Second Life Burning Man

now that's admirable... and makes it a true pilgrimage to mecca.

There have been people who've biked all the way there from Oregon and such. Which is pretty amazing, considering not only the distance but also the terrain they go through.

and I agree with you, even though I havent been, that you have to go to really understand what it's all about. I dont doubt that BM has a lot to offer in the way of social and cultural experience. It just seems a long way to go to have said experience, considering the environmental impact of our currently available modes of transportation.

I agree with you. I just don't think we should throw out the baby with the bathwater.

we are living in the 21st century, but we're still behaving like 20th century citizens. We grew up in the 80's and 90's in a time of extravagance. This century will be much different, and the sooner we wake up to that fact, the better off humankind will be.

Then we might as well kill the human race off, because our very existence contributes to millions of species going extinct and is a threat to the health of the planet as it is now. I'm not saying let's not be green. I'm saying how far are we going to go? Are we going to ban art that is remotely harmful to...anything at all? Are we going to stop traveling because all forms of transportation save walking (and even that's arguable) are harmful to the planet? I'm saying let's find new ways to continue to do the things that make us sensitive, creative beings. Art festivals in the desert count towards that. I don't consider art frivolous. If you've never been to burning man, you can't really form a fully realized opinion about it...to look at it just based on its cons is not the full picture.

and the most boring and pointless. The "burning man" in SL is not burning man. It's just sad.

"are we all supposed to eliminate all life experiences because they aren't green enough yet?" Yes, it means exactly that. It means eliminate the practices that are frivolous expenditures of global warming gases.

The greenest burning man, is the one on Second Life.

I get that it's not green...the oil derrick art project was about the most un-green thing they could have done out there. "I know! Let's use huge amounts of expired jet fuel to make a very obvious point about our reliance on oil! And make a huge mess while we're at it!"

My point is that it was never about sustainable living. Everyone knows that burning man isn't very green...but then again, are we all supposed to eliminate all life experiences because they aren't green enough yet? Can't we find new ways to do this, apart from simulating it on a computer – which is just NOT the same thing in any remotely realistic form?

Hmm...not to quibble but...exactly who gets to burning man in a boat?

27,000 TONS OF C02. THANKS BURNING MAN.

Whoever said it was about sustainable living?

And what is sitting at your computer "burning" "art" doing for the larger community? Teaching people how to simulate actually living their lives?

burning man is an experiment, as far as i'm concerned, in the exact OPPOSITE of sustainable living. (it's bunk, man). At least when you subsitute the real thing with the computer game, you're doing your part for the larger community, the world community.

As I said in response to Cory's post on this same subject...in my opinion I find that this is the antithesis to what burning man is about. Burning Man is about participation, radical self-reliance and creative expression. What is hard about being self-reliant while home on your computer? A large part of the BM experience is dealing with the harsh physical conditions of living in high desert on an alkali plain. You learn what you need to survive and be comfortable. An even larger part is about participation, creating a community where for a week you don't have to rely on cash. You build a community of people, learn to share again, talk to people actually face to face and not in the anonymous world of the internet. The art is a whole other component that is absolutely impossible to recreate anywhere else in the entire world. You will not see another art exhibit like the one on the playa.

I know everyone can't make it to burning man, but that's why the regional events are popping up everywhere, which was what some of the creators of the event were hoping would happen. This SL version just seems...pointless.