Friday, July 29, 2005

Le Tour de Blog

Vive le Lance!
Ok, let’s skip all the hyperbole about Lance Armstrong being the best this or that. Let’s just recognize the fact that he won an unprecedented 7 wins in Le Tour de France, beat cancer and has handled himself through it all with class and dignity earning respect from people around the world. He took on a career challenge and won it and then some. Life presented him with a challenge no one would ever want to face and he beat that too. And Lance showed class by going out on top. Unlike too many great athletes who too long tried to hang on, then slowly fade away; Lance will be forever young and forever at the top of his game.
www.lancearmstrong.com


Regrets? Yes. Apologies? No!
It turns out the man British authorities shot and killed last week was not connected to the bombing attacks in London. But after two bomb attacks in two weeks, this man was told to stop, instead ran and didn’t stop when ordered to. Plus he was wearing a heavy coat in summer. Authorities had no choice. Who really is responsible? The terrorists themselves. The dead man is a victim of the terrorists, not the authorities.

Smile, you’re caught on camera
British Authorities are doing a marvelous job of rounding up, or at least identifying suspects in the two bombing attacks. One reason is the thousands of security cameras they use. The bad guys are caught literally in the act and the pictures posted on the Internet, Television and Newspapers. One irony is that many of the suspects live on welfare. In other words, their food, shelter and bomb-making money was paid for by the people they’re trying to kill.

Space Shuttle-Success and setbacks.
The Space Shuttle Discovery returned to orbit July 26, carrying 7 Astronauts and America itself, back into space. I hope you had a chance to see the incredible shots from the camera mounted on the external fuel tank, looking back at the earth as the shuttle headed to orbit. Absolutely spectacular. Currently the shuttle is docked to the International Space Station. When, as we pray, the shuttle returns safely to earth, the fleet is once again grounded. A big chunk of installation on the main fuel tank broke off during the launch. IF the shuttle ever flies again, it will be a long time. Follow the current mission at
http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/main/index.html?skipIntro=1

Labor Pains
The equivalent of a Tsunami, F-5 Hurricane and 7.5 Earthquake hit the labor movement this week as the two largest unions in the country bid adieu to the AFL-CIO. The main complaint? The AFL-CIO spends too much on politicians, and not enough to help its own members.
Read more >

Vista
Microsoft has announced the name of its new software suite, up until now code-named Longhorn. The official name is Vista. (Sorry Texas fans!)
Read more >

When it comes out, we’ll have a tutorial about it! While you’re waiting its release, upgrade your existing skills with a visit to www.videoprofessor.com

Space view a click away
Microsoft has also launched a Beta version of its new virtual earth mapping service. Test it out!
virtualearth.msn.com

And it appears the folks in Redmond are using the new service to wipe out (literally) their competition!
Read more >

NASCAR’s biggest stars outside looking in?
It’s a real possibility that NASCAR’s two biggest stars might not make the Chase for the Nextel Cup. To qualify, drivers must be in the top 10 in points or within 400 points of first for the final ten races. Right now 4-time champ Jeff Gordon is in 15th/541 points out. Dale Earnhardt Jr is in 14th/537 points back. They have just 6 races to go to qualify.
www.nascar.com
www.jeffgordon.com
www.dalejr.com

Back to school time
Is it just me or does school seem to start earlier and earlier each year? I do see in the stores that the back-to- school sales are underway. And I just bet you think your kids are wizards on the computer. But take a minute and ask them about what they really know. E-mail or Internet skills? Very likely. But how about advanced word-processing, photo editing, graphics and using spreadsheets? It will do you good to check out some VIDEO PROFESSOR tutorial lessons that might be good additions to the back to school backpack.

Kids and the Internet-Safety first
9 out of 10 kids have access to the Internet. And there’s plenty of good stuff on it for kids of all ages. And plenty of bad stuff as well.
Read more >

Making your computer an effective and SAFE tool for your whole family is important to all of us here at VIDEO PROFESSOR. I want to remind you about our special site dealing with computer security. It’s full of good and FREE information, plus the latest articles available to keep you and your family safe.

A back to school helping hand
For too many families, back to school shopping is just a dream. The money just isn’t there for badly needed school supplies. Thankfully there are people in your community doing something about it. Maybe even at your own place of business like we do here at VIDEO PROFESSOR. So pick up a few extra pencils, or notebooks or whatever you can afford, and donate them to kids who otherwise couldn’t afford them. You’ll feel especially good when you do.

Site o’ the week
Ok, let’s test that brain of yours. Up for the challenge?
www.gamesforthebrain.com

My cyber-door is open 24/7, drop me an e-mail anytime at CEO@videoprofessor.com.

Yours truly,

John W. Scherer
CEO and Founder
VIDEO PROFESSOR Inc
Member: Denver/Boulder Better Business Bureau. Check out our report at www.denverbbb.org .

Friday, July 22, 2005

Houston, we have a Blog

And the nominee is
President Bush has chosen John G. Roberts Jr as his nominee to replace Sandra Day O’Connor on the United States Supreme Court. Roberts serves on the DC Court of Appeals, getting a Unanimous Consent Vote from the same United States Senate that now has to confirm him for the Supreme Court.

Roberts is a Summa Cum Laude Graduate of Harvard Law School, as an attorney argued 39 cases before the Supreme Court, he clerked for Chief Justice William Rehnquist and again, the Senate gave a unanimous thumbs-up for his spot on the very high profile DC bench.

The Constitution gives the power to the President to make that decision with the Senate in an “advise and consent” role. We urge both Republicans and Democrats to avoid the ugly confrontations of recent nominees including Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas. With approval ratings of the Congress at just 28%, we just may see an actual civil discourse.

But the problem will come from special interest groups. Their special interests will purely be their own, and that’s mainly fund-raising. The bigger the stink they raise, the easier it is to rake in the cash. And that’s a hole in the system that desperately needs to be fixed. We also urge the media to keep the focus on the nominee, his skills or lack thereof and to not provide a platform for every Tom, Dick and Mary who wants to be on TV.

Golf’s past, present and future in one weekend
An interesting weekend indeed as Jack birdies 18 at St. Andrews and says goodbye to a game he helped shape perhaps like no other. At the same time Tiger Woods stakes his claim to the throne, winning and dominating at St Andrews, firing birdies like fish in a barrel winning his 10th Major. And oh yeah, Michelle Wie is going pro.
www.pga.com
www.lpga.com

It’s all downhill from here
Lance Armstrong is expected to win (handily) his seventh and final Tour de France on Sunday, July 24. Hope you’ve had a chance to watch at least part of the coverage on OLN. Just like Tiger, there’s Lance and then there’s “not exactly.” Vive le Lance!
www.letour.fr

Hank Jr. is warming up
NFL camps are set to open. That means office pool sheets are being drawn, fantasy teams put together and more wear and tear on the carpet around the office cooler. Here are the training camp schedule and locations. Football fanatics who haven’t purchased an HDTV might want to start shopping. Once you’ve watched football in HD, there is no turning back!
View the whole story >

Flip Flop Flap
Some members of the Northwestern University Women’s Championship Lacrosse team visited President Bush at the White House and created a fashion stir. Several members of the team wore flip-flops to the meeting with a President who has a strict suit and tie dress code. In a town where political flip-flops are nothing new, these flip-flops caused quite a flap! Oh yeah, a pair is for sale on Ebay!
View the whole story >

Will that be left or right tonight?
Sony (Yes, the one and only) has come up with a solution when two people want to watch different shows on the same screen.
Learn more >

Of course, now the argument will be who watches what show on what side of the screen. But it’s a start.
View the whole story >

iVID?
Not a company to rest on its laurels, Apple has a new “vision” for its wildly popular iPod.
Learn more >

Can convenience and security co-exist?
Google continues to be the go-to place to search and Wall Street continues to be ga-ga over Google. But at what risk to your personal security? Some folks worry about your privacy. But should you?
View the whole story >

We have a security resource center on our own website. It’s updated regularly with the latest information on protecting your personal security and it’s free!
Learn more >

Gates says IT gap widening
Microsoft’s Bill Gates has a problem. He’s having a harder and harder time finding qualified computer scientist engineers here in the United States. At the same time, he’s finding more and more qualified candidates in other countries. Could outsourcing be the culprit?
View the whole story >

Tech Talk (and the news is good)
Companies like IBM and Intel are reporting good financial results, proof that companies are spending on computers, the companies that make them are buying chips to run them and you can bet companies like Microsoft are developing the next generation of productivity software to run on them. Maybe it’s time for you to make sure you know everything there is to know about the current generation of productivity software! E-mail and Internet skills aren’t enough to cut it these days. It’s all about Excel, Office, PowerPoint and much more. Computing skills make a great future shock, shock absorber. Check out an incredible variety of computer self-tutorials on our website.
Visit: www.videoprofessor.com

Keyword is keyboard
Computers are constantly being innovated and improved. More razzle-dazzle per click. And that innovation includes computer keyboards. Check this out!
Visit this link >

Two to beam up
We note the passing of actor James Doohan, certainly best known as engineer Montgomery Scott from Star Trek. His family plans to send some of his ashes into space via Space Services Inc., a company that launches small amounts on a rocket, which Scotty certainly would have referred to as a “bucket o’ bolts.” (No Warp Drive) Best known as Scotty, least known as a hero of World War II, landing on Juno Beach on D-Day with his fellow Canadians and being wounded during the attack.

Also passing this week, Gerry Thomas, inventor of the TV Dinner. Thomas was a salesman for Swanson foods at the time who sold 10-million of them the first year at a buck a piece. Thomas got a bump in pay up to 300 bucks a month plus a thousand dollar bonus. Not bad money back in 1954. Little known fact: The idea wasn’t to eat them in front of the TV, but that the design was shaped like the screen of a TV.

Site o’ the week (And a possible answer to a question)
A recent study shows on average, that American workers waste two hours a day. I think I just found out why!
www.stealthswitch.com

My cyber door is wide-open 24/7. E-mail me at CEO@videoprofessor.com
John W. Scherer
CEO and Founder
VIDEO PROFESSOR, Inc
www.videoprofessor.com
Member: Denver/Boulder Better Business Bureau. View our report at www.denverbbb.org

Friday, July 15, 2005

Blogs are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.

London Update-the Terrorists next door
London authorities apparently have already identified the bombers who attacked the city last week. Especially frightening is the four homicide bombers were native born, and the typical kids next door. One was an active cricket fan, another the young father of an 8-month old child. Somehow, someone planted a seed of hatred that resulted in them killing themselves and 53 others. Plus injuring hundreds more. Worst of all, they all carried British passports and could have entered our country very easily. Others may already have.

How do you say stupid justice tricks in German?
Remember the havoc caused last year by the Sasser Computer Worm? This nasty little bug was created by a German Teenager, Sven Jaschan, and it must have been “national slap on the wrist day” in Germany as the kid got a suspended sentence, even though he continued to update the virus when it was already creating cyber havoc around the world. Computer viruses are just among the many things you need to be aware of these days and we make it a point to keep you up to date on the latest news and protections available to you as part of our website. This information is free and open to anyone to use. Check it out. You’ll be glad you did.
Video Professor Personal Internet Security

Bernie.CON
Ex-WorldCom CEO Bernie Ebbers, will now be referred to by number with his address for the next 25 years being a Federal Prison in Mississipi. Responsible for the biggest corporate fraud in history, looting investors to the tune of 11-BILLION dollars, he’ll be doing his partying in the license plate division from now on. Once in a while, but nearly often enough, justice is served and the guilty are punished. His greed wiped out a lot of honest, hard-working people’s savings and retirement plans. Would you like the top or lower bunk Mr. Ebbers?
Read more


Speaking of a billion
Just how much is a billion anyways? Well, a billion seconds ago it was 1959. A billion minutes ago, Jesus was alive. A billion years ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age. And the Federal Government spends a billion dollars every 8 hours and 20 minutes.

Space Shuttle return to flight delayed.
Better safe than sorry. They’ll fly only when everything is A-OK. Follow the mission at
spaceflight.nasa.gov

School drops textbooks for laptops
Time for this blog to act as a future shock-shock absorber. A school district in Arizona is dropping textbooks and replacing them with laptops with all course materials available online. Actually, Arizona is taking a leadership role in computing, kids and education.
Read more

The future is now, you can be part of it or be left behind, but either way the world is moving ahead assuming you have knowledge of, and access to, computer technology. If you want to keep up, look no further than www.videoprofessor.com and we’ll help you get to the Promised Land.

New meaning for home-grown
Ok, now things are getting a little weird.
http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/mail/mail_form.cfm?ArticleID=1098

NHL’s new deal not such a good deal.
Players and owners are trumpeting their new agreement. So far neither side has apologized to the fans yet. And get this; the new deal results in an average 24 percent pay CUT for the players. Plus the deal makes some assumptions that there will be revenue this season. Only if fans forgive and forget. Not all will, as baseball found out. Plus, no TV deal. Brilliant.

The “A’s” have it
Make it 8 wins in a row for the American League in the All-Star game. Many are wondering why the American League has been so successful. Maybe it’s because they score more runs than the National League.
www.mlb.com

But Major League Baseball’s many problems were showcased by the appearance of Texas Rangers Pitcher Kenny Rogers. He’s been suspended for 20 games for assaulting (caught on tape for all to see) a news photographer. The photographer ended up in the hospital, Rogers ends up in the All-Star game. Nice message.

All hail the Golden Bear
Jack Nicklaus wraps up arguably the most brilliant career in the history of golf this week, suitably at the historic links of St. Andrews, a course he’s bested twice. Hail and farewell.
www.pga.com

BCS Poll
The folks who run the Bowl Championship Series have simplified the way they decide who is #1. Now anyone with a Master’s Degree in Statistics can figure it out in just a few minutes.
Learn more

Summer Learning Series
You’re online right now! Did you know that our complete library of computer tutorials is just a click away? VP Online is the hot, new way, to improve on existing computer skills and learn new ones. Check it out at Video Professor Online

Site o’ the week
I never understood Rock-Paper-Scissors. For those who do, enjoy!
www.gotused.com

John W. Scherer
CEO and Founder
VIDEO PROFESSOR, Inc.
www.videoprofessor.com
Member: Denver/Boulder Better Business Bureau. To view our report go to www.denverbbb.org

Friday, July 08, 2005

Frankly my dear, I don’t give a blog.

Rule Britannia
Just a day after celebrating winning the 2012 Olympic Games, the people of London joined the front lines in the war against terror. The British are rough and resilient and in the words of Winston Churchill “will never surrender.” We can take comfort in knowing the enormous quality, courage and professionalism of the men and women of our armed forces charged with taking the war on terror to the enemy. Last week in the blog we talked about my day aboard the Guided Missile Cruise USS Lake Champlain. Here’s more on my trip!
http://www.johnwscherer.com/JohnWSchererLeadersToSea.html

Kettle and the Pot Part Deux
The American Media has made a point of showcasing alleged shortcomings of the justice system down in Aruba. The case of Natalee Holloway continues to be a mystery. But fair is fair. Perhaps the Aruban Media should come up here and look into why our “justice system” continues to allow child molesters with extensive criminal histories to roam free, seemingly at will, around the country.

More stupid justice tricks
The folks at Budweiser caught some employees smoking pot (and doing other things) on the job. As they get PAID to bottle Bud, they were disciplined. End of story? Wrong! http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8475583/

Lance in France Part Sept
American cyclist Lance Armstrong continues his quest for a 7th win of the Le Tour de France. No racer has won more victories and Armstrong is racing in his final Tour. Bon chance Lance!
http://www.letour.fr/

Return to Space
The Space Shuttle Discovery is set to return to space July 13th. It’s been over two years since a shuttle has flown. Of note is that un-manned probes are enjoying huge successes. The Mars Rovers just keep on roving well beyond expectations although except for Saturday Nights, life on Mars is pretty dull. Cassini continues to send back awesome data and pictures from Saturn and Deep Impact has given us the first, true, “up close and personal” look at the innards of a comet. (Turns out they’re giant snowballs) I think the universe really isn’t all that complicated, just very big. Check it all out at www.nasa.gov.

Pac-Man at 25
How’s this for a computer game? First you have a yellow blob with a mouth. It roams around the screen swallowing little pills. At the same time the little yellow blob with the mouth is chased by four ghosts named Clyde, Inkey, Pinky and of course, Blinky. It’s worked for 25 years as Pac-Man celebrates its Silver Anniversary! http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/living/12006276.htm

Beware of “Spear-Phishers”
We’ve talked about Phishing here before. In most cases, Phishing e-mails are easy to spot and defend against. Now there’s something new. It’s called “Spear Phishing” and it presents a whole new set of challenges. These e-mails are only sent to small groups, and mimic your company’s own e-mail addresses claiming to be from your HR or IT departments for example. Spear Phishers get e-mail addresses from your websites etc. So be very, very careful.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3274129a28,00.html


Identity Theft of any kind is a priority for the entire team here at Video Professor. You can stay “in the know” by visiting our special site as often as possible. http://www.videoprofessor.com/products/personalinternetsecurity/personalinternetsecurity.html.

On-line shopping safe… if you take a few precautions
One of the true benefits of the Internet is on-line shopping. No crowds, no parking hassles and everything is delivered to your front door. But like everything else, and we quote President Reagan in saying it, “trust but verify.” http://www.ccnmag.com/news.php?id=3516

A new and improved Internet?
One of the fathers of the Internet is working on a new one!
http://www.wired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,68004,00.html?tw=wn_18techhead

Work in an office? Would you like to?
The KEY office skill is Microsoft Office. It’s a powerful and extremely useful suite of office tools and if you feel the need to succeed, a must-have skill. Our Office Tutorial will help you. During these lazy, hazy days of summer, take a few minutes each day to make sure your computer skills are the best they can be. http://www.videoprofessor.com/products/learncomputerbasics/learnmicrosoftoffice/learnoffice.html

iWood
Remember the kids who sat next to you in wood working class? Their stuff always turned out better than yours. Wonder what happened to them? http://www.bit-tech.net/modding/2005/07/05/wood_ipod_zapwizard/1.html

Site o’ the week-EXTREME Shredders
Ok, I was looking for shredders. You know, something to shred documents you don’t want crooks to find. During my search I found this company; http://www.ssiworld.com/watch/watch-en.htm and if your shredding needs go to the extreme, these folks might be able to help you out! Tim the Tool Man would approve!

My cyber door is open 24/7. Send me an e-mail at CEO@videoprofessor.com.

John W. Scherer
CEO and Founder
VIDEO PROFESSOR Inc
www.videoprofessor.com
Member: Denver/Boulder Better Business Bureau. See our report at www.denverbbb.org