Powerpoint

"Power corrupts and PowerPoint corrupts absolutely." -Vint Cerf
Until I read this article, I never really thought about the negatives of a Powerpoint. I guess this has to do with the fact that I never used Powerpoint until I got to Stanford. They just seemed to be an easy tool to present information. I guess my hidden agenda in using Powerpoints is the problem critics like Norvig and Tufte are discussing. I'll often use a Powerpoint as a "distraction" that adds to my presentation without me actually having to add much substance at all. I'll go so far as to agree with the critics that the widespread use of Powerpoints by modern students is along the same lines as Cliffs Notes and the MTV-ization of youth. Often the flashy thing holds our attention over the more concrete thing. Perhaps the simplest way for a person to mask a thinly informed report is to add a fancy Powerpoint that didnt take more than 20 minutes of clicking to complete. At the same time, I like to use Powerpoints because they emphasize my points while I expound on them. I like the analogy to an AK-47 used by Norvig. A Powerpoint only cheapens the information it presents if the presenter chooses to let it. Its a weapon that can strengthen an argument or bastardize it. In the end, I'll agree with both sides because I use Powerpoints for both good and evil.