Google is the most popular search engine i know of, Bing comes in 2nd i think. I love Google, i have learnt so much from the resources i have been linked to via the search engine. Its the same kinda love i have for Youtube. There is so much to see and learn and absorb that it's mind-blowing that i can access it all once i have good internet connection.
So what is making me profess this obvious love most people (especially students) have for google? My Camera, i was able to fix my jammed lens thanks to Google! Its a Nikon camera and i've had it for quite a while now, i love the camera and though its starting to die out on me, 'cos i now have to hold down the shutter button hard to take pics and the battery dies out quick, i'm not ready to get a replacement for it yet. It still gives me decent pictures and i'v gotten a hang of how to handle its issues plus i'm just not ready to make that financial investment as much as i'm a fan of taking pictures (plus my phone is no good for taking pics).
I travelled for a friend's wedding in Idah, Kogi State and of course i had my camera in tow, the trip from Abuja to Idah took about 4hours, we got there just in time for the traditional ceremony, quickly ate and dressed up. I took several pics on the 1st day (Traditional Wedding) {We danced out with the bride, greeting the guests, then she went in and changed and we danced out with her again till she sat on the mat before her parents with two of her close friends; Her husband danced in next and joined her on the mat. I got my hand Henna-ed and got to witness a new cultural wedding} and then on the 2nd day (Fathia and Wedding Reception), the camera lens just got stuck as i was taking pictures of her Henna-ing {she was taken out with a wrapper covering her face then seated on a couch in an open area between seated guests, they put the henna mix on her hands and feet while the musicians sang and were sprayed money. After her hands and feet were rinsed, she danced with her mother and friends while they sprayed money. I was told all the money sprayed during this event usually goes to the musicians (this was new to me)}.
Back to the camera-It was showing 'lens error' on the camera screen and the lens were stuck and refused to retract back, i tried all my technical know-how on it to no avail, so i just kept it in my bag the way it was {and tried to enjoy the rest of the ceremony, we left before the reception though, in order to get back to Abuja in time}, to figure out what to do with it once i got back home and had access to the internet. Honestly the rest of the day my mood was dampened 'cos i kept wondering how i'd fix the camera and what it would cost.
I decided to try and see if i could remedy the situation myself 1st before losing hope, I typed in the Google search bar 'how to fix a Nikon camera lens error'. It brought up the results, and i opened a number of them that looked like i could get relevant answers from, in new tabs and then went thru the content of the sites, eliminating any that was irrelevant.
The most useful and easy to apply result i got was this one. I tried most of the simpler Fixes before Fix #6a finally worked for it and my camera lens happily retracted in and my camera was back to normal again. It took me just about 45mins from the time i searched Google till i found and tried out the fix for it. I can't even describe how happy i was that it worked!! I had been low throughout my trip back home thinking that i would not be able to fix it myself and a repairer will charge me quite some money for it which would make me end up abandoning it and having to get a new one.
Moral of my story- Google is your friend. The internet is your friend. Make use of these resources available to you, not only for social networking and fun but to also solve real-life problems that would otherwise cost you your hard earned money. Remember sometimes the answer you're looking for may be on the 3rd page of the results, so don't be lazy and quit when you don't find it on the 1st page.
Toodles!XooX
