webcam

I have written before in these pages on the subject of luck, though my first posting on the subject was all the way back at the start of 2012. Later that same year I posted this item – entitled ‘Playing the Odds‘ – which posited the notion that much of what we consider to be good luck, or the consequence of remarkable fortune – or even of pure coincidence – actually often turns out to be considerable less so than it at first seems. You will have to go back and (re)read that article should you wish to explore further, as this current entry simply shrugs its shoulders and draws attention to another fortuitous happening – without drawing any conclusions at all therefrom.

I have not grumbled of late in these postings about the pandemic-related difficulties of sourcing all manner of essential requisites – toilet roll (in the early days), disinfectant wipes (ongoing), bleach and other such important and protective items. That is because it is clearly unacceptable so to do in circumstances such as these; there being many who are considerably worse off than are we and whose need is considerably greater.

I have also certainly not complained about the impossibility of acquiring such important items as a decent webcam! Now – you may rightly cavil at regarding such things in the same light as PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), but the fact is that shortly after the lock-down was announced across the world, supplies of such useful devices (required in particular, of course, for video-conferencing) dried up completely. It became impossible to acquire such things anywhere, with delivery dates being marked as ‘unknown’ and prices in online stores being hiked by 300% – 400% (outrageous!). Such are the ‘laws’ of supply and demand.

Now – I have a really old webcam, but the quality is poor and – though it meets my needs for doing online exercise classes – it is an inadequate tool for delivering decent online lectures (such as I will be required to do in the autumn). I tinkered around trying using the cameras on my mobile devices (which may be effected by using such cool software tools as ‘DroidCam’) but whereas these solutions do work reasonably well it is never a good idea to use a device for multiple purposes. It might seem efficient so to do but in practice having to constantly reconfigure and reconnect the gadgets inevitably leads to occasions when things do not work properly, or one runs into a simple conflict of requirements.

I was thus delighted when the Chair of my department announced to us all by email that she was going to try to source some webcams. When I replied wishing her fortune in so doing I inadvertently sent the email to all recipients. I immediately received a reply from someone who – whilst not wanting to be bothered with my (irrelevant to him) message – did want to let me know that he had seen the very device that I was after for sale on Amazon. I looked – and sure enough there was just the webcam I wanted, available in two days (via Prime) and at the original price. Naturally I immediately ordered one and was delighted to receive it the quoted number of days thereafter – on a Sunday!

I figured that supplies must simply be moving again, but when I looked a few days later the prices has soared again to unreasonable hights and the devices were again in short supply.

What to make of this good fortune? Had I not accidentally ‘replied to all’ I would not now have my chosen webcam – at my preferred price…

Lucky! Lucky! Lucky!