Back in a flash

Hundreds of people march into a bookstore looking for a nonexistent book. Others break into simultaneous applause in a luxury hotel lobby. Another crowd heads into Central Park and starts making bird noises.

These pranks are the 21st-century answer to goldfish swallowing and phone-booth stuffing. So-called "smart mobs" or "flash mobs" organize online and plot sensational, usually nondangerous, stunts.

Science-fiction author Larry Niven is said to have inspired the concept with his 1973 short story, "Flash Crowd." Futurist Howard Rheingold, who popularized the term "virtual community" in the 1990s, promoted the idea with last year's book, Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution.

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August 30, 2003, Vol. 18, No. 33

Class warfare on vouchers Aug. 23, 2003	Nuclear threat in Korea Aug. 16, 2003	Capitol stampede in Texas Aug. 9, 2003
California's total recall Aug. 2, 2003	Public-school reform Jul. 26, 2003	Marx isn't dead Jul. 19, 2003