ub the judgePowerPoint screensaver?

A handout is an obvious leave-behind after a presentation, but would you consider a screensaver of your slides? ScreenTime Media, a company that excels at screensaver products, is hoping you do. The company has recently released ScreenTime for PowerPoint 1.0. Compatible with PowerPoint 97 and 2000, this program is a plug-in that appears on the user's PowerPoint tool bar. If you want to create a screensaver, simply click on the ScreenTime icon and, via wizardlike screens, choose your preferences and settings. The whole presentation is then converted into an EXE file and bundled with an installer. The file, with animation and Web-site links intact, if needed, can then be distributed.

Whether this is a useful leave-behind or not is an open question. The press release for ScreenTime for PowerPoint bills the product as a way to create a "stronger long-term impact after the presentation is over." If your presentation is particularly pretty and packed with information, maybe that is a possibility. If it's a slap-together affair, or just plain ugly, making it into a screensaver may simply provide a sad reminder to your audience. Presenters, it's your call. The plug-in costs $149. Find more information at www.screentime.com.

(julie hill)