to be honest, i dont see whats wrong with newbies asking questions which veterans may find 'lame' or 'silly'. if every newbie look for answers from reviewers/editorials/articles, then you'll have empty forums talking about L lenses and fast constant apertures. its what keep the forums going. so what is termed a 'lame' or 'unnecessary' question and what is not? if what we want are 'professional' questions like flash ratios/metering debates/Photoshop curves/HDR, sure, those who are working pros may find this lame as well. what im trying to say is a newbie's questions may seem lame to someone who has been in photography for 5-6 years, but a question from someone who's had 5-6 years' experience may seem 'lame' to someone who earns his living from photography for the past 20 years. if you're in the forums, it means you're there to discuss/debate/opine/ask/answer, so if you get upset about lame questions (to you at least), then you should be doing something less interactive. if you enjoy photography and its a passion to you, you would be glad to give answers just to anyone who asks, eventho it may be the 15th or 20th time you're providing that answer. why? becos if you enjoy a hobby immensely, it would be a pleasure to share your experience, no matter how many times you have to repeat yourself. actually you are not repeating yourself, nobody drag you into a forum at gunpoint to answer questions which you dont wish to answer. so live and let live.