digitalFAQ.com Forum - Video conversion vs forklifts

Today this was waiting in my inbox:

Quote:

'You' refer to 'operating a forklift' as a demeaning skill level compared to converting 'analogue video' to 'digital'.I have little knowledge of 'flipping burgers' so 'no comment'.

In my time I was a 'Qualified forklift instructor' as certified by the RITB ie the same board who qualify 'HGV' drivers.

I am now involved with 'professional' video applications right through to converting analogue video formats to digital formats for copying or editing.

I am therefore qualified in both areas to comment about your references !
All forklift operators must gain a 'Certificate' after usually a one week course of intense instruction.
One mistake on the 'test' fails them.
Anyone can attempt to convert video with no qualification whatsoever.
Your articles are excellent ,but respectfully suggest you remove your 'operating a forklift'

I never cease to be amused or amazed by some of the strange emails sent to our inbox. :2cents:

Most of the weird ones are people who get all pissy and whiny about the usage of certain words, or have taken offense to a reference or analogy.

I'm instantly reminded of two comparable situations, to help illustrate:

In the new Disney movie, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, there was a funny scene where a leper's arm fell off. In response, leprosy organizations complained and cried, so Disney removed the scene. Apparently Lepra Health in Action and the International Federation of Anti-Leprosy were up in arms. (Zing!) It's political correctness on steroids, and I think it's sad that Disney caved on the issue.
On the 2/6/2012 episode of Craig Ferguson, during the Mark Harmon interview, Craig made a joke about head injuries sustained while playing rugby. (He repeated himself twice.) After a long audience laugh, he followed up with "I'm going to get some letters from people who had head injuries. Yeah, oh well." And as somebody who's had a head injury, I thought it was funny, too.

I'm not going to live my life walking on eggshells, for fear of offending somebody -- especially not when it's something that was said in an attempt to educate others. Considering that most complainers contribute $0/nothing (neither money nor content) to the site, I could not care less what their opinions are.

I honestly think some people look for ways to be offended.

So let me address the topic of forklifts vs video conversion...

For starters, I have no idea which article or page this person is referring to. Between the forum and main site, there are thousands of pages at digitalFAQ.com. Why is it that complaints are always vague?

Furthermore, quality video work requires a deep understanding of video theory and technology, mixed with an ability to apply it. Sure, anybody can "attempt" to convert video, but most of them do a poor job. At any given moment, dozens of factors have to be considered, weighed, and decisions based on those unique factors. No two videos are ever the same. It takes many months, sometimes years, to fully comprehend video conversion.

Anybody could attempt to drive a forklift, too, but that doesn't mean they'll do it correctly. But the difference between a forklift and video, is that operating a forklift is a manual task that requires just a few hours of instruction (at most), and is largely repetitive work. It requires no deep knowledge of theory and science, and is not a task riddled with variables. So regardless of where that text appears, it seems like a fair contrast comparison to me.

I usually don't reply to emails like this.
As of a couple of months ago, I'll just share them here for community amusement, with some commentary.

So on that note, enjoy. :thumb: