Comments for Oh, I wanna be a Powerpoint Ranger!

Oh, I wanna be a Powerpoint Ranger!

2005-05-24T19:12:49Z

From Battalion Staff to Joint Staff... we've been here, done that.

Via CAPT H (apparently Her Majesty's Northern Horde are afflicted, too). This is now officially a Joint and Combined Post! (Those who know, know.)

Order a PowerPoint Stand-down
Captain E. Tyler Wooldridge III, U.S. Navy (Retired)
Proceedings, December 2004

A recent study by a Washington think tank found that children now spend more time playing computer games and watching television than they do reading. Subsequent to the report�s publication, child education and psychology experts speculated about the long-term effects this trend could have on children�s development. They cited such risks as failing to develop critical thinking skills, inability to interact with people, and inadequate physical activity.

The military should be concerned about fostering those same flaws in its junior officers. In this case, however, the culprit is PowerPoint. The art of creating a PowerPoint brief frequently has become a substitute for real planning, thoughtful discussion, and cogent analysis. The military should worry it is not breeding innovative thinkers.

Read the rest here, in the The Proceedings of the Naval Institute.

For those of us already afflicted with the curse of being a Powerpoint Ranger, you can at least get recognition of same:

There are also PowerPoint Ranger and SF (Slide Flipper) Tabs...

Click the patch to be taken where you can score your PPRanger Products! (BTW, if you link to this post, please *also* link directly to Jim Placke's site so he gets proper exposure!)

And yes, Ry - the review is almost done.

Comment from J.M. Heinrichs on 2005-05-27

2005-05-27T12:20:52Z

It's called "Brotherhood of War" and runs for 8 volumes: "Lts", "Capts", "Majs", "Cols", "Gens", "Berets", "New Breed", and "Aviators". Followed by the "The Corps" with 9 or 10 books , and "Badge of Honor" with 5 or 6. Plus a couple other series underway. By W.E.B. Griffin. Cheers JMH

Comment from SangerM on 2005-05-26

2005-05-26T14:08:27Z

That's the guy! And see, I forgot about all the rest, but I remembered he could type and play polo. Is that odd or what? Thanks, though for the memory jog...

Comment from LarryConley on 2005-05-26

2005-05-26T12:10:46Z

""2) the one fellow who could type really well (may be the same rich kid) who was able to pound out Op Orders on an old manual typewriter, "" Yep was the same kid in Book 1 He gets commissioned so he can play polo against the French (who won't play against a enlisted man) ... THEN after the general dies he gets shipped to Greece ((where he gets badly shot up by the Russians)) Book 2 is where he is typing out something for his general. . a form of therapy since he had just lost his wife after winning the DSC ((of course two chapers later he gets in deep crap for getting lucky with a movie star in a tank :))

Comment from SangerM on 2005-05-25

2005-05-26T00:33:10Z

About 20 years ago or so, I read a series from, I believe, WEB Griffin. It was one of the Lieutenants or Captains, or whatevers... Amazing that the two things that've stuck with me the longest from that set (and I read most) were 1) the way privilege can make a difference in a life--one character was the rich guy who could play polo so he got assigned to posh posts and had a pretty good life, and could even tell a Phillipe Patek watch from a plain one at a glance... 2) the one fellow who could type really well (may be the same rich kid) who was able to pound out Op Orders on an old manual typewriter, sitting in a freezing tent in Korea, I think it was... That was one of his best skills.... What I remember thinking (and still have shadow memories of) was that I'd like to see the guy get waxed. Especially after the typing thing. I don't know why, I just remember hating that character and his ability to type was the big reason. Probably 'cause I was poor growing up. Sheesh what a waste of brain cells here, folks! Am I vergooftigung or what?

Comment from J.M. Heinrichs on 2005-05-25

2005-05-25T19:28:04Z

"If you can't issue orders off the back of a cigarette package, you're a REMF." I heard a version of this from my CO on several occasions, usually after a visit to Bde HQ. Cheers JMH

Comment from SangerM on 2005-05-25

2005-05-25T14:05:16Z

Velly funny, Redleg! And John, you nailed it better than I. PPT is a good tool, but I so rarely see a good presentation (and I've done my share of awful ones), that I just figure there's too much bad to overcome the good... In this case, I'd just as soon toss out the baby with the bath water.... However [sigh] I suppose, then we'd just have to sit and stare at the boring speaker, and not even have any pretty screen-pap to look at. Sheesh, there is just no winning. But just for the conversation, 2 items: 1) I once presented at a conference on two-way video in education. I used no screen, projector, or prop of any kind. I had no handouts. I had no candy, no pencils, no key rings, no toys, food, or otherwise. It was an experiment. The audience (of about 35) was extraordinarily awkward at first because I spoke to them and made them speak too (horrors!); but I was given one of the highest ratings in the conference. Either I was pretty good, and had done the refreshing thing, or everyone else just sucked. hard to say, but the lesson was that people don't need anything other than their brains to have a good time and learn something. 2) The best two-way interactive class I ever saw was conducted by a fellow from Ivory Coast for about 45 9th-12th graders. He spoke nothing but French 99.9% of the time. He spoke about his family, country, traditions, etc. He had an easel, and some gewgaws and such that he put on a document camera now and again so he could show close ups. He was in Indianapolis, we were all in South Bend. I watched HS students from all grades speak French to a native speaker--which is very hard to make yourself do if you are a student of a language. The class was great, the props were few, PowerPoint would have ruined it, like it ruined so many other two-way video courses I sat through. No real point to that, I suppose. Just sharin' experiences.... ~SangerM

Comment from Were-Kitty on 2005-05-25

2005-05-25T12:26:44Z

Redleg- You totally missed the point, dear. We're making fun of how important some people feel that ppt is, and that a good ppt presentation will cure all that ails you. As you pointed out, ppt doesn't mean crap to those who are doing the job. And as Sanger said, writing points out how sloppy your thinking is. As a warrior in the field, you can't afford sloppy thinking. Hats off to you all.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2005-05-25

2005-05-25T11:25:43Z

Redleg chimes in in the manner of a FORSCOM guy walking past a TRADOC briefer at come conference. (FORSCOM = Forces Command, who pretend they're warfighters. TRADOC = Training and Doctrine Command, the denizens of which reside in Neverland (the original, not Jackson's.) I work within TRADOC, btw, and have the 10,000 hour patch and all the tabs - and I'm a mix of Sanger and MCart when it comes to PP. Like MCart, I see it as a tool, and a very useful one - you can cram a lot of data into a presentation, if you understand your data and how to present it so that it conveys what you need. Echoing Sanger, many builders are clueless when it comes to organizing and presenting the data, and give you the overdone elements of Rococo when what's needed is the cleanliness of Doric. I could go on, but suffice it to say - being a *Good* Powerpoint Ranger is *Hard*. Most PP Rangers are really the equivalent of Cherry Jumpers. JTG - it's also pretty much the definition of Major, Ret'd.

Comment from Redleg on 2005-05-25

2005-05-25T10:16:51Z

You Power Point Rangers are soft. Your life depends on your battery and you cannot function if it dies. You are so unschooled that you know not how to be the perfect staff weenie without your combat laptop. You cannot stand up to the rigors of battle armed with acetate and grease pencils. Although your lineage and honors trace back to us Remington Raiders (We may backspace, but we never retreat), your honors are but mere shadows compared to ours. I go from groans and teethgrinding to laughter when the importance of the briefing or presentation is that it is a "Power Point Presentation" and not that the presentation contains something important to know.

Comment from Justthisguy on 2005-05-25

2005-05-25T08:35:16Z

Ah, when I wrote "Washington", above, I meant George, not D.C.

Comment from Justthisguy on 2005-05-25

2005-05-25T08:31:07Z

THANX, John! Everything on that site is so witty, pithy, and hilarious that I am just now getting over the diaphagm spasms from ROFLMAO! I commend to y'all's attention Reason #95 of "101+ Reasons to Get Out of the Army" or "Very few people willing to tell it like it is and take the ass-chewing anyway." Umm, ain't that almost the definition of "Kewl and Manly"? Or Virtuous Badass? I know those folks are scarce, am kinda wussy m'self, but would you rather be ruled by Washington, or Clinton?

Comment from SangerM on 2005-05-24

2005-05-25T04:25:57Z

I really HATE PowerPoint. Of course, I also hate newsprint, easels, handouts, and other props that are used as filler in place of succinct, meaningful communications. I especially hate the use of PowerPoint in video tele-instruction or during on-line meetings; however, being an educator by profession, I do understand there is value to such props.... Even so, Gawd, what a horror most PowerPoint presentations are (including the wastes of time I've had to prepare and present). Read this: PowerPoint Makes You Dumb www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/nytimes_1203 Then this: PowerPoint Doesn't Make You Dumb www.adtmag.com/article.asp?id=8658 To me the second piece just proves the first, even though the second guy just doesn't get it. And THAT's kind of the point of the first piece... ~SangerM Remember, "writing is nature's way of letting you know how sloppy your thinking is." (either Guindon or Mugele) Using PowerPoint to convey information is like writing stories with no vowels; occasionally, it actually makes sense, but mostly a lot of important stuff is missing.

Comment from Barb on 2005-05-24

2005-05-25T04:09:59Z

Uh .... That was actually 113, my bad ... Now 77 away :-)

Comment from Barb on 2005-05-24

2005-05-25T00:28:53Z

By the way - I just noticed that my site is only 13 hits away from 5000 !!! Whoo-Hoo!

Comment from Walter E. Wallis on 2005-05-24

2005-05-25T00:08:51Z

It's so obvious! Change international law so that all wars are fought in power point. Of course, then India would rule the world in a generation, so perhaps that is not such a good idea after all.

Comment from Barb on 2005-05-24

2005-05-24T23:05:53Z

That site is a Hoot! Thanks for the link, John :-)

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2005-05-24

2005-05-24T21:39:52Z

Hmmm. MCart reveals Shaitan-in-Redmond's secret plan for World Domination! Dumb us all down, save Loyal Members of the Collective!

Comment from MCart on 2005-05-24

2005-05-24T21:20:24Z

blame the USER not the TOOL. :) Though I encourage video games et al weakening children around the country. I'm thrilled at the chance to give my offspring an unfair advantage in life.

Comment from Were-Kitty on 2005-05-24

2005-05-24T20:47:18Z

LOL! nice rhyme Larry! impressive!

Comment from LarryConley on 2005-05-24

2005-05-24T20:29:47Z

I WANT TO BE AN POWERPOINT RANGER I WANT TO LIVE A LIFE OF ANGER! WE NEED A WNDOWOCIDE OF YOUNG MICE, GENERAL GATES! BOOKMARK, DAP ME COOKIE! THAT'S WHY WE DIDN'T BOMB NETSCAPEI! CHOP CHOP LINUX LONG DONG TORVEL! BOOM! BOOM! SCO! DEAD COMPUTERS HEAVY CASES PACKED WITH SPAM IN VERY LARGE QUANTITIES! HOW WERE WE TO KNOW,UNCLE BILL IN CHARGE SOLD WINDOWS AT LARGE! SCANNERS AND PRINTERS CLOVERLEAFED COMPUTERS OPEN SOURCE COMING DOWN THE BANDWIDTH HOW MANY CODERS AND MICE-OVER I THINK ITS ALL OF THEM! OVER SCO EMBASSY WE FLEW U.S. DIPLOMATS WE THEN WITHDREW YUSEF MEHDI SAYS NO! YOU CAN'T COME! THERE'S NOT ROOM FOR ANYONE! WE DON'T STAND FOR THE UNITED NATIONS! THE UNITED STATES HAS ENOUGH CODERS! THE HELL I SAY WITH THE NEW WORLD ORDER! THAT'S WHY THEY ESCAPE THEIR OWN BORDERS Apologizes to FRANCES PLANTE-SCOTT and our brave Airborne

Comment from Were-Kitty on 2005-05-24

2005-05-24T20:09:45Z

I don't wanna be a PowerPoint Ranger... I wanna lead a life without linking..... LOL I get to play PPT Ranger for a few weeks every quarter... sux.

Comment from caltechgirl on 2005-05-24

2005-05-24T19:44:32Z

That's me even though I'm a civilian. I have to give two presentations to finish up my PhD work....