On Tuesday I was extended an invitation to speak to a class of students at Oklahoma City Community College on Thursday. The class is studying the history of videogames, and this week is Commodore week.
In order: Shock, honor, panic.
I’ve spent the past two nights throwing together a PowerPoint presentation that I hope the class will find (1) informative and (2) entertaining. (“Wait — strike that — reverse it.” – Willy Wonka.) The class is 80 minutes long but my slot is going to last 50 minutes. If you’ve ever heard me talk about the Commodore before … let’s just say I could easily talk for 50 minutes about any of at least a dozen different games. My goal tomorrow is to talk for 30 minutes, leaving 20 minutes for questions and answers (or hey, for getting out of class early — I was a college student once myself, you know). But that 30 minutes time frame … yeah … You know, I try to make my podcasts run 30 minutes and the last one ran around 75 minutes. The PowerPoint I put together has three separate two-minute video clips (games, demos, and a direct comparison of Apple II vs. C64 games) so that leaves me with 24 minutes to make it through the rest of the slides.
I’mmaHaveToTalkRealFast.
Note: I just ran through my presentation and I clocked in at 41 minutes. Not 30, but under 50. I may ask to start a little sooner, just to be safe.
History of Videogames! Commodore Week!! Now that is a class that I would have actually attended during my college days. Best of luck on your presentation.
Rule #1. Breathe deep. Rule #2. Remember that they’re there because they WANT to hear what you have to tell them. Rule #3. Find a friendly face, and talk to him/her. Rule #4. Remember, you’re the expert. And an AUTHOR. Have fun yourself, and they will too. Good luck…. as if you needed it!
So when do WE (the loyal readers of your blogs) get access to the powerpoint and speech!
I’d like to thank you again for coming. I thought you did a spectacular job at blending all of the information in to an entertaining presentation. I especially loved the direct comparisons of the C64 and the Apple IIe. Hopefully we didn’t scare you off too badly! ;)
BTW, loved the Vader tie.
It’s all about the details. ;)
Vader tie? Oh! Do tell!
Eh, it’s just a Star Wars tie, no big story behind it. I have about three serious ties and probably 30 not-so-serious ones. I pretty much only wear ties at funerals and weddings, so my opportunities to wear one of the non-serious ones aren’t too great. In fact I think I have four or five Star Wars-related ties.