-Caveat Lector-
>From http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-7588228.html?tag=mn_hd
}}}>Begin
Flirting goes digital at N.Y. bar
By Reuters
October 19, 2001, 2:20 p.m. PT
NEW YORK--A new bar near the East Village has mixed reality
television, digital media, joysticks, instant messaging and a dose of
voyeurism to create a setting that looks to revolutionize flirting in
New York.
The Remote Lounge boasts more than 100 screens featuring the goings-
on of patrons on about 70 closed-circuit channels.
Several "cocktail consoles" that double as tables allow party-goers
to control any of the bar's 60 cameras with joysticks to scope out a
potential date or observe the couple in the corner.
The creators of Remote Lounge have turned an electrical supply store
into a digital playhouse for local hipsters.
The bar's entrance is marked with a series of TV screens. Inside,
patrons are bombarded with images from the myriad screens, projecting
a variety of digital media installations and images of bar-goers.
With mini-cameras in every corner, it's a sure thing that someone is
watching your every move--a thought that is disconcerting to some but
exciting and intriguing to others.
"It's a legalized version of stalking," said one graduate student at the bar on its
opening night. "It is funny that (the camera shots) are in black and white or grainy
color. It makes people look a lot better than they d
o in person."
With a joystick, patrons can control cameras to keep an eye on the door, the dance
floor, or the table behind them. If someone catches their eye, they can send a quick
hello via text messages.
The potential object of their affections can either rebuff the overture or accept it
and, if their curiosity is piqued, find out who sent them the message.
>From there it's instant connection, or rejection.
If the message is accepted, a conversation can ensue via a phone on the console or
taking the old-fashioned approach and walking up to the prospective suitor or suitee.
"One of the things about the technology is that it's an icebreaker," said Kevin
Centanni, one of the bar's partners.
"We see people going up to people who they wouldn't normally go up to in a bar and
talking to them. They can use the consoles for flirting and meeting other people or
play games with people, and they know they are in the
bar and can go find them," Centanni said.
The bar, which the partners had been working on for about a year and half, is a
showcase for technology created by Controlled Entropy Ventures, a developer of
entertainment applications for Web-based, multimedia and video
conferencing technologies.
Those who don't want to leave the comforts of their couches can check
out action via the bar's Web site and decide whether it's hot enough
to get them out to the sleek, futuristic lounge.
Bar patrons may want to keep in mind that their every move may be
documented and could end up as a snapshot on the lounge's Web site
for all to see.
The partners have been talking about opening similar lounges in other
cities--in the United States and abroad--that can possibly even
interact with one another.
Controlled Entropy Partners is self-funded, said partner and Rare
Medium founder Bob Stratton, adding that he was looking for a project
to work on after coming out of the dot-com boom and bust.
The lounge also plans to host digital media exhibitions.
Story Copyright © 2001 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
End<{{{
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