I'm your private dancer, a dancer for money

January 20, 2011 9:54 AM

YayTM: Rewarding Quality Dancing with Dollar Bills [via mefi projects]
posted by exogenous (17 comments total)

Haha, isn't this what happens at strip clubs?
posted by elder18 at 9:55 AM on January 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'm disappointed by the lack of a 'make it rain' feature.
posted by mullingitover at 9:56 AM on January 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

After it gives you cash for a few dances, does it hesitatingly suggest that its not like the other terminals, that it never really does this, it normally just runs Excel, and would you consider seeing it later? Maybe ask you for your "real" name? Because that would be awesome.
posted by seventyfour at 10:03 AM on January 20, 2011 [10 favorites]

It appears these people don't know this is happening, especially the upload-to-YouTube part. So an added part of the art project will almost certainly be whether a teeny-tiny, vague EULA can beat an out-to-get'em privacy rights lawyer.
posted by chavenet at 10:04 AM on January 20, 2011 [3 favorites]

On a serious note, you might want to get someone to clean up that notice. At the least, I'd think you'd want to specifically say Hey, this will be used on Youtube. Maybe look at language used in film/television waivers?
posted by seventyfour at 10:07 AM on January 20, 2011

It appears these people don't know this is happening

Legally who knows, but I have to say you wouldn't catch me dancing in front of some frosted pane of glass behind which there is clearly a bunch of technological shit I know nothing about going on.
posted by nanojath at 10:09 AM on January 20, 2011

You say that now, but wait until you get an expensive meth habit.
posted by seventyfour at 10:10 AM on January 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

COMMENCE. SHAKING. OF. HUMANOID. MONEYMAKER.
posted by EarBucket at 10:13 AM on January 20, 2011 [3 favorites]

On a serious note, you might want to get someone to clean up that notice. At the least, I'd think you'd want to specifically say Hey, this will be used on Youtube. Maybe look at language used in film/television waivers?

If someone's voluntarily videotaped in a public space, do you really need a waiver to do anything with the footage?
posted by EarBucket at 10:15 AM on January 20, 2011

Honestly, I didn't realize that this was installed at an art exhibit (darn NoScript); if it were in, say, a mall or a subway stop I'd be a lot more concerned about liability. In an art exhibition? Not so much.
posted by seventyfour at 10:19 AM on January 20, 2011

Paging Harlan Ellison. Harlan Ellison to the white courtesy phone.
posted by fight or flight at 10:55 AM on January 20, 2011

Did you know that in 1980, while in South Africa filming Safari 3000 (also known as Rally), which co-starred Stockard Channing, David Carradine was arrested for possession of marijuana, convicted and given a suspended sentence? But the thing is, he was actually framed by the Apartheid government because he had been seen dancing with Tina Turner. Bastards. It is hard to believe it has been 1 year, 7 months and 16 days since Carradine was killed by ninjas who faked it to look like the result of accidental autoerotic asphyxiation. Were they South African apartheid ninjas mad cause he danced with Tina Turner again? I don't know, but it fits.
posted by ND¢ at 10:56 AM on January 20, 2011

How much is a dollar in quatloos?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 11:11 AM on January 20, 2011

"If someone's voluntarily videotaped in a public space, do you really need a waiver to do anything with the footage?"

Yes, if you want to use them for commercial gain. No, for most usages.
posted by klangklangston at 11:55 AM on January 20, 2011

On a serious note, you might want to get someone to clean up that notice. At the least, I'd think you'd want to specifically say Hey, this will be used on Youtube.

This was one of the installations at NYU's ITP Winter Show (and happened to be one of the more memorable ones from my trip there).

There was a big sign saying (and I'm paraphrasing) "Dance for Money - It Will Be Uploaded to the Internet" and a way to browse all the previously recorded videos. Every five minutes, it'd beep and start recording (but only if it detected dancing). Plus it was the ITP Show, where it's a pretty safe assumption that every device has a way to post what you're doing for the world to see.

Also of note, ITP professor Clay Shirky (author of Here Comes Everybody & Cognitive Surplus) was one of the dancers whose moves didn't make the cut.
posted by e1presidente at 12:56 PM on January 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

It's a cool concept, but it would be infinitely cooler if... (a) videos played back in realtime instead of fast-motion; (b) videos included audio so we could hear the phat beats as well as dancers' verbal responses; and (c) it was installed somewhere where people are very unlikely to be ambling about looking for interesting stuff to capture their attention. Maybe the next iteration will ramp up the ambition a bit.
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 4:30 PM on January 20, 2011

I danced for this machine at the ITP winter show. I won my dollar. And then I felt like a total idiot for making a fool of myself in exchange for one measly dollar.

Sure enough, there's me on that page! I did know I was being recorded - I think I had a chat with the beast's creator before I danced. Didn't quite expect to actually come across my video via Mefi, though.

I totally did the Carlton dance at one point. Fear me, internets.
posted by badgermushroomSNAKE at 1:25 PM on February 1, 2011