I'll be frank. I've always hated Microsoft products with the kind of white-hot intensity most people reserve for Satanic cultists. I can still recall my first experience with a Kaypro 286, an early version of Windoze, and a monitor full of glaring orange text. (Yes, orange. So help me, it was orange.) The proverbial seeds of discontent were planted in my mind, and they've since grown into the aforementioned animosity.

Now, it would seem, my hatred has been justified, thanks to an article entitled "Powerpoint Makes you Dumb" in New York Times magazine. For starters, according to the article, Powerpoint was partly responsible for last year's shuttle disaster.

Would I make up this stuff? I certainly would (remember, I told you I hate Microsoft), but I don't have to in this case. "When NASA engineers assessed possible wing damage during the (shuttle) mission," the article notes, "they presented the findings in a confusing PowerPoint slide--so crammed with nested bullet points and irregular short forms that it was nearly impossible to untangle." The article also quotes theorist Edward Tufte, who says "Microsoft's ubiquitous (Powerpoint) software forces people to mutilate data beyond comprehension."

Come now, Mr. Tufte. There's no reason to direct all your anger at Powerpoint. Have you ever used Word?