It's NOT Rocket Science
As someone here pointed out, aviation is not inherently safe and it is necessary to take precautions. As we go higher, faster, and over inhospitable terrain, we must increase those precautions. The basic business model of commercial airlines is flawed in that it really isn't economically feasible to fly masses of people at ridiculously low prices. That's why so many airlines merge and/or fail. If you must fly high and fast over vast ocean areas, it is going to cost lots of money to do so safely.
The 37.5 KHz frequency was chosen because of the lack of competition from natural oceanic noises. While that is rational, increases in electronic technology have made multiple-frequency pingers and transponders possible. The same goes for increased battery life. Rocket science has given us wonderful advances in capabilities but what was rocket science even 25 years ago is no longer rocket science. It's routine technology which we all use in daily life.
With the apparent state of airline pilot training we will see more and more disasters like AF447 and Asiana and hence the need for an increased safety measures. We now know what happened to those but unless the current search is successful we will not know what happened and how to prevent a repeat.
We should all be infuriated that the managers who listen exclusively to the bean counters are playing fast and loose with our safety. If you want to fly safely you need to pay for it.