In 2003, Wired magazine ran an article called “PowerPoint is Evil” by Edward Tufte. In the article, Tufte made a couple of solid points, but as a whole, it was over-the-top. My opinion on Microsoft’s PowerPoint is the same as it was before I read this article. I agree with Tufte in that students and teachers alike have become increasingly reliant on PowerPoint’s bulleted format. This format can hurt a students understanding of using complete sentences, especially those students in grade school. However, PowerPoint presentations like research papers in general can be redundant and boring. These factors are relative to the audience and the assignment, not the format of presentation. They should be used in addition to a research paper or essay, not as a replacement for them. A PowerPoint slideshow is beneficial in that it is easier for the audience to maintain interest as well as understand the information presented.

In his conclusion, Tufte agrees that PowerPoint is beneficial as an aide to an essay or paper, but goes on to say, it isn’t used that way. I completely disagree with his generalization. Like many of my peers, I’ve been using PowerPoint for about 15 years. I have made and seen more slide shows than I can remember. In these countless presentations, PowerPoint was almost always used a supplemental part of the assignment. It allows the audience to see major points and/or important photographs, helping them understand the material better.

In addition to disagreeing with Tufte’s main argument, his analogies make him seem like a lunatic making me question his legitimacy. He attacks PowerPoint and Microsoft as if it is a ruthless totaliterian regime, whose aspire to brainwash Americas young. He compares it to an addictive perscription drug, with frequent side effects causing stupidity and a bunch of other non-sense. His claim that Microsoft, a major corporation, is essentially getting rich by devaluing education, is certainly a rational thought. Unfortunately his intensity and over-the-top examples make him seem like a lunatic.

if he focused more on the facts and less on his over-the-top analogies.

I think he sees microsoft as a major corporation that is exploting cchildren  that a major corporation is adertising its product as a means of educating and at the same time is exploting

The idea behind his argument, that a major corporation, Microsoft, is advertising PowerPoint as an effective way of presenting information

-Look Ed, we get it, you don’t like PowerPoint.