As with Roneo and Banda machines, school also introduced me to overhead projectors – the presentation tool that pre-dated PowerPoint and digital projectors.

Some teachers would diligently prepare the transparent sheets in advance, and hope that the ink wouldn’t rub off or smudge ahead of time. I seem to recall that some lessons involved pre-printed crib sheets, that teachers would annotate by hand in real time. Others simply made it up as they went along – hopefully, they remembered not to write directly on the projection bed with a permanent marker, but used the special pens whose ink could be easily wiped off afterwards.

This rudimentary technology survived into my time at university, and even into my early corporate life – before laptops became ubiquitous. Nowadays, even a Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote or Google Slide presentation can seem quaint, as audiences increasingly demand/expect more immersive content. But maybe a return to simpler formats would prove the adage that “less is more”?

Next week #9: Borrowing Library Books