Problem of Vanishing Street Signs after the Man Burns - WTD?

Gizmo · Post by **Gizmo** » Sun Oct 03, 2004 6:15 pm

For you newbies out there, here is a sure-fire way to find your camp after the street signs are gone. On Friday, go to center camp. Face center camp
with your back to the Man. Note whether your street is to the right or left and how many blocks from Center camp. Go to your street and note how
many blocks back to your camp. Let's say you are 3 blocks to the right and 4 blocks back. Take a black magic marker and write "right 3, back 4"
on your forearm.
On Saturday night, after the Burn and the afterburn festivities, go to Center Camp. Face Center Camp with your back to the smoldering
heap that used to be the Man. Look at your forearm. Ask yourself, "what the hell is this shit on my arm?"
Sleep on the couch at Center Camp.
The next morning, look for your friends in the coffee line. Follow them back to your camp.
Works every time!

MoisturePup · Post by **MoisturePup** » Mon Nov 22, 2004 12:35 pm

Gizmo wrote:For you newbies out there, here is a sure-fire way to find your camp after the street signs are gone. On Friday, go to center camp. Face center camp
with your back to the Man. Note whether your street is to the right or left and how many blocks from Center camp. Go to your street and note how
many blocks back to your camp. Let's say you are 3 blocks to the right and 4 blocks back. Take a black magic marker and write "right 3, back 4"
on your forearm.
On Saturday night, after the Burn and the afterburn festivities, go to Center Camp. Face Center Camp with your back to the smoldering
heap that used to be the Man. Look at your forearm. Ask yourself, "what the hell is this shit on my arm?"
Sleep on the couch at Center Camp.
The next morning, look for your friends in the coffee line. Follow them back to your camp.
Works every time!

Stop this crazy talk! Your way with it's sensicalness is sure to get in the way of my Britney Spears (sponsored by PEPSI: THE CHOICE OF A NEW GENERATION) conert.

baker · Post by **baker** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 8:10 pm

getting lost in brc is the only way to go isn't it. The thrill of the unknown and the adventures that arrive due to being lost, I wouldn't trade them for the world. I challenge people to forget direction/time/plans and experience brc to its fullist.

Observer · Post by **Observer** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 8:37 pm

Ivy wrote:
How's this for an idea, somebody should just hand write the street names onto the wood polls that signs are on. DWP could do it when the put the permanent signs up. It's a simple solution.
If it's so simple, why does DPW have to do it?

Surely you jest? 30,000 culture jammers in one place, and you want to dangle a tempting opportunity like that in front of all of them? Imagine the confusion one could create by deliberately mislabeling the signs.

Bigger problem: One could simply chop down the post closer to ground
level, and walk off with that, leaving a stump ready to open up somebody's leg in the dark.

If you were really feeling mean, one option would be to run an insulated power cord up and down the side of the post, being sure to announce that one was doing this to all arriving, so as to not leave oneself open to a lawsuit. If somebody wants to ignore the warning and cut away, I'm sure a few amps worth of current will give him (or his next of kin) something to think about.

When the time comes for DPW to take down the remaining posts, just disconnect the cord from the nearest generator. Oh, and obviously make sure to have some kind of resistive load on the circuit the cord is on, so you don't short-circuit the generator.

obscurotron · Post by **obscurotron** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 10:47 am

[quote="butterscotch"]After the man fell... it was disorientating...

[b]Problem:[/b]
Having Most of the Street signs stolen (souvenirs?) right after the Man fell made it even more so.

<Tired + Ecstatic + Possibly drunk/other = Death to directional abilities>

Our groups had a heck of a time turning down the right streets/finding events without those signs for the rest of the time there.

[b]Possible Solution(s):[/b]

-Asking people/publishing online and in the Survival book to Please not steal the road signs.
Most of the people I met was very respectful of people's safety/sanity. Knowing that keeping these signs up would help with that could help protect them.

-Maybe have a "Please do Not Steal this Sign (until Monday night?)" message on them.

-Having temporary signs ready to put up just in case?

-Or maybe asking if you see a close-by crossing without a road sign to put up your own. Saw a few terrific home-made setups.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Thanks!
~Aimless[/quote]

Yes, it is very annoying. Especially when you find one about 250 yards *outside* the event perimeter and have to drive it (and a stake with a chunk of the trash fence still attached) back INTO the event and give it BACK.

FWIW, the sign in question was the 6:00 & Hysteria sign. No sock puppet here.

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 12:25 pm

A friend and I had a discussion about this a couple nights ago. He's a multi-year veteran like me and had this suggestion:

Mount the street signs on the lantern spires. Those things are twenty feet high and the effort of getting up there alone would be a deterrent. Make the street signs as usual, and clip them to the spires; take them down at the end of the week and recycle for next year (at least the spoke streets).

It needn't increase DPW's workload appreciably; the street sign committee could do it. Save placing the signposts, solve the problem of street-sign stealing, get a little more mileage out of the lantern posts. And before anyone sneers at me about passing the buck, I'm making plans to join Lamplighters nect year.

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 3:14 pm

A VIRGIN burner in my camp obviously got the spirit because she said to me on Sunday morning, "Next year we should bring some crude signs to put up after the signs are stolen." Personally, I wrote the intersection name on a piece of metal that was sticking out of the ground at our nearest intersection in hopes people could find their way around better.

DrWindyPhd · Post by **DrWindyPhd** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 7:28 pm

I like that the signs disappear. It's a mindfuck and it's fun, and a cool way of meeting people as you try to figure out where you are.

And also, yay for Uberman.

mars · Post by **mars** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 12:03 am

I'm with Dr. Windy.

dj big E · Post by **dj big E** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 9:12 am

Hopefully when the stret signs are gone the real emergency's only happen to the people that stole the signs. You no the heart attacks the seizures the person down and the unconcious. hopefully when this happens the rangers, the med staff, remsa , fire, blm will be able to find you. When i start at the esplenade i can find my way anywhere in the city but when you're in the middle and you get a call it can be a whole different story. So like i said when the signs are gone hopefully the people that stole them will have the real emergency's . Quick response is the key to most emergencys brc emergency services has a super fast response time faster than most major city's. The average in a major city is 8 minutes in brc i would guesstimate 4-6 minutes. Anyways back on task here so when somebody expires because emergency services couldn't get there 2 minutes faster i hope you enjoy your sign fucko. DJ BIG E QRV#9

mars · Post by **mars** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 10:11 am

Okay, I know I'm gonna get flack for this, but....

I don't expect emergency services to be able to help me when I am camping in the middle of the desert, even if it is at a big public event. If I am hurt, of course I would like the help, and I think emergency services do a FANTASTIC job at the event, and have even had my life SAVED by them ('04 RV fire--I was parked in the neighboring camp) due to their quick and prepared response. BUT, I don't expect it. AND if I died on the playa, my friends and family can know i died happy. Of all places to die, I would consider that one the best. (No, I'm not suicidal.)

I'm not one of the sign-takers. But I see the sign removal as one of the first things after the burn that indicates Black Rock City is beginning its disappearing act. I like the disorientation and the reminder that this is all temporary. I think it helps us all pack up and start to go home.

Like I said, I wholly appreciate the emergency services and I also appreciate dj big E's passion and dedication to the job, seriously, I do. But we aren't in a big city, we're in a big desert, and after a week, or more if you're lucky, of awesome organization and services, it's time to go home.

Neon

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

dj big E · Post by **dj big E** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 11:35 am

No flack from me. lol Grrrrrrrrrrrrr

mars · Post by **mars** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 12:20 pm

Okay, well now the flack is gonna be from my boyfriend...

No flack from me. lol Grrrrrrrrrrrrr

You're cute!

horseradish · Post by **horseradish** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 5:01 am

DJ big E is right. Rightly or wrongly Burning Man is growing and, with 35,000 participants, is becoming a major public event as well as a major city.

It's hilarious that the signs disappear, and "way cool" that the street layout starts to dissolve after the burn... UNLESS you or one of your friends is involved in a critical incident.

Then (and I have witnessed someone in a near-death accident on the playa) you have only one thought... and that is "where are the paramedics". The ha-ha clever art prank suddenly seems less amusing and interesting when you witness someone who would, without urgent assistance from paramedics, likely die or be permanently injured. There's a reason why the street zoning was created - and much though it's not crazy and zany and artistic and Burning Man wild, someday you might come to thank that it was created.

People who steal the signs are selfish and they haven't given a single moment's thought to anyone but themselves. That is NOT the spirit of community, and it's NOT the spirit of Burning Man.

Lassen Forge · Post by **Lassen Forge** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 8:29 am

(Exchanging my OD top for my yellow one for a sec...)

Fortunately, we have the street layout down pretty well by burn night. Plus, we have our own landmarks we go by. Then there's street counting - an ancient and acclaimed ritual whereby if you have *one* coordinate (say the big blue cross over station 9, for example) you can count your way to where the incident is... even if it's at 1:30 inbound (towards the man) from the Esplanade, or 4:30 about halfway out past walk-in in the open playa.

One other thing - both the rangers and ESD (thanks to the rangers) have laminates of the city layout with us. IF you can tell us where your camp is (or was), we can show you where you are and how to get to X. And we also have a gridded-out map of the city that stays up until the cows come home (or at least the radios go off) showing which camp is where.

And now you know... the rest of the story. <<grins>>

BB (exchanging her yellow top for her OD one once again)

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 9:40 am

dj big E wrote: hopefully when this happens the rangers, the med staff, remsa , fire, blm will be able to find you. When i start at the esplenade i can find my way anywhere in the city but when you're in the middle and you get a call it can be a whole different story.

I've done runs as a medic before the street signs are down and it's still hard. Look for the purple dome or something and they get the street corner wrong a lot. After the signs went we had people stopping at the 9;00 med station asking where they were--sometimes they didnt' know radial from circumfral.
I'm torn on this issue. Map not terrritory v. people really get hurt.

theMrFishist would like to see the signs attached with screws not nails. It would slow they time to take one down, plus limit the suvineer hunters to those with tools.

robbidobbs · Post by **robbidobbs** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 12:10 pm

For next year we can promote the idea that those who live on corners put a cardboard sign with the street names on it. Nuthin fancy, just help me with a place to start so I can count streets.

This would also prevent the incessant requests to those on corners: "Where am I?"

Hell, what about the addage: If you discover a problem, it becomes your responsibility to try to solve it. So I'll just try to remember for next year to do this. Go corner to corner until I find a corner-camp-participant to help me get them up.

Not that I'm writing this down in concrete, but the concept is going out there now so we can all help get this problem cured.

Supplies to bring next year: thick sharpies and wire. Cardboard is plentiful.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 12:11 pm

That's a go on the wire. When I was trying to put up cardboard signs with duct tape the wind would not cooperate.

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 12:14 pm

We marked our intersection (there was a piece of metal something or other sticking out so we just wrote the intersection name on it).

robbidobbs wrote:Supplies to bring next year: thick sharpies and wire. Cardboard is plentiful.

This sounds like another "project" like the potty project. I'll pick up the coordination on this one if no one else does. I'm imagining something as simple as an "adopt an intersection" setup (like the "adopt a highway" setup).

dj big E · Post by **dj big E** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 12:20 pm

I for one am going to do my corner on day one. I will be designing something to go over the top of the ever dangerous corner marker thus eliminating two problems with one fix. I will have a street sign as well as corner stake marker preventing injuries and also marking the corner.If nobody minds i will booby trap said sign with some explosives lol you steal it you blow up 5- 10 seconds later this way they will not become a pile of moop in front of my camp lol. BIG E

robbidobbs · Post by **robbidobbs** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 12:35 pm

DallasPlaya wrote:This sounds like another "project" like the potty project. I'll pick up the coordination on this one if no one else does. I'm imagining something as simple as an "adopt an intersection" setup (like the "adopt a highway" setup).

Yay!
Thanks DP.

Nitevenus · Post by **Nitevenus** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 7:55 pm

Signs gone after the burn?? Try Wednesday, 12 noon, "hey, was that 8:30?? Oh, crap, back this rig up."......beep, beep, beep.

Just when our camp was getting used to the condition of Bi-Polar, someone decided we should be bi-sexual. You may toy with my emotions but leave my sex alone!

Post by **AntiM** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 7:55 am

Okay, so this thread is old, but I had to find somewhere to post this bit of ugliness on ebay:

http://tinyurl.com/ydumcz

Not only is this dip selling street signs, he didn't even get GOOD ones! I did send him a snarky remark. Anyone remeber who handles this type of thing at bmorg? I've quite forgotten.

mars · Post by **mars** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 8:15 am

I sent him a snarky remark too!

Post by **AntiM** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 8:57 am

Heh, I forgot to tell him he wasn't a REAL burner, did you?

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 9:20 am

Too bad I don't have $36 to spend for the privledge or ruining his 100% favorable rating.

"Cheezy discription that objectifies the event" or something.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 9:21 am

I got into the adopt a intersection this year. Had blank signs and light wire. By the time I got to the intersection two sets of signs there. Lets keep the adopt an intersection alive thro the year. One sign was gone on Tue. It was by a loud camp in the 9:00 keyhole.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 11:40 am

I've filed a complaint with ebay for sale of stolen property.
And I applaud the dpw for making it harder to steal the signs.
The breakaway approach seems to work sometimes.

Remember, next year we only have to kill one of these guys.
Just one! And then make sure everybody knows about it.
Then they'll knock it off.

Just one!

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 3:34 pm

gyre wrote: Remember, next year we only have to kill one of these guys.
Just one! And then make sure everybody knows about it.

I suggest selling the corpse on ebay.

dadinpain · Post by **dadinpain** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 4:30 pm

I just contacted this clown too and this was the response I got back from him:

Response from hmarko_2
hmarko_2( 2)
Positive feedback: 100%
Member since: Mar-08-06
Location: OR, United States
Registered on: www.ebay.com

Item: BURNING MAN memorabalia--actual parts of street sign (150047498353)
This message was sent while the listing was active.
hmarko_2 is the seller.

I'm sure multiple police agencies will descend upon your home and haul your sorry ass into the night if there's even a suggestion you might be in possession of something this valuable. The picture is all the 'description' you need. Bid on these items if you want them. Otherwise, please don't waste my time.

If we all post question about stolen property, Im sure e bay will remove his account. LOL what a dork.

Later Gator Dad

Problem of Vanishing Street Signs after the Man Burns - WTD?

Re: Problem of Vanishing Street Signs after the Man Burns -

Your friend

lol

Re: Your friend

hmmmmm

We only have to kill one of them.

Re: We only have to kill one of them.