Fobsun is a Chinese manufacturer of LED lighting with a wide selection of products listed on their website www.fobsun.com. I took interest in Fobsun because they sent me a news item about a downlight they make that has standard lamp socket as used in America and white light output near 6500K color temperature. This lamp is also about as bright as a 40 watt incandescent lamp. To me its color temperature close to that of an LCD computer display and moderate brightness makes it an ideal candidate as an illumination source for environmental lighting where computer digital photography is done and prints are being made, in a light source matching the computer screen. It is a Fobsun Horizon Down Lights Adopting SMD LEDs, FLB-E27-90W-H, E27 base SMD bulb,38*160mm, 90LEDs,7W,100-260VAC, white color, 6000-6500k，630lm US $16.98

I was interested in obtaining a couple of samples for test and evaluation. And the international marketing department at Fobsun was very congenial and helpful, although they are not inclined to supply journalists with free samples. But I would buy some and their web site was recently set up to handle Visa credit card purchases. Unfortunately all I have is an American Express card, so that didn’t work out. Something will I am sure, and maybe I can get a couple of these LED lamps to work with.

But the experience brought something else up you might find interesting. I live in a small town so I make many purchases on-line if for no other reason than not going into our local Walmart. I like to cook my own meals, so found recently I can buy many French food products from www.straightfromfrance.com; as well as fine Italian food products from www.ditalia.com. It seems that the whole world is beginning to have stores on-line. This of course is a convenience to any small-towner like myself, but it also says something about Marshall McLuhan’s idea of a global village. If you still enjoy photographing with B&W film, I am sure with the Internet you will always find a source somewhere for the kind of film you need, and much else too I suspect.

Of course some people do not like change and make it into a political agenda, but maybe there will be a bit more practical freedom and democracy in a world that is fully accessible to shoppers on-line. The whole world becomes a market square for anyone who wants to shop and chat a bit. This is a change that could be interesting, and computers don’t use much fuel, especially oil.