Re: PGCon 2008 RFP

On Sun, Dec 28, 2008 at 04:30:59PM -0800, Robert Bernier wrote:

> Standardized documentation means it has a life after the conference and will
> benefit far more people in a much wider context.

A standardized format for presentation materials just ensures that all
presentations end up conveying the same overall message, and differ
exclusively in the details.  I encourage those who doubt that claim to
read "The Cognitive Style of Powerpoint", which you can order from
http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_pp.  Indeed, I have been
through a number of lamentable presentations, both at Pg conferences
and elsewhere, that would have gained tremendously from less
conventional approaches to presenting material.  (I'm sure there are
many who feel the same way after having heard me speak.)

There's another issue: many corporations require those presenting
under sponsorship of the corporation to use _company_ slide formats.
These are just as bad as conference-imposed formats, but they have the
notable advantage that they ensure the presenters have funding
actually to get to the conference.

A

--
Andrew Sullivan
ajs@crankycanuck.ca