MezLabs Camp Planning 

Meeting 1: 3/28/2000

Overview

1. Theme: We've closed on MezLabs as the name and theme of the camp.

2. Village: Given lack of response, we will not attempt to build a village.

3. Camp Members: We have a list of around 30 people who are very likely to be part of the camp, and another 10 maybes.

4. Camp Layout: The camp may have as many as 7 shade structures, though if we can keep this number down we will.

Our theme is MezLabs.  The art committee is driving thinking about theme-related activities.  These may include:

1. Giant Rorschach tests.

2. Other twisted personality / intelligence tests.

3. Strange bubbling, humming, smoking, or crackling apparatus.

4. Lab coats & clipboards.

5. Sensors & probes for examining people.

6. A private "Examination Room" or doctor's office.

Other activities which may or may not relate to the theme:

1. The Joust

2. A Yoga studio

3. Projection of films or abstract patterns onto at least 1 shade structure.

4. A musical instrument / dance floor controlled by the dancers inside it.

5. The usual chill hangout, cuddling, dancing, etc..

Transportation - People

Someone signed up to own this area.  I don't recall who.  If it was you, please tell me.

1. We have 24 people we know of who would like to ride down in communal transport.

2. We have an additional 7 people planning to drive themselves.

3. We have another 10 people who may plan to come, and if so would likely prefer communal transport.

4. We are definitely missing people from our list.

5. We also expect dozens of people from other cities to meet us on the playa.

One option under discussion is sending down an advance team who would arrive on Friday, Saturday, or possibly even earlier to facilitate setup.  10 - 12 people expressed interest in this.  People who would consider being on the advance team include Euphoria, Dave L, Daniel O, Brenda, Tiberio, Ethan, Stef, Sev, Mason, Laura, Rob, Nancy, Lena, Dan S, and Mez.   

Stef and Mark own figuring out how to transport our cargo to the playa.  Possible options being investigated are:

1. Renting a bigger truck.

2. Renting multiple trucks.

3. Paying a semi to deliver our stuff the playa and haul it back 

4. Shipping our goods via rail and picking them up near the playa.

Storage

Ethan owns the overall storage plan.  Some notes:

1. We believe the mythical front-opening, vertically stacking containers we've sought for the last 2 years are findable at PetCo.  These containers would radically improve the neatness and organization or our gear, and decrease search time.

2. We are tentatively planning on packing large bundles of gear together on pallets and loading and unloading them with the help of a pallet jack.  (If a pallet jack doesn't work out, we may need to acquire a forklift.)  Leo is driving this.

3. We are debating the exact location where containers full of gear will be stored while on the playa.  Options:

   1. Inside the cargo vehicle, sharing space with the kitchen.

   2. Inside the cargo vehicle but separated from the kitchen (either because we have 2 cargo vehicles, or our 1 vehicle is sufficiently large).

   3. In a 10x20 shade structure on the playa.

Inventory

Brenda will drive the inventory process both in Seattle  and on the playa.  Notes:

1. Sometime in the next 2 months we will have an inventory party with the goal of inventorying and packing as many of the dry-goods for the camp as possible.

2. We are considering use of a barcode scanner for inventory, because it's cool.

3. We will plan on having a computer available on the playa for inventory use.

4. This year we will pay attention to packing order when packing the cargo vehicle, to minimize time until shade structures and meals are available when first reaching the playa.

We assigned no owner, so Mez will temporarily own planning for this area.  We've identified the following potential structures for the camp:

1. Comfort, the 30x40 tent we used last year.

2. A combined Yoga Studio, Temple, and Private Chill Space which is tentatively slated as a 10x20 shade structure.

3. The Examination Room which may double as a Female Domination Area, which is slated as a 10x10 shade structure.

4. BusTent, a cargo-netting shade structure running the length of the bus.

5. A Storage & Staging Area, slated to consume at least one 10x20 shade structure, and possibly more.

6. The need for a Craft Space & Workshop which needs wind-resistance.  We are tentatively planning to have this inside a cargo vehicle.  

7. A dust-free, sun-free area for several computers.  Design for this is underway.

8. A Standing Shower Structure.

9. A 52' tall Tower with the possibility of expanding the tower into a 52' tall, 100' x 100' pyramid.

10. The Joust.

We currently possess a 30x40, 10x20, and 10x10 shade structure.  We are thus in need of:

1. Cargo netting and poles for the BusTent

2. One or two 10x20 shade structures for cargo.

3. A shower structure.

4. A computer clean-space.

5. Tent Sides for Comfort

6. The tower (which we will rent)

7. Possible material for the giant pyramid.

Camp Layout 

Lena owns camp layout as part of the Art Committee.  She owns:

1. Producing a flexible plan for the layout of the camp.

2. Bringing copies of this plan and map to the playa for use in camp construction.

A few goals for layout this year:

1. We will try to create a very inviting frontage space, perhaps with a courtyard in front of comfort.

2. We will keep any RVs closer to the central camp area to promote camp unity.

3. We will use lit paths to invite & guide people towards appropriate spaces.

4. We will have some sort of lit perimeter marking to distinguish our camp.

5. We will also have some sort of internal perimeter marking to separate camping space from activity space.

6. We are investigating the virtues of EL Wire, Christmas Lights, and Fiber Optic for these uses.

Camp Construction Process

For lack of a better owner, Mez will temporarily own this area.  We agreed that manpower could have been more efficiently used last year if a clear plan for construction had been communicated.  Thus, this year:

1. We will build a construction plan in Seattle complete with ordering information and instructions for putting up each shade structure.

2. We will bring copies of this plan to the playa for use.

3. Inasmuch as possible, we may assign a foreperson for each major task, so that no task is stalled for lack of direction. 

Dave L owns maintaining the list of people we expect to have camping with us.  Last year we had at least 50 people in our immediate camping area, and we expect this number to grow.

Mark owns power.  Some notes:

1. We will need more power this year.  Exactly how much is unknown.  If the additional power need is relatively small, we may buy additional generator capacity.  If it is large, we will likely rent a large generator.

2. A Fuel Cell option will not be possible this year.

3. A large generator will require sound baffling, so if we go that way we'll need to plan to build the baffle.

4. We're looking into high-efficiency power cable which we can run an inch deep in the playa through our camp.

The Art Committee, headed by Lena, owns decorations overall.  

Heather and Mason own lighting.  Various lighting needs we have:

1. Lighting for comfort and other tents.

2. A giant light atop the tower (which Leo is investigating)

3. Lit internal and external perimeter markings.

4. Lit paths.

5. Lighting for all guy wires

6. Lighting for the tower structure.

7. Possibly internal lighting for the pyramid, if we build it.

Technologies we are looking at:

1. Blacklights

2. White, natural lights

3. Fiber optic

4. EL wire

5. Christmas lights

6. Tap light LEDs

Rob owns the sound system.  He is currently investigating:

1. Having a DJ Annex with a few DJs interested in spinning at our camp.

2. Renting a professional sound system.

Donna, Ethan, and Rob own video projection.  We are currently considering a few options:

1. Using a computer to project geiss-like patterns.

2. Using a film projector to project trippy film.

Heather, Mason, and Tiberio own meal planning for the event.

Heather has volunteered to be the kitchen mistress, and keep things running smoothly.

Stuart, Tracey, DanS, and Lena have all also volunteered to help with the kitchen in some way.

Ethan owns overall planning for storage and layout.

Euphoria owns designing our dishwashing facility.

There is some debate as to how many people we will attempt to feed with the kitchen.  The current proposal is to ask all camp members ahead of time whether or not they would like to be part of the communal food & kitchen situation, or fend for themselves.

This year we believe we need a better refrigeration technology to keep our food fresh.  We may follow up on the possibility of using Tsutomu's propane-powered freezer.

Water

Nancy & Mason own our overall water plan.  We have two water requirements:

1. Roughly 16 gallons / person of potable drinking water.

2. Another 16 gallons / person of potentially non-potable water for showers and other uses.

3. Potentially more water for misting.

Nancy has informed us that there is a service which will deliver non-potable water to camps on the playa.  We will attempt to use this to meet needs 2 & 3 if possible.

We need to determine whether or not we will build a misting system, and if so what its water needs are.

Lena owns the painting of the bus interior.

Leo owns other internal bus decorations, as well as overall bus stuff.

Sev and Avi own the first aid plan for the camp.  This year we expect to have several people better trained in first aid.

While several of us are buying more powerful radios, the major communication band of the camp will still be FRS channel 13, group 28.

1. A bike rack was mentioned as a possibility.  Dan S owns this project.

2. Heather owns getting us organized on costumes this year.