Burning man starts today. Anyone from RPGC going?
(i would if i could 
but i dont live anywhere near black rock city :P)
HIPPIE!
What?
I second the “What?”
You’re fired.
What is that
Its a huge hippie party out in the desert, and they burn a straw man at the end or something…
Personaly, they should all get jobs! (Opens wall street journal)
Er what does IANAHCB and RTFM stand for?
IANAHCB: I am not a hardcore burner. Someone who goes to burning man but doesnt contribute. (tent-city or theme area sort of thing)
RTFM: Read the fucking manual!
And for those who dont know what burning man is, or maybe those who live outside of the US, burning man is a festival of the alternative. The site steve posted is god information, as it is official, but it kind of requires a prior knowledge. Burning man is held in the middle of the desert for 5 days. During these 5 days, many many people come. With so many people, many tents and other living areas go up. The desert becomes sort of a large city. Because of this, the desert area is called ‘Black Rock City’. In black rock city, like any other city, amenities are needed too. So burners (people attending burning man) contribute things to other burners. For example, there is a very famous tent called the Pancake Playhouse, where pancakes and syrup are served free to any burner. The communal nature of burning man, and the ‘burners supporting burners’ thing makes it seem very hippy. And uh, im not going to deny, it is a hippy fest.
But even if you’re not a hippy, its a blast to hang out in the desert for a few days with no rules, everyone helping everyone out, and everyone being totally cool to one another :P.
Oh, and its called burning man, because at the end of the 5 days, a very large effigy of a man is burned. Its not always made of hay, sometimes its neon lights, or other things. The man is huge, and sort of caps off the entire week at burning man. (i sort of also like to think of the name burning man meaning burning the man, like <i>the man</i> because everyone is totally cool and things are free but thats just my opinion)
Its almost impossible to explain burning man because you sort of have to have been to understand it. Im sure from my description it sounds hippy or lame, but its so not. Here are some pictures from last years burning man, you can check it out and get an idea of what ‘the man burns’ is all about.
(NSFW by the way, some nudity, but nothing pr0n like).
http://www.xeni.net/images/bm2003/burningman.php
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/document.cgi?f=/g/a/2003/08/30/burningman2003.DTL
EDIT: Ok, maybe i should also explain some of the things in the pictures.
Whats up with all the weird bikes and go-kart things?
Black rock city is fucking <i>huge</i> and its a desert. Its ridiculous to want to walk to everything, and most groups bring bikes and little cars to get around. Of course, you can rent a bike for free from the bike area, (another example of the burners supporting burners thing), and of course, you’ve got to design your bike man! Who wants to tool around the city in some stock huffy?
Whats up with the weird people?
Errr, i assume you’re referring to all the naked people. 1, its fucking HOT. 2, people like to do whatever they want and be their own person at the city, since they can. So if some people wanna be naked, hell, who am i to spoil their stay at burning man. Burning man is NOT a nudist fest or anything. People just happen to be nude.
Whats with all the weird costumes? I thought you said it was hot?
Its the fucking desert dude, of course its hot! But people like to contribute to the <i>experience</i> of being at burning man by dressing up and painting themselves. I cant really thing of a better explanation rather than, it contributes to the experience when you are riding a bike down the middle of the desert under the shadow of a 70 foot man, and you see a naked chick painted silver. It makes you feel like you’re somewhere different man
Whats with all the weird stuff lying around? I see a pirate ship and a building that looks a sumer temple?
Again, it contributes to the experience. Sure you could come and sleep in some coleman tent, but hey, wouldn’t it be even more awesome if you built a pirate ship and slept there? And maybe opened it up for everyone else to cool down in? Thats the whole contribution thing, helping everyone else out. Also, hey, its burning man, you cant just have a tent dude, you have to contribute!
Whats with some of the stuff? Art installations? Is it a show too?
Nah, i wouldnt say that. Of course, when i went i didnt pay much attention to that stuff, i stayed in center city. But the art installations contribute to the trippy nature of black rock city. I really dont know much about them cause i didnt see to many =\
I cant really think about anything else to answer. If you have any questions, i’ll answer best i can. Unfortunatly my burning man experience is limited i was a little scared to leave center city. :PP Next year dude, next year im going all out.
actualy, i’d be kinda cool to be nude for a week
Burningman would have been really cool to go to…much cooler that the 7 weeks I spent stranded in New York with practically no money, but hey, I made it out alive, which is a lot more than some people who have been stranded in New York can say for themselves. On a positive note, I left before the mindless Drivel known as the Republican National Convention came there. But I kinda wished I was protesting on the West Side Highway. And on another positive note, I helped out a lot of homeless people there.
now I’m just waiting for someone to call me a hippie…8p