Cotton conference

The cotton conference is now exactly nine days away. I still don't have the other papers, but I got an e-mail from the organizer today. He wants me to put my paper into a power point presentation. I have never used power point. I do not know how to use it. I am going to have to call my father for technical advice. Before I gave my presentation on Meskhetian Turks at SOAS I asked my supervisor if I should have any visual aids. He said to use photocopied handouts. Evidently, the Near and Middle East Section of the History Department at SOAS trys to avoid any technology that did not exist in Europe during the life of the Prophet Mohammed. At least that way when it comes to presentations there is far less chance for it to screw up. In Tartu there were several significant technical problems regarding power point at the conference on border changes. If it happens in Estonia, the most wired country in the world, then I think it is really asking for trouble to try it in London. Although I will note that one of my friends in the South Asian Section of the History Department did an excellent slide presentation. Their level of technical expertise is so far above the Near and Middle East Section that I expected them to add laser lights, smoke bombs and fireworks.