PowerPoint Soufflé Delite

by Bill Robertson

Not only did the introduction of Microsoft's PowerPoint mark the obsolescence of overhead transparencies, but it also ushered in a new era of monotonous, uninformative presentations. Opponents of the software (me included) argue that the default design templates, autolayouts, and "chart junk" functionalities -- such as gratuitous clip-art, logos, or the infamous bulleted list -- abate any benefits to using the program. The aforementioned features generally limit and skew the author's content when it should serve as a complement.