Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Problems printing powerpoint poster - please perfect process

I really don't like conflict very much. I don't think I do, anyway.

I'm getting ready to go to a data workshop meeting next week in New Hampshire for the latest airborne mission we've done. I did my poster in powerpoint (3ft x 5 ft) and took it to the graphics lab to be printed. Basically, it sucked. It was blurry and you could hardly make out some of my data plots. I took it back to show them, and was told that they only print out what we give them, and that power point is difficult for them to print. I was prepared. I showed them a poster my officmate had done (by them) in powerpoint that was nice and sharp. So then it was because my file must have been of poor resolution. (This is a NASA graphics lab. The incompetence is mind-boggling).

So I took the same file to a coworker who printed it out on his large printer because he's just a nice guy, and of course it looked fabulous and clear and you could actually make out the data points on my figures. Jim and Gao are telling me I need to take this new sparkling poster and the sucky one that graphics did over to graphics tomorrow to show them. They're right - I need to let them know that if they want our business they have to up their quality. But the guy who I'd have to talk to is someone I know and he's a total jerk. So he will take it personally and end up making me uncomfortable and then mad, and then I'll go and spout of something that I'll regret. But I've got to be a big girl and just go do it. Bleah.

And for anyone who has heard my vents about powerpoint, yes I used it. But it was to prepare a poster presentation, not a bullet-laden oral presentation. :-)

I'm looking forward to the meeting. I do feel like I've got at least a basic understanding of some of the issues with this latest mission so I can hold semi-intelligent conversations. I should see some old friends there, as well, and I'm positive Gao will take us to Chauncey's Creek Lobster Pier in Kittery Maine, where he recommended that DH and I stop by on our 10th anniversary trip to Maine last fall. We did, and yes it deserves all the praise. Beautiful scenary - you eat outside on a pier over a river, and the lobster was fantastic. And we'll have a clam bake at the meeting one night too. Oh, I love shellfish. It may just be the butter for dipping that I love, but regardless, I'm anxious to dig into lobster with a cold beer. I love New England.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

yes, but how do you feel about...Weekends in New England?