For centuries, mankind has argued the essential question; ‘Are we basically good or evil?’ As budding philosophers, my teenage pals Homer and Socrates had some interesting things to say on this ‘hot potato’ of a topic. ESTA’s ethics code, and before it the TDA (Theatrical Dealers Association) stand as a body of mediation, but not all deals go down as planned, and everybody doesn’t always get paid.

But out there in the real consumer world, one institution serves to remind us that mankind is basically good. What could it be? Well, E-Bay of course! In a world where we’re constantly ripped off at fast food joints and convenience stores (I know, nobody can count anymore - we have the credit card to thank for that), E-Bay shines far above any other concept in its purity. Perhaps this Utopian vision comes from never having sold any goods on E-Bay, and thus never experiencing buyer fraud - but I’ve bought plenty of cool things from the internet service, and have never had a bad experience. Here are my fundamental observations.

(1) Most people using E-Bay are honest sellers, offering a product at fair market value.
(2) Unscrupulous users are inevitably tagged and run out of town.
(3) The site serves as the ‘Blue Book’ on anything you can imagine.
(4) E-Bay functions as an inverse parallel universe to life in most urban areas. With E-Bay, the more obscure the item you’re looking for, the better chance you have of winning the bid.

We’re all so attached to the web now that most of us don’t give E-Bay a second thought. And I’m sure for every positive story, there’s a tale of horror involving a Cyber lice and Cyberlight mixup. But as a natural optimist, I do tend to accentuate the positive, and thought some of you might be compelled to search for Midas, Atomic Strobe, AKG, fresnel, or even ‘hot potato’.

We hope you enjoy this latest issue of Total Production US. This time out we introduce you to two totally different touring entourage(s) - first, the upscale production values and personnel of Christian rock band Third Day, and next the intriguing LED-drenched Todd Rundgren and The Liars show, a comfort / budget-influenced outing that convinced me that rock n’ roll touring is basically good, not evil.

Next, we took a wet ride with The George P. Johnson Company to the New York Auto Show, stopping off at the Nissan Xterra press launch for some insight to high-end corporate presentation. Our final production profile tickles the ivy at Club Mansion, a beautiful architainment statement in South Beach. Francois Frossard’s magnificent design lives up to its name, and actually looks like a million bucks!

In addition to our regular menu of columnists and stuff, we’ve included another famous Product Section: this month the subtle sales wrench tightened around Projection Technology. That’s it for now - look for more basically good production coverage with us next time, along with a very special trip down a yellow brick road - and yes, there’s an audio wizard involved.

 

Bruce Jordahl
The Editor bjordahl@earthlink.net