In an earlier post, I introduced Simple HTML Slides and an anonymous sync server that lets your audience follow along via the web. It uses some deep jQuery magic from Janne Aukia’s wonderful zoomooz.js.
There’s now a new feature that will let you take a PDF of a slide deck and quickly and easily turn it into an on-line presentation that syncs just like the earlier HTML slides.
On a Mac the process is amazingly simple. I’ve been able to put a 60-slide presentation on-line in under three minutes! Just browse to the PDF Slides page and follow the easy instructions there.
I don’t know of a workflow for Windows that is as simple as what’s on that page. It should be possible to cobble together a PhotoShop action but I’d rather find a solution that doesn’t require a $600 software package. If you know a quick, simple way to make a directory of web images from a PDF (preferably with free & open source software), please post a comment.
UPDATE: This post, and the PDF support feature of Simple HTML Slides have caused a lot of confusion. Many people see this and come to the erroneous conclusion that Simple HTML Slides aren’t actually done in HTML and the only way to make a presentation is to pour a PDF into Simple HTML Slides. That isn’t true. Supporting PDFs of other presentation formats is just an added feature of Simple HTML Slides. The real power of Simple HTML Slides shows when you write your slides in HTML. See the project page for more details.
Ladybugs are some of our best friends in the insect world. They are voracious predators of aphids and other plant-damaging insects, but two of the major species of Ladybugs in North America appear to be in decline. The Lost Ladybug project at Cornell University is conducting a study to learn more, and you can help. 
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