The Big Hangup At Burning Man Is Cell Phones

Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes "L. J. Williamson writes in the LA Times that with no running water, no plumbing, and no electrical outlets Burning Man isn't the kind of place to expect full bars on your smartphone and for many of the participants that's a big part of its charm. 'If you want to partake in the true Burning Man experience, you should leave your phone at home,' says Mark Hansen. In past years, the closest cellular towers, designed to serve the nearby towns of Empire (population 206) and Gerlach (population 217), would quickly get overwhelmed each August when Black Rock City (population 50,000 or so) rose from the featureless playa. Although Burning Man attracts a sizable Silicon Valley contingent including tech giants like Jeff Bezos, Larry Page, and Sergey Brin — the feeling of being 'unplugged' has become an integral part of the Burning Man experience. But another part of the event is an intrepid, DIY ethos, and in that spirit, David Burgess, co-creator of OpenBTS, an open-source cellular network software, brought a homemade in 2008, an 'almost comical' setup that created a working cellular network that routed a few hundred calls over a 48-hour period. In each subsequent year, Burgess has improved the system's reach and expects to have about three-quarters of this year's event covered. Burning Man proved an ideal test bed for development of Burgess' system, which he has since made available for use in other areas without cellular networks. 'People who have a lot of experience in international aid say Burning Man is a very good simulation of a well-organized refugee camp,' says Burgess. 'Because there's no infrastructure, it forces us to contend with a lot of problems that our rural customers have to contend with in very remote places.'"

Vanity

[DNS-and-BIND]

What good is it going to "Burning Man" if nobody knows you're there? People can't survive a week without facebook and twitter, that's just being unreasonable. People need validation! And likes! And the fact that it's hard to get cell service just makes you even more special to have gotten your photos out! Imagine the look on your workmates' faces when you call..."Guess where I am!" If this were an underground event, nobody would bother attending. Where's the fun in nobody knowing that you're there?

Teathering is key.

[jellomizer]

If you have tethering you should turn it on, so others can mooch off your service. That way you can lower the cell traffic, and use your cell phone as a hand warmer.

Re:hidden smoldering man

[Anonymous Coward]

Somebody must've talked about Fight Club.

Re:Is

[Em Adespoton]

Actually, "The big hangups are cell phones" or "The big hangup is cell phone connectivity"

Nah; it's really "The big hangups are cell +++ATH0#$*(SD^F&*^ --NO CARRIER--

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I always heard that Burning Man was off the hook....

Re:If you have to have cell service

[Chris Mattern]

But if none of the poseurs showed up, the festival would be empty and then were would we be?

Burning mens' wallets

[JoeyRox]

Today's burning man is about as counter-culture as a midnight madness sale at Walmart. The only difference is Walmart doesn't charge admission.

Re:Vanity

[ArcadeMan]

Bitcoins

Re:If you have to have cell service

[TWiTfan]

I would just like to add that I was into that band before they got popular and went all commercial, and I don't even *own* a TV.

Re:Burning mens' wallets

[Anonymous Coward]

Burning man is a gay orgy sans the sex.

Re:Vanity

[Seumas]

I'd think the biggest hangup would be the stank of commercialized hippy and deadbeat.