I’m not a fan of PowerPoint etc. (for serious reasons and frivolous ones) but because of my book I’ve been doing quite a few talks and using Keynote as a way of providing some structure. I eventually realised that one of the reasons I hate using presentation software is that I felt tethered to my Mac — which is ridiculous given that (a) I hate tethered devices in other contexts and (b) simple wireless solutions are available — like this Kensington Wireless pointer. It communicates using 802.11 (so no line of sight or range problems), runs on 2 AAA batteries, plugs-and-plays with my Mac, has an inbuilt laser pointer (complete with H&S warnings) and — neatest of all — has a slot into which the USB dongle fits when not in use.

I got one recently and it does what it says on the tin. Then fell to wishing I was quicker on the uptake: I should have got one of these ages ago.