John W. Scherer Video Professor Blog Aug. 4, 2006

I wanna talk about Tech!!

Don’t rue your words
I’m happy to see that colleges are keeping up with the times. I’m in the business of helping people learn how to use their computers, and with that, I also want to help people know exactly what’s out there. I recently helped parents learn about the dangers of social networking sites such as MySpace.com. And, now I want to help spread a message to college students. Social networking sites are fine, but be careful what you say. Someday those words may come back to haunt you. If you happen to be enrolled at one of the colleges or universities that has incorporated Internet warnings into the orientation, I suggest you listen. Posting something now that you think is funny, or has a “shock value” or might even be criminal; it may just get you in a heap of trouble down the road.
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Is there an Internet gender gap?
Hey ladies, don’t let anyone tell you that you are inferior to men when it comes to using the Internet. Macho men will puff their chests and claim that hey are the “experts” of the World Wide Web. Think again. Northwestern University Assistant Professor of Sociology Communication Studies Eszter Hargittai says there is “no statistically significant difference between men's and women's ability to find content on the Web.” This is an interesting column that sheds some great light on the differences between men and women focusing on technology.
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Diamonds used to be forever
And that last story segues nicely into this story. New studies show that women are embracing technology at a much higher rate than in the past. In fact, studies now show that women would rather have a tech toy than a diamond. Check out these interesting numbers. Seventy-seven percent of women polled say they would rather have a new plasma TV than a diamond necklace. Also, 56 percent want the TV over a weekend in Florida. I’ve watched HDTV on a plasma TV and the images were so real that I felt I was in the show, so I can see how these thoughts can arise.
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Off topic:
Getting on board with an iPod
Is Apple slowing taking over the world? If they had their druthers, every person in the world would carry an iPod and integrate it into every part of their lives. At this rate, that may happen. Apple keeps extending their reach, and took it even further last week when they signed deals with GM and Ford. According to Apple, by 2007 over 70 percent of the cars sold in America will be iPod compatible. Driving this, obviously, is the publics’ penchant for MP3 players. Portable music player growth is expected to double to $132 by 2009.
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I must be seeing things. Or not.
If scientists get it right, they may grant a bunch of wishes in one fell swoop. Invisibility may become a reality in the future. Some scientists believe that it can be achieved. Will you ever be able to take a pill and achieve invisibility? Who knows? But this method may just be the ticket.
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Whew, you’re ripe!
No more thumping melons. No more smelling lemons. No more guessing. I’m willing to bet that a majority of grocery shoppers out there have had the same thought that this professor had. Mark Riley, an assistant professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at the University of Arizona, invented a sticker that can tell shoppers when a fruit is ripe. It’s due to hit stores in the coming years.
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Site o’ the week
This fantastic website offers some of the most unique online games I’ve seen to date. And, who doesn’t like to say “Yeti?” A message to animal lovers: Don’t take this site too seriously. I can assure you that no actual penguins were hurt developing these games.
http://www.yetisports.org

John W. Scherer
CEO and Founder
VIDEO PROFESSOR, Inc.