https://docpop.org/2013/10/way-ahead-of-its-time-the-remote-lounge-nyc/ Heavy metal text that says "Doc Pop" Heavy metal text that says "About bio/social" Heavy metal text that says "RSS" Search [ ]Search More photos of the tables in the Remote Lounge. The are retro-futuristic, like a scene from the Jetsons. On each table is a small CRT screen, many light up buttons, a joystick, and a telephone. On the top of the monitor is a small camera that is controlled by servos. The walls are padded and the bar stool cushions are hexagon shaped. Way ahead of its time: The Remote Lounge NYC The Remote Lounge was a high tech bar in NYC's Bowery District from 10/2001 to 11/2007. The bar's gimmick was that it was packed full of monitors and closed circuit television cameras. Each CCTV camera was mounted on a servo and could be controlled by anyone in the bar via any of the terminals throughout the bar. Each terminal had a joystick (for controlling a camera), a camera button (which would capture an image and upload it to the RemoteLounge.com), a next button (for switching to another camera), a chat button, and a land line phone. So you could cycle through the bar until you found someone sitting near a camera, then you could request to chat with them via the phone. Sometimes as you were watching a scene your camera would start to move and you'd realize someone else was watching and controlling the same camera that you were. For me, the 7 stages of the Remote Lounge went something like this: 1. Awe. 2. Self conscious. 3. Exhibitionism. 4. Fumbling around with the tech. 5. Voyeurism. 6. Self conscious again as you realize people can watch you being voyeuristic. 7. And finally, exibitionally voyeuristic. "Hey look, I'm looking at people too." Some still photos captured from the surveillance cameras inside the Remote Lounge. In each image, you can see people smiling or posing for the camera. The footage is grainy and black and white. The Remote Lounge photos via http://jpda.net/projects/remote-loungephotos via http://jpda.net/projects/remote-lounge 12 years later, it's funny to think how this novelty bar in NYC would so closely mirror our modern experience. Just replace the always connected security cameras with smart phones and opt-in social media. Sometimes I'm shocked at how my experiences at the Remote Lounge would be recreated time and time again by following a hashtag on twitter, to a photo on instagram, to a small conversation online, and finally with meeting someone face to face... all over the course of ten or twenty minutes on my iPhone at a local bar. A view of the inside of the Remote Lounge with all the lights on so you can see the retro furniture, cctv cameras, and awesome consoles. A woman sitting at the bar at Remote Lounge More photos of the tables in the Remote Lounge. The are retro-futuristic, like a scene from the Jetsons. On each table is a small CRT screen, many light up buttons, a joystick, and a telephone. On the top of the monitor is a small camera that is controlled by servos. The walls are padded and the bar stool cushions are hexagon shaped. 3 of the consoles inside The Remote Lounge. Each console has two cameras on top and each of those cameras has servos that point the cameras in different directions. Each console also has a black and white screen, several buttons, a joystick, and a telephone. Photos from Jordan Parnass, the interior designer. The cameras at the bar could be used to capture photos and upload them to a special section on RemoteLounge.com, like these photos I found from an old chiptune night that was hosted there. Black and white footage of Bubblyfish performing chiptune music on a gameboy. Black and white footage of Bit Shifter performing music on gameboy inside the Remote Lounge. Black and white footage of the crowd watching the chiptune show at The Remote Lounge. Photos of Bubblyfish and Bitshifter from a Game Boy night at Remote Lounge. Here is a Wayback Machine link to RemoteLounge.com You can also find a list of press that covered this bar here And more information about the designers here. * Time ("Sex, Drinks and Videotape," March 25, 2002) * Popular Science ("Singles Bar on Steriods," March 2002) * Los Angeles Times ("Cocktails and Closed-Circuit Flirting," January 13, 2002) * The New York Times ("Absolute Voyeurism, Spiked With Narcissism," Oct. 7, 2001) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted October 9, 2013 in found, iPhone by doc Tags: bar, bowery, cctv, glasshole, google glass, high tech, lounge, novelty, nyc, remote lounge, sci fi, video, voyeur Comments 9 responses to "Way ahead of its time: The Remote Lounge NYC" 1. Results for week beginning 2013-10-07 | Iron Blogger SF October 15, 2013 [...] Way ahead of it's time: The Remote Lounge NYC [...] 2. Scott E. Greenwald Avatar Scott E. Greenwald November 1, 2016 I remember that place. Ohhhh... I was so disappointed when it closed. Too much fun. My friends and I did some ridiculous things in front of those cameras. We saw quite a few impressive things, too. 3. Remembering The Pod, Williamsburg's Forgotten Retro-Futuristic Restaurant April 14, 2017 [...] Manhattan Bridge, Fun, where cameras let you watch the women's room from the men's room? Or Remote Lounge, where you could chat with fellow bar-goers via surveillance cams? Void? Baktun? All of the names [...] 4. The Bowery Electric Downstairs Live Stage - Eastern Soundboard November 2, 2018 [...] surveillance stations at every table to indulge your inner voyeur or exhibitionist (find out more here), The Bowery Electric moved in and opened its doors in late March of 2008 before construction of [...] 5. Remembering The Pod, Williamsburg's Forgotten Retro-Futuristic Restaurant - Bedford + Bowery March 2, 2021 [...] Manhattan Bridge, Fun, where cameras let you watch the women's room from the men's room? Or Remote Lounge, where you could chat with fellow bar-goers via surveillance cams? Void? Baktun? All of those [...] 6. Native Avatar Native July 25, 2023 Bowery District? It's bad enough they tried to rename Alphabet City, but Bowery District? 7. John Avatar John July 25, 2023 Its 8. Michael Geary Avatar Michael Geary July 26, 2023 There is a great discussion on Hacker News with the programmer who developed the software that tied together all of the hardware devices in The Remote Lounge: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36857069 9. doc Avatar doc July 26, 2023 I saw that, but thanks so much for posting it here too. It's a great conversation and I'm really learning a lot. Mentions * Remembering The Pod, Williamsburg's Forgotten Retro-Futuristic Restaurant - Bedford + BoweryRemembering The Pod, Williamsburg's Forgotten Retro-Futuristic Restaurant - Bedford + Bowery * The Bowery Electric Downstairs Live Stage - Eastern SoundboardThe Bowery Electric Downstairs Live Stage - Eastern Soundboard * Remembering The Pod, Williamsburg's Forgotten Retro-Futuristic RestaurantRemembering The Pod, Williamsburg's Forgotten Retro-Futuristic Restaurant * Results for week beginning 2013-10-07 | Iron Blogger SFResults for week beginning 2013-10-07 | Iron Blogger SF Leave a Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Recipe Rating Recipe Rating (*) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Comment * [ ] Name * [ ] Email * [ ] Website [ ] [Post Comment] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] D[ ] To respond on your own website, enter the URL of your response which should contain a link to this post's permalink URL. 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