Never really been a fan of classical music. But this TED presentation from Benjamin Zander strikes me as a great first step. Of course, as the end of the video reveals it's not just about music.
Music and life - inspiration for both
The Idea Hunter's blog
Thoughts on better thinking and better presenting
Why are we the way we are?
This is a fascinating TED talk byDr. Brene Brown which had me gripped. Hard to do it justice with a few words but it touches on the importance of being authentic, vulnerability, shame and connecting with people. I'm sure it will be insightful in many aspects of many people's lives. Sit back, enjoy and reflect.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0]
Also, she is a great presenter mainly because she is human and connects with her audience in an instant.
How to draw on-screen in powerpoint
Dan Roam is author of "Back of the napkin", a book which looks at visual thinking as a way to gain new perspectives on challenges and to carry an audience along with an idea along enabling you to communicate more effectively. Waiting for my copy to arrive.
Anyway, he offers a useful tip for drawing when in ppt presention mode. If you need to draw on a slide here is how to do it.
For those with older versions of ppt (like me) then you can "CTRL+P" to change your arrow to a pen. Then use "E" to erase your scribblings and finally pres "ESC" to return to normal arrow mode.
See what you reckon.
Wordle
Came across this wordle site today. Interesting way to look at a text's content. Input your text and see the "word clouds" formed by this novel toy. The image's appearance can easily be tweaked. If you want to save your image as a picture then do a "printscreen", crop with your picture toolbar and save as a picture. Could make a nice opener / background slide to a presentation when talking about what the presentation is going to cover.
Pretty Pics
For a great way to look at multiple images download piclens. Available for all browsers and an increasing number of sites. A real treat for the eyeballs. If you want an image that you can use legally within presentations then use the advanced search facility on flickr, check the Creative Commons-licensed content option and then use the piclens option to see all images at once.