Get your March Madness Bracket Here

Ever since my post describing the NCAA basketball bracket spreadsheet I created, I've been getting asked, "Are you going to post that file so that we can use it?"

Sure.

I even filled in the teams picked today ("Selection Sunday") and you can download it all for the bargain basement price of $3.00. Just click here to send payment via PayPal (major credit cards accepted), and you'll be taken to the download page (Zipped file). OR...if you'd rather, you can download the file here, then email for the key code once you've sent $3.00 PayPal to ehunzeker@gmail.com.

Some of you might be wondering why I'm rolling out a $3.00 NCAA basketball bracket spreadsheet. Why not just give it away for free?

Well, here's a little secret: what I really wanted to show off to you -- many of you being Excel geeks in your own right -- is a terribly handy little piece of programming I've been working on: a super simple, self-contained means for locking down standard Excel spreadsheets for licensing purposes.

When you download and open the NCAA basketball bracket file, you'll be prompted to email me a "License Lock Code" that is generated when you open the file (be sure to enable macros). I'll then send you a corresponding "License Key Code" which will open up the file for your use. Oh, and if you think you can pay once and share it with your friends -- it's just a spreadsheet after all...should just be able to copy it and share it with whomever you like, right? -- not so fast. When your friends open the file on their computers, they'll auto-generate a different lock code, and will be prompted to get their own unique key code (and pay, too). How about that?

So...for all of you March Madness crazies, enjoy the download for less than the price you might pay for a decent cup of coffee, and for all of you Excel programmers who've been looking for a way to protect the brilliant spreadsheets you've created over the years, drop me a line if you'd like to learn how I created this little security system. I'm currently working on commercializing it, too.

Later,

Excel_Geek