Technology by the lectern

David Pogue writes and speaks about computers. He wrote the Missing Manual books about both Windows 7 and Mac OS X Snow Leopard. On May 26th he blogged at the New York Times about Technology or lack thereof at the podium.

David described how audiovisual (A/V) technicians at various venues managed to get the job done, sometimes in surprising ways. He always carries an adapter (dongle) for connecting the video output from his MacBook to the VGA input on a projector.

David pointed out that it’s important to show up early so any A/V problems can be sorted out. He mentioned how he likes to use the Presenter View to see his notes and a preview of the next image. If you’re not familiar with this feature of PowerPoint, read a recent blog post by Adam Vero.

David also mentioned using a printout of the slides and notes at the lectern to get around his MacBook having to be off stage. (I usually print my slides at 9 per page on a handout and keep that summary on the lectern).

Your laptop might wind up on a cardboard box atop a chair or stool, as shown above. When possible I prefer to use my own laptop and remote. The last times I spoke at a university and a junior high school I used my simple remote with their desktop computer and ceiling-mounted projector.