How a PowerPoint Slide Contributed to the 2003 Columbia Space Shuttle Disaster
By
scapecast
A good honest bake. Not flashy, but you'll finish the whole bagel.
Summary
The article discusses the phenomenon of 'death by PowerPoint' - ineffective presentation styles that bore audiences - but reveals a more serious case where a poorly designed PowerPoint slide contributed to the deaths of seven NASA astronauts during the 2003 Columbia space shuttle disaster. The author, an educator, explores how presentation design and communication failures can have catastrophic real-world consequences beyond just boring audiences.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledWe've all sat in those presentations. A speaker with a stream of slides full of text, monotonously reading them off as we read along.
We're so used to it we expect it. We accept it. We even consider it 'learning'.
The fact is we know that PowerPoint kills. Most often the only victims are our audience's inspiration and interest.
This, however, is the story of a PowerPoint slide that actually helped kill seven people.
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