Technology
The Burning Man Technology Team continued to grow and evolve in its
typically organic fashion throughout 2002. Just as the Burning Man
event had to rapidly improve and develop infrastructure to accommodate
the tremendous growth of the population of Black Rock City, the Tech
Team has had to rapidly improve and develop systems to accommodate the
growth of that infrastructure. The many departments within our
organization have different but overlapping needs for information
technology. Trying to meet all of these needs, minimize the
duplication of effort, and maintain as much interoperability and
intergroup communication as possible, proves to be no simple task.
This team has proven up to the challenge, with
significant accomplishments in many arenas, as a visit to the specific
reports of the Web Team, the
Database Team,
the
SysAdmin Team, and the
Extranet Team
will show. To address the ever-increasing scope and complexity of the organization's systems, we recently launched an Engineering Team, within which members of the
Database, Extranet, and Web Teams can coordinate their ideas and their
efforts. Look for a report from the Engineering team in 2003.
Another development of the past year is our deepening
understanding of the role that technology will play in the future of
Burning Man , both the annual event and
the year-round participant community. Burner
communities continue to spring up around the country and the world, as
is evidenced by the swelling numbers of our Regional
Contacts. They rely on the internet as a primary
tool for communication and connection. The Burning Man
organization recognizes this, and has made an increased
commitment to the establishment of community-related resources. 2003
promises to see a tremendous amount of activity toward this end, as we
move beyond the event and into the world.
On a more immediate level, the Technology Team made a recent attempt
to strengthen our own social connectivity in the form of a good
old-fashioned party. Timed to coincide with the San Francisco
Decompression event, we held our first soon-to-be annual Geek-Out-Freak-Out at
the Burning Man office. The event served as a thank you to the folks
who had been helping throughout the year, and as an opportunity for
new people to come and meet the team, to learn about the projects that
are underway, and, well, okay, to have a little fun, too. It was, by
all accounts, a big success, with upwards of 50 attendees throughout
the afternoon enjoying beer, food, live music, and each other.
Starting our "Burning Man year" in this manner has helped strengthen
the personal connections among the members of the team, which has
translated into an improved sense of collaboration and cohesion within
and between the various projects that are underway.
Submitted by,
Rob Miller
Technology Dept Lead
Click here to read the 2001 Technology report.