My wife once gave a presentation of her PhD research at a major convention. She was really nervous but her professors thought it would be good for her to do it and it was her work so she should be recognised for it.

On the day, she was worried that me being in the auditorium would make her too nervous, so I said I’d wait outside… and I genuinely intended too… but just before her presentation, I snuck in at the back of auditorium.

It was huge (to me anyway)… and packed with 300+ people, mostly scientists, professors, other PhD’s… and the grunt squaddie at the back…

There was a giant screen behind her, and they gave her a laser pointer to indicate the points on screen she was talking about… now she’d never used a laser pointer before… so instead of “on/off”, she just kept it “on” the whole time.

Being at the back and hence at the top of the auditorium, I can see the whole show, and I notice every time she turned, to the screen or back to the audience, the front row instinctively started ducking or bobbing their heads in a mini ‘Mexican wave’ motion… it was only after this happened a few times I realised every time she turned, she was sweeping the laser across the eyes of everyone in the front row… but she was so focussed on her presentation she didn’t notice.

Anyway, she received huge applause from the audience (so I’m guessing that means it was good even though I didn’t understand a word of it 😏)… and no lasting harm done… almost… except 30 years later I still remind her of the time she “blinded” the most senior faculty members at one of the world’s most prestigious universities 😂