Interesting... Why not extend the closed circuit TV idea to other professions as well: For example, I sure would like to know why my lawyer bills me 3 hours at $300 per hour. I would feel much better, if I could look over his shoulder while he is preparing the filings... Or, how about paying an additional $100 to have your kidney operation video taped - just in case something happens.

Lets not forget about mechanics and such. I would love to watch my mechanics work for a 800$ bill.

A number of resturants do have open kitchens, where the customers can see their food being prepared--just the customer probably doesn't have a great view.

Some small mechanic shops will allow the customer to hang around while the car is being fixed.

Is this concept basiscally "The Service Monitoring Service"?

I like it. However, is there a way the consumer doesn't have to foot the bill?

Can there be an advertising supported model? Or the services themselves pay for it?

I ate at a restaurant in Puerto Rico a few years back, don't remember the name, but they had large plasma tv's showing the kitchen spread out around the dining room.

There is also an excellent Sushi restaurant in Florida where they have cameras directly over the sushi chefs so you can watch them make you dinner on large monitors on the wall.

These behind-the-scenes videos would make interesting DVDs for guidance counselors to hand out to kids considering career choices. It could help de-glamorize certain superficially attractive jobs, like acting, modeling, etc. by showing the tremendous tedium and worse that goes on. Maybe have that anti-glamor documentarian Wiseman do them. (These DVDs would be a bitter pill and massively unpopular--but useful anyway.)