John W. Scherer Video Professor Blog Jan. 5, 2007

Time to talk tech!

People will sell anything on eBay®
By now we’ve all seen the reports that Denver got pounded by two major winter storms in the past month. The storms pretty much shut down the city for a series of days. I guess there was nothing better to do than think of crazy business ideas. A woman last week began selling the snow in auctions on eBay. When Video Professor launched its Learn eBay tutorial last year, this isn’t what we had in mind. But give her credit for originality.
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Do you trust your security software?
Internet and computer security is one of the biggest issues we constantly face while surfing. It seems like every week a new hack or virus is detected and we are all immediately warned. We all take great strides protecting our computers from installing firewalls to purchasing antivirus software. Are we really safe, though? Have you given your computer a complete check? If you need any more information about how to safeguard your computer, Video Professor’s web site has a resource library with a number of articles on how to protect your computer.
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Flaw found in Acrobat® Reader®
On a related note, I wanted to pass along a bit of a warning for computer users who regularly use Adobe® Acrobat Reader and PDF files. Researchers last week discovered a flaw in the software that could potentially allow hackers to break into your computer through trusted links. Read this story for more information.
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Off topic:
My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Darrent Williams
It’s with an incredibly heavy heart that I write this entry. By now most of you have heard about the senseless tragedy that occurred in Denver early in the morning on New Year’s Day. Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams, who was only 24 years old, was murdered in his limo after leaving a club on New Year’s Eve. I was shocked when I heard the news and I wanted to pass along my deepest condolences to the young man’s family. My thoughts and prayers are with you and I truly hope the slayer is brought to justice.

Picks o’ the week!
The playoffs start this week, and I must say, I wasn’t too happy with how I finished up the regular season. I missed two of three picks last week and finished the season at 27-24. If you remember, back in September, I warned you not to take my advice when picking your own games, and I guess my statement rang true. As we move on to the playoffs, maybe I can do a little better. The plan is to pick the winner in every playoff game leading up to and including the Super Bowl. On a related note, it sure looks hard to bet against San Diego getting to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately the way it looks now, if Baltimore and San Diego meet in the AFC Championship game, that could be a better game than the Super Bowl . We all know how bad the NFC is compared to the AFC. Can the NFC representative stay within 15 points of either San Diego or Baltimore? We’ll see. You know what they say: that’s why you play the games.

AFC Wild Card Games
New England over the New York Jets: This is going to be one heck of a game. These two bitter division rivals will face off for the third time this season, and I think New England will come away with the win at home. The Jets will put up quite a fight, but the Patriots and Tom Brady will be proven stronger in the end.

Kansas City over Indianapolis: It seems as if there is always one upset in the Wild Card round, and I think this game could be it. Indianapolis has a lethal offense, but there defense has been offensive. The Colts don’t defend the run very well and running the ball is KC’s specialty. If the Chiefs can survive the first quarter and not find themselves in a huge hole, they’ll be able to take control of the game with the run, wind down the clock and keep Peyton and the boys off the field.

NFC Wild Card Games
Seattle over Dallas: The Cowboys have not played very well the past couple weeks and have no momentum heading into the playoffs. They choked away the division title to Philadelphia and limp in after a humiliating loss at home to Detroit last week. Seattle finally appears healthy and could be hitting their stride. I don’t see this game being very close in the end.

Philadelphia over the New York Giants: This game almost mirrors the other NFC Wild Card game. One team struggled down the stretch, while the other is playing great. Philadelphia got hot a couple weeks back and is soaring into the playoffs. Philly is a tough, tough place to play and the Giants won’t be able to compete in those conditions. Like the Seattle game, I don’t think this game will be very close. Philadelphia wins going away.

Have a good week!

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