I checked the site and did not get any alarms of malware. Otherwise, I would not have posted it. Still, everyone can agree to respectfully disagree with anything being said on this site. If you Crazyjane second what Basil said, that’s perfectly fine.

What came next in your comment was a superfluous, unnecessary comment that made it personal. You don’t have the right to call me names just because in your naivete’ you disagreed with something I posted. I suggest you work on your level of urbanity before you post anything further. Other than that, I wish you well.

FEAR STRIKES

2000 – Y2K is going to destroy everything!
2001 – Anthrax is going to kill us all!
2002 – West Nile Virus is going to kill us all!
2003 – Sars is going to kill us all!
2005 – Bird Flu is going to kill us all!
2006 – Ecoli is going to kill us all!
2008 – Financial Collapse is going to kill us all!
2009 – Swine Flu is going to kill us all!
2012 – The Mayan Calendar predicts the world ending!
2013 – North Korea is going to cause WW III
2014 – Ebola Virus is going to kill us all!
2015 – ISIS is going to kill us all!
2016 – Zika Virus is going to kill us all!
2020 – Corona Virus is going to kill us all!

The truth is: If you let it, FEAR is going to kill you … Turn off the TV, and wash your hands!

I am a Nikon shooter and was excited to put the Tamron z 150-500mm lens on my z50. I was ready to do more wildlife and birds in flight photography until I spent some time with this beautiful beast….it is too darn heavy for me to hold still and I am not inclined to lug a tripod around when I get the urge to shoot some wildlife when I am close to nature. At 75 I admit I am not as strong as I’d like and holding that lens isn’t getting easier.

So I am returning it to Adorama today and exchanging it for the Sony cyber shot RX10 IV. I guess a bridge camera isn’t so bad….(right?)…..and it sure will make my sometimes forays into nature a little easier. I just hope I don’t have pangs of regret and envy when I encounter folks with those big, beautiful telephoto lens in the field.🥹

Sure, Boeing has messed up, but every time a Boeing plane has a problem, it's not the fault of the company. A Boeing jet recently lost a wheel just after take-off, and another one ran off the runway after landing. Headlines are emphasizing the fact that there was another Boeing problem. I can understand this because of the problems caused by company decisions, but not every problem is caused by the company.

On the other hand, Boeing has still not turned over any information about the plug door to the NTSB - after two months. Either they don't have the paperwork that they're supposed to have, or the paperwork is not what it should be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COAUDEnlD5o

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.