Tag: powerpoint

Microsoft Office is getting a new, simpler look | CNN

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Microsoft is rolling out subtle changes to Office 365 to make work a little easier for its millions of customers.

The cluttered control bar (Microsoft calls it a ribbon) on the top of web-version of Word has been slimmed down to just one line. The same new bar will appear in Outlook next month.

Microsoft is holding off on slimming down PowerPoint, Excel and other Office 365 apps until it can do more research. It’s walking a fine line between offering simplicity to casual customers and angering power users.

Read More

Crutch Phrase | Urban Dictionary

~ CBPS ~ Leave a comment

April 29: Crutch phrase

An overworked figure of speech, such as, inter alia, “at the end of the day,” or “it is what is,” or “thinking outside the box,” or “leverage our resources.” Crutchphrases are a common refuge of speakers who have difficulty articulating ideas or concepts without reflexively using jargon and cliché. Often relied upon by powerpoint-user speakers who simply repeat what is already printed on the Powerpoint slide.

The use of a crutchphrase is often an open admission of an unwillingness or inability to think, let alone use language effectively.

“At the end of the day,” the speaker droned, “we have to think out of the box if we are to successfully leverage our resources.” Note the split infinitive.

“But,” protested a listener, “you’re not making any sense at all, you’re just babbling a bunch of crutch phrases!”

“It is what it is,” replied the speaker, retreating to the safe territory of a crutch phrase. 

Every presentation I pray I don’t fall prey to these, easy, useless words. It’s  so hard to stay fresh – Ed.

Death By iPad | Peter Mehit

~ CBPS ~ 1 Comment

I think iPads are really cool. I like that they’re instant on, broadband connected and can deliver the world to you in a compact little package that is easy to use and carry. They are well made, reliable and look really cool. There is no question that they represent a huge change in how information and entertainment is accessed, opening up a deeper internet experience for millions of people. Like all technology, however, there is the other side, the unintended consequences.

The more ubiquitous the iPad is becoming, the more demands there are on our already short attention spans. I was attending a meeting about positioning your business for angel investors. I was a tad late, and entering from the back of the room, my attention was drawn not to the presentation at the front of the room, but to the sea of little illuminated rectangles in front of most of the participants. It stunned me so much that I stood and watched as the contents of the screens changed faster than the presentation. This was not lost on the presenter who looked defeated at the end of his time.

Continue reading “Death By iPad | Peter Mehit” →