"The best thing about the Internet is that new trends, new concepts, new ideas are more or less instantly disseminated around the world.
"This is also the worst thing about the Internet. Frankly, I could do without certain widely disseminated concepts, such as the notion that some of my personal parts need to be drastically improved right now by an amazing new pill.
"Lately the newest fad-- one that may be over by the time you read this -- is the flash mob, the online equivalent of the Chinese Fire Drill."
Posted by Lavalamp (Member # 4337) on :
<whimsically establishes some light industry>
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
awesome as ususal!
AJ
Posted by asQmh (Member # 4590) on :
Let's all flash mob out to Barnes & Noble (whichever; doens't matter) and hail a nifty new Bela Fleck CD.
Whaddaya say, are you with me??
*crickets chirp*
Dangit.
Q.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
My first version of this included a call to arms to do something truly outrageous, i.e. mass onto bookstore and newsstands at a prearranged time and buy copies of our paper. I changed it after deciding that our publisher probably wouldn't appreciate the notion that buying our paper was bizarre and unexpected...
[ August 13, 2003, 10:42 AM: Message edited by: Chris Bridges ]
Posted by Sweet William (Member # 5212) on :
I don't know how these heartless people can just go to all the effort and then just walk away.
I mean if (for an unlikely example) a bunch of hatrackers decided to do a flash-mob-flashing-instance (what, do you call those?), I'd want to stand around talking to other jatraqueros for a few minutes at least.
Posted by eslaine (Member # 5433) on :
(Edit to add: Possible Spoiler)
A local radio station was disscussing this very question yesterday. And I thought--straight out of science fiction.
Larry Niven had a short story about his teleporter booths in the '70's that had a group of criminals taking advantage of the situation. (Sorry, my copy of A Hole in Space is not accessable for the title.)
Recently, William Gibson used a flash mob in [i/] All Tomorrow's Parties[/I], where Zona Rosa convinced the Tokyo chapter of the Lo/Rez fan club to announce that Rez had died in a local love hotel.
Fiction as strange as truth?
[ August 13, 2003, 12:06 PM: Message edited by: eslaine ]
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Ha! After writing my column on why flash mobs in Florida are impractical, I just got contacted by the brand new Florida mob groups who have plans to begin this Saturday. In Tampa, unfortunately, but the thought is there.
Man, I feel like I was just contacted by the Underground...
Posted by asQmh (Member # 4590) on :
By the way, nice article. I loved particularly
quote:To get attention here, flash mobberistas would have to assemble en masse in Daytona Beach and do something that's never seen here, like playfully obeying traffic lights, pointedly not taking beer on the beach at night, or whimsically establishing light industry. I'm up for it, we just need a date. Anyone? Anyone?
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)