Using Mobile TXT Messages to stage spontaneous events

[Lloyd Danforth]

Probably about 2 years ago, I saw a news item about using text messaging to stage spontaneous events. In this case people would get the message and at a prescribed time start milling about at the location all clumped together for a set time period...then disperse. During the event they were quiet, moved slow and deliberate, minimal physical expression, and never spoke. (sort of zombie-like) This actually was kind of creepy to those in the area not in on what was going down. Some of the times, everybody would have the same T-shirt on, indicating they were "related" to one another, which added to the creepiness.

Kind of a different take on "comforting the disturbed and disturbing the comfortable."

This was used on an episode of CSI Miami.  A bunch of students were messaged to show up on a golf course, advance on some golfers and start throwing golf balls.  It was to cover up a murder.
The 'Dawn of the Dead' part was effective, though.

[Dave Ridley]

Sounds like fun! 

Organized Planning is never going to be our shtick but if we have a good communications infrastructure we can do all sorts of things spontaneously or with little planning.

[PowerPenguin]

Yeah. For some freaky reason, I love logistics, at least in the context of this kind of thing. I won't be moving up there for at least 3 years at this rate, but I'd be more than happy to lend a hand with organization type stuff if anyone wants it.

[Russell Kanning]

Why don't people just start PMing or emailing each other with their phone #s and such so they can text message each other or call to make plans. People already know our #, but we don't do cell phones. Just let everyone that you trust know how to contact you and we can get this thing started.
I think the Sons of Liberty will probably use this style of communication.

[FrankChodorov]

Why don't people just start PMing or emailing each other with their phone #s and such so they can text message each other or call to make plans. People already know our #, but we don't do cell phones. Just let everyone that you trust know how to contact you and we can get this thing started.
I think the Sons of Liberty will probably use this style of communication.

the best way to do this is to actually send an automated voice message (text to speech or voice recording) rather than text and then you can ask people to respond to the message (press one to confirm and two if you can't make it).

the results can then be tracked on a computer.

you can even get people to bridge right into a conference call.

I use to sell these services to businesses for emergency notification and collection calls and think about how they can be used for "smart mobbing".

FC

[PowerPenguin]

Perhaps. You'd have to ensure the security of that server though. As I see it, if it doesn't run on OpenBSD, it's not safe enough.

[Kat Kanning]

Oh no, Hankster is back as a Russian.   

the best way to do this is to actually send an automated voice message (text to speech or voice recording) rather than text and then you can ask people to respond to the message (press one to confirm and two if you can't make it).

the results can then be tracked on a computer.

you can even get people to bridge right into a conference call.

I use to sell these services to businesses for emergency notification and collection calls and think about how they can be used for "smart mobbing".

FC

[FrankChodorov]

Oh no, Hankster is back as a Russian.   

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Chodorov

[Dave Ridley]

Yeah. For some freaky reason, I love logistics, at least in the context of this kind of thing. I won't be moving up there for at least 3 years at this rate, but I'd be more than happy to lend a hand with organization type stuff if anyone wants it.

Penguin I think people out of state underestimate just how vast their ability is to help...one out of state activist working hard for freedom in their future home is worth 5 in-state activists who just vote or show up at the occasional meeting.  I hope you'll keep thinking up ways to help and doing them on your initiative!

[PowerPenguin]

Will do. Unfortunately, the prospects for gaining support in WA state are very slim. In other news, whoever sent me those FSP dvds based on the BT files needs to know that they didn't work very well. They screwed up my computers and barely worked on the standard DVD player... Is there a 'real' version of this I could buy or something?

[WES]

Probably about 2 years ago, I saw a news item about using text messaging to stage spontaneous events. In this case people would get the message and at a prescribed time start milling about at the location all clumped together for a set time period...then disperse. During the event they were quiet, moved slow and deliberate, minimal physical expression, and never spoke. (sort of zombie-like) This actually was kind of creepy to those in the area not in on what was going down. Some of the times, everybody would have the same T-shirt on, indicating they were "related" to one another, which added to the creepiness.

Kind of a different take on "comforting the disturbed and disturbing the comfortable."

This was used on an episode of CSI Miami.  A bunch of students were messaged to show up on a golf course, advance on some golfers and start throwing golf balls.  It was to cover up a murder.
The 'Dawn of the Dead' part was effective, though.

Must have missed that episode and I like CSI Miami....total mindless entertainment package, for me, watching young punks trying to be believable as serious cops, and all that manly posturing by David Caruso cracks me up.

Actually I was recalling a spontaneous gathering at a London subway station, I believe. And, just recently (in the last week perhaps?) there was something on the tube where everybody showed up and were standing quietly in lines somewhere....then just broke out with spontaneous verbal howdy-doos and handshakes.

[PowerPenguin]

I'm currently talking to some aparently knowlegeable dude on IRC and it looks like we could probably set up our own PC based Unix PBX system using a standard PC, special software, and an add-on card or two. A popular program for doing this is Asterisk PBX.

I'm thinking it could work like this:

1. An authorized person calls in or logs in via the 'net to the server on the fly or sets up a pre-record for a specific broadcast time.
2. Message gets sent out by server to people's cell phones and/or land-lines either immediately or at a preset time telling them when/how to do whatever. To make this simple, you could even have a preset list of recorded messages that would go out at set times, perhaps even in a semi-random way (ie, everyone knows it will be between 9 and 5 on Saturday, but only one or a few people know precisely when). For events, this would make it a LOT harder for authorities to preempt activists. On the other hand, it may make sheduling hard for participants. For this reason, the optimum scenario would be a combination of the following:

A. Lots of  potential activists (the more people move to NH for this stuff the higher the chances that at lest some people will be willing/able to act at any given time)
B. Events are planned for days when we expect most people to potentially be available, ie weekends and holidays.

If someone has the setup already or wants to help set up and test something like this, I am more than willing to help. Also, if this is really unclear for some of you, I can whip up some kind of crappy powerpoint/Open Office presentation and put it online for you all.

[Bald Eagle]

To add a further attribute to mess with the Man, Organize a decoy-event in a poorly secure fashion, and then deploy the real event after they're geared up and en-route to or at the decoy.



Misinformation is sometimes better than no information.

Better yet, organize 3 or 4 decoys.... 

Bald_Eagle

[Russell Kanning]

I thought the phone idea was for unplanned events. If you plan the event, you can post it ahead of time. Am I missing something?

[PowerPenguin]

It's either/or, Russell. BTW, I now have some easy-install Linux software that does this, but since I'm stuck behind a restrictive univ firewall, and I can't seem to get the frikin installer to recognize my partition table, there are some issues. If someone's up to it, I can post the links to the ISO images for someone else to try. There's a "LiveCD" based on Knoppix that's ok, but again, since I can't test it, I can't really figure out what the helvetica I'm supposed to be doing in order to get it set up. Ideally, a spare blank Hard Drive of some kind would make life easiest, but it's not essential.