Mutant Vehicle Help

[dragonfly Jafe]

I am looking for input on what to change on my Mutant Vehicle. I had a pirate ship in 2002 (who didn't?), then last year modified it by adding 3 trailers (somewhat like Draka) and making it a DragonFly. I didn't get the Dragonfly to BRC in 2003 due to mechanical issues en-route...

In addition to further safety enhancements, I want to increase the participation-quotient (PQ) of my vehicle. If you were riding on a large mutant vehicle, what sort of things would you like to do? I am considering adding a bunch of home-made musical "instruments", maybe a few "games". Anyone have any other ideas for my guests to do while they are riding around the Playa with me? What would be the coolest thing you could imagine doing on a Mutant vehicle in 2004 (for the other 92% of BRC that is...)

Thanks! Jafe

[Bob]

...What would be the coolest thing you could imagine doing on a Mutant vehicle in 2004 (for the other 92% of BRC that is...)

Driving it straight into the local auto recycling facility?

[Ducky]

And, as I'm sure you did this in 2002, pre register with th DMV. The rules will be stricter this year (blame the BLM). Also, any trailer sould be completely lit up. Especially the hitch! In other words, the entire length of your vehicle should be lit. Sorry, I worked at DMV last year, and I hate turning people down for permits. But, besides all that, I think smoke machines, strategically placed would be kick ass. I know they sell cheap inverters at Costco, that might work to power any electrical stuff. Good Luck!

[Badger]

What would be the coolest thing you could imagine doing on a Mutant vehicle in 2004 (for the other 92% of BRC that is...)

Making sure you take it home after the event?

[Badger]

The rules will be stricter this year (blame the BLM)

BLM? Not really.

Blame the irresponsible dweebs who bring vehicles to the event with no intention of modifying and/or registering them and then drive them like idiots.

Review some of the earlier post-event postings to this board by folks who were having to be almost constantly on guard because of the wrecklessness (speeding, drunk driving, etc.) by people who felt entitled to do so - for whatever reasons.

As far as DMV questions or concerns the poster might want to refer to the main BM web page for liks to the DMV http://www.burningman.com/on_the_playa/playa_vehicles/ to see what'll be changing this year as far as requirements.

[Ducky]

unfortunately, most of them dont even visit th DMV. And until they let me bring my AK back to BM, I cant enforce the rules effectively, when off th clock

[Ducky]

They taught us this at DMV, so I dont see why it shouldnt apply to everyone else who spots an asshole vehicle or an un registered one..."Air (tire) pressure is a priviledge..not a right!"

[III]

>>a priviledge..not a right

so it's okay to relieve all those people who haven't earned their priviledge of their tires air pressure? that's cool, cause i know those fucking hippies have done squat to earn theirs...

(btw, on a more serious note, the only instance i know of this past year in which air pressure was relieved involved a vehicle which the llc was responsible for. maybe the clean up should begin in your own house...)

[Ducky]

But Id rather inconvenience some ass hole, than see someone killed from either an unsafe art car or a drunken idiot. Fortunately for all of you, the DMV have avoided the jaded arrogance that seems rampant among burners.

[Chai Guy]

Fortunately for all of you, the DMV have avoided the jaded arrogance that seems rampant among burners.

Maybe that jaded arrogance comes from seeing a bunch of "art cars" who's only qualification in getting licensed was the fact that the owners brought a few cases of beer to the DMV.

..."Air (tire) pressure is a priviledge..not a right!"

Yeah, see I'd LOVE to, but as of yet there is no way to tell the difference between a "renegade art car" and a "staff vehicle", and I would hate to be blamed for making someone in the LLC "late for a meeting".

[Badger]

FWIW, things will be changing this year.

More to come. Lots.

[III]

>>things will be changing this year

senior staff is going to have chauffeurs, rather than having to drive their own vehicles around?

[unjonharley]

Read the DMV's page. The local cops are handling to "unclean" this year.

[PurpleKoosh]

(btw, on a more serious note, the only instance i know of this past year in which air pressure was relieved involved a vehicle which the llc was responsible for. maybe the clean up should begin in your own house...)

An inDUHvidual camped across from me had the tires on both his truck and his electric car (he was a registered disabled driver; I know because I'm the one who issued his *&^%$#@! sticker) flattened after an incident where he first ran into someone, then threw a punch at them after they attempted to get the number off his sticker to report the bastard....

(This charming man is the same winner who showed up on my doorstep on Burn night, naked <the only time the entire week I saw him that way, else I wouldn't mention it>, after I'd already closed up my tent, to ask if I wanted to spend the night with him. Uh, no.)

[dragonfly Jafe]

So what (if anything) in your mind would justify a large scale mutant vehicle? Obviously the benefit must out-weigh the impact. Assuming no leaks, safe operation, all rules followed, etc - what benefit would make people say "wow, even though that is one big ass vehicle, I am glad they brought it because...." How do people feel about Draka? The Big Blue Shark? Should they be allowed back, and if so, why? Or why not?

regards, Jafe

[spectabillis]

One time I came across a four person wide couch that was electric motorized with several people sitting on it. It was not moving very fast but was a great way to get around. I don't know how they managed to build the drive system to keep both ends parallel in moving, but from reading
http://www.burningman.com/on_the_playa/ ... iving.html
it seems this would not be allowed. That is very distressing since this was the ideal artistic interpretation of mobility that I came to love at bman. It was not illuminated by itself, instead one of the riders had a RC control unit on their lap that drove a motorized tall lamp running around them.

So, it did not have "radical illumination" and did not have side or rear view mirrors, this would be disqualified?

[dragonfly Jafe]

I too have seen such mutant vehicles (may even build one some year) and also applaud the creativity. In at least one incarnation of the livingroomcar, there was also a lazy-boy vehicle. The group would travel in loose formation then get together and form a complete living room.

I suspect such a vehicle would be liscensed, day only if nothing else.

Do you have any thoughts on what would make a larger mutant vehicle worthy of the impact on Black Rock City?

regards, Jeffery

[Crankful]

Hey Fly;
How about a bunch of different power telescopes and folks who have some knowledge of the planetary view out there

[stuart]

the big blue shark was disabled by pissed off pedestrian commandos. Like La Contessa, I don't think it will be welcome this year.

[spectabillis]

Hey Fly;
How about a bunch of different power telescopes and folks who have some knowledge of the planetary view out there

Could only view this stationary, would not be much of a vehicle. Stargazing on the playa is good due to low light pollution, bad due to dust in your optics.

How about a trailer for some form of public transport? Only moves around when enough people are on board, sticks to the heavily traffic routes?

[spectabillis]

Do you have any thoughts on what would make a larger mutant vehicle worthy of the impact on Black Rock City?
regards, Jeffery

I was looking at a cheap skid-steer (Bobcat) that I designed some modifications for. It has the ability to use different attachments to the front hydraulic arms that you can modify for some outrageous applications.

One is putting a safe-work cage similar to what window-washers work inside of on the side of tall buildings. You make a wire-plaster monster head on the front with a flame-thrower in the mouth, lights in the eye openings, install a sound system, and large cloth panels from the head to the body of the skid steer. This makes it look like whoever is in the cage is riding on the back of the monster making it burn anything in its way. The hydraulics allows you to control raising and lowering its head as well as tilting it.

Another attachment is welding up a pair of wicked claws that allow you to pick up and crush just about anything in its way. Most have a 1500lb lifting capacity; a friend tore apart a wrecked civic in the junkyard with one.

Other utility attachments could include a hydraulic driven sweeper to help in the clean up on major art installations. But the safe-work cage would really be in demand since there are many groups that need help in lifting things like center tent poles, radio towers, art projects...

Sadly found out that the reason it was cheap, blown hydraulic pump.

[dragonfly Jafe]

How about a trailer for some form of public transport? Only moves around when enough people are on board, sticks to the heavily traffic routes?[/quote]

right now our primary goal is a people mover. We plan to cruise the Esplanade and occaisionally going to the deep art, picking people up and dropping them off. We also plan to make stops at certain camps everytime we go by (kind of like a bus). Yes, it will be whimsical and sureal also. But we want more - we want an interactive element so our Passengers are not just sitting around. Our first concept was a bunch of musical instruments mounted to the vehicle (but as bad as some drum circles get this could be down right annoying).

I like your suggestion about waiting until we have a full load - we have been trying to figure out a way to "democratically" pick our next destination. Anyone have any ideas how we could have the Passengers "vote"? We also have thought about creating some "bus stop" signs (registering them as art of course) and having them placed in a few key locations (maybe with a sign listing our call sign and frequency). We also will be handi-capable (1st level at least) this year - although we don't want to be dedicated to any one group.

...and thanks for the tip about pedestrian commandos - precautions will be taken. I know there are some who feel vehicles have no place in BRC, but for now they are still allowed. Until they are banned (or I am told by DMV not to bring it) I plan on bring a vehicle as my contribution to BRC. regards, Jafe

[Mister Jellyfish Mister]

Please bare with a BM virgin, as I tend to have unrealistic expectations. Do you remember the improbability drive in The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams? The space ship Heart of Gold would show up in the most, well, improbable places thanks to this strange engine.

I'm heading up the MV project with the Black Rock Burner Hostile here in Reno and we're hoping our embrace of this serendipitous approach enhances the experience of the passengers. On our MV, you can't get there from here-- but you will end up exactly where you need to be. After all, it's free!

If we get DMV approval I'll post a link to the project website and the theme of the thing might help explain.

Cheers!

[spectabillis]

right now our primary goal is a people mover. We plan to cruise the Esplanade and occaisionally going to the deep art, picking people up and dropping them off. We also plan to make stops at certain camps everytime we go by (kind of like a bus).

Or wide eyed people randomly wandering around the playa mumbling incoherently? I vaguely remember finding myself in a similar situation at 5am.

But we want more - we want an interactive element so our Passengers are not just sitting around.

How about a communal temple? Mobile meditation? Or just dose the poor bastards into submission?

we have been trying to figure out a way to "democratically" pick our next destination....and thanks for the tip about pedestrian commandos - precautions will be taken.

I smell a hijacking, raise the threat level! Office of Homeland Insecurity will be notified!

[Mister Jellyfish Mister]

Well, it's taking shape. The small flat-bed trailer now has a skeleten of a box frame on it. I am re-learning the importance of cross-bracing a structure. :shock: Instead of the typical guy-wires with tighteners in x-patterns accross the l-bracket frames, I'm hoping to build the display and el-wire framing in so it yields additional support.

Does anybody know secure a mobile structure for rigidity in an artistic way?

Cheers!

[Mister Jellyfish Mister]

Ok. We submitted the application to the Department of Mutant Vehicles (DMV) today. Fingers crossed! :roll:

Rather than clog this BBS with updates in the vehicle dubbed "International Time Vault", just click over to our website at www.MutantVehicle.com and check out the "Progress" page. Be sure and sign the guestbook with any thoughts or ideas.

Cheers!

[XS]

Just a little concerned about the degree of subjectivity now being applied to the MUTANT VEHICLES (art cars). I can dig the idea of ensuring that the MV's are visually stimulating, and radically illuminated, but "Highly Participatory" suggests either mass transit, or mass interaction? I love the Crescent moon car, and hope to see it again this year (thematically appropriate) Are two out of three fulfilled catagories sufficient? I'm planning on a visually stimulating, radically illuminated and thematically appropriate MV - XS's PIMP ROCKET SHIP - a small electric car, not golf cart, inspired by 50's sci-fi, lit up withEL wire, Black Lights and Fluorescent paint etc. I'm confident it will be visually stimulating, radically illuminated, and thematically appropriate. However, my confidence is a little shaken by the "highly participatory" clause. It would be helpful to know before investing radical time, fund$ and artistic output only to be disqualified at the gate for lack of high participation value. Still seems a little subjective. I can appreciate the need to reign in the lesser mutated vehicles in favor of fewer more mutated vehicles. Hopefully my app. will pass with tracing colors, as I wish to participate and share my artistic mutant vehicle vision with all the good burners (high or otherwise) this year. Is that highly participatory?

[Mister Jellyfish Mister]

Good points all, XS. My favorite sci fi when I was a kid was "Johnny Socko and his Giant Robot", I can't wait to see what you are creating!

If you check out the mission statement on our International Time Vault project at www.MutantVehicle.com you may notice a tongue in cheek approach to interactivity. People may try to tell the driver of our MV where they want to go and the Serendipity Drive may may have other things in mind. Part of the interactivity for me is just playing with people, and it sounds like your project will be so visually stimulating that it will inspire that spirit of play between you and those around you.

Let's hook up on the playa and send people through space... and time!

I'm a virgin to the event so there's my big disclaimer and I reserve the right to say stupid stuff.

Cheers!

[Sobretta Franjipan]

What would be the coolest thing you could imagine doing on a Mutant vehicle in 2004

Well, it would be cool if there was a waterbed mattress covered with soft and cool fabrics upon which I could lay while smoking some opium out of a hookah as harem boys fan me, "comfort" me, and provide witty and amusing conversation.

A pool with a slide would be cool.

Then there's always lots of drinks and karaoke.

Then there's always lots of drinks. That works really well too.

[dragonfly Jafe]

What would be the coolest thing you could imagine doing on a Mutant vehicle in 2004

Well, it would be cool if there was a waterbed mattress covered with soft and cool fabrics upon which I could lay while smoking some opium out of a hookah as harem boys fan me, "comfort" me, and provide witty and amusing conversation.

A pool with a slide would be cool.

Then there's always lots of drinks and karaoke.

Then there's always lots of drinks. That works really well too.

Well, unless the BLM gets their way we have the "lot's of drinks covered"

We also can do Karaoke if you feel the need (our CD player has some extra features) - in fact we would prefer live musucians to recorded music

Your on your own with the opium, but a waterbed....hmmm - I'll have to look into that one! (the harem boys could be arranged though...)

The slide we considered last year and rejected as too dangerous...a pool was also rejected as too disease ridden.

thanks for the feedback! hope to see you on the playa...

regards, Jafe