None whatsoever.

Right now the future seems to be hydrogen.

Here is my Bogen tabletop. It's much older than yours, however it was made in Italy by Manfrotto.

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When my wife and I checked into our hotel in Paris this last fall the first thing I noticed when the young concierge showed us our room was an approx. 36x36 inch B&W tastefully done nude photo above the bed. The photo was in profile and the only thing "sexual" about it was one breast. The young female concierge quickly said that it could be removed if we wished. I glanced at my wife, then replied to the concierge "It looks just like her". The young woman could hardly conceal a little giggle. Apparently the other rooms contained similar decorations.

First of all I refer you to my several replies on a post "Preparing for the Total Eclipse" posted Nov. 26 2023. It can be found under Watched Topics.
I used an 80-200 lens during the totality but I was using a DX camera so it was a 35mm equivalent 300mm lens. That said, cropping was still necessary. If you can't get, rent or borrow a zoom with max of 300-400mm just go with the 70-200. Even with the extra cropping I don't think you will be disappointed. I recommend zoom because when the filter is on during pre and post totality it is very difficult to find the sun unless you can zoom out, locate the sun, center it and then zoom in. Get a filter of 16 to 20 stop value. I will be in Mason Texas, northwest of Austin. Lets hope for clear skies.

My list of sections does not include anything regarding AI.

Start reading anything and when you realize you have read the same sentence three times turn off the light and you will go to sleep.

If young people are interested or become interested in photography I think they will find UHH. Starting in my late teens I would buy every issue of Popular Photography and Modern Photography I could find.

When visiting Paris in 2009 there were many persons both young and old using digital cameras of all types. Many were point and shoot types but there were numerous DSLR's represented. In Paris this last Oct. the only cameras I saw were in my hands and those of a couple of pros creating wedding albums. Quality beyond that of a phone camera is not important to most people. What they are interested in is a memory, a snippet in time not the image itself and that's ok. I've taken quite a few snippets myself.

If I'm awake for 15 minutes or so I just concentrate on my slow rhythmic breathing and that usually allows me to go back to sleep.

I have many suggestions like the ones posted but I will stick to just one. If there is any way possible you can afford a personal guide by all means do it. Even if you might have to scrimp on something else. Maybe just for a couple of days, one for the Louvre and possibly the Orsay and another for Paris in general. My wife's guide for the Louvre got her past the lines and in the back door. The guide can be an asset in directing you to your areas of interest. The Louvre is way too large to see in just one day. Don't try to see all of it. I am including two fairly unusual views of the Eiffel Tower that without our guide's lead I seriously doubt I would have found on my own. The one including the Statue of Liberty was taken from a unique spot where one step forward or backward would have obliterated the view. The guide also took us to the artist's square near Sacre-Coeur Basilica where I had an artist cerate a small canvas for me.

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I have preached Cotton Carrier for years. I have relegated myself to the Sling Belt since at 87 I recognize the possibility of tripping on uneven ground or cobblestone streets and I don't want the camera between the ground and my chest. I carried a Nikon 7100 with a 18-140 lens around Paris for 6-7 hours a day without hardly noticings it.

I have a hard time telling whether your comments are tongue in cheek or not. I seem to believe that some of your comments that appear snide are really just tongue in cheek. I know you're sold on full frame mirrorless but please. Could you give us a code signal to tell the difference?

What he meant was to set the ISO setting on auto ISO not the camera. Set the camera on manual, select the most open F stop and select a shutter speed you feel that you can hold steady. Any lens below 100mm, 1/200th second should be more than fast enough. The camera will automatically adjust the ISO to give the proper exposure. Be sure to check the post concerning white balance.

A few addendums to my previous post. An excellent way to assure focus is to see where the infinity symbol on the lens rests when focused on something far away, a distant mountain or the moon would be excellent choices. Before the eclipse set the lens at that point and immobilize the focus ring with electrician's tape to prevent accidental movement. One less thing to be concerned with. Just don't forget to remove the tape afterward. I speak from experience. Here in Texas the eclipse begins a little after12:oo and ends a little before 3:00. That means the camera will be pointed almost straight up and it will be virtually impossible to look through the eyepiece of a camera mounted on a tripod at about eye level. I consider a right angle viewfinder a must. Lastly, practice, practice, practice. There will be plenty of sunny days to determine what the best exposures, f stop, shutter speed and ISO combinations are. Practice indoors the transition from partiality to totality. Totality will last about 3-4 minutes and you don't want to lose some of them fumbling to mount the camera on the tripod, trying to remove an overly tightened filter, inserting the remote release, and disengaging the image stabilization, (if necessary).