Another aside about PowerPoint from Ben

We recently had the opportunity to work on a presentation for a multinational company that needed to communicate a lot of information concerning corporate finances in a way that didn't confuse anyone or put them to sleep. We were given the rare opportunity of getting this presentation explained to us, both in terms of content and intent. Armed with this information, we were able to take the presentation to another level beyond simply making sure things lined up onscreen. We built animation into it that actually meant something, rather than simply moving things around.

According to the client, the presentation was a success. And so it was while feeling all warm and fuzzy about the capabilities of PowerPoint that I came upon an essay by one of my favorite novelists, Neal Stephenson. Neal writes a lot about technology and social issues in his stories, and his perspective is refreshing and thought-provoking. I recently found an essay he wrote for Whole Earth magazine (from the content, it's clearly from the dot-com-boom days). Sample quote:

"To people who can't communicate, [PowerPoint] is what the dialysis machine is to people who don't have kidneys. "

I find his perspective fascinating for the very reason that he's completely disconnected from the business world, where PowerPoint is an essential (and occasionally very effective) tool. I don't agree with him completely, but I like hearing things from his perspective.

Read the whole thing here.