Presentation software 2003 version

Presentation SoftwarePresentation Software

An instrument of torture?An instrument of torture?

Torture? Yes!Torture? Yes!

• PowerPoint Is Evil– Power Corrupts.

PowerPoint Corrupts Absolutely.

– By Edward Tufte

• Imagine a widely used and expensive prescription drug that promised to make us beautiful but didn't. Instead the drug had frequent, serious side effects: It induced stupidity, turned everyone into bores, wasted time, and degraded the quality and credibility of communication.

– Wired, Issue 11.09 | September 2003

See also PowerPoint Does Rocket Science--and Better Techniques for Technical Reports

Torture? No!Torture? No!• Learning to Love PowerPoint

– . . . PowerPoint makes hilariously bad-looking visuals. But that’s a small price to pay for ease and utility.

– Although I began by making fun of the medium, I soon realized I could actually create things that were beautiful. I could bend the program to my own whim and use it as an artistic agent. The pieces became like short films: Some were sweet, some were scary, and some were mysterioso.

• David Byrne, Wired Issue 11.09 | September 2003

Before PowerPoint?Before PowerPoint?

• There was magic!There was magic!– Magic Lanterns!

• The magic lantern -- the first projector -- has been around since around the 1650s. Soon after its invention it became a showman's instrument. By the end of the 17th century, wandering lanternists were putting on small-scale shows in inns and castles, using a lantern lit with a feeble candle. These shows featured a wide variety of tales including spirits, goblins and devils -- hence the name the “magic lantern.”

• Where it ALL Began

And then there were slide And then there were slide projectors and film strip projectors and film strip projectorsprojectors

Situation in 1985?Situation in 1985?

And there were plenty of And there were plenty of presentations on slidespresentations on slides

In 1985, presentations weren’t In 1985, presentations weren’t made on PC’s much, thoughmade on PC’s much, though

Summing it up:Summing it up:

There was one DOS programThere was one DOS program

Harvard Graphics still exists!Harvard Graphics still exists!

And the rest is history!And the rest is history!

R.I.PR.I.P