PowerPoint

Even though I find PowerPoint’s incredibly annoying and usually unprofessional looking I must admit if there is a big project due and little time to do it I usually resort to making a PowerPoint because of how easy and straightforward they are. If done right which is a rarity PowerPoint’s can be very effective, but the majority of the time they just irritate me. These are the five things I dislike about PowerPoint’s the most.

1. TOO MUCH TEXT - I completely understand putting vital information on a PowerPoint slide is necessary but when a PowerPoint slide has paragraphs and paragraphs of text I quickly become uninterested and overwhelmed. There is absolutely no way I'm going to write down or retain all of the information on a slide when there is just simply too much. It's called PowerPOINT not PowerESSAY for a reason!

 2. OBNOXIOUS TRANSITIONS - When a PowerPoint transitions from slide to slide I want it to be simple and professional. The last thing I want when taking notes is a slide that bounces all around the screen or one that a cheesy sound affect every time a new slide appears. Obnoxious PowerPoint transitions are very distracting for the viewer and completely ruin the integrity of the presentation.

3. POOR USE OF GRAPHICS – Graphics can be a very good tool in PowerPoint presentations, say you are giving a presentation over volcanoes and you incorporate a picture of the Mt. St. Helens eruption. That would be a good use of graphics the problem is the majority of the time PowerPoint’s are muddled with tacky animations. The last thing I want to see at the end of a PowerPoint is a banana dancing to peanut butter jelly time.

4. DEPENDENT PRESENTER – PowerPoint’s are just supposed to highlight critical parts of a presentation, not the entire thing. When a presenter reads word for word off of their PowerPoint they have rendered themselves meaningless. What’s the point of you even being present if you’re just going to tell us what we already know? Way too frequently will presenters depend of their PowerPoint to get them thru a presentation.

5. POOR DESIGN – Without a doubt the most common mistake I see with PowerPoint’s is poor whether it’s inconsistent formatting, ridiculous font, or just a dreadful layout. I don’t want to look at a slide with a dark brown background with bright orange font and I definitely don’t want to take notes from a slide that could’ve been prepared by an elementary student. Poor design is the reason PowerPoint’s are considered unprofessional.

PowerPoint’s can be a good tool when they are utilized as a layout to a presentation. Minimal critical text, professional formatting, and effective graphics are what usually lead to a first-class PowerPoint and overall an excellent presentation.

CLT IS THE PLACE TO BE!

Before class I had never even heard of the CLT, also known as the Center for Learning and Technology. It's located in the first floor of the Coates library and has everything a student needs to complete any homework assignement. Robert Chapman, Instructional Support Manger for Trinity University, gave us the tour of the CLT and showed us all of the exclusive features it has to offer. There are a total of 26 computers, 14 macs and 12 PCs, in the Innovation studio and 11 scanners. All of the computers come with the top of the line software and even have the latest version of Photoshop. My favorite part of the tour would have to be the video conference room, which allows students and professors to have video confrences in HIGH DEFINITION! These video confrences can allow students to have job interviews across the world. Trinity University even had a video confrence with the White House and spoke to Hillary Clinton, Seretary of State! Not only does CLT give students amazing technology but you can even rent equipment, like digital cameras, and they also have an amazing staff that will help you with any task. CLT is an amazing place and I will definitly utilize all it has to offer for upcoming projects and homwork assignments.

I scanned this amazing self-portrait by using the scanners at CLT.

60 Mintues... More like 60 Pounds

I'm fully aware that the majority of pictures in gossip and fashion magazines are either manipulated or edited in some way. From making an aging celebrity look younger to slimming down a model for a clothing campaign, edited photos occur much too frequently. But when I saw this edited photo of America's Sweetheart Katie Couric I was appalled. This doctored photo appeared in the September issue of Watch magazine, which coincidently is owned by CBS. Katie Couric's waistline isn't the only thing that's obiously slimmed down in the picture,even her face was doctored to alter her complexion and make it appear thinner. Couric's picture was manipulated because CBS was promoting their new show "The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric" and wanted Katie Couric to appear more appealing. I beleive the mainpulation is harmful because it’s false advertisement and in reality is tricking the American people to believe this is what everyone should look like. People are already subjected enough to idealized edited photos of models and celebrities the last thing readers need is for news anchors and people of authority to be altered strengthening this new sense of “thin”. I personally don’t believe fashion and gossip magazines will ever be satisfied with the average healthy weight of an individual and will continue to alter photos instilling this false concept of what an average person should look like.

I choose the following video because it truly shows how easy and quick it is to enhance someone's body. This video shows how instead of months of dieting you can just use Photoshop to shave your weight right off, instantly making you look much thinner. It's easy to do touchups like this which is one reason altering and manipulating photos is so common.