- In an address to the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., at the institution's 139th Annual Meeting held April 30, 2002, United States Secretary of State Colin L. Powell took the podium and immediately knew this would not be a run-of-the-mill speech.
"It's a great pleasure to be here with you this morning. And I've got a state-of-the-art lectern here, which is what I would expect coming over here. The reason it is so large is not that my speech is so large; it's that there are all kinds of computers and screens and other things here that I am so tempted to start touching and pushing. (Laughter)."
- Before him stood a state-of-the-art lectern, complete with an AMX® 10.4-inch Color Active Flush Mount Touch Panel, adjustable microphones and lamps, a 17-inch computer screen, a keyboard, an incline wall plate to position a laptop computer, and a drawer that keeps a pitcher of water and glasses.
- The AMX Touch Panel connects everything together, integrating and controlling the connected audio and video in the auditorium. This high-tech podium, installed by Ritz Audio Video of Beltsville, Md., was so impressive that Powell took notice right away.
- In the transcribed speech, available on the National Academy of Sciences Web site, Powell began his speech with these remarks:
- "It's a great pleasure to be here with you this morning. And I've got a state-of-the-art lectern here, which is what I would expect coming over here. The reason it is so large is not that my speech is so large; it's that there are all kinds of computers and screens and other things here that I am so tempted to start touching and pushing. (Laughter)."
- This is where lecterns are headed, in the direction of not only simple one-touch control capabilities, but comprehensive feature-driven components that make presentations seamless, captivating and, of course, easy to use. Universities and academies, museums, corporations, and more. AMX Touch Panels and control technology will play an integral role in bringing it all together.
