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2021. The Great Unknown Question...Can the Burner Culture survive a second year of going online, with no seminal, ritual event in-person? This is the week to find out! It is officially Burn Week, and Evan and Stever recommend everyone who reads and listens to this to jump online into one of six virtual worlds available to you. It's never been easier to get a taste of the Burn if you've always been curious! But will any virtual world be enough to keep the Culture-at-large going two years in a row? There are a few people who are still making their way out to the Black Rock Desert this year, but it's not an officially sanctioned event, and won't have the same support and infrastructure as the "official" event. So what does this mean for Burner Culture? What's it all about to have a physical place and time to go to create something together? And how might art projects be impacted by this? What does it mean to bring Art to an online venue vs a real-world venue? Lastly, let us know if you'll be checking out any of the worlds, and perhaps we'll see you there! Recorded: 22 Aug 2021 References & Resources: How To Access the Virtual Burn - This is a quick guide from the Burning Man Kindling platformMore Info on the Virtual Worlds - This is Burning Man's Kindling platform summary on the different worlds. JUST LET ME PICK A WORLD ALREADY - The starting virtual "Booth" to just get going. You will have to take 2 minutes to 'register' and get 'tickets': most are free but donations are encouraged!"Burning Man: Art on Fire" Documentary about professional and new artists creating and bringing their art to the PlayaVICE Article on "What is Burning Man without Burning Man?" - apparently we're not the only one's considering this question. Who would have thought it's not just according to us!Visit Census Camp! (this is a direct lin...uh err 'secret portal' straight to Census Camp so you don't have to take the ungodly 2 minutes to register or anything, but can just start playing in the Build-A-Burn world. But please do check out their camp, and answer their surveys while there!) Comments? Ideas? Connections? Get in touch! playaboys(-~atat~-)accordingto(-~dotdot~-)us It’s just according to us disclaimer: We are not a part of the official Burning Man Project 501(c)3 nor Burning Man Organization and so we don’t represent this larger legal structure and institution. The opinions are solely our own as merely two individual participants among a city of 70,000+ and a community of way, way more. You know…it’s just according to us…

DOUBLE HEADER! We're releasing Episodes 12 and 13 back-to-back since...well...it's been a while! Feel free to binge both, or ignore both, or pace it out...uh...one by one. This episode should give a feel for what 2021 could do for the Burning Man Community should Black Rock City get canceled again this year, or what it might look like while accounting for vaccines and COVID. Just over 6 months after our Debrief, and just under 6 (ok, technically 5 -- see the Countdown) months until...the Man burns?! Or will it?! Join us as we discuss the question on everyone's mind: What will become of Burning Man and Black Rock City in 2021? Stever talks about how his regional Burn -- Firefly -- has been canceled already, but that event usually happens July 4th weekend. Will the Burning Man Organization, the not-for-profit that provides the legal, coordinating, and fiscal infrastructure for Black Rock City follow suit? Can we trust BMOrg to make a safe, reasoned decision? How do the principles of Radical Self-Reliance and Civic Responsibility play out in this case, just as we've seen nations and other governing bodies wrestle with similar tensions? We take a small left turn to discuss the economy and its financial system and how that's intertwined with the pandemic and Burning Man considerations -- especially the ticketing system. Evan shares his strong opinions on if the decision should be yay or nayt-this-year and what other activities could be done. Whatever unfolds this year for Burning Man...it will be Terra Incognita: Unknown Land (the 2021 theme for the Burn). Recorded: 13 Mar 2021 References & Resources: Stever's Regional Burn: FireflyGoogle Fyre Festival for an example of Festival Fail"Black Lives Matter x Black Rock City" - The Intersection Podcast by KALWQue Viva Camp working to make Radical Inclusion mean Racial Inclusion"Burning Man's complicated relationship with the Black community" by Chinwe Oniah in SFGATEThe 2021 Theme: "Terra Incognita" = Unknown LandThe Official Countdown to when the Man will burn this year (on playa or virtually or otherwise) Comments? Ideas? Connections? Get in touch! playaboys(-~atat~-)accordingto(-~dotdot~-)us It’s just according to us disclaimer: We are not a part of the official Burning Man Project 501(c)3 nor Burning Man Organization and so we don’t represent this larger legal structure and institution. The opinions are solely our own as merely two individual participants among a city of 70,000+ and a community of way, way more. You know…it’s just according to us…

DOUBLE HEADER! We're releasing Episodes 12 and 13 back-to-back since...well...it's been a while! Feel free to binge both, or ignore both, or pace it out...uh...one by one. This episode should give a feel for what 2021 could be if we go back to a virtual Burn, based on our experiences in 2020. Maybe this episode would be like going through a black hole and coming out the otherside...only in this case it was a handful of black holes: all the multiple universes that were made available for 2020's Multiverse Virtual Burn. The Serendipity, Playa Magic, Exploration, and Community were alive and well as we all adapted to the digital dust. We give a special tip-of-the-hat to the virtual "Build-a-Burn" Topia Universe experience, and share stories of Secret Sock Drawers, Postal Services three layers deep, Consciousness perspectives from Hong Kong, and a growing Decentralized Dance Party. Special shout out to a listener (Hi Ryan!) for encouraging some more story sharing. And of course we get philosophical and opinionated asking "Should these virtual spaces stay 'open' (and possibly charge money in the face of the "Decommodification" principle?). A special thank you to all those teams who worked hard to bring these virtual worlds to perfectly imperfect fruition - so the community and culture could continue to co-exist. Recorded: 9 Sept 2020 References & Resources: Evan's "The Best Party at The Best Camp"Check out kindling.burningman.org to explore the multiverses and online community optionsThe Decentralized Dance Party"Build-a-Burn" on Topia Comments? Ideas? Connections? Get in touch! playaboys(-~atat~-)accordingto(-~dotdot~-)us It’s just according to us disclaimer: We are not a part of the official Burning Man Project 501(c)3 nor Burning Man Organization and so we don’t represent this larger legal structure and institution. The opinions are solely our own as merely two individual participants among a city of 70,000+ and a community of way, way more. You know…it’s just according to us…

Two humans reunite back in the same desert a year later. They've been creating a podcast cross-coast. But now they're back in Black Rock City and take an impromptu Art Walk together, documenting just a fractional iota of the art on playa, for our 3rd experimental episode (see Episode 7 and Episode 9 for our other experiments). They eventually make their way to the Man and continue some philosophical considerations of the 2019 theme: Metamorphoses. It's been often said Burning Man is a "transformational experience" and that one shouldn't be judged for who they are going into Burning Man, but who they are coming out of it... Recorded: 26 Aug 2019 References & Resources: Some of the art we came across (links will spoil/improve our verbal attempts to audibly describe what we saw. Look at your own risk...or...just...after you listen...)Chainsaw Portraiture by (we think) Glenn RichardsonFire Tornado as part of "No Place Like Home" by One Man DownPyramid with Swappable Words - (we can't find anything on this one! email us if you know and can provide appropriate credits!)Cloud Swing by Miracle Wonderland Carnival Screen repeater was "The TVs" by Steve LaBerge, Damon Koronakos and the TV Artists2019 Man Pavilion by Yelena Filipchuk and Serge Beaulieu2019 Theme: MetamorphosesMore on the Golden Spike at the center:"The Gold Spike" by Tony 'Coyote' Perez-Banuet (7 Mar 2017)"Golden Spike!" by The Hun (3 Aug 2005)Black Rock Desert can have water over the old lakebed!"Black Rock Desert is underwater..." in Reno Gazette-Journal (22 Mar 2017) About the Desert - BlackRockDesert.orgAbout the Desert - Bureau of Land Management Comments? Ideas? Connections? Get in touch! playaboys-~atat~-accordingto-~dotdot~-us It’s just according to us disclaimer: We are not a part of the official Burning Man Project 501(c)3 nor Burning Man Organization and so we don’t represent this larger legal structure and institution. The opinions are solely our own as merely two individual participants among a city of 70,000+ and a community of way, way more. You know…it’s just according to us…

Experimental Episode #2 (see "Ep 7: The Principle of Immediacy According to Us" for our first experimental auditory adventure)! Stever records his OMG Sale ticket purchase process and the considerations to make therein. He also discusses how his local regional Burn, Firefly, handles ticketing. Evan wasn't present during this recording, so he records his reaction upon hearing Stever's full recording. We connect some of our ticketing talk back to "Ep 5: The Principle of Radical Inclusion According to Us and Random" and how ticketing can impact who is able to come to Black Rock City. Who knew there could be different ways to engineer ticket sales? What's a fair way to do it? Should those who "participate" the most be assured tickets? And how does a ticketing system connect to voting systems? All the philosophical questions aside, if you're planning on going to the Burn, ya gonna need a ticket... Recorded: 31 Jul 2019 and 9 Apr 2020 UPDATE: Literally the day after Evan's separate recording, on April 10th, Burning Man Project announced it was cancelling building Black Rock City this year - 2020 - due to the Coronavirus Global Pandemic. The "Multiverse" theme for this year is instead moving...online, all virtually, and all are invited to contribute and attend...This is all happening on-the-fly. No ticketing procedures have been announced yet, but with >90% of Burning Man Project revenue from Ticket Sales, they are actively seeking donations to help weather this year...stay tuned... References & Resources: Burning Man Ticketing ProcessFirefly (New England Regional Burn) Ticketing ProcessYoutopia (San Diego Regional Burn) Ticketing ProcessFairVoting.org on types of voting systemsEqual.vote on the STAR voting systemi-Voting in EstoniaBurning Man Journal - Community During COVID posts Comments? Ideas? Connections? Get in touch! playaboys-~atat~-accordingto-~dotdot~-us It’s just according to us disclaimer: We are not a part of the official Burning Man Project 501(c)3 nor Burning Man Organization and so we don’t represent this larger legal structure and institution. The opinions are solely our own as merely two individual participants among a city of 70,000+ and a community of way, way more. You know…it’s just according to us…

We take a departure from all the philosophical principles talk to get down to practical business (though we guess this falls under Radical Self-Reliance...the principles! they cannot be escaped!). Tune in as we talk about transportation and packing considerations. Rental Car vs Burner Express bus? Pickup rental vs Minivan vs Moving truck? What about how to stay cool in the hot, hot desert? Plus get some recommendations and hear Stever explain his engineered packing system which takes some upfront effort, but saves time on playa. Or do things the Evan way - a couple of bags with all your $h!t. Oh and don't worry about bringing toothpicks.... Recorded: 10 July 2019 References & Resources: Official Burning Man Project Survival Guide - for 2019 Metamorphoses ThemeOfficial Burning Man Project Preparation Guide Comments? Ideas? Connections? Get in touch! playaboys-~atat~-accordingto-~dotdot~-us It’s just according to us disclaimer: We are not a part of the official Burning Man Project 501(c)3 nor Burning Man Organization and so we don’t represent this larger legal structure and institution. The opinions are solely our own as merely two individual participants among a city of 70,000+ and a community of way, way more. You know…it’s just according to us…

Stever was once told, "the burn you're going to have, is the burn you're going to have." We try to interpret this burner koan which speaks to the idea of being present and taking in whatever experience you find yourself in. Evan and Stever discuss some of the philosophical implications of this principle by applying it to our everyday digitally-deviced lives (did you get a notification already on your phone since reading this...?). We hear a short story about "good luck" and "bad luck" and then begin an experimental segment to our episode that tries to simulate what's it's like to be immediately present, and how and why that's relevant to Burning Man. Evan presents Stever with 3 art experiences at his "camp" but Stever can only pick 2 - one will be lost to time forever... Recorded: 15 May 2019 References & Resources: "Connectivity vs Immediacy" by John "Halcyon" Styn (8 Feb 2013)"Immediacy, Smart Phones, and the Death of Magic" by John "Halcyon" Styn (27 Jun 2018)"Immediacy and Impermanence" by Rosalie Fay Barnes (29 Oct 2014)"Technology and Immediacy at Burning Man (A slightly less than Socratic dialogue)" by Caveat Magister (18 Aug 2014)"Cultural Direction Setting: What We Heard" by BRC Cultural Direction Setting Group (19 Mar 2019) Comments? Ideas? Connections? Get in touch! playaboys-~atat~-accordingto-~dotdot~-us It’s just according to us disclaimer: We are not a part of the official Burning Man Project 501(c)3 nor Burning Man Organization and so we don’t represent this larger legal structure and institution. The opinions are solely our own as merely two individual participants among a city of 70,000+ and a community of way, way more. You know…it’s just according to us…

Black. Rock. CITY. Part of the whole point of Burning Man is this dynamic civic life that spawns once a year in the desert. Part of the whole point of the Burning Man Project and its extended community and culture is to bring that dynamic civic life back into local communities. So how might we be responsible citizens of Black Rock City and our home communities? Why, the principle of Civic Responsibility might just have some clues, and its enshrinement as a principle means we (well...most of us?) try to take our citizenship seriously and recognize we're part of something bigger, and that no, Burning Man is not just made for "you." It's made by "us." We cover a lot from the Latte Carpenters and Cacophony Society of Burning Man yesterdecades, to Adam Smith's desire for rules amidst liberties, how Safety Third is fun but not completely accurate, and the stellar civic service of the Lost & Found Team. We also touch briefly on the role of various state and local agencies like the Bureau of Land Management, who have jurisdiction over Black Rock City (in the Black Rock Desert), and talk about how Black Rock Rangers are a unique facet of civic life and the community. Stever brings up those damn "darkwads" again and we discuss the inherent tension between the individual and the collective. This ain't no "free-for-all" - this is Civic Responsibility. Recorded: 27 Mar 2019 References & Resources: "How The West Was Won: Anarchy Vs. Civic Responsibility" by Larry Harvey (Nov 2013)Black Rock City Rangers Official SiteLost & Found at Playa InfoJaywalking policies pushed by car industry (Vox, 2015)"Adam Smith was no Laissez-Faire Ideologue!" (Gutenberg College, 2013) Comments? Ideas? Connections? Get in touch! playaboys-~atat~-accordingto-~dotdot~-us It’s just according to us disclaimer: We are not a part of the official Burning Man Project 501(c)3 nor Burning Man Organization and so we don’t represent this larger legal structure and institution. The opinions are solely our own as merely two individual participants among a city of 70,000+ and a community of way, way more. You know…it’s just according to us…

Radical inclusion Evan and Stever? Instead of you two blabbering on and on, why not include someone else in your podcast finally! Answering the call, we bring on "Random" or Maher who's a long-time burner and part of key volunteer leadership with Census Camp. Tune in to hear us discuss this principle, within the context of data from Census Camp on the demographic makeup of the Burning Man community - age, race, education, income, etc etc. Per usual, we get into the nuances of this principle and discuss controversial ways this principles is used to accept or deny involvement on playa. We also talk about why there isn't more racial diversity on playa and its ties to economic considerations that privilege those with the means to get tickets and provide for themselves during a week off in the desert. We recognize we're three privileged dudes offering our perspectives here, so please see the references and resources links for some other voices on and around this topic. Recorded: 26 Feb 2019 References and Resources: The Official Census Team Volunteer PageOfficial Blog Posts by the Census TeamSweet, sweet, official Census Data"Burning Man's black campers explain why they are the 1%" by Steven W Thrasher (27 Sep 2015)"Is Burning Man becoming less overwhelmingly white?" by Steven W Thrasher (13 Sep 2016)"Ignore the Haters - I'm a person of color and love Burning Man" by Yodassa Williams (7 Sep 2016)"GLC: Burning Man - A HUEman Experience Explores Diversity in BRC" by Kenny Reff (23 Jun 2016)"This is What a Real Diversity Conversation Looks Like" by Caveat Magister (10 Apr 2017)Project Radical Inclusion's Website and HistoryVIDEO: Burners of Color Talk Radical Inclusion by Project Radical Inclusion (23 Jun 2016)VIDEO: The Kids of Burning Man by Project Radical Inclusion (4 Apr 2016)VIDEO: Bringing the lessons of Burning Man to the World by 9 year old Julia Wolfe at TEDxYouth@ABQ (22 Dec 2014) Comments? Ideas? Connections? Get in touch! playaboys-~atat~-accordingto-~dotdot~-us It’s just according to us disclaimer: We are not a part of the official Burning Man Project 501(c)3 nor Burning Man Organization and so we don’t represent this larger legal structure and institution. The opinions are solely our own as merely two individual participants among a city of 70,000+ and a community of way, way more. You know…it’s just according to us…

Science seems to suggest the Self is an illusion, but that doesn't stop us from feeling like we need to express that Self! Especially when it comes to the authentic self-expression that happens at Burning Man and that is extolled throughout the Burning Man Project culture and community. No one principle reigns above the others though, so we consider some of the tensions between this principle and others...for example how one person's "I have a right to express myself by not wearing lights at night!" might run up against some safety concerns for fellow participants and community members. We talk about the Baker Beach roots of this principle in the Burning Man community, how anonymity likely contributes to your freedom to self-express, and if and how Burning Man is the Libertarian dream. So whether you're a fan of a steampunk aesthetic, other clothes, or no clothes - or if you have other ways you radically self-express your authentic self and gifts - give us a listen! Recorded: 05 Feb 2019 References & Resources: "The therapeutic power of Radical Self-Expression" by Caveat Magister (29 Dec 2014)Cheryl Richardson - the life coach with a story about fear of designing your nails"What it's like to visit Burning Man for the first time" by Zoë Bernard (18 Sep 2018) - an article Stever finds to miss the point as a media spectator viewpointA Reddit conversation about handing out lights to darkwads Comments? Ideas? Connections? Get in touch! playaboys-~atat~-accordingto-~dotdot~-us It’s just according to us disclaimer: We are not a part of the official Burning Man Project 501(c)3 nor Burning Man Organization and so we don’t represent this larger legal structure and institution. The opinions are solely our own as merely two individual participants among a city of 70,000+ and a community of way, way more. You know…it’s just according to us…

Commodification - the act of making something packaged, sellable, and exchangeable. In our global economic system there's a lot of this. Like a lot a lot. Like the growth of the global economy seemingly depends on this. Like even the listen data on this podcast are probably getting commodified right now by whatever app you're using into something that can be bought and sold to help "better" market to you... SO - let's do the opposite of all that and DEcommodify! That's right, decommodification is one of the Burning Man Project's 10 Principles and we're going to jump straight into it. Hear us consider how this idea plays out on-playa and off. We talk about swimsuit copyrights, fishing net innovations, cerano-de-burgeac-esque costuming, discuss plug-&-play camps, family picnics, and more! How does this fit in with "you" - yes "you" and also "you" - and how does decommodification help make Burning Man...well...Burning Man? Recorded: 12 Dec 2018 References & Resources: (Non) Newsflash: Burning Man Is Not a Backdrop for Your Product by the Burning Man Project (31 Jan 2019)"What does it mean to have decommodification as a principle?" by Caveat Magister (13 Feb 2014)"Before Decommodification, There Was Once a Merch Table in Center Camp" by Rusty Blazenhoff (11 Aug 2018)"'Decommodification' and 'Cultural Appropriation' – two great conversations that go great together" by Caveat Magister (17 Jan 2017)"Decommodification: A Teachable Moment for People Who Make Playa-Ready Stuff" by Burgundy Morgan (6 Jun 2017)"Decommodification Reminder" by John 'Halcyon' Styn (9 Aug 2018)"What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets" book by Michael J. Sandel (2012) Comments? Ideas? Connections? Get in touch! playaboys-~atat~-accordingto-~dotdot~-us It’s just according to us disclaimer: We are not a part of the official Burning Man Project 501(c)3 nor Burning Man Organization and so we don’t represent this larger legal structure and institution. The opinions are solely our own as merely two individual participants among a city of 70,000+ and a community of way, way more. You know…it’s just according to us…

In a desert, it helps to orient yourself so you can get a sense of what's what, and where's where: North, South, East, West - Sun, Shade, Water, Places to go to the bathroom. Here we orient our podcasting journey by laying out some definitions of words you may have heard being used to describe Burning Man. Is it a "city"? Is it a "festival"? Is it an "intentional community" Is it a "playground"? We also talk about Burning Man culture at-large, what it means to be in a transient, temporary "city", and read the definitions of the 10 Principles. These cultural Principles emerged from the Burning Man Project after 18 years of it just being a thing that people made happen. Join us for this episode as we try to be a little more nuanced and discursive than "thing that people make happen." Recorded: 14 Nov 2018 References & Resources: Official Burning Man Blog Articles on the 10 Principles2019 Burning Man Theme Announcement: Metamorphoses2018 Burning Man Theme Reflection: I, Robot - "'Artificial Intelligence' Was Never About Intelligence – Conclusion to the I, Robot Series" by Caveat Magister and "flow state" comment by CyrusV (13 Aug 2018) Comments? Ideas? Connections? Get in touch! playaboys-~atat~-accordingto-~dotdot~-us It's just according to us disclaimer: We are not a part of the official Burning Man Project 501(c)3 nor Burning Man Organization and so we don't represent this larger legal structure and institution. The opinions are solely our own as merely two individual participants among a city of 70,000+ and a community of way, way more. You know...it's just according to us...