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We seem to be drifting away from the import of John Ramsay's original, excellent message and John Dewey's follow-up. Mediocre talks are mediocre, whether illustrated by Powerpoint, lantern slides or a chalk board. Still, I believe it's true to say that failure by presenters to appreciate and acknowledge previously-published work is rising as those publications recede further and further into the past.
    To get back on topic, may I make a plea to Powerpoint presenters to choose their colours with care? Too often we're subjected to an illegible display because of the masking effect of an ill-chosen colour. Actually, I myself don't have a clue as to how to prepare a PPT presentation but I'm pretty sure there's a wide palette of colours available.
Tom Frisch

_________________
Thomas Frisch
Geological Survey of Canada
601 Booth Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0E8
Canada
e-mail: [log in to unmask]

 
-----Original Message-----
From: Tectonics & structural geology discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Grenville Draper
Sent: March 7, 2006 10:02 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Power Point presentations

All


I am convinced that the "businessification" of research and universities has a lot to do with the perceived decline in the quality of talks. How many of us have been in a position where we wanted to attend a meeting just to learn something new and to have a chance to talk to some colleagues?  However, you can't get financial support to attend unless you give a talk, and you find yourself either rehashing an older paper, or presenting something that is half done that would be a much better talk the following year.  Institutional "bean counting" seems to have pushed certain colleagues to the point where they only attend the meeting to give their own talk, but don't stay long enough to attend others talks and learn something.

I am 55 and perhaps having the same thoughts as Angelina.  I wonder what our younger colleagues think.

Cheers


Gren

Grenville Draper

Department of Earth Sciences

Florida International University

SW 8th Street

Miami, FL 33199

Tel 305-348-3087

Fax 305-348-3877


Prof. of Geology, 

Fellow of the Geological Society, 

Fellow of FIU Honors College