NoVa/DC area virgin burning in the new decade!

FrostyMan · Post by **FrostyMan** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 9:07 pm

Hey everyone! I'm Frosty from the Northern Virginia/Washington, D.C. area but, originally from Ohio. I've been aware of Burning Man for awhile however, after a rather rough summer, I decided I really need to make some changes in my life and BM seemed like a good place to begin that process. A few months ago I started doing some research and since then I have been....well obsessed I guess would be the best word. I have spent literally entire days doing research, coming up with ideas, and making plans for BM. I honestly have no idea why I want to go to BM so bad, I just know I HAVE to go (does that sound weird?).

Ever since I was young I have been fascinated with fire. It's amazing I never hurt myself actually. I love to play with LEDs and lights and I have a degree in electronics so even better (I'm a wizard with Parallax's micro controllers). What I'm really looking forward to is a chance to be myself in a environment that not only allows it but expects it. I've never really had a chance to do that.

Don't worry. I don't expect BM to be the answer to all my problems. I guess I'm not suppose to expect anything. I've spent most of my time and energy making plans to get there and survive and let what ever happens, happen. Unfortunately, all my money is going into a down payment for a house so I don't think I can make it to 2009

but come 2010 and beyond. I'M FUCKING THERE! I know, I know. I should go to a regional and find some people to tag along with but I'm kinda shy...painfully so when I first meet someone. I have a really hard time just walking up to people and starting a conversation. It's one of the things I want to work on at Burning Man.

I have a whole bunch of ideas I would like to run by you guys but that can wait for other posts.

Frosty

Post by **Elderberry** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 10:29 pm

Hey frosty, welcome to eplaya.

Do some more research and you will see that you can go on a tight budget; you should try to make it out in 2009 if at all possible.

I know one guy that literally came with what he could carry on his back. Not that it is the recommended method, but where there is a will, there is a way; and it sounds like it will be good for you.

JK

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 2:36 am

Hi, frosty!

Got any ideas on turning an LED into a light sensor?
I'm looking for maximum sensitivity to any light and low power consumption.

FrostyMan · Post by **FrostyMan** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 4:51 am

Yeah Jk, I've given it a good deal of thought and I suppose I could actually get there but I don't know if I would be any where near prepared enough to really appreciate it. I really dont know how I would get my shade structure and all the water I'll need in my little car an then try to drive the 3000 miles. If I wait till I can get a pick-up then I have plenty of room for a hexayurt and a few 10gal. Gatorade coolers. I dunno. I'm on my way out the door right now to go see family. I'll think it over while I'm there.

Gyre: I don't think to can make an LED detect light. It only emits it. You can use a photoresistor to detect light though.

http://www.parallax.com/Store/Component ... fault.aspx

If you use an array of them and some logic you can even tell what direction the light is coming from. I made a robot that would chase a flashlight around the floor. You should check out that website for a bunch of other things as well. The Boe-Bot is great for learning basic electronics and programing. Your head will be swimming with ideas for BM then.

cullen · Post by **cullen** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 5:14 am

i know how you feel i have to wait till 2010 too. but i think it will make it more fun cause i can spend more time getting ready.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 5:17 am

Some LEDs work in reverse to some degree, probably the basis for photodiodes and solar cells.
It's kind of an obsolete idea, but fine for what I have in mind.
I need fast response and good sensitivity and the ability to throw a contact.
Won't a photoresistor react too slowly?

Post by **Elderberry** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:17 am

FrostyMan wrote:Yeah Jk, I've given it a good deal of thought and I suppose I could actually get there but I don't know if I would be any where near prepared enough to really appreciate it. I really dont know how I would get my shade structure and all the water I'll need in my little car an then try to drive the 3000 miles. If I wait till I can get a pick-up then I have plenty of room for a hexayurt and a few 10gal. Gatorade coolers. I dunno. I'm on my way out the door right now to go see family. I'll think it over while I'm there.

Consider joining a theme camp. Much of the large items, like shade structure, will be provided.

JK

cullen · Post by **cullen** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:45 am

jkisha wrote:
FrostyMan wrote:Yeah Jk, I've given it a good deal of thought and I suppose I could actually get there but I don't know if I would be any where near prepared enough to really appreciate it. I really dont know how I would get my shade structure and all the water I'll need in my little car an then try to drive the 3000 miles. If I wait till I can get a pick-up then I have plenty of room for a hexayurt and a few 10gal. Gatorade coolers. I dunno. I'm on my way out the door right now to go see family. I'll think it over while I'm there.
Consider joining a theme camp. Much of the large items, like shade structure, will be provided.

JK

but how do you choose just one theme camp look how many there are.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 8:54 pm

FrostyMan wrote: and I have a degree in electronics so even better (I'm a wizard with Parallax's micro controllers).

Gawdammit, he's making me feel stupid. Let's scare him off with snark!

Artemis · Post by **Artemis** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 4:25 pm

Frosty Man -

You will never be prepared enough.....Don't be too hard on yourself the first year by setting the goal of being 'perfectly' prepared. For me, it wasn't the physical preparations that helped me appreciate it. You may find the same is true.

This summer was my first burn, and boy-oh-boy was I prepared. I practiced putting up my tent ahead of time, even bought myself a urinal so I could pee in my tent in the middle of the night, made arrangements to cover the mesh on tent...had great snacks etc.

I checked my luggage on the plane (which I never do, but it wasn't going to fit in carry-on)....and lo and behold, it NEVER arrived. My suitcase (with tent, sleeping bag, air mattress, urinal, clothes, etc.) flew from NYC to Los Angeles, Toronto, to Paris, NY, back to Paris, back to LA, then NY before it finally made its way back to me 6 weeks after the burn. Luckily the squishy stuff that I didn't want to get crushed (goggles, dust mask, hat) went on the plane with me and survived.

When I landed in Reno, in addition to picking up water, I got a cheapo sleeping bag and some socks and headed on out to the Burn. I wore my underwear around or used gifted sarongs for clothing. It all worked out.

Is this what I would recommend to newbies? No...but point being if you have done your homework and are "mentally" prepared, the rest will fall into place.

I'm glad that I took it easy the first year. I can't imagine trying to manage all that if I felt responsible to a camp or others. Next year I look forward to getting more creative on setting up the super-duper camp, volunteeering etc.

fciron · Post by **fciron** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 4:33 pm

Welcome to our mad, mad world, Frosty.

Your experience sounds pretty typical to me. The why question is seldom answered satisfactorily.

Check out your local area for regional burns or meet-n-greets. Having friends can help a lot with the small car issue.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 8:46 pm

Artemis wrote: I checked my luggage on the plane (which I never do, but it wasn't going to fit in carry-on)....and lo and behold, it NEVER arrived. My suitcase (with tent, sleeping bag, air mattress, urinal, clothes, etc.) flew from NYC to Los Angeles, Toronto, to Paris, NY, back to Paris, back to LA, then NY before it finally made its way back to me 6 weeks after the burn.

Dang, that's more travel than I did in the 90s!

FrostyMan · Post by **FrostyMan** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:35 pm

So I'm back from my trip. I was sitting around in my parent's trailer watching my family chain smoke and drink enough Pepsi to put a small horse in diabetic shock and came to some conclusions.
First, I don't want to sit around and just be sick, watch TV, and wait to die. I love my family but have drifted away from them over the years and have realized there is a whole big world out there and dammit I want to experience it.
Second, I'm going to BM '09. I won't be as ultra-mega prepared as I want to.... but fuck it. That will just be one of the many safety zones I will have to step outside of at BM, right? I will be able to bring enough shit so that I don't die. I can make a lean-to outta my car and some canvas tarps. I can get some collapsible water jugs and fill them up in Reno. I can get some MREs from the Army surplus store. And a friendly attitude and willingness to help others...well that's free, and I'm sure worth a lot more than anything I can pack in my Grand Am.
So here I come '09 burners. I'm breaking outta my shell. Kinda interested to see what is in there myself.

Boijoy · Post by **Boijoy** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 1:00 pm

you GO Frosty.. kick the mother fucker in the face !! yeah!!

&& you will be surprised how much you can fit into your car and how little you actually need on the playa. I would skip the MREs though.. they are nasty.
Just get some energy bars, jerky, and some canned stuff.

Those little tuna lunch kits are great and they come with everything. Watch the prep. thread closer to the burn for even better ideas for food and water on the go !!

Post by **Sham** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 1:40 pm

FrostyMan wrote:So I'm back from my trip. I was sitting around in my parent's trailer watching my family chain smoke and drink enough Pepsi to put a small horse in diabetic shock and came to some conclusions.
First, I don't want to sit around and just be sick, watch TV, and wait to die. I love my family but have drifted away from them over the years and have realized there is a whole big world out there and dammit I want to experience it.
Second, I'm going to BM '09. I won't be as ultra-mega prepared as I want to.... but fuck it. That will just be one of the many safety zones I will have to step outside of at BM, right? I will be able to bring enough shit so that I don't die. I can make a lean-to outta my car and some canvas tarps. I can get some collapsible water jugs and fill them up in Reno. I can get some MREs from the Army surplus store. And a friendly attitude and willingness to help others...well that's free, and I'm sure worth a lot more than anything I can pack in my Grand Am.
So here I come '09 burners. I'm breaking outta my shell. Kinda interested to see what is in there myself.

The next big step for you is to buy your ticket on January 14th. You should also keep in mind that Reno has every store imaginable. You can make lists of things that you want to buy there instead of schleping everything across the country. You can even buy a cooler when you get there. Every store prepares for the BM crowd and there are mounds of virtually everything you might need. Consider walking through some of these stores that are local to you and make lists of things you might need. You tend to be less hungry than you think on the playa, but plan for each meal. I tend to bring lots of crunchy snack bars, and give a lot away and end up bringing some home. Lunch is always something I can put in my backpack. Our camp prepares dinners, but I alway buy some cans of ravioli just in case I miss eating with the group, I can open the can and eat it cold. There are lots of lists of supplies on line, but don't go too crazy with every last detail. With the event 8+ months away, you can lose your mind trying to think of every "what if" situation. Start with the basics---tent, sleeping bag/air mattress and cooler and work outwards from there.
I am very excited to see you got the BM bug. Now just buy the fucking ticket! ....and oh ya---WELCOME!

fciron · Post by **fciron** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 3:16 pm

Yup, if you have a small vehicle, buy as much of your consumables as possible in Nevada.

You would be amazed how good an air temperature can of bar-b-q beans or ravioli tastes out there. I bet they're a lot cheaper than MREs too.

Boijoy · Post by **Boijoy** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 3:40 pm

or those cans of " Sweet Sue Chicken and Dumplings"!! yumm!! I don't even heat those up at home. oh,, and bring flour tortillas.
I'm sensing a thread drift... again.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 5:45 pm

Shambala wrote: You should also keep in mind that Reno has every store imaginable.

*fishy imagines stores*
The Vibrator Store with booths so you can see if the merchandise suits you.
The 24 hour thrift store
The Mormon underwear store.
The 10,000 blinkies emporium.

I really gotta stop over there next time I go through.

FilXeno · Post by **FilXeno** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 5:49 pm

theCryptofishist wrote:
Shambala wrote: You should also keep in mind that Reno has every store imaginable.
*fishy imagines stores*
The Vibrator Store with booths so you can see if the merchandise suits you.
The 24 hour thrift store
The Mormon underwear store.
The 10,000 blinkies emporium.

I really gotta stop over there next time I go through.

I think we have all of those apart from the Blinke emporium

Sail Man · Post by **Sail Man** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 8:03 pm

FrostyMan wrote:So I'm back from my trip. I was sitting around in my parent's trailer watching my family chain smoke and drink enough Pepsi to put a small horse in diabetic shock and came to some conclusions.
First, I don't want to sit around and just be sick, watch TV, and wait to die. I love my family but have drifted away from them over the years and have realized there is a whole big world out there and dammit I want to experience it.
Second, I'm going to BM '09. I won't be as ultra-mega prepared as I want to.... but fuck it. That will just be one of the many safety zones I will have to step outside of at BM, right? I will be able to bring enough shit so that I don't die. I can make a lean-to outta my car and some canvas tarps. I can get some collapsible water jugs and fill them up in Reno. I can get some MREs from the Army surplus store. And a friendly attitude and willingness to help others...well that's free, and I'm sure worth a lot more than anything I can pack in my Grand Am.
So here I come '09 burners. I'm breaking outta my shell. Kinda interested to see what is in there myself.

Woo Hoo!! That's the spirit brother

I used to have a 94 grand am, and I could pack the shit out of it, it had a hell of a trunk and even the back seat. What year is yours? Especially if your coming solo (didnt catch if you were/werent) you should be cool with roomage, especially if you end up joining a theme camp. A shelter seems to be the biggest occupier of space, and I saw many peeps with pvc strapped to their smaller cars. Consider a monkey hut, pvc and tarps. Another good resource besides eplaya (which will def ramp up with more ideas, tips etc closer to the burn) is tribe. Check out the 2009 Burning Man Virgins Tribe. Chock full of good ideas as you get closer to Burn time.
See if your local area has yahoo or google groups, they're a good source of meet n greets. If you need gear cheap, craigslist or freecycle.
OH, and btw....
Welcome Home

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 8:39 pm

Regarding this oft repeated advice to join a Theme Camp, I can tell of two success stories.

In 2007 I launched a Theme Camp, and I started a thread about it. Some total stranger in Wisconsin piped up and asked about joining us -- because... he had long been interested in our theme (Kinetic Sculpture Racing -- let me know when you get tired of hearing about it). He showed up in a tiny car and we supplied him with a bicycle from our loaner fleet. And based on this mutual hobby, we clicked fabulously. He even flew out here this Memorial Weekend and raced with us.

Lesson: Look for a shared interest and inquire with that camp.

The other example is from 2006 -- my first year. I was at exactly the same stage as Frosty is now -- poking around on ePlaya, trying to learn. I'm of Norwegian birth, and at some point I stumbled across a group of Norwegians who were planning to come to the burn -- they called themselves Camp Herring. Turned out, they had a friendly "war" going with Camp Apokiliptika. Lots of PhotoShop'ed "propaganda posters". After following this virtual contest of wits for a while, I just "had to" join the fray. I invented a persona of a double agent in the "war" and we had a blast. Almost needless to say, an invitation to join the camp followed.

Lesson: Same as above, but stepping it up to full blown artistic involvement right here on ePlaya. Not trying to brag (It ain't braggin' ifn it's the truth. -Will Rogers) -- just saying that there is room for almost any level of involvement right here on this forum. All you need to do is apply your imagination.

klondike_bar · Post by **klondike_bar** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 7:56 am

tip on the MREs...dont buy em.

They say that the canadian ones taste better then than the american ones, and i havent tried both. but i can onestly say that the canadian ones taste like garbage.

FrostyMan · Post by **FrostyMan** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 4:52 pm

gyre wrote:Some LEDs work in reverse to some degree, probably the basis for photodiodes and solar cells.
It's kind of an obsolete idea, but fine for what I have in mind.
I need fast response and good sensitivity and the ability to throw a contact.
Won't a photoresistor react too slowly?

The ones I used I was able to sample at 1milisecond intervals and had a resolution in the thousands

And thanks for the heads-up on the MREs everyone. I think I can live on some Costco energy bars and canned stuff for a week. I had some MREs one time that weren't bad but I don't think they were G.I.

It's really good to see that everyone is so supportive here. My family would disown me (seriously!) if they knew I was even entertaining the idea of going to a place like Burning Man and my workmates are way too closed minded to even understand the idea. Now I just need to stay focused and not let Burning Man become a pipe dream!

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 6:45 pm

FrostyMan wrote: I had some MREs one time that weren't bad but I don't think they were G.I.

I don't see what to point of eating something that doesn't at some point become gastro-intestinal is.

FrostyMan · Post by **FrostyMan** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 7:03 pm

theCryptofishist wrote:
FrostyMan wrote: I had some MREs one time that weren't bad but I don't think they were G.I.
I don't see what to point of eating something that doesn't at some point become gastro-intestinal is.

Hehe. G.I. = Government Issued

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 7:10 pm

FrostyMan wrote:
theCryptofishist wrote:
FrostyMan wrote: I had some MREs one time that weren't bad but I don't think they were G.I.
I don't see what to point of eating something that doesn't at some point become gastro-intestinal is.
Hehe. G.I. = Government Issued

Ah. I thought GI in the states' sense. You know, gijoe.

Sail Man · Post by **Sail Man** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 7:20 pm

fciron wrote:Welcome to our mad, mad world, Frosty.

I think you forgot 2 mads, FC.

BTW it's been ages since I've seen that movie. You just don't see them anymore loaded to the gill with stars like that. Another one was Cannonball Run. sigh.....

Sail Man · Post by **Sail Man** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 7:25 pm

theCryptofishist wrote:I don't see what to point of eating something that doesn't at some point become gastro-intestinal is.

?? Fishy, were you loaded to the gills when you wrote this?

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 1:26 am

FrostyMan wrote:
gyre wrote:Some LEDs work in reverse to some degree, probably the basis for photodiodes and solar cells.
It's kind of an obsolete idea, but fine for what I have in mind.
I need fast response and good sensitivity and the ability to throw a contact.
Won't a photoresistor react too slowly?
The ones I used I was able to sample at 1milisecond intervals and had a resolution in the thousands

If you have a design, I'd be interested.
I want a reaction to any light for an alarm sensor in an enclosed storage area.
I need the lowest possible power consumption, as there is no grid current and I need to activate a contact.
I can use 6-12 volts, though 12 is most convenient.

They used to make these but they were primarily rate of change units and I don't need that.
I haven't seen one in ages though.

Even a one second response time would be adequate, but faster is better.

NoVa/DC area virgin burning in the new decade!

NoVa/DC area virgin burning in the new decade!

Re: NoVa/DC area virgin burning in the new decade!