Trusted sources in Minnesota slipped cheesebikini an invitation to the first Minneapolis flash mob, and now you're invited too. It's scheduled to begin next Tuesday, July 22 at 6:25 pm Central Standard Time. And it looks like it will happen in the infamous Mall of America. I've pasted the announcement below; if you attend, please send us links to your photos and other coverage.

PLEASE NOTE: Don't be a sucker! Large corporations might try to organize their own flash mobs to increase consumption of their goods and services. Keep this in mind during any flash mob. If you participate in this event, please don't purchase a single item within the Mall of America during the flash mob, or while traveling to or from the event. If we all adopt this policy it will prevent transformation of the flash mob movement into a series of crass corporate marketing ploys. (The organizers of the Minnesota flash mob emphasize they are not affiliated with the Mall and do not intend this to be an event supporting the Mall; nonetheless this is a good policy to keep in mind.)

Rumor has it that the first San Francisco flash mob will happen this Wednesday night, July 16th, although the invitation has not yet been distributed. Stay tuned. (That's right, it's scheduled to take place on the same night as the next New York city flash mob.)

(If you’re wondering what a flash mob is, see this entry for an explanation.)

Here's the announcement for the first Minneapolis flash mob:

You are invited to take part in MOB, the project that creates an inexplicable mob of people in Twin Cities Area for 10 minutes or less. Please forward this to other people you know who might like to join.  If you don't want to participate, you can just observe the results by visiting the web site. If you don't participate, please forward it to a friend anyways! -- Minneapolis Mob Event #1: "Mob Of America" or "MOB the MOA"   INSTRUCTIONS - MOB #1 Location: ??????? Start time: Tuesday, July 22nd, 6:25 pm Duration: 10 minutes   (1) At some point during the day on July 22nd, synchronize your watch to http://www.time.gov/timezone.cgi?Central/d/-6/java/jaVa. (If that site doesn^Òt work for you, try http://www.time.gov/timezone.cgi?Central/d/-6.)   (2)The day of the event, you can get detailed plans for the event by meeting at the following locations at 6:00 PM based on the month of your birthday. NOTE: if you are attending the MOB with friends, you may all meet in the same bar, so long as at least one of you has the correct birth month for that location.   Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.: Original Sports Bar, Mall of America May  Jun. Jul. Aug.: Gators, Mall of America Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.: Players Bar and Grill, Mall of America   (3)Then or soon thereafter, a MOB representative will appear in the bar. Look for this individual with the broad rimmed hat at 6:00 PM.  Details will be disseminated to attendees at 6:00 PM at these locations when you say ^ÓCheck out this MOB!^Ô or some remark in regards to a mob. This person will then provide you details. He or she will provide you a slip of paper, on which two important pieces of information will be printed: (a) the MOB site, and (b) secret event details.  Commit these details to memory and put the slip in your pocket. ONCE YOU ARE AT THE MOB SITE, NONE OF THESE SLIPS OF PAPER SHOULD BE VISIBLE.

 
(4) Leave the bar and walk to the MOB site as quickly as possible. It will take you
longer to get there than you think. If you arrive near the final MOB destination
before 6:25, stall nearby. NO ONE SHOULD ARRIVE AT THE FINAL MOB DESTINATION UNTIL
6:22.
 
(5) Find the site and begin the objective.  Be animated and follow the intended
script.

(6) [Step 6 removed 7/7/2003 by MinneapolisMob@yahoo.com ]
 
(7) At 6:35 you should disperse. NO ONE SHOULD REMAIN AT THE MOB SITE AFTER 6:37.
 
(8) Return to what you would otherwise have been doing. After the event, come back
to the Minneapolis Mob forum and discuss your experiences. Minneapolis Mob site is
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/minneapolismob/ or
http://www.geocities.com/minneapolismob/ or you can email your remarks back to me
and I can post them as anonymous feedback on the site for all to see. Share your
comments by posting a subject of ^ÓShare my comments^Ô to minneapolismob@yahoo.com.
 
 
Have fun,
-Minneapolis Mob
minneapolismob@yahoo.com
----
Please forward this email to friends you think would enjoy participating in this
event! Please remove the original sender from the email so to keep other people^Òs
email private. You may also blind carbon copy (bcc) individuals so to keep
participants anonymous. FAQ and details available in Yahoo group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/minneapolismob/

Plans for the Fourth Manhattan Flash Mob

A fourth flash mob is scheduled to begin in New York City at 7:18 pm next Wednesday, July 16th. I’ve pasted the event announcement below, as it was e-mailed to cheesebikini. (Thanks for the tip, anonymous tipster.)

(If you’re wondering what a flash mob is, here's an explanation.)

Here's the announcement for the next New York event:

Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 16:40:21 -0700 (PDT) From: The Mob Project To: themobproject@yahoo.com Subject: MOB #4

You are invited to take part in MOB, the project that
creates an inexplicable mob of people in New York City
for ten minutes or less. Please forward this to other
people you know who might like to join.

FAQ

Q. Why would I want to join an inexplicable mob?

A. Tons of other people are doing it.

Q. Why did the plans to MOB #3 change?

A. The National Guardsmen with machine guns had
something to do with it.

Q. What should I do with my MOB $1 bill?

A. Spend it, if you like. But you may be asked to
make another, for a future MOB.

Q. Can we do a MOB downtown, for a change?

A. Sure.

INSTRUCTIONS - MOB #4
Start time: Wednesday, July 16th, 7:18 pm
Duration: 10 minutes

(1) At some point during the day on July 16th,
synchronize your watch to
http://www.time.gov/timezone.cgi?Eastern/d/-5/java/java.
(If that site doesn^Òt work for you, try
http://www.time.gov/timezone.cgi?Eastern/d/-5.)

(2) By 7 PM, based on the month of your birth, please
situate yourselves in the bars below. Buy a drink and
act casual. NOTE: if you are attending the MOB with
friends, you may all meet in the same bar, so long as
at least one of you has the correct birth month for
that bar.
January, February, March: Puck Fair, 298
Lafayette St. (just south of Houston). Meet just
inside the front door, to the right.
April, May, June: 288 (a.k.a. Tom & Jerry's), 288
Elizabeth St. (just north of Houston). Meet in the
back to the left, by the jukebox.
July, August, September: Bleecker St. Bar, 58
Bleecker St. (at Crosby). Meet in the back to the
right, by the jukebox.
October, November, December: Pamela's Cantina, 1
W. 3rd St. (just west of Broadway). Meet near the
right side of the bar, by the television sets.

(3) Then or soon thereafter, a MOB representative will
appear in the bar and will pass around further
instructions.

(4) If you arrive near the final MOB site before 7:18,
stall nearby. NO ONE SHOULD ARRIVE AT THE FINAL MOB
SITE UNTIL 7:17.

(5) At 7:28 you should disperse. NO ONE SHOULD REMAIN
AT THE MOB SITE AFTER 7:30.

(6) Return to what you otherwise would have been
doing, and await instructions for MOB #5.

 

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July 08, 2003

More Flash Mob Forums

Two new flash mob announcement lists and discussion forums have emerged.

The “dutchessmob” Yahoo! Group was created by folks in Dutchess County, New York, who are planning a flash mob out there.

The “flashmobs” Yahoo! Group seems to cover flash mobs worldwide.

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July 02, 2003

Photos: Third Manhattan Flash Mob

The Manhattan flash mobs keep growing. Above are photos from the third flash mob held in New York, courtesy of fredhoysted.com (top photo) and satanslaundromat.com (bottom photo). You'll find more photos at Satan's Laundromat.

It seems that between 200 and 500 people (reports vary) gathered along the city-block-sized railing above the lobby of the Hyatt Hotel near Grand Central Station, then at a given moment they all engaged in 15 seconds of raucous and unexplained applause, before filing out again.

Attendees were instructed to bring dollar bills too for some reason, but they weren't used. (There were three terrorism scares reported earlier today in New York City; perhaps that's why the dollar-bill plan was nixed.) Thanks to fredhoysted.com, to satanslaundromat.com, and to our Chief Manhattan Correspondent David Danzig for early coverage.

UPDATE: Jane has more photos at moistandtasty.com.

Do you have photos from the event? How about video or audio? Please link to your coverage in the comments below.

(For background information, see the first flash mob post.)

Our Chief Manhattan Correspondent David Danzig posted the following dispatch at 8:29 pm Eastern Standard Time:

I just returned from Flashmob #3. This was called "The Grand Central Mob Ballet," and was supposed to involve claiming to be waiting for a train, and writing the word "MOB" on a one dollar bill, but none of that came into play.

Instead, we got a form saying:

*** MOB #3 ***
Change of Plans

If you are reading this, we have decided to change venues.

(1) By 7:02, walk out to 42nd St. and look for the main entrance to the Grand Hyatt. Enter and take the escalator up one flight to the main lobby. Loiter until 7:07.

(2) At 7:07, start taking the escalator and elevators up one floor, to the wraparound railing overlooking the lobby. Stand around it, looking down. Fan out to cover as much of the railing as possible. If asked why you are there, point down to the lobby and say, "Look."

(3) At 7:12, begin applauding. Applaud for fifteen seconds, then disperse in an orderly fashion,

(Note: the exit on that floor is not a pedestrian exit.)

I was actually a little suspicious that this was someone's attempt to divert the mob, so I found another Mob project representative at Grand Central who handed me the exact same form.

The turnout was about 300 to 500 people, I'd estimate. It went off just as it was described, and much as you'd imagine, with very nervous security people very nervously scampering about, but never interracting or thinking to ask anyone what was going on.

[End of dispatch]

 

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Flash Mob Updates

NEW YORK MOB REMINDER: The next big New York City Flash Mob will take place tonight at 7:04 pm -- details here. If you'd like me to post your photos and coverage (or links to them), send them to (sean[at]cheesebikini.com) or post them in the comments below.

Also, the Minneapolis Mob group is putting together plans for their first flash mob to take place on July 22, and they've built a Yahoo! groups site to manage the madness. Minneapolitans can find details at their FAQ page.

Meanwhile, we're very slowly getting our mobs together in San Francisco. Folks have created at least two separate mailing lists (1, 2) for people interested in San Francisco activities along these lines. I'm plugged in to both mailing lists and will post news of any event announcements on cheesebikini.com as soon as I receive them.

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June 26, 2003

Upcoming Flash Mobs

Plans for two upcoming flash mobs have been announced.

Wake up, London, Tokyo and San Francisco. New York already scooped you on this; will you let Minneapolis beat you to the punch?

A group in Minneapolis is planning that city’s first flash mob ever, to take place July 22 at 6:25 pm. For more details visit the new Minneapolis mob homepage. (Thanks for the tip, Minneapolis Mob.)

New Yorkers are planning a third Gotham flash mob to begin July 2 at 7:04 pm; I’ve pasted the event announcement below, as it was e-mailed to cheesebikini. (Thanks for the tip, MOB project.)

Mob safely.

(If you’re wondering what a flash mob is, see this entry for an explanation.)

Here's the announcement for the next New York event:

Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 21:45:21 -0700 (PDT) From: The Mob Project To: themobproject@yahoo.com Subject: MOB #3

(Apologies to those who received an incomplete version
before.)

You are invited to take part in MOB, the project that
creates an inexplicable mob of people in New York City
for ten minutes or less. Please forward this to other
people you know who might like to join.

FAQ

Q. For a mob to be inexplicable, does it need to take
place in an otherwise empty space?

A. No.

INSTRUCTIONS - MOB #3: THE GRAND CENTRAL MOB BALLET
Location: Grand Central Terminal
Start time: Wednesday, July 2nd, 7:04 pm
Duration: less than 10 minutes

(1) During the day on July 2nd:
(a) Synchronize your watch to
http://www.time.gov/timezone.cgi?Eastern/d/-5/java/java.
(If that site doesn^Òt work for you, try
http://www.time.gov/timezone.cgi?Eastern/d/-5.)
(b) On the front of a $1 bill, write the word
"MOB" over the word "ONE" on the right-hand side. If
you are concerned about the legality of this, write in
pencil. Keep the $1 bill handy.
(c) Wear comfortable shoes.

(2) Arrive at Grand Central by 6:45 pm. By then,
representatives of the MOB will have stationed
themselves in or near the downstairs food court. They
will all be reading The New York Review of Books.
(NOTE: the covers of their copies might not be
visible. Please familiarize yourself with the fonts
and layout of that periodical before arriving at the
MOB.)

(3) Based on the month of your birth, specify one of
the following letters to the MOB representative:
A: January through April
B: May through August
C: September through December
You will be given a slip on which further instructions
will be printed. This slip is your "travel itinerary"
and may be consulted in public.

(4) MOB #3 consists of a series of short mobs. The
first will begin at 7:04. You may place yourself at
the MOB site up to two minutes beforehand -- i.e.,
anytime after 7:02. NO ONE SHOULD ARRIVE AT THE FIRST
MOB SITE UNTIL 7:01.

(5) Unlike in MOB #2, you do not know each other. Do
not speak to anyone, including other MOB participants.
If you are asked a question, limit your responses to
one of the following:

* "I am looking for my train"
* "I think these people may be taking the same train I
am"
* "My train is supposed to leave from down here"
* "When I saw all these people come down here, I
figured I should too"
* "I am taking a train to [suburban town] to visit my
[relative]"
* "I am taking a train to a mob"

(6) Based on the itinerary, the MOB will end and you
will disperse. NO ONE SHOULD REMAIN AT THE MOB SITE
MORE THAN TWO MINUTES AFTER THE MOB IS OVER.

(7) Return to what you would otherwise have been
doing. Await instructions for MOB #4.

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June 19, 2003

"Matrix" Mobs Take Japan

Swarms of people dressed as Agent Smith converged in Tokyo and Osaka this week, following the Japan premiere of "The Matrix: Reloaded." (The movie features hundreds of clones of the character Agent Smith.)

They even reenacted fight scenes from the movie. This looks almost as scary as a Star Wars opening night in Silicon Valley.

Photo courtesy of rottentomatoes.com, where you'll find more photos and video clips. Thanks to chanpon.org for the tip.

UPDATE: Xaky from rotten tomatoes reports that a new, bigger Matrix mob event will take place in Tokyo Sunday, June 29. If you want to participate, see details here.

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June 17, 2003

Manhattan Flash Mob Photos

Here's photographic evidence of the flash mob's successful takeover of the Manhattan Macy's fancy-rug department, courtesy of moistandtasty.com (above). Visit that site, as well as Satan's Laundromat, for more photos.

New Yorkers used e-mail to coordinate a huge, instant gathering of people around a particular rug. Participants were instructed to tell questioning salesmen that they all lived together in a warehouse in Queens, and they were considering purchasing the item for use as a "Love Rug" back at the house. After precisely ten minutes the crowd dissipated.

UPDATE: This week's edition of National Public Radio's All Things Considered included a segment about the flash mob. (Thanks to Mike from Satan's Laundromat for yet another tip.)

UPDATE: Here's a look back at the event from Wired News. (Thanks for the tip, Mike.)

UPDATE: Here's another money shot of the salesman, from ephemeroi.com.

Do you have photos from the event? How about video or audio? Please link to your coverage in the comments below.

(For background information, see the first flash mob post.)

 

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June 16, 2003

Flash Mobs Take Manhattan

Our senior Manhattan correspondent David Danzig reports that New Yorkers are using e-mail to coordinate "inexplicable mobs" — huge crowds that materialize in public places and suddenly dissipate 10 minutes later.

Below I've pasted the e-mail announcement for the next mob, scheduled to take place Tuesday, June 17, 2003.

UPDATE: Be sure not to miss the photos of the event.

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