The Reality of Waking Dreams: Black Rock City 2022

Our goals were simple: make it to playa, setup, run, and make it back home with relatively little downtime. The aim was no major system malfunctions, no issues that would take the Gecko our for several days, and getting our Day and Night licenses without a hitch. To some this may sound easy. But, in Black Rock City where the trek to get there is through the daunting Donners Pass, once on playa the conditions are some of the harshest with winds, heat, and limited supplies — it is something of a feat.

But, everyone came together and made that dream a reality. We arrived and didn’t need to have the second crew bring more parts because everything was assembled and there, all the systems worked, and by Sunday we were licensed for day and night despite nearly getting stuck in a sand trap on the way to the DMV.

We celebrated.

That night, Sunday, the same day the gates opened — we took the Gecko out. Everyone from camp came. And the rest of the playa was out, it felt like a bumping Friday so many people were out. The energy was high. You could feel the energy of all the veteran and new burners that have been cooped up for a few years ready to be connected to this unique community once again. They were basking in the kindness, novelty, childlike wonder, and the world of waking dreams that is created for 10 days once a year.

Other vehicles were licensed and out too but not that many. The party came to us early in the week and followed us around. It was magical. People eagerly jumped aboard, danced on the poles, played music, and danced for hours.

It’s the joy that TechnoGecko brings to other burners in moments like those that make all the hard work all year round worth it. Our happiness on playa comes from bringing joy to others.

But, as is always true, we did had a few technical difficulties throughout the week. Nothing we didn’t manage but still things that will inspire another round of engineering upgrades and redundancy planning but — that’s part of the fun. We’re dreamers, builders, and enjoy problem solving.

Having a mutant vehicle on playa isn’t easy. This year alone we had:

• Sliced charging cable

• Wifi connector for the music finally started to degrade — caused issues with the sound cutting out between vehicles unless the vehicles were wired together (dangerous) or were VERY closed (<10 feet)

• Batteries were not calibrated, we ran out of juice at 5am in deep playa. We say that the Gecko passed out.

• The cooling unit for the generator also broke, need more redundancies

• The cooling unit for the speakers also broke, always more redundancies

• The fluffy sand required walks ahead of the vehicle to make sure it would avoid those and we wouldn’t get stuck

• The TechnoGecko sign mounts broke and it’s aluminum (no welders on playa could help)

But in the grand scheme of things, we were able to engineer around it on playa with the things we brought and tools we had.

We had some awesome firsts and milestones:

• We hosted a twerk class that made it in the book AND a chair dancing class

• TechnoGecko was out every night

• We adopted another camp that took the Gecko out one night and offered the playa some food gifting

• Our in-camp green and sheen party had amazing food

• An art installation featured DiscoFish

We met some really awesome people, grew closer to our campmates, gave lots of hugs, burned lots of calories dancing, and were left feeling accomplished, renewed, and ready to go back with bigger and better plans for TechnoGecko next year!

We build in Sunnyvale, reach out if you’re interested in helping out! It truly takes a village!

First Time Slithering to unSCruz in Santa Cruz

With Santa Cruz a very short drive from the TechnoGecko home and build site, it was a natural evolution to take part in unSCruz, the Santa Cruz regional burn event. Once it was pitched to the TechnoGecko team, they raised hands for participation in droves. Because of the large number of people from our camp attending, we were able to coordinate staff to bring the whole Gecko out - all three modules, the backup trailers, and all the towing vehicles. Here’s a recap video:

And wow, what an awesome burn it was! We were so pleased and so proud that everything worked great! The lights! The music! The DJs! The flame effects! The Gecko gorgeous looked awesome! The project visualizations!

The subwoofer door! The electric jacks! The towing drivers! The fire inspection passed smoothly! Our wonderous pole dancers! The Entheos temple! The labelled bins so we could find things! The volunteer structure! The kitchen! The power systems! The tires! The *everything*! If you understand the tech and take into account the 2+ years since full assembly, having such a smooth experience was quite a feat.

It was at unSCruz that we debuted the upgraded visualizations on the dance floor module flap. The lights were much more vibrant and the interactivity drew people of all ages in, over, and interacting with us!

Renegade Man 2021 at Black Rock City

Renegade Man at Black Rock City

was one for the history books

Fires were raging up and down the coast. The Bay had air quality reports far into the unhealthy range but unofficial Burning Man aka Plan B aka Renegade Man was gaining momentum. A decision had to be made by TechnoGecko on if it’s a go or no-go as the event was two weeks out. Do we go or do we pivot? A handful decided to go no matter what because even arriving and needing to turn back would be better than if we missed out. Our souls were yearning for something novel. The idea of it being different made it even more enticing. The barriers to entry were lower in some aspects but the self reliance was higher and that made the challenge more exciting.

With a small TechnoGecko crew everything had to get simplified. We didn’t have our Canadian technical crew, we didn’t have many of the supporting camp members to help fix things and for sheer strength, and many that went to Juplaya a few weeks back didn’t have another large desert event in them. The solution was to bring the dance floor and a truck to pull it around. That’s it. It wouldn’t be under its own power. We wouldn’t bring the head, body, tail, and the whale trailer with all the backup supplies would stay at home as well.

Despite all this, we were excited. Tracking the fires, weather, roads, and winds on a daily basis was now part of the prep work. We bought proper smoke masks, air purifiers, filters, and the early crew went down on Sunday. Normally we had a crew in a week in advance but since this was a ‘lite’ version we were hoping a week would be enough. They got the camp shade structure up. Our boots on the ground, despite some being very sensitive to smoke, said it was manageable and even ‘okay.’ More people joined the team going and the TechnoGecko campers grew a bit bigger. The vehicle came down on Tuesday and the majority of the camp on either Tuesday or Wednesday.

Slowly the city formed. Roads came out of the dust. The What3Words app which was used by the community and camps were able to place themselves was being followed. Streets, although without names, were followed. The concentric circles appeared. The people of Black Rock city were proud.

Did we have ice? No. Porta potties? Certainly not. BMorg to set it up? Not this year. A man that burned? No. Street signs? Nope, not even street names - only three words as identifiers. Burning of temple offerings? In barrels but not with the structure. But, the guiding principles were followed. The lawlessness that scared some didn’t exist or at least wasn’t readily seen. Everyone wanted it to work. And some of the principles lake radical self reliance and radical inclusion were at a level that hasn’t been seen by the event (or un-event in this case) in a long time.

People came from the neighboring cities to see what it was about. Those always wanted to go but never were able to get tickets or those that were never able to afford tickets came. The worries about bodily fluids on the playa seemed to be no more severe than any other year. The incidents of accidents also seemed low (or possibly lower) than in a typical year. It felt like 20-30k people showed up with all those that just came for the day. We were doing it.

The camps brought their basic version of offerings - some had liquor to share that they made, others massages, others music, and some just safe spaces to hang out and chill. There were small art pieces that appeared late in the week and were left standing despite authorities warning that any structures not for sleeping or shade would be taken down. With very strong rules enforced against fire, a massive drone show was put on where a man made with drones burned in the air with red and yellow faux flames also made by the light from drones. Art cars came. DJs showed up. Robot Heart played. Fun was had. And, the playa provided - the weather was mild, the wind was mild, the temperature was mild. We appreciated it.

A community of people seeking hope, comfort, togetherness, and renewal found it in each other, themselves, and the earth. Two years of isolation, fear, and trauma was at least a little washed away after a few days. Our brains rested by disconnecting from our phones. We talked to other humans and were present.

TechnoGecko had a dance stage and the people created the memories. We made new friends and deepened connections with our existing community. Despite all the uncertainty, lack of structure, and non-existent oversight a beat wasn’t skipped. Black Rock City is made by the people, and we all showed up.

Camping with TechnoGecko

We are an art car camp. Our efforts and gift to the playa is building, maintaining, and operating the mutant vehicle, TechnoGecko, for others to enjoy. We love providing unique experiences by way of rides on playa, music to dance to, performances by artists on our stages (fire, pole dancing, lyra, etc.), collaborations with other artists (bringing music to the art installations), memories, and inspiration!

TechnoGecko crew and camp are always looking for Bay area builders, dreamers, and makers to join our team. Because we are an art car build camp, remote work is limited.

Camp Declaration of Principles:

These are the guiding principles we use for our camp members. These statements should describe any current or future camp member.

• Radically loving

• Reliably kind

• Surprisingly fun

• Precociously helpful

• Technologically curious

• Confidently quirky

• Joyfully generous

• Profoundly respectful

• And building the ridiculous

VERY IMPORTANT: Everyone in our camp participates

You will be expected to contribute pre-event by attending our weekly meetings and build sessions. Camp members can expect to volunteer 100 hours throughout the year. During the event you will also be expected to assist with vehicle and camp setup, maintenance, management, tear down, and crew shifts to take the vehicle out. You can expect to volunteer at least 15 hours on playa.

We make contributing very easy for you because there's lots of stuff to do.

Bonus consideration if you're willing to contribute:

• Engineering and design talent

• Time and energy helping out at the shop and getting sh*t done

• A truck to help tow trailers to the playa ;)

• Great fundraising skills or monetary contributions.. Building the ridiculous is expensive.

Camp members are also expected to also contribute by way of camp dues.

Those funds help us build the vehicle. Dues can be paid by way of fundraising, donations, and other methods some of which are outlined here.

Interested in joining? Next steps:

1. Fill out this Google form

2. We will contact you within a couple of days

3. Prospects will introduce themselves on our weekly video Zoom call outlining a little bit about themselves, their skillset, interests, and why they would like to join the camp

4. Bay area members would then be invited to participate in-person for various tasks based on skillset and interest. If you're remote, we would need to discuss how to contribute from afar.

5. If we like each other, then we will invite you to fill out our more extensive Camp Survey so that you can get a spot on the playa with our camp.

Fourth of Juplaya 2021

We slithered out of the dust and decided, as a camp, that this was the year to bring TechnoGecko to Juplaya. Certain people without our crew went before and said nothing but magical things. Plus, our souls needed something to aim for that wasn’t possible to be canceled. An off-the-books event sounded like just the ticket. The COVID restrictions and infection rates were decreasing, the vaccine rollout was underway - there was hope for holding a safe gathering to top it off. And, what better place to have it than in the middle of a desert void.

Juplaya happens over the Fourth of July at Black Rock city. It typically brings a thousand or so people and is growing in size and popularity each year. Without rules from a governing body, you’re bound by federal law exclusively. People bring fast cars like side-by-side cars or motorcycles all the way down to bicycles and walking around by foot.

Our camp assembled to pack up the gecko dance floor and splines, and we headed down to Black Rock City. Our a small but mighty crew were COVID tested and vaccinated. Everyone was in great spirits. The people that showed up were enthusiastic about being out there. They loved the energy we brought. It was a great place to forge meaningful connections because, unlike larger events, we often would run into the same people everyday.

We had music, dancing, and made memories. DJs hopped on. Other mutant vehicles showed up. Art was formed. We saw sunsets, we stayed up for sunrises. Our community connected and grew in size. If you haven’t gone, be sure to arrived prepared and check it out. You’ll love the people you meet! We hope to venture out again!

Robotic Bartender Joins the Team

Mr. Tispy the Robotic Bartender joined the TechnoGecko Mutant Vehicle crew in 2019 and camp on Playa. Who do we thank? The TechnoGecko Waterloo camp members cooked up the idea and brought it to life a few weeks leading up to the burn. It came on playa and served burners aboard the TechnoGecko like a champ.

Downside, still needed a human to check IDs. Upside, drinks were perfectly mixed all night long with over 30 drinks to choose from and no complaints from the bartender!

What’s inside Mr. Tipsy? Some secret sauce plus repurposed everyday items including an iPad and camel-back bladders.

A Year for Visual Impact - BM 2019 in Review

It wasn’t an easy year. We knew all the inaccuracies and shortcomings from BM2018 that had to be fixed, what the department of mutant vehicles wanted from us the following year, and what we personally wanted to accomplish by playa time. In short, our to-do list included changing the robot head module so it weighed less, adding in suspension, restructuring the wheels on the robot to better distribute the heavy load (it’s made entirely of steel), refabricating the actual gecko head to look more gecko-like, adding the dance floor module (full fabrication from scratch which included motor controls, batteries, etc. so it can be a stand alone unit as well), getting the sign created and mounted, fabricating a gecko foot, making sure all the LEDs work, and programming the controls so it can drive. But, that all happened. Every. Last. Bit.

The team was amazing, so many truly talented volunteers that gave it their all. Some came in with ample skills in engineering or fabrication, others learned on the fly. It was pure magic. As Playa Time at Black Rock City came closer, it was another mad dash filled with late nights, long days, and round the clock help to get the Gecko on its way.

Each unit and support unit gets towed to Black Rock City (BRC). For us this year, there were 4 units going up — the Robot head, the Dance floor, the DiscoFish tail, and the Whale which is where we house all the backups we bring. Each unit has an assigned driver that tows by hitch, and teams already in BRC as well as back in Sunnyvale monitoring their travels.

People talk about the good, but every group has issues. Running a large art car is not easy task. Just getting them to BRC is a feat and we hit a few bumps along the way. For us this year, there was a snafu with the sign when the dance floor module was being transported. Mark was the driver and his calm nature as well as attention to detail helped get everything adjusted, fixed, disassembled, and back on track. The robot head’s driver had a tire issue on the unit. It made it to BRC but the tire was trashed.

The sign took a good part of the evening to fix, some quick thinking used RVs to help mount it. The spare parts in the whale allowed us to rebuild the broken railing. For the Robot tire issue, the team pivoted to use the street tires. There was a possibility of overheating because of the pivot as the drive systems were calibrated for the other industrial wheels. After testing the Robot, there were some issues, it did overheat. Luckily, we have some amazing engineers that went heads down for nearly three days to identify, re-engineer, and create solutions for those problems.

By midweek the Gecko was ready for the DMV with a day license granted on Wednesday. Due to a technical hiccup, the night license was postponed until Thursday. Then, after the night license was granted the overheating issue persisted and caused another night in for the gecko.

But, Friday was a full day and night success for the TechnoGecko. The engineering team worked out most of the kinks earlier in the week and the gecko cruised the playa doing and ARTery tour at 9:45am, bait shift at 6pm, and evening plus late night slithering through the playa until calling it at 4am. The Gecko had the privilege of seeing the Man, the Temple of Direction, the Awful Gas Station burn, the Folly burn, Head Space, Wing Portal, and many more of the amazing art the graced the playa this year. The docent that joined us Friday morning for the ARTery tour gave great insight into the stories and meaning behind the deep playa pieces that further enriched the experience.

Watching people walk and bike by, jump aboard, dance with us, and call to us makes all the labor (of love) worthwhile. We basked in the warm fuzzies the Gecko provided to the burners and enjoyed hosting as many as we could each day and night we were out.

Our Canadian crew spearheaded creating a robotic bartender named Mr. Tipsy. Those that came aboard (that were of age) were excited to select one of over 30 drinks he can create, mixed perfectly, and without complaint.

Our duo dance poles caused people to stop in their tracks, drop bikes, jump aboard and show us their moves! No moves? Not to worry! The burner community provided attempts by first timers that were fabulous! We even had some pros come and teach others that wanted to learn. The joy that came from the dance floor that we added this year was immense. We loved the special experiences it provided.

Saturday was also a success with nearly no technical interruption. Being staked out for the Man Burn and sharing that moment with the team aboard the Gecko was pure magic. It was a great reprieve for the crew to have a working vehicle to party in after all the labor that was put in to make it happen. They were able to go out, enjoy, then come back to camp and sleep (opposed to staying up late trouble shooting).

(Note: The vehicle is built entirely from scratch from the ground up, it’s fully electric, and uses a joystick to drive. The tech is something unique and with that comes a unique experience but often some challenging (aka fun) problems to solve.)

Sunday we packed up and proceeded to prepare to slither ourselves homes one person, one vehicle, one module, one piece at a time. We learned a lot, we grew, we experienced, we had another successful year with a lifetime of memories for remembering self to bask in.

TechnoGecko Crew Featured on Makin It Radio

We feel honored! Tonight fellow TechnoGeckos Niels Joubert, Berlin Blount, and Sunny Wood discussed their experiences making it through Burning Man on the live radio show, Makin It Radio. If you’d like to listen to some of their conversation, here’s the link to the episode: https://www.makinitradio.com/2019/07/makin-it-through-burning-man.html

LIDAR Underway

DiscoFish touted its driverless capabilities and the hope was for TechnoGecko to follow in its footprints, to also be fully autonomous on playa. But, this creature is lot more complicated. The first year of TechnoGecko on playa we used a remote to drive it around playa. Being able to drive it from the ground and not need a driver seat was a cool first step, but we wanted a hands-off experience with cutting edge technology. We wanted more.

Developing way-point technology for one vehicle is tricky enough considering all the obstacles at Block Rock City: acidity, uneven surface, lack of roads or markers or any kind, dust storms, pitch darkness, tons of bikers and walkers, and destinations with obstacles of all sorts between. But, to develop it for multiple modules that can split apart, come back together, move around things, all synchronized and at the same time safety maneuvering all that the playa will throw at it is a tall order.

Luckily, Neils joined our team and is an expert with the technology. He hopes to set an example on playa for what those LIDAR best practices are.

This year he is developing out the back end which will be necessary to operate all the vehicle modules simultaneously as we continue to complete and add more over the next few years. Since we have two modeules this year on the TechnoGecko there will be a basic way-point technology between the creature and its destination but the code will be there if more sophistication is applicable.

Neils jumped right in, got the LIDAR basics setup and the interface for setting destinations and targets ready to go. Over the next few weeks he will continue to test, build, code, and generate everything to get the TechnoGecko autonomous on playa in Black Rock City.