John W Scherer Video Professor Blog February 20th, 2006

The Flying Tomato? Golden Dude!

Let’s talk tech and computing and assorted off-topic items!

Happy Birthday!
Guess who, actually what, is turning 60? The machine you’re reading this on. Your computer! It was February 1946 when a couple of scientists hooked up a bunch of wires, tubes and lights and came up with ENIAC. How far have we come? Read on.
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Do you Yahoo! ? Just be careful what country you do it in.
The folks at Yahoo! have a little PR issue. It seems information they provided helped put a Chinese dissident in prison. That’s not a good thing. It’s all caught the eyes of Congress with resulting hearings scheduled. We have no more precious a right than our 1st Amendment here in the United States. But do different rules apply when doing business elsewhere in this world? This will continue to be a major subject of debate in the months to come. And as usual, there are no easy answers.
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Sure beats a firing squad, doesn’t it?
High-tech reps spent Wednesday testifying --actually being grilled, is a better term, in front of Congress. Look for them to increase their campaign donations this year. But it sure beats what would have happened to them if they’d run afoul of the government in China! And they bill you for the bullet!
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The “i”s have it
The incredible popularity of the iPod hasn’t gone unnoticed by the toy industry. Check out what Santa Claus is working on!
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iTarget
Phenomenal might be the best word to describe the success of the iPod. I’ve got one, and I see a lot of them around the office every day. But more and more companies are rolling out their own music plans, including Amazon, all looking to take a bite out of the
Apple!
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Microsoft gets out the bug spray
Microsoft announces several security bulletins, two listed as “critical,” this week. The fixes are for Windows, Internet Explorer, Media Player and PowerPoint.
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If at first you don’t succeed….
Patches part deux.
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Costs more, does less
At first glance, ethanol seems like a good deal. Made mostly from grain (which is a highly renewable resource) and some gasoline, even the President said it’s a good deal during his State of the Union Address. But a closer look shows that ethanol costs more than regular gasoline and produces less energy. Still a better deal than foreign oil? Read on.
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Off topic

Put a sock in it Saddam
As far as I can tell, this is how the Saddam Hussein trial works. He shows up, yells and waves his fist at the judge; then, court is postponed until a later date. We might speedup the process by asking him politely to speak only when spoken to, and if he still insists on mouthing off, then put a gag on him. And strap him to his seat. Let’s get this over with. As far as the hunger strike, you go Saddam! Save on food!

The Olympics, so far
Downhill racer Bode Miller is apparently all hat and no cowboy. But a tip of the ski pole to his teammate Ted Ligety, unsung before the games but leaving Turin with the gold. Profiles in courage have to go to Colorado’s Lindsey Kildow. Just two days after a horrific crash on the slopes, she raced and finished 8th. And for that she deserves golden appreciation from all of us. And Michelle Kwan said goodbye, gracefully withdrawing after nagging injuries wouldn’t let her compete at her best. The 25-year-old Kwan told reporters, “I’m not 13 anymore.” Ouch! The bloom was off Jeremy Bloom, another pre-race favorite and post-race--also ran. But how about them ‘boarders! You got to love a gold winner named the Flying Tomato! Gnarly dude! (And Dudettes.)

Quote o’ the week
“Our national conversation has become too shrill, too polarized, too inflamed, too predictable, too divisive and altogether too inimical to our national interest.” -Mortimer B. Zuckerman, editor in chief, U.S. News and World Report.

Site o’ the week
It’s February and spring is in sight. Pretty soon it will be time again to feel the sand between our toes. Until then, enjoy it on your computer screen!
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John W. Scherer
CEO and Founder
VIDEO PROFESSOR, Inc.
Member: Denver/Boulder Better Business Bureau.
Read our report at www.denverbbb/org.