The pointer in Bush circa 1975
 

At my first Cold Spring Harbor Meeting (and the first Yeast Meeting here in 1975), I stood up in Bush auditorium to give my talk. The projection screen in that hall is 10 feet above the ground and the pointer was a long, thin bamboo pole (it was the days before green laser pointers!). I was handed the pointer by the session chair, Beth Jones and I began my talk. As soon as I touched the screen to make a point in my first slide, the pointer began to undulate in great sine waves and the audience immediately started laughing. My nervousness was being translated from my sweaty palms directly to the the tip of the pointer. Needless to say, their reaction at first caused even more severe wiping. Finally, having gotten my breath back, I proceeded with my talk, which was indeed very well-received.

I well remember several similar incidents, but to the best of my recollection it was a thin 'Lucite' rod (pointer), not bamboo, that was very 'wiggly'. I remember when David Pribnow (then a student, but later of "Pribnow box" fame: http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/72/3/784) had a similar problem with the wiggly Lucite rod, and exclaimed in frustration: "I am used to work with a stiffer rod' !! This obviously brought the audience down with an explosion of laughter and applause.
Waclaw Szybalski szybalski@oncology.wisc.edu ;) ;) ;)

-Waclaw Szybalski