Before I continue with part 2 of my series on scientists and others presenting, a short distraction featuring the US President, Barak Obama at the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner, April 30 in Washington.
These are usually fun events no matter which party is in power, and offers the incumbent an opportunity to show what a good fellow he is, usually poking fun at himself, and perhaps a few others worthy of retort.
This year, Obama played on the birther issue and whether he was really an American, and to his good fortune, the most recent doubter of celebrity status, Donald Trump, was in the audience.
Upon being introduced to the attendees, an old World Wrestling Enterntainment soundtrack, “I’m a real American” was played, this being Hulk Hogan’s anthem.
From there, the graphics displayed harmonised with the music, including a bopping enlargement of Obama’s birth certificate, something one can easily do in both Powerpoint and Keynote using the scale animations timed to match the sounds.
I can’t imagine too many other times you’d use this element to good effect, but it seems to work here.
Notice too, if you stay with the video, how Obama also incorporates other videos (The Lion King) to humorous effect to make his point about his origins.
It seems to me this relatively young President is showing he is au fait with new technologies and the need to engage audiences with multimedia, despite his being quite the orator, and raconteur. Some lessons to be learnt here, no doubt.
I don’t know what software was used to create the piece, but perhaps now that Obama carries with him an iPad, he may insist that any slideshows conducted in his presence are done with Keynote! That’d be one way to tell the military brass around him who is really Commander-in-Chief.
Here’s the video via YouTube, below. Enjoy!
Les Posen's Presentation Magic 
Very much doubt that Mr. O. did this on Air Force One on his trip back from the tornado hit South; dragging and dropping and writing all by himself. “Excuse me, I can’t be troubled with Ghadfy’s son being killed by NATO, I’m editing my Joe Biden piece and need a closing joke on Trump. What’s a good typeface for the “King’s Speech” title?”
I have no insider knowledge of when and where and by whom the presentation was conceived, but suffice to say it’s known the president likes to write his own speeches, so who knows? In the end, he signed off on it and delivered it to a much amused audience, including the Donald. And, yes, outside of the beltway, life (and death) go on…
“Learnt?????”
Learnt, as to differentiate it from “learned”, viz ” she is a learned scholar of English history”, cf. she learnt English History in her B.A.
Acceptable variation, like “spelled” vs spelt” or “sleep” vs “slept” or weep vs wept. See: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/learnt