Please! This is Apple's Keynote in action. Also good to know for readers that Hardt acknowledges his creative debt to Larry Lessig for this presentation style. Lessig also uses a Powerbook, although not sure if he uses Keynote.

Aren't we over Powerpoint yet?

Les

Sorry Les. I just couldn't remember the name of Keynote. I saw Keynote for the first time a couple of weeks ago in New Zealand. What a lovely system. Hmmm, is it time to convert (back)?

Lawrence Lessig did a very nice job of using this kind of thing with his presentation on ReMix at CSCW last year. Not quite as frenetic as Hardt's.

There is a example of Lawrence Lessig's style here. It's a 9MB flash file. Yes, a slower, more measured pace.

Dick gave a fantastic performance. My only qualm is that it was very much a performance - not much interaction with the punters. That frenetic style depends on no one interupting your flow.

In some ways the opposite of improv...

I do have to commend his absence of bullet points.

Shawn, take me to lunch and I'll give you the lowdown on Keynote and show you how I use it. I helped an IT journo do a major presentation using KN for his first time, and it will appear in one of the dailies soon. Oh, and on my website there is an academic article entitled "the tyranny of Powerpoint" you should read.

Lots of good points about it - but just wondering about cultural implications. Is the rapid-fire style more palatable to a North American audience than it would be in Asia - or even Australia and the UK?

I agree with Matt and Keith, in most cases keeping up this rapid fire approach is unlikely to engage all audiences. You would feel like you are being talked at. I think its best application if for a change in tempo, a quick burst, to liven up your preso. I used this technique at the narrative techniques workshop last week to introduce myself and received excellent feedback. Mind you it only went for 5 minutes.