I don't try recording anything. I whine to my kids. I tried programming my cell and lost numbers so I leave it alone. I was looking at the book at the time. Good thing that I married Hubby. He's an elevator tech so he keeps up with stuff since most elevators are computer run now.
So he has his ups and downs in the job.
Sorry, couldn't resist. I'm sure your both have heard it a million times.
I'm one of those people who tries to figure things out through trial and error. I can't be bothered to read through the instructions, because half the time, you're more confused afterwards. I stopped buying furniture that had to be assembled because the instructions were wrong half the time or didn't provide enough detail. I also stopped buying them because once I get down on the floor to put everything together, I have trouble getting back up :-) I'll pay someone else to do it for me or I'll just do without.
I've managed to master my Time-Warner DVR and record all my programs because I can at least fast-forward through commercials. I also managed to work out how to download programs (BitTorrent) from a UK website and burn them to DVD. Of course I had to get some pointers from my son beforehand. I've been retired for almost 5 years and it seems I have less time now than I did when I was working a full-time job.