Commencing in late May, after much cajoling I’ll be running a short photography course through the auspicies of the local U3A (University of the Third Age) for oldies of my vintage.

From talking to many of the people who are interested in attending (it’s free) it’s apparent that the camera setting ‘P’ is the setting of choice, where their camera offers a choice that is. When I jokingly tell them that ‘P’ stands for Professional, only a few have managed a chuckle.

Point and shoots , phones and tablets are the predominent capture gadgets in use by the target group and that is in keeping with the current photographic digital phenonema.

Accordingly, the course won’t be particularly technical. For example, we won’t be delving into camera operating systems, Bayer arrays or the typical Nikon-V-Canon-V-Sony-V-Panasonic-V-Olympus -V- Leica or Hasselbald argy bargy.

Where appropriate, camera settings such as shutter speeds, aperture, white balance and  ISO will be explained.

Whether attendees use DSLR’s, mirrorless cameras, point and shoots, phones, tablets or  any other image recording devices, the objective is for them to know how to have fun with their device and produce images for their own target audience.

I’ve always liked using audio visual presentations to convey information to groups and to that end, I’d prepared a PDF for the first day’s session titled ‘What Makes A Good Photo.’

Now finally, that brings me to my blog’s title, ‘Having Fun With Computers.’

Back in 2006 I  bought a top of the range  Apple 15 inch MacBook Pro, Core 2 Duo lap top computer and it has served me very well.

Then along came iphones and Ipads and my trusty heavy weight ‘lap top’ was relegated to the cupboard, only to be dragged out occasionally.

After downloading  ‘What Makes A Good Photo’ from my desktop to a CD I learned that I’d need my trusty Mac Book Pro in order to get the PDF onto the large TV screen in the hall where the camera course would be held.

That’s when the fun began. Firstly ,the lap top took forever to fully charge. Then it wouldn’t accept my password. No I hadn’t forgotten it, I’d recorded it in writing.

After multiple attempts with the old password, a new password was required. Easy I thought.  New password entered. Stupid me. An Apple verification code was required. Where was my turned off iphone. Outside in the garage, in the car’s glove box.

By the time I got back inside the time limit had expired on the six numeral verification code.

Through the whole process again. This time, my password selection was too simple. Try again.

Finally, password accepted, verification code entered, great, time to load my CD.

That’s right, it jammed in the Mac Book. By the time I got it out it was, to put in politely, unuseable.

No problem, just download the PDF to another disc. Simple. You think so?

What I failed to realise was that by changing my password on the lap top my ipads, my iphone and my desk tops all need to have their password changed to match the new one.

Finally, late this afternoon, all changes had been made, the desk tops, the ipads, and the phones all done.

Back to the laptop. It will not recognise its new password. It will not accept the fresh CD. It can’t be recognised in my LAN because it is too old.

A quick call to my local independent Apple guru elicited the simple response, “mate, its a vintage machine, forget it, get a new one!’

Unfortunal]tely I haven’t won Lotto so a new MacBook Pro is out of the question.

Luckily my Epson printer operates up to A3 so over the next week or two I’ll print out the important bits of my PDF blurb and peg them up on the cork board in the hall as I waffle on to the course attendees.

Here’s an image of my ‘beloved’ lap top. To paraphrase the old song, from the great western movie, High Noon, ‘ I do not know what fate awaits it, I only know I’ll miss it so.’

 

Hoo roo for now.