There are trends at Burning Man. For example, a long time ago, LEDs on the Playa were softly bright and quite magical, as each LED required expert and patient soldering. This year, cheap Chinese strips consisting of hundreds of LEDs blanketed Black Rock City. I saw strip lighting on bicycle …
In Reno, first a woman outside a diner and later a guy in a gas station asked Greg and me, “How was Burning Man?” How did they know we went? Oh, the dirty car, the dusty clothes, the colored hair, and the weary mirthful expressions. I used to rail against …
Like levels in a role-playing game, there are stages to attending Burning Man. A great generalizer, I enumerate these stages as follows: Beginner (2-4 visits) At Black Rock City, everything is unexpected and overwhelming–the lights, the scale, the crazy people–and most of all, the environment. Days are scorching: August in …
Top 10 moments at Burning Man 2014 I brought a camera to the Playa but did not take pictures. I have 10 memorable images still left in my head: 10. Rain Over the years, I have spent an aggregate of fifteen or more weeks in Black Rock City. I have …
I return from Burning Man. Yesterday, we rose at 5am before sunrise in the dark desert to beat the exodus traffic out of Burning Man. We reached the exit gate without delay. I struggled to stay awake. Greg and I drove for 10 hours from Black Rock City, Nevada to …
I leave in one hour for my twelfth trip to Burning Man. What does the desert hold on journey number twelve? I still have much to learn. Burning Man is a social crucible whose main business is people: how to greet strangers, how to pick up lovers, how to calm …
On the way to the grocery store, I walked by an inquisitive gentleman. When I exited the store, the inquisitive gentleman asked if I had a minute. Of course I do. He resembled a tropical Wilford Brimley in an Aloha shirt and gray mustache. Wilford told me that he just …
No longer for dirty desert hippies, Burning Man is expensive. Entrance ticket: $400. Parking: $60. Camp dues: $250. Trader Joe’s food: $150. Reno hotel rooms before and after the festival: $150. Camping supplies, electrical sundries, project pieces: probably another $200. Total: $1200. A Visa credit-card advertisement would end this rant …
I post these essays a month late. Although I write everyday, I age each essay for a month before reviewing, editing, and posting. Editing is as important as the original writing. After I wrote two books, I recognized my tendency to the verbose. I clutter with unnecessary phrases that halt …
I heard of the man who stopped working at work. A friend works for a large Bay Area science company. His boss recently assigned him three employees to help him on an ongoing project. This friend vetted two of the underlings as hopeless but has high hopes for the third. …