by Karl Kurtz
Matthias Poehm, founder of the Anti-PowerPoint Party (APPP) in Switzerland, estimates that 11 percent of the Swiss population has to endure two PowerPoint presentations per week and claims that this loss of productivity costs Switzerland $2.4 billion annually. These unsubstantiated claims have drawn a lot of chatter and laughter on the Web, no doubt striking a chord because all of us have been subjected to bad, even terrible, PowerPoint presentations.
What I like the best, though, is this statement on the party's web site, reported in The Envoy:
"The APPP regards itself as the advocate of approximately 250 million world citizens (500 000 in Switzerland) who, every month, are obliged to be present at boring presentations in companies, at universities or at schools and who, up to now, have not found a political representation in politics," the party website states.
It's a reminder that in a representative democracy virtually every interest, no matter how small or narrow, has an advocate in the form of a political party or group.
Microsoft, a powerful advocate on the oher side, has chosen not to comment according to the Wall Street Journal, other than to say that Poehm is using a guerilla marketing tactic to sell his book--join his party and you get a discount on his book.
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