[Scan-DC] First Friday of the Month - Critical Mass

[b_thom@juno.com]

There was an article in the "Style" section of Wednesday's _Washington
Post_ that discussed the use of cellphones to assemble a crowd, a
technique the _Post_ says is called "swarming." 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23395-2002Jul30.html

>>
Cell Biology 

By Joel Garreau
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 31, 2002; Page C01 

At the University of St. Andrews, where he studies art history, the royal
hottie Prince William can't even go out for drinks with friends without
being tracked electronically by a pack of wired women.
....
Chalk up another life changed by "swarming," a behavior that is
transforming social, work, military and even political lives worldwide,
especially among the young. It is the unintended consequence of people,
cell phones in hand, learning that they can coordinate instantly and
leaderlessly.
....
<<

The article says that not only the World Bank protesters use swarming,
but the bicycle advocacy group Critical Mass as well. And guess what -
Critical Mass's monthly traffic jam, usually held on the first Friday of
the month, will probably happen this evening.

>>
....
In Washington, mobile-mediated swarms are regular highlights of the World
Bank and International Monetary Fund protests. "I don't want to give away
all our tricks," says Eidinger, the political activist. "But wireless
plays a huge role."

That includes everything from little "Family Pack" communicators from
Radio Shack on up to sophisticated channel-skipping radios that are not
easily monitored, all of which are used by "flying squads" to respond
quickly to unanticipated opportunities. Cell phones are in constant use
by lawyers seeking court orders designed to complicate the lives of the
authorities as the protest is still evolving.

Swarming is also the hallmark of the Critical Mass smart mobs on bicycles
that clog Washington streets the first Friday of most months, protesting
the effects of the automobile.

"The people up front and the people in back are in constant
communication, by cell phone and walkie-talkies and hand signals," says
Eidinger. "Everything is played by ear. On the fly, we can change the
direction of the swarm -- 230 people, a giant bike mass. That's why the
police have very little control. They have no idea where the group is
going."
....
<<

Happy listening.