Disqus - Latest Comments for WVMikeP

Re: Verizon Holiday Ads Mock AT&T and the iPhone [VIDEOS]

WVMikeP — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:15:56 -0000

I'm talking the Eastern Panhandle, where I have full coverage from AT&T. However, the NRQZ doesn't cover all of WV.

The reason I was on Cingular originally was because Verizon wasn't offering WV numbers at all for their cellular service.

Re: Verizon Holiday Ads Mock AT&T and the iPhone [VIDEOS]

WVMikeP — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:41:28 -0000

Funny thing is, looking at Verizon's map, they screw WV with their 3G coverage. However, I DO have reliable 3G coverage from AT&T.

Re: LEAKED: Microsoft Courier Tablet User Interface Details

WVMikeP — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:53:59 -0000

My question regarding this and the (mythical?) Apple tablet is "What's the central use case?" If it's the same as the tablet: a note taker for nerds in meetings, then the hype is way over-blown. I tried using tablets that way and each time, they failed for me.

Here's a use case that works for me: e-book reader with color. If I'm reading an Edward Tufte book or something similar, I don't want images and diagrams that were in color for a reason converted to grayscale.

Re: LEAKED: Microsoft Courier Tablet User Interface Details

WVMikeP — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:48:26 -0000

Like how the iPhone and iPod Touch is usable by iTunes on Windows and the Zune software can be used by, um, something(?) on OS X...oh, yeah, there goes that argument.

Re: AT&T to Verizon: “There’s a Lawsuit for That”

WVMikeP — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:46:29 -0000

"A push start"....after it's been in use for 22 years.

Cracks me up every time.

Re: AT&T to Verizon: “There’s a Lawsuit for That”

WVMikeP — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:42:33 -0000

They have been. Six months ago, in my corner of WV, I noticed I had 3G all of a sudden. Give credit where it's due.

Re: Droid Does: Verizon Launches Anti-iPhone Ad for Motorola Droid [Video]

WVMikeP — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:15:31 -0000

Personally, I think anyone that uses "{product name} killer" is a small-minded half-wit. Competition is good for us all.

Re: Think Outside the Slides

WVMikeP — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:00:10 -0000

Thanks :)

Re: Review: Targus Bluetooth Presentation Remote

WVMikeP — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:14:53 -0000

There was a Logitech remote that was handed to me at another presentation that felt too bulky and lacked the features of the Targus. It also had that dongle, which is something I personally would like to avoid. In addition to the limited space at our off-site meetings, if I have to put my 15" laptop on a lectern, there's no guarantee there would be enough room for a dongle. So, I'm still looking. Bluetooth (no dongle) & works well with Keynote. That's what I'm (still) looking for.

Re: Apple to Woolworths: Your New Logo Is Too Apple-y

WVMikeP — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:23:56 -0000

If we were talking about the Woolworth's that I grew up with, that is the five and dimes, I'd say Apple should sue because with that logo that clearly looks like the Apple logo when you factor in the leaf.

On the other hand, what we're talking about here is a grocery chain. "Woolworths...the fresh food people" Their new logo certainly makes you think of produce in that context, not electronics.

Now, if they do get into electronics sales with that logo, then I think they're in trouble.

Re: Digsby Revamps Its Twitter Features, Reverses the Twitter Timeline

WVMikeP — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:07:22 -0000

With all the changes to your browser (search engine, toolbars) that Digsby tries to foist on your machine, it's best left alone. Good thing I only installed it on a Win7 VM. I don't trust it.

Re: POLL: Do You Still Use a Dictionary?

WVMikeP — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:57:56 -0000

We have an overwhelming majority of kids coming up through the school system nowadays that don't even know that the dictionary (book-form) is even alphabetized.

Re: Digsby Updates: Post to Twitter and Facebook via IM

WVMikeP — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:02:34 -0000

I found Digsby to be intrusive. After the install process (on a VM, thank God), I was left with the impression that this product and its creators can't be trusted.

Re: The Chart Make-Over Challenge of 2009

WVMikeP — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 05:48:16 -0000

I don't have the raw data, but I'll surely try to come up with
something this evening.

Re: Slide Make-over: EPA Greenversations

WVMikeP — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 09:37:22 -0000

Thanks for the feedback!

Re: No better place than Flickr to get "real" images

WVMikeP — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:58:21 -0000

Great point. That's where I tend to look first. One thing to add is to seek the Creative Commons license that works for you. If you pull from the general pool, you're pulling from a collection of copyrighted images with "all rights reserved."

Re: What about this: the presentation subtitle?

WVMikeP — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:17:21 -0000

As handouts, they can save time. As presentation slides, you're handing all the attention to the slides and you might as well stand facing a corner talking to the dusty spider webs.

Re: Slide Make-over: EPA Greenversations

WVMikeP — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:19:00 -0000

Thanks.

I can't claim credit for the "Rules" poster. You can find it at http://www.flickr.com/photos/clintjcl/375585107.... The URL is also included in the .key file in the slide notes for those who choose to download it.

I look forward to your post!

Re: Microsoft flips the EU (and Opera) the bird, and I love it.

WVMikeP — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:04:34 -0000

I'm not arguing that IE's not losing market share. However, with the usage numbers they have, at about 2/3 of the market, they're still dominant.

The free market may fix the problem, but it was anticompetitive practices that gave IE a dominant position in the first place.

Re: Microsoft flips the EU (and Opera) the bird, and I love it.

WVMikeP — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:59:17 -0000

If 65% market share isn't dominant, then what is?

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/06/safar...

Re: Apple and its security issues it doesn’t like to acknowledge

WVMikeP — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:23:01 -0000

I'm a loyal Mac fanboy and ... I agree wholeheartedly. Apple needs to take security more seriously before it gets real egg on its face.

Re: Sacred Cow #8: The Laser Pointer Is A Useful Tool

WVMikeP — Fri, 15 May 2009 22:59:39 -0000

Very good points

Re: Sacred Cow #8: The Laser Pointer Is A Useful Tool

WVMikeP — Thu, 14 May 2009 08:32:21 -0000

Hans Rosling's presentation is a great example of how to interact with your data. By doing it the way he did minimizes the focal points such that you can see what's happening with the data and it's not at all removed from the presenter and his presentation. All too often, instead of bringing the data and presentation together the way he did, people will just try to point to it in a detached manner with their little laser.

That's not to say, however, that there wasn't room for improvement. It would have been great if he could have shared that animation outside of his statistical program. There was a lot of visual distractions around the edges. Also, remove some of the extra "ink" and you'll have a chart that's easier to read. Edward Tufte's "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information," though a very academic, and for some, difficult read, is in my opinion a must read for anyone working with charts. Heck, some times, even tables are more appropriate than charts. This isn't the case with Hans Rosling's data, but we had one such example at work where a colleague was trying to force data into a bar chart. It was an incomprehensible mess. It's not a statement about her, but rather that the chart could not possibly be made to do what she wanted it to do. A redesigned data table emphasizing information density (as opposed to data density) brought forward the message she was trying to get across much more effectively.

Re: Sacred Cow #8: The Laser Pointer Is A Useful Tool

WVMikeP — Thu, 14 May 2009 08:16:41 -0000

When I said it was a "terribly inefficient form of communication, I'm referring to the amount of effort required by the brain, compared to other means, to absorb and process the information. The brain isn't wired to specifically process the written word. It's a task we force upon it because humanity has developed a good means of preserving what we say beyond the moment in which it is spoken.

When you read, you're actually recognizing the shapes of the collection of letters. This is one of the reasons, among others such as the thickness and x-height, etc., why some typefaces are more readable than others. Your brain takes those shapes and moves that information from the visual to the verbal areas of the brain. This is where the inefficiency comes it.

True, for blogs and other similar mediums, the written word is by far the best choice. However, when giving a presentation, mixing the written and spoken word together forces too much mental effort on the audience.

A good book that covers this is "Brain Rules" by John Medina. Olivia Mitchell also wrote this at http://www.speakingaboutpresenting.com/visual-t...

Lastly, I will agree that many presentations would be better replaced altogether by a well-written document. Many times, we're dragged into meetings to endure an unnecessary presentation.

Re: Sacred Cow #7: All You Need Is An Afternoon

WVMikeP — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:39:39 -0000

I agree this will be a tough nut to crack. It's going to take, at a
minimum, patience and persistence.