Today’s Dinner Topic touches upon an alternative presentation solution to PowerPoint, whiteboarding, etc…drum roll please…A ‘zoomable canvas’ software created by Prezi’s co-founder, Adam Somlai-Fischer. ¹

What’s the big deal?

Well, this software allows one to present information in a visually creative, engaging way that’s easy to follow and highly effective (using a nonlinear approach to presenting)!
 

The technology behind Prezi?

Zoomable User Interface (ZUI) – “a graphical environment where users can change the scale of the viewed area in order to see more detail or less, and browse through different documents.” ²

>> Think…Google Maps, iPhone

The inspiration behind Prezi’s online zooming presentation editor?

Adam Somlai-Fischer (architect, visual-artist, and co-founder of Prezi):

• 2001 – Started developing zooming presentations of his floor plans, in order to show the ‘big-picture’ (floor plan) in conjunction with the details of each room.
• 2007 – Began developing an editor so anyone can make a zooming presentation, at the urging of professor Peter Halacsy of Budapest University of Technology.
• 2009 – Prezi was launched in Budapest and San Francisco, CA (CEO, Peter Arvai).

How can you try it?

• Prezi’s cloud-based presentation software is available for FREE with 100 MB storage space, however your presentations are accessible to anyone.
• For $59/yr or $159/yr you can have access to more features (e.g. making content private) and more storage space. ³

Read on:

http://blogs.oregonstate.edu/instructionaldesign/2010/05/25/nonlinear-presentations-alternatives-to-%E2%80%9Cdeath-by-powerpoint%E2%80%9D/

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation is in the news for making a decision regarding the distribution of its charitable dollars to Planned Parenthood and then changing its mind.  From what Dinner Topics has collected, it appears that the group was always providing funding in the form of helping monetarily with breast cancer screening at Planned Parenthood, a group that provides health services for women, most notably with abortion and birth control, which is what caused the recent upheaval.

Komen had to decide between its ability to help women and its promise to not get involved with entities currently under investigation by U.S. authorities.  After some outrage on both sides, Komen decided to amend its language and considered Planned Parenthood’s issues with the government to be strictly political and not criminal.  Wanting to keep the focus on promoting a cure for cancer, Komen chose to stay out of the political fights and simply continue to help out women as they have in the past.  Naturally, Planned Parenthood was pleased with the end result as was many liberal supporters of the Komen foundation.  Some conservatives against abortion still had issue with the idea of helping a group that supports abortion.

It’s a very strong and important topic, and no matter which side of it you are on, you likely have an opinion on this story.  Now you have some facts to go with it.

Read on:

Komen reverses move to cut Planned Parenthood funding

Are you one of those people who always has good intentions when it comes to charity or helping others, but never gets around to it?  Well get inspired, because one man named Ryan took it upon himself to perform a kind act every single day this year and document it.  His website is called 366RandomActs.org, and the acts are as simple as smiling at everyone for a day or as involved as distributing care packages to the homeless.

Ryan could use some help with future ideas, because while the spirit is willing, it can get difficult to avoid being repetitive.  Post a comment on his site and offer an idea if you have one.  Better yet, repeat one of his ideas yourself and pay it forward.  Ryan shows that good deeds need not be expensive or exhaustive.  Make an effort and any amount of kindness is better than none.

Why is this a Dinner Topic?  Because with so many headlines promoting the negative (such as every political story), it’s important to bring a little positivity to the table.  Tell this guy’s story the next time you get together with a group of friends, and people just might enjoy themselves a little more and want to do more.

Looking for the perfect sitter? Sittercity sitters have background checks, references and parent reviews. Try it now!
Read on:

366RandomActs.org

Many of you have probably noticed less frequent posts recently, but thanks to the backlog of relevant posts (well over 600!), Dinner Topics remains a site you can visit every day and still learn something new and interesting.  While there is plenty of value left in a site like this, it is getting more and more difficult to personally maintain it, so the “For Sale” sign is being hammered into the imaginary lawn.  If you are interested in buying a site with the rights to over 630 content-rich posts and plenty of monetizing opportunities, read all of the details below.  If you are just looking for a solid dinner topic to learn about quickly before you head out for the night, don’t worry: we will continue with new posts as time allows and as we feel necessary.

The intent of the site hasn’t changed: if something is being “talked about” in the general public and we think you should know, we try to post an entry to get you the information you need quickly in an easy-to-understand format with little or no bias.  If there is something in the news not as widespread but uniquely interesting that would make for interesting conversation, we try to deliver those to you as well.  If you are at the dinner table and you understand what others are talking about and have something of your own to add, then Dinner Topics has done its job!  Thanks for sticking with us and we hope you continue checking in for a long time to come.

The fine print: Website Detail FAQs

What is for sale?

The domain itself (www.DinnerTopics.com) along with all of the content, future revenues from AdSense, private ads, original Dinner Topics logo and artwork, etc.

Can I make changes to the site if I buy it?

Yes!  The entire site would be moved to your server and you could edit it, make changes, change the design, redo the site completely, etc.

So there are no restrictions?

Not quite.  A couple ad contracts must stay intact, but they expire in less than a year, and any editing to previous posts are fine but it would be suggested to remove the original author from the post.  You would be buying the rights to the content, so properly sourcing any changes would be preferred for all involved. 

What if I want to put my own ads in old posts?

You are free to remove any ads except for the two under contract for a year and re-monetize the site as you see fit.  With years of content already in hand and a devoted following, there is plenty of potential for site monetization.

How many visits does the site get?  What is the Page Rank? How would the site transition work? How do I put in a bid for the site?

DinnerTopics.com currently has a Page Rank of 2, and we are happy to answer all other questions if you are considering purchasing this site and making it your own.  We can be contacted at advertise@dinnertopics.com and will answer all of your questions.  Yes, we would help you through the site transition process until you were completely satisfied that the site is in your hands.  All offers should be directed via email please.

Many of you have heard of triskaidekaphobia which is the fear of the number 13, but what about people who fear Friday the 13th in its entirety?  Those people suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia.  With today’s calendar turning to that fateful date, sufferers might also want to know this word in case they are writing to someone explaining the Friday the 13th fear: ortographobia.  What is ortographobia, you ask?  The fear of spelling mistakes.

Sittercity.com New Years Savings – 25% off memberships w/code JAN25 expires 1/31
Read on:

ChaCha.com – What is the name of fear of spelling words wrong?

Zap2It.com – Have Paraskevidekatriaphobia (fear of Friday the 13th)? Today is not your day

(image taken from: CafeMom.com)

It’s getting harder and harder to read any kind of news without a biased slant or even blatant false claims to grab attention.  Even on a blog such as this one where the entries are personalized, we still make an effort to provide you with facts and let you choose your side.  Too often nowadays a headline doesn’t relate to the story or spins it in a way that is simply untrue.  The latest example is courtesy of ABC News and writers Kevin Dolak and Ryan Owens.  Their headline reads:

“Okla. Woman Shoots, Kills Intruder: 911 Operators Say It’s OK to Shoot”¹

Besides the unnecessary plural in “Operators” (perhaps the woman spoke to more than one but that fact didn’t make it to print), the glaring error is the false claim of “911 Operators Say It’s OK to Shoot.”  Within the story itself, the 911 dispatcher was quoted as saying “I CAN’T tell you to do that…”  That’s right, CAN’T.  The dispatcher did say “do what you have to do,” but that is hardly the same as saying it’s OK to shoot.  Furthermore, the headline seems leading as if to suggest that a 911 operator’s confirmation of something is somehow legally binding or at least justification for an act. 

Based on the few facts given, it would appear that a woman in severe duress needed some reassurance that her future actions to defend her child were within the scope of a clear-headed person detached from the situation.  The dispatcher acted nobly, speaking generally while recognizing the need for immediate support in a potential life and death situation.  In a scary situation, the woman and the dispatcher acted professionally and within what they believed were their individual rights.  Only the writers failed this story, and if the writers didn’t create the headline, then that job needs to be reassigned.

There are many uplifting and interesting stories out there if you look hard enough, but it’s our individual responsibility to use several sources and learn to read between the biases of those behind the pen to find out the reality of each news story.  While most people skim the headlines and skip the content, might I suggest to the loyal Dinner Topics readers to occasionally skip the headlines and read the content?

Happy New Year everyone.  When Dinner Topics isn’t here to give you the depth of story you might have missed, don’t be afraid to dive into an article and judge it for yourself rather than just taking the writer’s slant.

Read on:

ABCNews.go.com – Okla. Woman Shoots, Kills Intruder: 911 Operators Say It’s OK to Shoot

North Korea’s ruler since 1994, Kim Jong-il, died over the weekend from a heart attack.  You likely heard that already.  You are also probably aware that North Korea is a volatile state with a poor record of human rights and things aren’t likely to get better as the reigns are passed on to Jong-il’s son Jong-un.  At Dinner Topics, we need to provide you with something more to add to the conversation, so one tidbit to add about North Korea while everyone is talking about the threat of nuclear weapons is that the country also has a space program.¹

Need more?  You’ll notice that each website and news outlet differs in the way it reports Jong-il (Jong Il, Jong-Il, etc.).  From what Dinner Topics has been able to gather regarding Korean naming conventions, “Kim” refers to the surname as most have already assumed, just like the Japanese naming structure of putting the “last” name first.  In the ”first” name, each syllable is separated by a space, so some journalistic standards take to adding a hyphen to avoid confusing people into thinking the last syllable is a middle name.  Thanks, Wikipedia!

For those keeping score, first there was Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea.  Il-sung was succeeded by his son, Kim Jong-il, and now Jong-il is succeeded by his youngest son, Kim Jong-un.  One last piece of interesting news regarding this topic:  because of Jong-un’s youth (his age is reported to be in the late 20s), North Korea will be ruled by the existing governing body until Jong-un develops some needed leadership skills.  According to a Bloomberg news story quoting a professor from Seoul, it will likely take a year before Jong-un assumes total responsibility.²

Need even more conversation pieces regarding North Korea?  Check out our post from back in 2009 or another from 2010.  Or, just…

Read on:

CNN.com – North Korea’s Kim Jong Il dies; South goes on high alert

Reuters.com – North Korea mourns dead leader, son hailed as “Great Successor”

(image taken from ThomsonReuters.com)