Around a quarter of Swiss in favour of basic income

The Swiss referendum on the basic income was backed by just under a quarter of the country’s population.
So, while it will not be introduced, a large minority of the voters see a need for it as a way of dealing with the rise of automation.

Basic income – Switzerland referendum

In a recent post I mentioned the concept of basic income. The idea being due to robot labour there will be less work for humans in the future.
Today Switzerland is having a referendum with this idea on the ballot paper.
The article also cites this idea being tested in two other European countries.

Battling PowerPoint-lessness moves to a new level

My brother introduced me to the term PowerPoint-lessness a few years ago – explaining about how awful some of his lectures at uni could be.

(He went to uni several years after I did, he was a mature student, and now has a great job thanks to his hard work in a vocational degree).

I have often advocated the need to use PowerPoint as an effective tool – which it can be if done properly.

I am an advocate of the six slide rule – ie if you need more than six slides to give a presentation, you are doing it wrong. The important rule here is that the slides support your presentation rather than, for example, you reading out every word on the 54 slides you are presenting.

I once presented the entire plot of Lost in a six slide presentation Lost Presentation_2upload

(in fact I did it in five and the sixth slide was used as a trailer for the new series of V).

(This was a challenge from a friend of mine – you know who you are!)

As someone who understands that badly used PowerPoint can drive you nuts (and well used is a great tool), I was intrigued to read about the  Swiss Anti PowerPoint Party.

Taking the issue to extremes in my humble opinion.