The concept of something called a "flash mob" has nothing to do with flashing or inciting civil unrest. Instead, it's flash for fast, and mob for largish group. The idea is that, in some manner or other, a date and time and theme is communicated to a large number of persons, and those who can be available and are so disposed to participate will then congregate, do the thematic thing, and disperse. This often happens suddenly, without external notice, and is over in minutes. It's fun, according to those who do it. It gets them out, doing something spontaneous and a little goofy, and they enjoy it.

Enter my concept of Virtual mobs, or V-mobs. What if, instead of flash-mobbing in real life, we had places and venues to do it in the virtual landscapes? What if, as is forecast by leading edge minds, the avatar is truly portable, and can "be" anywhere online, in any virtual world? Could we, for instance, V-mob Angel Falls in Venezuela, complete with Avatars tubing over the precipice? Could we V-mob Japan in the spring, when the cherry blossoms come out, with Mt. Fuji in the background? Could we V-mob places we'd never get to, such as the moon? Yes! We could experience and become a part of the experience of anything we can put into a virtual world.

The people of the world are showing the desire to preserve the treasures of the world, both from the elements and from those who come to appreciate those treasures. Digitizing texts was only the start. Virtual recreations of famous museums and landmarks has been progressing fast. Whole landscape representations are coming, and I would line up to walk through some of the world with my avatar. I want to see, experience, and share. While I might willingly visit, the thronging of tourism and the dubious "enjoyment" of the travel process might preclude visiting even those venues I am legally allowed to visit. Virtual representation is the answer, for me and for so many others.

I would join a Virtual Mob in a heartbeat to have my avatar explore the caves of Chile's Devil's Island. I would happily crawl through the Great Pyramid and see it for myself. I would go to the moon - and beyond! Would you?