When I woke up this morning, the clearest picture yet of my full-body drive mechanism came into view: disks on upright axles, each connected to a push-rod mounted eccentrically through a hole in the disk (several holes, at various distances from the center axis, would be drilled to allow fine-tuning for each arm's and leg's contribution to the vehicle's movement), and all 4 upright shafts connected somehow with gears. An ultralight model would have no freewheeling ability, and could be stopped just by holding the arms rigid. Other models would have flywheels and a clutch drive; there could be multiple human-drive assemblies on a larger vehicle, like a bus. Such a bus could be brought to next year's Burning Man.
Now, to get caught up on some observations, in no particular order...
At the center camp coffeehouse this morning, I noticed they have the hot coffee in big 5-gallon yellow Igloos. I didn't know there was such a thing as hot-liquid Igloos, I ought to get one for my shebeen.
Some other interesting human-drive mechanisms from the Kinetic Sculpture Race's camp feature large, 6 to 8-foot wheels side-by-side, the operator(s) hanging in a roughly triangular cage suspended from the center axle. One had what looks like formed fiberglass wheels, the other was structural aluminum tubing bent in near-perfect circles, spoked, with old bicycle tires strapped to the outside. Duane Flatmo is supposedly here as of Wednesday, but I haven't seen his Reticulated Crab yet.
The Human Carcass Wash at Poly Paradise is a don't miss event. Soap (with a mild solution of Dr. Bronner's), scrub, rinse, and squeegee naked strangers and then have naked strangers do the same to you. A wonderful experience.
I spent some time at Poly Paradise, on Wednesday I think, during their 1PM "High Tea", during which they discuss various issues of polyamorous life. One thing that they almost universally agreed upon was safe sex, particularly for short-term encounters like those at Burning Man. This includes using Saran Wrap or the like for cunninlingus, something I'd never heard of before. Also, regular testing was recommended. And, perhaps most importantly, full disclosure of even possible risk of pathogens was strongly advised.
last updated 2013-01-10 20:59:12. served from tektonic.jcomeau.com