Box Robot Flashmob Challenge

Wikipedia defines a Flash Mob as: a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, do something unusual or notable, and then disperse. They are usually organized with the help of the Internet or other digital communications networks. This is the first and only issuance of my 2005 Dragon*Con Flashmob Challenge, so pay attention and synchronize your watches….

Location:
Saturday, September 3rd assemble at the lobby bar of the Hyatt Regency at, oh say, 1:30pm. Be wearing a hastily constructed robot costume, made entirely of cardboard/pasteboard boxes. Your box robot costume should not be painted or detailed in any extravagant manner (this means don’t paint it, don’t make it light up… gluing or taping cardboard to cardboard is fine…. magic marker detailing is okay too, just keep it real).

Instructions:
At 1:35pm begin singing “Beer, Beer, Beer, Beer” to the tune of “Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam”.

At 1:36pm spontaneously burst into applause.

At 1:37pm stop applauding and begin beeping.

At 1:38pm disperse.

Why, Drew? Why?
A few months ago I was having lunch with friends at the Cuban restaurant Papis over on Ponce. During our lunch (in the NEW! expanded dining room) I began doodling on my styrofoam cup and this robot appeared. Several weeks later my friend Elliott Boswell called up to find out if I was planning on attending Atlanta’s annual sci-fi convention, Dragon*Con. He further inquired if I was planning to wear a costume because he knows that I never wear a costume to the convention. Not my style.

Looking up, I saw the cup with my robot sketch on it and announced to him that if I ever wore a costume to Dragon*Con it would be the kind of costume that I wouldn’t care about taking care of during the course of the day… the kind of costume made of cheap materials and able to withstand rigors of conventioneering.

The kind of costume I could make out of cardboard boxes taped together.

“A box robot?? I could get a refrigerator box and glue on some buttons!!!” he said.

You can make up the rest of the conversation for yourself because you get the picture, and you’re invited to participate in the fun.

Me? I plan to wear my box robot costume until it falls off… and I’m hoping I’m able to make that happen within three hours. In the meantime, start saving your boxes, buy some good strong tape and make sure that you have someone in your home who is checked out to operate scissors and/or a razor knife.

Most of all, show up at the lobby bar of the Hyatt to see two idiots dressed as Box Robots who think that they’re going to convince other people to do a flashmob with them…… beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep…….. bring your cameras, it’s bound to be sad.

PS: We might head to the Hooters for cheaper beer after this event.