CU-SeeMe EXPERIMENTS AND EVENTS


We all know CU is the best way to chat we have ever seen, but what else are people using it for? Broadcasting live from conventions and concerts seem to be natural uses for CU. NASA was sending live video from their control room almost as soon as CU was invented. Over the years, many different experiments have been tried, some so clever that they seem obvious now, and some so strange that they can only be viewed with a strong sense of humor. I have tried to list as many different types of experiments as I could find. You will have to decide for yourself which ones are clever and which ones are strange.

SOCIAL SERVICES EDUCATION ASTRONOMY PUBLIC FIGURES REFS WITH A PURPOSE CONVENTIONS AND CONFERENCES
MATCH MAKERS SPORTS AND RADIO ART EXPERIMENTS CONCERTS AND PARTIES EVENTS SCHEDULES FILE NOT FOUND



RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL SERVICES

Those of us that use CU-SeeMe for chat know about the informal social benefits. These organizations have tried to take advantage of the more formal social possibilities that CU offers. And sometimes the formal and informal blend together unexpectedly as they did in " A DC Contest"
Montana United Church of God has used CU with shut-ins Chris Wade, SIM Missionary Office visits Gyuto Gompa Live Across the Internet Chants of The Gyuto Monks
#1 Bahai Video Conference (CU-SeeMe) on the net AstroPlanets Astrological Readings in French and English Wired Senses Online Counseling
Information Meetings for Adoptive Parents Russian Adoption Facilitation Service Russian Language Lessons Russian Adoption Facilitation Service The Monks of Adoration Chapel now use webcam instead of a ref
Heaven A live direct link (Turing experiment) Family Reunion (Under construction)

EDUCATION

The most well-known example of CU and education is The Global SchoolNet Foundation (GSN). GSN started in 1985 and has been using CU-SeeMe since 1992. In addition to linking schools with public figures and connecting students from different countries for class discussions, they have been especially creative, with programs like Internet night at Dodger Stadium and Scientist on Tap. Their event calendar shows that they get busier each year.

Distance Learning Resource Center sponsored by White Pine Escondido Tutorial Service classical Christian education I Don't Hear Music home schooling student Electronic Field Trips with Space Team Online Blimp Science Fair Project Happy Valley Elementary School
Video Conferencing at Lakeshore Elementary School featuring Benny the VideoConferencing Bunny CU-SeeMe With Leal School and Congressman Tom Ewing Holdeman School Reflections on a Plants Project Field Trip to England for Free! Lovejoy Middle School Internet Activities Mr. Berkham's Fifth Grade Classroom
NOTES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY: A Union of Education, Music, and Technology Univ. of Hawaii - East Asian Languages two different projects Multimedia for Teaching Queen's University Film Studies Russian Language Lessons Convocation of William R. Brody President/ Johns Hopkins University
Remote Control Pan and Tilt Test Østfold College The Virtual Electron Microscope The Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis Schola Classical Tutorials Latin, Greek, etc

ASTRONOMY

Astronomy is a popular use for CU experiments. Wouldn't it be cool if you and a friend could stroll over to a ref and look at the night sky together?

Moon-Watching Program using CU-SeeMe Look at Saturn CU-SeeMe Live from Misato Observatory Ask the Scientist link is down
Hale-Bopp Comet Chasers Event on CU-SeeMe Peter F. Ryczek - quickcam astronomy
NASA Television Coverage on CU-SeeMe Some samples of video from NASA

PUBLIC FIGURES

How would you like a chance to talk to President Clinton, face-to-face, wearing nothing but your shirt? It could happen!
President Clinton and Prime Minister Blair CU See-Me Videoconference The President of Finland, Mr. Ahtisaari CU-SeeMe With Leal School and Congressman Tom Ewing
ex-Surgeon General C. Everett Koop EnviroLink's CyberLithic Celebration featuring Vice President Al Gore The Roger Hedgehock Show Radio show host from San Diego
This site had a vidcap of Timothy Leary. It is down now. Sasha's Gallery of Stars


REFS WITH A PURPOSE

As opposed to the usual general-purpose reflectors, some refs have been opened for specific groups or purposes. In the past, our population base may have been too small for these to succeed. Some of the older refs had special purpose conferences that remained mostly empty. Hopefully, our expanding population will allow these refs to be successful and we can see more of them in the future.
Club Ebony Internet's only Exclusive Black Ref (209.162.144.102) Peircing Paradise (63.192.128.11) Vicky's Reflector Cross Dressers (207.22.137.233) BBWCuSeeMe for BBWs and Admirers
INCflector private reflector for consensual incest Gay refs/Single Sex refs many refs and many lists; this is just one list Couples Web: Couples only Video Chat Chubnet technically, multi-purpose - gay and chubby
HEAT Reflector "dedicated to making art with technology" (134.154.10.134) KLBJ-FM Live, 24 hours a day, from a radio station in Austin (video.lbj.co) Vdorm life in a college dorm (ref is down?) Video Conferences for Investigators CIBIR.NET
Heaven A Turing experiment (194.94.211.200) ADPAC featured a live view of Mt Fuji (210.154.140.50) The Living an experiment in digital culture (141.212.122.47)

CONVENTIONS/CONFERENCES

It may seem surprising that CU-SeeMe is not used more often for public events like conventions and conferences. Perhaps this is because of the unpredicatable nature of reflector visitors? Or is their behaviour too predictable ;-) See " Early Influences on CU in the Far East" for a fun example of the possibilities.

"The online MacinStuff Times" Worldwide Live! Over WWW using Enhanced CU-SeeMe (July 1996) The 17th International Symposium on Lepton Photon Interactions
Formal Opening and Inauguration Conference Umeå University High Performance Computing Center North EnviroLink's CyberLithic Celebration featuring Vice President Al Gore
Survival Research Laboratories November 1995 Live SRL Crime Wave Show Hillside Fair 1994

MATCHMAKERS
Find your true love or just someone to chat with. These are message boards for CU users looking for other CU users.
CONNECT Romance Services The CUSeeMe Matchmaker Chatpal CU-SeeMe Directory
Don's World CU-SeeMe, NetMeeting, VDOPhone CU-SeeMe Meeting Place at Rocketcharged's CU-SeeMe Cool Site

SPORTS AND RADIO

Not much has been done with sports on CU. The live horse racing only lasted about a month. "Da Sports Show" combined sports and radio on CU making this a convenient way to combine two different groups of experiments.
Internet Night at Dodger Stadium Live Horse Racing (link is down)
Da Sports Show
The Roger Hedgehock ShowSan Diego Talk Show Host KLBJ-FM Live, 24 hours a day, from a radio station in Austin

ART EXPERIMENTS
CU is a natural place to try experiments in visual art. This grouping has a wide variety but very few current experiments. Flyvision has a sign-up form if you are interested in creating your own art experiment. Email me if you have an idea and need a partner.
Sands in TimeDocklands, London, UK Favela They call themselves 'interventionists' Dreamon multimedia interaction Navigating Digital Culture "Getting In Touch With Chicken" SITO/PANIC Live image manipulation
Internet Living Theater in Beta Hosted by Open Book Systems KidCast For Peace a GSN project the_living a digi-persona Cyberia Internet TV Spectacle of the BizzartThe Bloomsbury Theatre, London UK
Sign up form for Flyvision/ Collaborative Internet Art HEAT Reflector dedicated to making art with technology

CONCERTS AND PARTIES

Concerts and parties are good excuses to get together and chat. Audio is still unreliable on CU so many of the concerts were 'one-way' broadcasts with only the performers using audio. The concert-goers could still chat and see each other. Parties, however, can take place without audio. Based on the dates of the most recent experiments, parties are still being held on CU while concerts seem to have moved on to webcams.
Internet Record Release Party! Furnace Records The Mega Music Dance Experience Interactive Healing in the Heartland Oklahoma City Fairgrounds The V.A.R.I.O.U.S. Media Ink Creativity Cafe Previous Events by The Eden Matrix Concerts, art, and interviews
Renhornen Big Band Umeå University Abbey Road Cyber Cafe Live Broadcasts Recording Artist: mjk recording sessions Wyeside Arts Centre uses CU as a back-up to RealVideo broadcasts Internet Auction by Utopia.com
Keg Tapping at Avalanche Brewing Co Halloween Party at CU-Central Stand-Up NY Online: Live Comedy on the Net by Farago (link is down) cyberdelic95 I am not sure what this was Angus Owens/CU addict celebrates his 80th birthday online
"LET'S NOT WATCH THE GAME" Superbowl Party Halloween Party Ohio University

EVENTS SCHEDULES

Some of these pages are strictly lists of events, some are message boards where information about events can be posted along with other CU-SeeMe news.
ImeetU - For CU-SeeMe, iVisit and NetMeeting CU-SeeMe Online Events Calendar White Pine The NCATSU CIT CUSeeMe Reflectors Schedule CU-SeeMe-Network Message Board primarily technical messages
CU-SeeMe.Net Message Board! primarily technical messages RocketCharged.com's CU SeeMe Cool Site Site has two boards Cuseeme.Central 5 different message boards Items of interest in the CU-SeeMe world Squeek's Message Board


FILE NOT FOUND

What does the future hold? Not all experiments were successful. Some participants have switched from CU-SeeMe to RealVideo or webcams. Some just disappeared. The reflectors listed may not be active all the time. Does this mean CU is less useful than the newer technologies? I don't think so. While these events come and go, the number of people using CU continues to grow. Perhaps they are attracted by its opportunity for spontaneity, or the heavy emphasis on group settings, or the lack of advertising banners. I know many who have been lured by the hope of sex and stayed for the friends they made. In spite of all the abandoned experiments and discontinued events, CU-SeeMe is still simply a great place to hang out!