Technology in use

This is not necessarily a comment about technology in classrooms, but a general comment about technology in general. I was watching an infomercial today, yes an infomercial, called Winning in the Cash Flow Business. As I was watching, the representatives and individuals who have succeeded in such a business were talking so convincingly that it can work for everyone. I know this is the general nature of infomercials, but I thought about it - and perhaps they were right. They said it was a three-step process: 1. find, 2. post, and 3. sell. Something of that nature. So, in general, the computer has become useful for many different purposes for many different individuals. I then went online and Googled this business name, and the first couple links were paid advertisements for this business, but the first one not paid was "infomercial scams" and a woman saying how the infomercial was not like it sounded in the commercial, blah, blah, blah.
I have purchased items seen on infomercials, some were not great, so I sent them back! Others, I really like and they do indeed do what they said they would do. So, I believe that an "everyone can do it" approach does not always work. There are individuals who like something and others do not. That is just the nature of humans! Think about it: PC versus Mac? VHS vs. DVD? Some individuals do not go with the flow of changes, and that is perfectly okay, as long as it is still made available. I think about when my parents purchased our first computer when I was in high school. It came with a ZIP drive and an optional DVD player (it came with CD player). We said, no, that's okay. What do you know? DVDs became popular! Now, we have updated that computer for a much cheaper (and more advanced) version, and there is no such thing as a ZIP drive anymore! So, I went to the HelpDesk on campus to borrow theirs. I mean, if a ZIP worked, then why change it?
One last point to make, is when I was using a camcorder from campus. It uses MiniDV tapes (I hate tapes, by the way!). So I was wondering how to get that video to my students (my director said she had emailed each to her students). It connected with a FireWire cable. My laptop does not have it, and the helpdesk technicians said a Mac computer would have it. But not only do you need the cable, you need a particular program to run to get it off! So, to make a long story short, some technological advances are great, and others are just plain frustrating! To this day, from last semester, I still have those darn tapes and have not been able to get that information off of the tapes and into an email attachment for them.