This is topic PowerPoint makes you dumb! in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.


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Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
 
At least, that's what the NY Times says:

PowerPoint makes you dumb.
 

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Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
 
How can you be sure it's not the NY Times making you dumb?

[ December 14, 2003, 06:36 PM: Message edited by: pooka ]
 

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Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
 


Well, no wonder my grades have been going down!
 

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Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
 
No, it's techy people thinking they can be artsy and still communicate effectively that's the real problem here.
 

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Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
 
In this case, its very clearly a case of powerpoint facilitating dumb behavior. It encourages oversimplification.
 

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Posted by Marek (Member # 5404) on :
 
My highschool required us to use PowerPoint quite often, and most of my power point pressentations contained very little information, and are summed up in this quote

quote:

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If you have nothing to say, maybe you need just the right tool to help you not say it.

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Once three guys in my history class used powerpoint to "prove" that Richard Nixon was the greatest, and most succesful president in American history. I may have just accidently started a debate about Nixon, but the point is basically that if you are good with a computer (like way better than I am with a computer) and have to use powerpoint to pressent an idea, than you can make any idea sound like a great idea.
 

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Posted by Dead_Horse (Member # 3027) on :
 
Both the article and the comic are so true. It's not that PP makes you dumb, it's just a great enabler for those already afflicted.

I've had management who never read the printed report where the real details and calculations were choose projects based on the PP presentations alone. Then they're surprised when the project loses money. Idiots.

The same goes for the "Executive Summary" at the beginning of a report.

What makes them think that the PP could possibly include all the relevant information?
 

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Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
 
Can lawsuits against PowerPoint be far behind???
 

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Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
 
Yes, but in the courtroom, the use of PowerPoint will be disallowed.
 

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Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
 
Your Honor, I'd like to present Exhibit C

(exhibit B dissolves into parallel bars, exhibit C flies from left, accompanied by clipart stolen directly from MSoffice. Probably one of those black stick figures with a light bulb over his head.)
 

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Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
 
All that time, I thought Lightbulb Man was real.
 

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