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Tue 11 Sep, 2007 10:11 pm
A month ago, give or take a bit, I bought an inflatable fitness ball, to augument my physical therapy. So help me, it came with a CD, which I watched for maybe 3 minutes. A couple of years ago, I bought a new toaster. It had a 7 page instruction booklet, in roughly 5 languages. Sounds like overkill, but wait. . .
This past weekend, I bought a new computer. I won't attempt to describe all the giga things and mega somethings else. This is about instructions, after all. There aren't any. Well, there is a sheet of glossy paper with a picture of the front of the computer on one side; the rear on the obverse. You can see that someone tried to label the various ports and connections. Maybe the didn't know, themselves.
Does it not seem a bit odd that an inflateable ball comes with more, and better, instructions than a computer. "Yes," I say, "it does."
roger, I just bought a new computer in the last few months...got the same picture with a couple of arrows pointing to dohickys.
I had the same feeling as you.
Oh, well, I don't read them anyway.
I got a precription for LEvitra(a sleeping aid) , so I can get to sleep quicker . On the " Cautions" it read
"May CAuse Drowsiness"
Many PC makers have gone to just putting all the instruction manuals on the PC itself. Ms. Quinn's most recent PC (A Sony) came with just a glossy sheet showing how to hook everything up. Once it was turned on the Help and Manuals were on the hard drive.
But most things seem to come with excessive instructins (along with excessive packaging). It seems like most instruction manuals are 15 pages of liability warnings anyway.
When all else Fails Read the instructions.
I once bought a hairdryer In the instructions it said DO NOT USE WHEN SLEEPING.
What?
My chain saw says, in effect, "do not handle chain while engine is running"
Something that alway pisses me off is some piece of technology that the instructiona are written by someone whose first language is not English. JEEZus , cant they hire someone who can be knowledgeable in the makers language and FLUENT in the targeted market??
My digital camera instructions are daunting. I could use one of those giant fold out poster things. Meantime, I use the old Nikon. Maybe tomorrow...
Well, actually, it may BE tomorrow, as I need to get in gear with that. Or, perhaps Friday.
Have you filed your Exercise Ball instructions yet, Roger?
(Do not put in oven:
either the ball,
or the instructions.)
I agree with you, Farmer.
Not filed. Oh, did you mean circular file?