Technology in our lives today seems to generate extreme reactions. If we're not raving about how much simpler a new technology has made our lives, we're yelling and screaming about how our lives have been ruined by it.

And it may be my imagination, but recently it seems to be more of the latter. Writer for MIT's Technology Review, Henry Jenkins, puts this TV series spin on it: -Modern gadgetry looks like something from Star Trek. But it usually works like something from Gilligan's Island."

He also goes on to note that while the original Star Trek had a generally optimistic opinion of technology, later spinoffs such as Enterprise take a darker view: -They don't trust the transporter not to scramble their molecular data, the torpedoes miss their targets, the shields are on the fritz and the computers make crappy food. . . . In short, the message is, we have seen the future and it doesn't work."

Then there are those who think that software works too well.

According to a report by CNET's Charles Cooper, there are those in the Chinese government who are convinced that -Microsoft software contains secretly embedded code that the United States government can manipulate at will". An interesting theory, but while I might believe that Microsoft could have the ability to achieve something like that, I think the whole scenario is a little beyond the capabilities of the US government.

But technology must work . . . else why would it be so much a part of our lives? Sure, technology problems that were referred to as -frustrating" and -annoying" five years ago are now -horror stories" and generate -hype and hysteria", but that's only because we are so much more technology dependent.

One of the problems has to be that we just don't know when a technology is ready. Try this text in your favourite search engine: -ready for prime time". The results are as hilarious as they are confusing. Not only do they show that IT journalists don't have much imagination when it comes to a turn of a phrase, the results seem to indicate that nobody seems to have a clue when it comes to new technologies.

For instance, here are some technologies that, over the past few months, have been reported as being both -not ready" and -ready": wireless, 3G, Linux on the desktop, voice over IP, virtual private networks, Web services, and the Tablet PC.

I think the problem comes when we focus too much on the technology itself. Certainly we have to understand it to get value out of it, but far more important is understanding how the technology will fit in with the work that you do and the way you work.

It's a common theme that often runs through the pages of this magazine. Take CRM, for example. There's no doubt that there is room for CRM applications to improve, but the main reason so many organisations are grumbling over the bundle they dropped on implementing a solution is that they didn't understand how to best customise it to suit the way they operate (or, in some cases, change the way they do business to accommodate CRM).

The same goes for all of those -ready/not ready" examples above. Linux on the desktop is ready if all your workers need are basic applications and an office suite.

It's working. One excellent example of a technology that's making a difference is EDS Australia's Courtroom Technology System (CTS). The software comprises a networked electronic evidence display system for access to video, audio and data. It currently operates in Adelaide's Sir Samual Way Building, which has been specially fitted out with discreetly placed monitors, video conferencing facilities, and audio visual equipment. Why is it so remarkable? According to EDS, it's expected to shorten court trials by up to 20 percent, reducing court costs and making court proceedings more inclusive for the jury, defendants, and public.

If you've got a good example of technology that works, send it to t&b@zdnet.com.au.

Brian Haverty is Editor-in-Chief of Technology & Business. Reach him at brian.haverty@zdnet.com.au.

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