Edward Tufte Article

I believe Edward Tufte's article on PowerPoint and its ability to destroy a presentation is accurate in the sense that one can alter data and position diction in a way to present an idea while hindering surrounding data to the idea. Furthermore, I also believe that society's congenial use PowerPoint for presentations, and essentially expression of ideas, is destroying the use of the English language amongst the United States population. It is clearly evident that the writing ability of the general student has declined with the increased popularity of slang, sms, and instant messaging, and ultimately the use of PowerPoint has been an aid to this rapid digression in the proper use of the English language. Ambiguousness is also an issue with the use PowerPoint. Tufte's example of Challenger, where he relates how Boeing and NASA were able to provide a presentation of the aircraft's failure while almost leaving out almost all the major details which caused the rocket to explode ultimately supports his thesis; however, Tufte does not give an overview of how PowerPoint can be beneficial.

Although Power Point, like most tools of presentation has its flaws, it can be beneficial due to its ability to combine various types of media with the purpose of delivering a powerful and eclectic presentation. The various types of media, such as video, audio, and transitions, allow the presenter to justify the themes and ideas of the presentation. (i.e. Video of scholars supporting the idea).

Therefore, I believe Tufte's concept is an extremist point of view and that although Power Point is flawed an can be used to alter the truth or data, it can also be used for many beneficial purposes. However, Tufte's article does point out necessary action that must be taken upon society (i.e. stressing the importance of writing and reading -- I am also a victim of technology's destruction of the English language -- hence my motive for blogging).