Technology Tips

Computers make it easy to put together a slick slide show, but as we all know they can be pretty fickle at times.  To fight Murphy's Law:

• Make sure the computer is plugged in to power so the screen doesn't dim.  Some operating systems allow you to easily switch to a preset "presentation mode" that disables the screensaver, etc, so check your documentation.  (In Windows XP or higher you can switch power schemes by right clicking the battery icon in the system tray; ditto for Linux systems with KPowersave installed.)
  
• Make sure, in advance, that the slideshow looks the same way on the projector as it does on screen.  No presentation technology (not even PDF) guarantees formatting across different software and hardware combinations.  Ideally you should try your slides out in the 'production' presentation environment as projector idiosyncracies, lighting, glossy surfaces, etc. can turn a great looking presentation into an unreadable mess.  (Note: there is a TOPP Talks Template to help with this.)
  
• Make sure you know how to operate the slideshow.  If you're borrowing someone else's system to run the slideshow, get them to make sure it works and then let you do it from scratch before show time.
  
• Make sure you're connected to sound in advance, if you need sound.
• If you're using video, integrate the video directly into the presentation, if possible.