[daviddennis]

Steve Jobs isn't smiling that much, although I was amused by the comment.

In order to use computers even passably well, you have to be pretty good at reading and writing. You can't understand video editing software if you don't know how to read. And you can't produce a compelling film if you can't write the script.

Even still photography is a lot more than pressing a button, and to understand why and what it is, you need to be able to read.

D

David H Dennis is a hobby photographer and video producer/director/editor.

[MarkWar]

>In order to use computers even passably well, you have to be pretty good at reading and writing.... Even still photography is a lot more than pressing a button...

I agree with everything you said.

BUT -- The whole modern trend in computing is to use icons rather than text. Kids just have to know which pretty button to press, and in which order. And usually there's some oh-so-compassionate grad student near enough to tell them that. And, rather than needing to use the computer "passably well," these days all most kids do (in my experience) is plug stuff into slots of this or that template that some graphic artist put together for this or that software program. Perhaps I'm just cynical.

Speaking of photography, however -- if I can get off topic for just an instant -- I just read this book --

-- and I really recommend it. It's weird seeing Adams's stuff in color. Until I saw this book, I never even knew that he did color work, let alone a lot of it. It's great hearing his thoughts on color. There's nothing really earth shaking here, but really interesting and beautiful stuff.

Mark W.