel Tutorial. And later in the day, I'll be donating $270,000 in VP Online Lessons to High School Students in the Modesto School System for the 2005-2006 school year. The students will be able to access VP Online from their computer labs at school, or from home if they have high-speed Internet access. To see all the sweepstakes winners click here.

To learn more about VP Online, just click here.

WiFi. Better left to private enterprise instead of government?
WiFi is a terrific way to compute while you're on the go. I use it often when I'm traveling. A lot of cities have grand plans about creating wireless networks for the citizenry. But many cities that have a tough enough time keeping the trash picked up on time are discovering that high-tech is highly challenging. And it's causing some local governments to step back and rethink what certainly is a good idea, but something else entirely to execute.

Hackers 1-Air Force 0
A nasty surprise for half the officers in the Air Force. Hackers snatched a lot of important and personal information for thousands of officers. And if a military system can be accessed so easily, think how vulnerable you could be.
Read more >

26 Minutes
An unprotected computer running Windows XP experiences an average "survival" time of 26 minutes on the Internet before hackers identify it as vulnerable, according to the SANS Institute, a cooperative Internet security organization. (Source: Christian Science Monitor) To read the complete article, click here.

Keep up-to-date on keeping your computer and your identity secure with our free information section on our website.
Visit: www.videoprofessor.com

Google: Noun, verb, now adjective?
Google continues to innovate, raise cash and make us a Google society. What's next for the search giant?

Digital Cameras. Which is right for you?
If you already don't have a digital camera, chances are you soon will. They're awesome and there's a huge variety to choose from in quality and price. So take your time, shop around and you'll find the right one for your needs and budget.

One of the great tools to get the most out of your digital pictures is Photoshop. Our team has created a super tutorial. In fact it won the prestigious Aurora Gold Award for its design and execution. Here are just some of the tutorials we offer to turn you into a digital picture superstar!
Visit: www.videoprofessor.com

Speaking of Digital Cameras
Most of you have seen the HP "Frames" advertisements. Most folks in the commercial business rate these spots among the best of the year. I agree. So how do they do it?
Read more >

Planet Earth-Find out exactly where "You are here" is!
This is an absolutely fascinating way to tour the country. It takes some patience because there are no state lines or boundaries. In other words, you first have to find out the general area of the country you live in, then slowly zoom in and find more detail. Some rural areas have less detail than metropolitan areas, but this is a fun tool to use with your kids. (Or vice-versa!)
Visit: www.flashearth.com

Off Topic Department

Profiles in Lack Of Courage
You may recall Ward Churchill; a Prof at CU-Boulder who called victims of the 9-11 attacks "Little Eichman's" among other things. Churchill also claimed to be of Indian heritage when he applied for his job at CU, allegedly to get an inside track using Affirmative Action. So far he hasn't been able to prove that except for an honorary certificate. He's also accused of plagiarizing several articles and other works for use in his own. All this and more stirred quite a ruckus, and CU launched an "investigation." What was supposed to take several weeks, took several months. The committee's conclusion? To appoint another committee. When that group is put together, it's estimated they'll spend another five months "investigating" as well.The fact Churchill is a fraud (1st Amendment applies to me too, Ward) has been shown in countless articles by some very distinguished journalists. But CU would rather sweep it under the rug. (Again) Attendance at CU, along with revenues is down this semester. I wonder why?


Le Garbage
Lance Armstrong's winning 7 straight Tour de France victories has upset no small number of the locals. Some French rag now claims Lance used an illegal drug in 1999, his first victory year. But as the Rocky Mountain News' Bernie Lincicome reports, where there's France there's sour grapes!
Read more >


Site o' the week
Ok, Yale is one of the world's top universities. But I had no idea they were into miniature golf! But I have to admit it's addictive!
Visit: http://omega.med.yale.edu/~pcy5/flash/miniputt.swf

My cyber-door is always open. Send me an e-mail at
CEO@videoprofessor.com

John W. Scherer
CEO and Founder
VIDEO PROFESSOR, Inc
Member: Denver/Boulder Better Business Bureau. Check out our report at
http://www.denverbbb.org/