Burning Man

[the Jester]

As usual at this time of year I ask: is anyone else on the boards going to Burning Man? If so we should try to hook up there! I've yet to meet anyone off the boards and I feel as though it's past time.

For those of you who don't know what it is, I can't even begin to describe it. Weird and fun! Strange lights and colors, lots of fire, fight in the Thunderdome (no really), play in the desert... It isn't a gaming thingy really but there are a lot of gamers there (actually a lot of everything weird is there!) I highly recommend it- well worth the price....

It's totally non-commercial, too; there's no vending allowed (although there is a cafe and you can buy ice).

If anyone's going lemme know...

 

[Darklance]

LOL. That is perhaps thee vaguest description I've ever heard. Only beaten by my friend who once tried to pull a "you know...stuff"

 

[the Jester]

Well, to give you an idea then... somewhere around 30,000 people get together in the desert in Nevada and build a city that lasts essentially a week. Before you get out there it's a flat playa plain, basically a dried-up prehistoric lake bottom. You bring everything with you, including your shade, cuz there isn't any out there.

And you play.

The center of the whole thing is The Man, who burns at the festival's climax. He's a wicker man, very large (different size every year) packed full of fireworks and explosives, lit up at night by neon tubes. It's spectacular... I wonder...

Nope. Last year there was a streaming webcast of last year's burn on itv.net but it's gone...

Well, anyway, people basically get creative and free and wild and crazy. There's... well... everything. Everything unusual, anyway. A few things I've seen at BM in years past:

-a gigantic (prolly 10' tall) head with three faces, one wood, one metal and one clay; the metal head cried tears of fire at night.

-pagan rock operas.

-Jesus races, where different Jesuses are chased through the desert by Roman soldiers, bearing huge wooden crosses.

-the biggest teeter totter ever.

-public sex.

-beer for jokes.

-the Thunderdome, like in Mad Max, where combatants go in and... well, do battle. "Two men enter, one man leaves!"

-life-sized labyrinths, tough to solve.

-an exploding oil derrick.

-robots that breathe fire.

-lasers drawing 2-mile-long pictures in the sky.

-people who'll fix your costume for you.

-alien chess.

-alien abductions.

-bikes with electroluminescent wire that looked like a galloping horse- its legs moved and everything.

-many flying carpets.

-Dr. Megavolt, who wears his special suit and does battle with the lightning itself from an 8' high Tesla coil.

-two fire-breathing dragons fight.

-feasting.

I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Well, no; you _can't_ get the idea without going there. The whole thing- everyone kind of vibrates together on the same frequency. There's a profound sense of community. I don't know what else to say about it....



I love Burning Man!

 

[Shard O'Glase]

Jester gives you just the good without any of the bad.

My personal pet beef is that you gets lots of people trying to be wierd just to prove I think to themselves that yes they still are different, and yes plenty of drunk and drugged people. Which can vary from cool to dude next time you puke can ya try to miss my feet.

It can be fun and I honestly suggest most people should go at least once if nothing else to see how the other side lives.(though I'd suggest not driving in groups so those who don't like it can flee to the safety of normal people) If your not into it though you can fall into a few groups of people 2 of which I see a bad. 1 group a the good group, they find a part of themselves they didn't know existed, and end up having a blast. Group 2 bad never gets into the groove, and basically wanders around thinking to themselves dear god what is that thing, group 3 also bad this isn't for them but a combination of drinking/preasure from friends gets them to do things that they really regret for a very long time.

 

[dagger]

Errr, sounds like High School!

Jester gives you just the good without any of the bad.

My personal pet beef is that you gets lots of people trying to be wierd just to prove I think to themselves that yes they still are different, and yes plenty of drunk and drugged people. Which can vary from cool to dude next time you puke can ya try to miss my feet.

It can be fun and I honestly suggest most people should go at least once if nothing else to see how the other side lives.(though I'd suggest not driving in groups so those who don't like it can flee to the safety of normal people) If your not into it though you can fall into a few groups of people 2 of which I see a bad. 1 group a the good group, they find a part of themselves they didn't know existed, and end up having a blast. Group 2 bad never gets into the groove, and basically wanders around thinking to themselves dear god what is that thing, group 3 also bad this isn't for them but a combination of drinking/preasure from friends gets them to do things that they really regret for a very long time.

 

[Taloras]

Hmm...Pagan rock operas? anything pagan, and i want to go....how much does it cost, and where is it? n/m...i couldnt get off work.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

Errr, sounds like High School!

Not quite that bad. Seriously you can have tons of fun if your into lets say an alternative lifestyle. I really do think though that lets put it this way, it's not for beginers. It's a city of wierd, and especially if you came with friends and 1 car escaping if you realize this isn't for me isn't as easy as stepping outside a club and catching a cab back home. For me I think it was fine I know waht I like and what I don't like and I can easily say no and walk away to my next amuzement. I know a few people who aren't as firm in thier ability to walk a way, and they got messed up because of it. They weren't really my friends so I don't feel too guilty for not sticking around and playing body guard, but I did feel sorta bad about it for a while. I'm I don't know getting old, growing up how ever you want to phrase it so it's lost it's appeal for me at least this year it has.

 

[dagger]

There is a mini Burning Man thing here in Austin that happens every year, though I dont know anything about it.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

There is a mini Burning Man thing here in Austin that happens every year, though I dont know anything about it.

I just want to know what is it with burning man and mini burning mans with hot locaitons. Cripes can't they put one where the temps are in the low 80's in summer at least. I'm not expecting nice cool 70's like here in SF but I hate sweating all day. At least nevada isn't humid, I've never been to austin so I don't know about that for there. But houston is just nasty in summer, san antonio wasn't bad while I was there hot as heck, but not to humind and that river walk thing was nice. Still it's in texas so I'm guessing at the least you got he in austin if not humidity as well.

 

[Warchild]

I just want to know what is it with burning man and mini burning mans with hot locaitons. Cripes can't they put one where the temps are in the low 80's in summer at least. I'm not expecting nice cool 70's like here in SF but I hate sweating all day. At least nevada isn't humid, I've never been to austin so I don't know about that for there. But houston is just nasty in summer, san antonio wasn't bad while I was there hot as heck, but not to humind and that river walk thing was nice. Still it's in texas so I'm guessing at the least you got he in austin if not humidity as well.

People are just crazier in the heat. I see that all the time when it gets hot around here (central New york) like it is now.