A Zee And Many Zeros

‘THE inescapable truth is that apart from this site – although occasionally this site too – the Internet is a sink of human depravity and porn.

”Last one into the sofa shop’s not a geek”

But people keen to explain to their parents and spouses why they need the computer moved to their bedroom and out of the communal lounge are always looking for educational and fun things on the web.

And now they’ve come up with ”Flash Mobs”, something the Independent calls ”an Internet-based craze”, ”a phenomenon”.

It works by people e-mailing each other with instructions. After a while a mob builds of people who have been instructed to do something at the same time and place.

And yesterday, around 300 such losers, sorry, pioneers of nascent technologies were told to descend on a furniture shop in London’s Soho and sit there.

Boring? No! In the words of the Indy, this happening enabled the crowd to ”create the equivalent of a mobile art installation in a 10-minute performance”.

If that doesn’t put you off, a few words from some of the hipsters who partake in a bit of steaming without the buzz of actual theft should.

”It’s supposed to be about getting back to the roots and keeping it real,” says Janine Grainger. ”I would definitely do it again, it’s been kind of bizarre.”

Janine sounds like the type who finds propelling pencils way out, as does one of the group’s organisers, a man calling himself Zee.

”It works because there is no ideological point behind it. You just chill out and have fun.” That’s just the right blend of long words and Californian head-talk from Zee.

So if you want to join Zee and his mates, they’ll all be jumping off Beachy Head in Sussex at 4pm today. Last one there’s an AOL user…

‘

Posted: 8th, August 2003 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink