I thought this was funny - a post from Family Handyman. With all the complications we face in life, we have to pick the right color for our windshield washer fluid? I can imagine a TV comedy showing a person freaking out about which color fluid to buy. 😂

Different color windshield wiper fluids are usually dyed for marketing purposes, and, depending on the brand can indicate different things:

Blue: Standard year-round fluid, effective for dust and road dirt.
Green: Summer driving, effective bug remover.
Orange: All-season with deicer, effective against ice and road salt.
Yellow: Winter with deicer, effective melting ice off the windshield with freeze protection up to -34 degrees.
Purple: Concentrated wiper fluid mix for summer.

Taking responsibility for what we buy and use is, apparently, a controversial concept. Over the ten years or so I've been on UHH, and the 50 years of my "aware" life before that, I've noticed that a large number of people seem to gloss over the fact that technology is complex. They buy things that they think they want, but they don't do their research in advance, to be sure that THEY and their new devices, are compatible with what they want to do. They yank them out of the box, plug them in, turn them on, and get disappointed.

"Ready? FIRE!! (Uh, Aim, maybe? You just took out the neighbor's flower pot…)"

We're living in an age where our technical tools are not like hammers and screwdrivers, which are easily mastered by third graders. When you buy a hammer or screwdriver, it doesn't come with a manual, because it doesn't need one. It has a fairly singular purpose and a well-known and understood method of use. But technical gear — cameras, audio, video, computers, and cars — is different. These and many other tools and toys require serious consideration before buying, and serious study before use… IF we are going to get our money's worth from them.

Those of us who write user guides and technical manuals for products and software are usually the first to test the usability and viability of the product. If even the smallest detail doesn't work for us, we explain the issues we find to the product development team AND their directors. Making operation EASY for the customer IS HARD WORK for developers, engineers, and product design staff. It's just as difficult for trainers and training content developers.

One of the unfortunate assumptions companies make about their products is that customers WILL READ the documentation that explains proper use and care. Yet surveys have shown that up to 78% of customers never read it. Many users don't want anything to do with an 830+ page camera manual, or even any sort of a 20 page "Quick Start" guide.

I get all of that, but I also know from hiring many people in a photo lab — and from training school portrait photographers, office staff, and sales people — that understanding and mastering technology requires some quality time, focus, and a certain level of detail orientation. Patience with the documentation and with the entire learning process is usually rewarded with great results and long, trouble-free product life.

There is an old acronym that floated around the Internet BEFORE 1993, when the World Wide Web was born: 'R.T.F.M.' When users got stuck, and posted questions on a bulletin board forum for the tech support staff, the POLITE response was often, "Well, did you read the manual?" Soon enough, that got shortened to the acronym.

"Read The *Fine* Manual!" is the polite version of the acronym. After the tenth or eleventh call from the same user, with the same question, the tech support person would hang up the phone after a call, and yell into a paper bag, substituting whatever 'F' word suited his/her mood.

So here's my simple request to the universe of tech purchasers. Please read the documentation that comes with your purchase, or that you can download from the manufacturer's website at no additional cost. You will learn things you can do with your device that you never thought possible. You will avoid pitfalls that cause 80% of the issues people have with their devices. You will get more done, in less time, with better outcomes! You will trust the maker of the product more, because you understand what they do and don't expect you to do with their devices.

ESPECIALLY if you have used another brand of product in the same class, you need to read the manual just to UNLEARN how your old device of another brand worked. Don't expect brand L to work like brand N. Don't expect brand F to work like brand T. Terminology may be different, control placement may be different, and the way some of the functions work almost certainly will be different.

Don't try to make a Ford drive like a Toyota. It will just annoy you. Don't try to make a Windows PC work like a Mac. It will just frustrate you. They are different brands with different design philosophies and result from different ways of thinking about the same tasks. Take them for what they ARE, not for what they are not.

A little reading won't kill you. Operation may not be obvious, even when you think it should be. There's a reason for everything, and you need to know what it is, if you are going to get along with your new device. Read the freaking manual, and get your money's worth.

When I started learning photography in high school there was no such thing as an expensive camera line. You either bought a camera like that your friends had or one you could afford.
The concept of a Hasselblad was out of the question. I wanted to buy a Canon AE-1 but still could not afford one either. I opted for a Russian made Zenit-E. It served me well and still does since it is in good working order.
Now I see it clearer. I have a 5D and was thinking of a mirrorless. But I’m not so sure since my current camera does everything I want. I am not sure I want to throw more money into a well.

What AI program do you use? I use Mid Journey for content that cannot be created with a camera. Art mostly but sometimes putting AI elements with my photography.
Advertisers are already into this. according to recent research, about 14% of commercials on TV are AI-generated at a tremendous cost savings. I catch a few mistakes only a photographer would notice. and yes hands, feet and some plasticity skin is still a big thing with cheap AIs.
Still, and even with phone cameras, they can't compete with a decent photographer and camera, especially a +40mb sensor. We still rule!