Notes from 23-Feb meeting:

We're going to set up a Propane Fund for Edwin! 

Yayy!  Propane is expensive... I'll burn easily $300 to $400 of it... -- Edwin!

We need to talk to Smash Camp and make sure we'll have access to their power again.

 -- Lots of logistics -- placement of the fire, placement of the radio, placement of the power generator; feeds between Smash and Fire and Radio... sounds like work. -- Edwin!

 A good chance that Smash will not be positioned so we can partner with them, so we need to keep our eyes open for electricity opportunities.

As for a group tent, the shelters are good, but a larger space could be handy.  I loved the 30' domes the other camps had, but that's been done... I did the work once for a donut constructed in the same triangular fashion as the geodesic domes are, but I can't find it now.  It could always be redone!  The donut provides a larger footprint and a shorter ceiling, using more materials than the dome, but opens up to a central open space which could be used to good effect.  Also, wedges of the donut can be sectioned off, providing "galleries" out of line of site from each other, for mood areas.  The shelters could be attached radially (poking out like spokes) as a kitchen area, an entry area (e.g. mud room, shoe removal), or whatnot.  Personal tents could be bubbles between the spokes, if we camped near the primary tent.

What do we have to do to get this done?  Lots of conduit pipes to be cut, lots of math to be done.  http://www.desertdomes.com/domecalc.html has normal domes math calculator and instructions on how to make conduit dome making tips.  Like how to cut, prep for attachment (connectors or flatten the pipe and drill).  Etc.  It seems like once the maths are done, the cutting and prep work could be done by anyone with the right tools.  Plus we need to make a cover for it.  Might take a couple sewing days, plus water proofing. -- Michelle

Toroids are far more annoying than domes, since they lack a certain symmetry (the struts change sizes as the go from outside to inside).  So -- maths, purchases, cutting, assembly, and cover materials.  I doubt I'll be able to do much if any of that this year, and we'll be in our usual carports and Randy's Dome Shade -- but next year, if there is interest.  -- Edwin!

Doing the math for unusual geodesic shapes is a lot of work.  Most of the codes I've looked at for doing this use data structures that aren't well-suited to more general shapes, so there's considerable code/math slinging to do.  Also, the space by the swimming hole is smaller than I originally expected, so I am only planning on using five 20' spans of pvc for the shade structure.  I plan on using soft-structure tyvek for the waterproofing and aluminet for shade.  The tyvek is providing the tensile strenth to make the dome hold its shape, but won't really block light.  Aluminet can't take the strain of being a "structural" fabric.  -Randy

And lookie at what Denis sent me:  http://www.glumbert.com/media/kineticsculpture

I ought to get that boy involved, but camping R NOT him.....   :>   --  bel

Oooo I've seen some vids of that before, very very cool stuff -- Edwin!

(Whole reams of random stuff cut)

Stuff I will bring:

* Mixing board and amplifier(s), and some speakers for local monitor.

* Dancing Fire tube (one or two)

* Color-change fire tripod thingy with nifty effects (one or two)

* Tesla coil (singing style, DRSSTC, 3 to 4 foot arcs) (hopefully) (one)

* Possible other high-voltage and/or fire effects (still experimenting)

-- Edwin!

This is probably too late for this year, but hexayurts are another intriguing option:

http://www.appropedia.org/Hexayurt_Playa

Pros: relatively simple/foolproof measurement calculations and construction, super-fast/simple setup/breakdown, fairly cheap. Mega sun insulation (more of a pro on playa)

Cons: inherent lack of ventilation and lack of ability to adjust it for more/less open-space feel seems to me the biggest one... If you start removing edges/cutting doors etc. these shapes would quickly lose their structural integrity

Edwin, did you get money for your propane fund? --Randy

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