The times have changed

I am presently in the midst of reading Governing From the Centre by Donald Savoie. Just a few minutes ago I came upon a section of the book that deals with Cabinet briefings and how they are conducted. Savoie noted that in many cases decks of slides, or 'decks' were the preferred mechanism for conducing such presentations. Savoie then goes on to include a very 1990s era statement on page 133:

Finance officials report that their minister, Paul Martin, has now taken decks to a new level. He prefers to brief Cabinet with power points rather than a simple deck. Power points are developed through the aid of the most modern computer techniques involving colour, large print, small print, and other forms of visual enhancement. The more substantive aspects of power points are captured in just a few words and, according to officials, do not lend themselves to in-depth policy disuccsions. They are, in the words of one, ‘overheads with panache, a kind of Disney production.’

I wish I could remember when PowerPoint seemed newfangled and technologically advanced. And, sadly, it seems that the characterization hat PowerPoint presentations have more 'panache' may have been a little too hopeful.