The Mystery of the Monitor
Posted on August 6, 2003 at 7:34 am | No Comments
Meet the Monitor. Early every weekday morning, without fail, he appears. He stands there, just inside the rightmost entrance of the Back Bay T-station, maybe for hours, a blind-man’s cane in his right hand and a high-powered walkie-talkie in his left. Well-dressed, eyes closed, the radio never leaves his ear, and I’ve never seen him move from his chosen position. Nearly two years running and he’s hardly missed a morning.
What is he listening for? The chatter of the train controllers, directing this busy intersection of commuter and subway lines? Is he scanning the emergency bands, eavesdropping as dispatchers dole out early-morning alerts? Or is it something else entirely? Is it some sort of therapy? Is there a kind of comfort in the communication that maybe makes up, just a little, for a lack of eyesight? Maybe something only he can hear, or something he’s never heard but thinks he just might, from this perfect spot?
Thousands of commuters walk by him, step around him as they start their downtown Boston days. But this is the start of his day, his regular routine. I don’t have it in me to ask him what’s out there, partly because I wouldn’t want to interrupt… and maybe because it’s more fun wondering.
A Boston Mob Attempt : Missing the Flash-Point
Posted on August 4, 2003 at 2:00 pm | No Comments
This here, ladies and gents, is either an attempt to take advantage of the growing mob phenom, or a lesson in exactly how not to conduct a Flash Mob.
From Flashmob.info :
Posted by: Anonymous
2003-08-04 12:29:50It’s comin 2 Boston!
Three FlashMobs to form. One of them will be outside 7 Bullfinch Place in downtown Boston; the second in front of 5 TV Place in suburban Needham, and the third in front of 1170 Soldiers Field Road in Allston. These are in front of da big TV stationz, and we’re doin’ it 2 get TV live shotz of FlashMobs in Boston!
When we’re on TeeVee, we all just say “Hi!”, then disperse!
The obvious assumption? This is just a joke posted by a reactionary anti-mobber who doesn’t “get” flash mobs (not that I do, but that’s part of the deal). If initial suspicions are true, this bitter little troll will be hiding in the bushes, waiting to see if anyone fell for their hipper-than-thou gag, or cackling at their computer, waiting for news reports that will never happen. Enjoy. Let’s have some fun, though, and assume for a second that this is an actual stab at a Flash Mob invitiation.
First off, I’ll resist the temptation to pick on the AOL-speak (“2 Boston”? “da big TV stationz”? “shotz”? Yikes.)
As Flash Mobs hit the mainstream (like the Boston Metro this morning, and the N.Y. Times, and just now at CNN, for example), I suppose it was inevitable that attention-hounds jumping on the bandwagon… the same people who sit behind the backstop at Sox games, clutching their cell phones, waving incessently. “I’m on camera! Woo!” Morons.
Planning three simultaneous Mobs, with virtually no notice? In front of TV stations? At a pre-announced time with no instructions and a complete lack of creativity? It’s too stupid to be real, just mean enough to be fake.
One thing about flash mobs : Anyone can do it. Just because one person was motivated enough to pull together the first one in your city doesn’t mean you have to follow them blindly. Go to one, see what it’s like. Doesn’t mean you have to keep going. Do your own thing, learn from all the rest. What worked? What didn’t? Is there a point? Does it mean anything to you? Was it fun or did you feel sheepish? Is the mob trend a signal of something larger, more significant? Is it disruptive, and a massive waste of time and resources? Harmless or harmful? Whatever your opinion, look at all sides, make up your mind.