John W. Scherer Video Professor Blog Sept. 15, 2006

Tech, tech and more tech!!

Identity theft is no laughing matter
You can trust me when I say that ID theft is a problem. Last year, I was a victim of someone who stole a significant amount of money from me. There are many things you can do to protect yourself. Here is a helpful article that breaks down what ID theft is and how you can protect yourself. If you have more questions, Video Professor offers a tutorial on identity theft protection and recovery, and has many helpful resources on our web site, www.videoprofessor.com.
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Feel safe when you search the Net
One of the ways people can find out who you are, the first step toward them stealing your ID, is gathering the personal information you leave on search engines. Every time you Google something, you potentially leave behind little traces of who you are. There are things you can do to help eliminate traces of yourself on the Web. An advocacy group that helps raise awareness for net crimes released some tips on how to keep you safe when searching.
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Big Brother is watching himself
We all complain that the government spends way too much money and often times, what irritates us is how the money is spent. Well if you’ve ever wanted to keep tabs on how your tax dollars are being spent, the Government is now making it a little easier. By early 2008, a database will be open to the public that details how much Uncle Sam spends on projects, grants and other things. They’ve watched us for years, now we get to turn the tables.
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Is Apple finally getting in to our living rooms?
For years, computer companies have been trying to bridge the gap between our PCs and our TVs. Someday very soon these two pieces of equipment will merge. Multitasking is not just for busy people, but it is also for busy pieces of consumer electronic devices. Our cell phones, MP3 players, cameras and our home PCs will also be our TV receivers. Don’t you want to be able to surf the Web while watching CSI?
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Off topic:
Stab your friend in the back (or leg)
What happened to friendly competition? Teammates compete against each other for jobs on the gridiron, but at the end of the day, they’re supposed to support one another. Apparently the back-up punter at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley didn’t think so. Because he must have really wanted to be the No. 1 punter on the squad, he needed to take matters to the parking lot. Allegedly, Mitch Cozad attacked incumbent punter Rafael Mendoza in the parking lot and stabbed him in the kicking leg. Subsequently, Cozad has been suspended from the football team and kicked out of the dorms until the investigation is complete.
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Picks o’ the week!
Well, I nearly pulled off the perfect weekend by picking three road teams. What happened to the Broncos? It is one thing to lose on the road, but to play as badly as they did, that was ridiculous. Jake “The Snake” Plummer did nothing to keep the finicky fans in Denver happy. He was responsible for four of Denver’s five turnovers, throwing three interceptions and fumbling once. It was not exactly a good start, especially after his performance in the AFC Championship game last year. There is a contingency of fans that are already clamoring for the rookie, Jay Cutler, to take over the reigns. With a few more performances like last week, maybe Coach Shanahan will pull the trigger. Any way, I’ll take a 2-1 record after Week 1. Here are the teams I like this week:

Cincinnati over Cleveland: After picking up an impressive win against the Chiefs in one of the league’s toughest stadiums, Arrowhead, the Bengals play their home opener against the Browns. Despite apparent improvement from the Browns, after a decent Week 1, the Bengals will just be too tough, especially at home.

Dallas over Washington: I know both teams have been down in recent years, but this is still one of the NFL’s best rivalries. The season series opens in The Big D this week and I look for the Cowboys to win. Both teams are coming off Week 1 losses, so motivation won’t be a problem. I think the boys, with T.O., will impress their home crowd.

Jacksonville over Pittsburgh: The defending Super Bowl champions, though they picked up a win to open the season, are faced with a tough, tough road trip this week. The status of Ben Roethlisberger is still in question. He says he’s ready to play, but Bill Cowher may have a different opinion.

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