Hooligan
Member
Burning Man is simply a brief time that the zookeepers at Area-51 allow the creatures to roam.
The only restriction on photography is for commercial use. Amazingly, the rights are copyrighted by the organization.
Radio encryption is done for HIPAA and confidentiality reasons.
And its not LTR, its Trbo trunking, a whole different can of worms.
Radio encryption is done for HIPAA and confidentiality reasons.
We went encrypted because its free, and we got tired of wankers on scanner forums and the media posting about our operations. Now, also, we can talk about stuff on the radio we would have had to drive a few miles to discuss face to face.
And no, just common business sense to protect your confidential information.
Burningman contracts with HGH, who operates a portable hospital at our event, including trauma, xray, minor surgery centers. They use our radio system. Next year we will have a CT on site also.
Burningman operates with field staff volunteers who in their real life are paramedics, EMTs, doctors and firefighters from all across the country. No one may operate one of Burningman's fire or EMS response vehicles unless they are current in certification and work in the emergency response arena.
Many people are charged each year with Federal drug charges. Sadly, most people don't realize that on top of Nevada being a zero tolerance state for possession of narcotics, the event operates on Federal property, so its like lighting a doobie in the courthouse.
Also, in Nevada, you can be charged with a sex crime for peeing alongside the highway, and will be required to register for the rest of your life as a sex offender.
We are fairly conservative out here....
Scanners are allowed at Burning Man. Firearms, fireworks, and commerce are not.
And with regards to the photography rules, they are the way they are to protect the citizens of Black Rock City just as much as the image of the event.
Well I saw both versions of the the movie Wicker Man and other than an effigy of a man being burned there are no other similarities. And the spontaneous theatrics at Burning Man are generally much better than what Nicholas Cage can deliver.
The EFF link that you provided is a bit harsh in its interpretation of Burning Man's photo policy. Everyone is free to take pictures at Burning Man for personal use. But if you are a commercial photographer with plans to make a coffee table book you need to register your intentions ahead of time and Burning Man gets to review your images and make sure that what you are presenting to the public is in the best interest of the event. Believe me there is not a big conspiracy of what really goes on at Burning Man vs. what the public gets to see. It's just that Burning Man as an organization goes through a lot of planning an effort to make the city a great place to be and when you enter the city as a "participant" you are paying to be there and part of that is agreeing to abide by the photography rules. But for 95% of the citizens it doesn't affect them at all unless someone was to publicly post something that caused the alarm to sound. A bit more insight Burning Man Responds to EFF over fair use and photo rights attack – Boing Boing