John W. Scherer Video Professor Blog Oct. 13, 2006

Tech, tech and more tech!

This is one way of keeping kids safe
You know you and I have read numerous times in this space that it’s the parents’ responsibility to keep their kids safe when surfing the Internet. Well, here is one way to do that. A recent complaint filed in San Antonio is holding the parents responsible for what their kids do online. Read the attached link for the details of the story. I totally agree. Yes, the kids too should be held accountable for their actions, but so should the parents. There are too many potential dangers for kids out there. Parents; the burden lies with you!
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The Wal-Mart of the cyber world?
Pretty soon, it appears, that Google will own every significant property in the cyber world. There will be more Google fingerprints on the Web then there are Wal-Mart stores in the U.S. Last week Google gobbled up www.youtube.com for a reported $1.65 billion. Don’t you think that’s a pretty steep price to pay for a site that has yet to generate any revenue? I guess Google doesn’t care about that. Can you blame them? YouTube drives a tremendous amount of traffic everyday, as evidenced by more than 100,000 video views a day. For them, eyeballs are a lot more important than revenue.
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Microsoft distributes new patches
Here’s a heads up, in case you did not see the news from Microsoft. The software giant said the six new patches would help fix holes in the software allowing hackers access to your computer.
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I’m feeling old
Can you believe that the VHS is 30 years old? Holy cow! I remember vividly the battle between Beta and VHS and who ultimately won out. I have to give a lot of credit for the success of Video Professor to the VHS. When we started producing computer tutorials more than 19 years ago, all Video Professor lessons were for the VCR. My, how times have changed. Customers can now get all our lessons on CD-rom or via our web site at www.videoprofessor.com, a far cry from the days of the tape.
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Picks o’ the week!
Hey, I’m getting pretty good at this. After going 3-0 last week, my overall record is now 11-4. There were some exciting games last week, and I didn’t make a pick for any of those. The three I did pick turned out be to yawners. Philadelphia dominated the Cowboys (well late in the second half that is), Chicago absolutely rolled Buffalo and the Chargers handled the defending Super Bowl champions.

After five weeks in the NFL, I think we are finally seeing some teams emerge. “Da Bears” are for real. That defense is arguably the best in the league and the offense is starting to roll with young Rex Chapman. The biggest surprise for me, however, is the Broncos. Everyone expected them to be good and possibly contend for a Super Bowl appearance. But what is shocking is how they are doing it. The Mike Shanahan-led offense has been pathetic at best while the defense is reminiscent of the 2000 Ravens. What they did to Baltimore on Monday night was superb. Granted, Baltimore doesn’t have a potent offense, but Denver dominated that game defensively. They forced three Steve McNair interceptions and the offense did just enough to get over. I see Denver getting their offense back on track, especially in the next two weeks. They play Oakland and Cleveland in their next two games. They should get healthy. If the defense keeps playing the way it is, and if the O can get on track, look out. Enough about that, let’s get to the picks for Week 6. (And don’t look for me to cop out and take Denver as one of my winners this week. WAY too easy!)

St. Louis over Seattle: Upset warning: I think the Rams, especially at home, can pull this upset off. It won’t be the biggest upset since Broadway Joe guaranteed victory in the Super Bowl, but it’ll be pretty big. St. Louis is quietly turning out to be one of the better teams in the NFC. Throw in the fact that Seattle is without Shaun Alexander and the Seahawks could be in for a long day.

Baltimore over Carolina: After the tough loss endured at the hands of the Broncos last week, I see the Ravens getting back on track to beat the Panthers at home. The game will still be a typical, ugly Ravens game, but they’ll do enough to get it done. Baltimore is too tough at home, and they should have a chip on their shoulders.

Atlanta over the New York Giants: This has the makings of a good game, in my opinion. Atlanta is a good team and Michael Vick is an electric player. New York is also showing improvement and is looking like they can hang with some teams. At the end of the day, however, I think the Falcons’ rushing attack will prove to be too much for the G-men.

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