I’ve always been incredibly fascinated with flash mobs after reading about them several years ago in Harper’s Magazine. Below is a video of a flash mob where more than 200 people freeze in place at precisely the same time for exactly five minutes. Needless to say, people notice and start talking to each other to figure out what’s going on. This is a rather organized group called Improv Everywhere in New York City. I also love their Mobile Desktop mob, where three people bring giant CRT monitors and full size desktops into a Starbucks to use their wifi to get on the Internet. My other favorite to check out is where several people in a Starbucks recreate the same scene looped over and over again like in a time warp for a full hour (it’s named after a phenomenon in Star Trek TNG called the Moebius). One of the most famous flash mobs is called the “silent rave” where thousands of people gather together and spontaneously start dancing their asses off to music no one else can hear.

Here is the video of the Grand Central Station where everyone freezes for five minutes. The full post including narrative and background can be found at Improv Everywhere’s website. I just think this is super cool.

Tags: flash mob, flash mobs, freeze, grand central station, Improv Everywhere, moebius, new york city, silent disco, silent rave, star trek, starbucks