The Psychic Taxi!

Theme Camp Questionnaire

Village, Theme Camp or Department?:
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Theme Camp

Camp/Village Name?:
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Psychic Taxi

Listed on Map?:
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listed

Listed on Burning Man Earth?:
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listed

Listed on Website?:
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listed

Text for website listing:
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Psychic Taxi provides comfort to the foot weary; our Random Service Taxi is a
pedal powered rickshaw that ferries travelers. Our Hammock pavilion offers
shade and luxurious ease at camp, and our roving, pedal powered, Psychic Taxi
Nomadic CafA{C}, provides refreshment to the thirsty all over BRC.

Public URL for Camp :
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www.psychictaxi.com

Requested Location 1st choice.:
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Center Camp

Requested Location, 2nd choice.:
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Avenue 4:30

Requested Location, 3rd choice.:
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Plaza 3:00

Comments:
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We would like to camp in center camp but not on the inner ring as we did last
year. We loved serving all the people coming and going to and around center
camp but we were overwhelmed by the volume of traffic last year. Center camp
is an ideal location for our Psychic Taxi Rickshaw. The two previous years we
camped on the first ring road (i.e. last year Evolution) and they were both
perfect. Ideally we would like to face north or north east (on the 5:30 side
for example where Bioluminati was last year) which would provide the best
shade for our community Hammock Pavilion and enable us to face it to the
street for 24 hour use by all.

Approximate Space Needed:
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['60', '80']

Approximate Space Needed:
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60 ft. by 80 ft.

Number Of Campmates:
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15 to 19

Arrival Date:
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Aug. 23

Number and Type of Vehicles:
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1 RV
1 cargo van
2 pickup trucks
1 Trailer
5 midsize cars
this is maximum we hope to have fewer.

Alternative Power:
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Solar power re-chargers
All of our Playa vehicles are human powered
All of our Hammocks are human powered
All of our campers cycle and walk every where.
We disdain petrol motor transport, unless we catch a ride on an art car and
then we hope and pray it is steam powered.
Solar showers & tea

Generators:
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We will have to use a gasoline generator (very small one) if we are not placed
on the grid. The lights on our playa vehicles use car batteries for light and
must be recharged each day.

Physical Description:
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Psychic Taxi fronts the road with our Hammock pavilion, 10 feet deep and 20
feet wide. 8 hammocks hang in deep shade against a back drop of fine exotic
tapestries and fabrics from around the world. This pavilion is open to any and
all day and night from the first Sunday night on. Quiet relaxing music plays
and a variety of misting devices are on hand to cool and refresh.

The Hammock pavilion is backed up against another tent of the exact same
dimensions separated by only the fabric wall. This tent is normally our
kitchen tent but on several occasions we take down that wall and the middle
hammocks to provide space to have early evening open house parties which
include music and belly/flamenco dancing and refreshments. On one end of these
tents is a personal living space of the same dimensions and it is set back 10
feet to provide parking space for the Psychic Taxi Nomadic CafA{C} where we
serve Tea and Drinks some mornings and evenings, when it is not out roaming
the playa. Next to the Mobile CafA{C} is an alley to access our holding tank
for waste water service and to provide off road parking for our personal bikes
(all our campers have bikes) and our rickshaw.

Behind these three tents there are tents of various sizes for our campers at
least one more large one and several family sized freestanders, our excellent
shower (which by the way we share with our neighbors as long as they can
provide their own water, we will take care of the waste) and our parked
vehicles.

Interactivity Description:
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Bicycle Rickshaw; we are interested in what humans can do for each other,
transport, guide, ease the burden of, comfort and entertain.

Random Service; Our main idea is Random Service; we invite people to ride in
our rickshaw and we take them to random destinations. We pick people up where
we find them and transport them to where we leave them. This year we are
adding shade and elegance to our taxi. This means that people can travel like
royalty of yore and hey, if couples take advantage of the privacy for a little
smooching, so much the better! We are friendly and funny and, almost but not
always, get more out of doing the carrying than the carried do. Because our
service is Random, with destinations unknown at every outset, we are on a
continuous adventure with our passengers or bar patrons. This makes for
fraternity, unity and sharing.

We often carry our large hula hoops on the back of the Rickshaw and have made
many friends during impromptu hooping parties on the playa. Most amazingly we
have taught many people to hoop because the larger hoops are so much easier to
use while they gain confidence.

Friendly Access; we are not ironic or caustic, we welcome passengers and
patrons or we close up shop, Our motto isaNever Grudginglya, if we canat do it
without complaining we donat. We are in a way unsophisticated and find the
jaded old timer more of a challenge than the wide eyed newbie.

Nomadic CafA{C}; we ride out with our Mobile CafA{C} and set up in random
places, we offer a variety of drinks, last year creative alcoholic drinks,
delicious infusions and unusual aperitifs. This year we plan to concentrate
more on tea concoctions and other healthful drinks.

We will host two parties, a small random dance party on the playa, when we
park our Nomadic CafA{C} in some far off corner of the playan universe. We
will construct a simple overhead lighted square using one side of the CafA{C}
as a side and with string lights and flags turn a bit of ancient lake bed into
a dance floor. The theme will be Outer Limits, Space and Other-worldly.
Lounge, Spy fusion will prevail and far flung travelers coming across us will
be fed tea and perhaps something just a bit stronger and invited to chill and
dance till dawn.

We also most humbly serve the the Goddesses at the after Critical Tits parade
party.

This is the fifth year for us to use the rickshaw on the Playa to share our
energy in a positive way with others. We built the rickshaw for our wedding in
2004 and brought it up the same year. The next year 2005, we applied for and
became a theme camp and developed the Random Service concept which has proved
so successful for us.Two years ago we added the pedal powered Nomadic CafA{C}
which was an outstanding success both daytime and evenings and contributed to
several large events including the Critical Tits party, the temple burn and
the Euchronia burn. We also had great success serving people from the Nomadic
CafA{C} in camp providing evening refreshment to people streaming around
center camp and eye-openers for campers leaving for places unknown in the
mornings.

To sum up interactivity ; human powered taxi rides to random destinations,
human powered cafA{C} for teas and other healthful concoctions, and no doubt
some alcohol, a very soothing and restful Hammock pavilion, very small dance
parties, hoops, and eager friendliness.

By the way we have several excellent Spanish speakers to help with
translations and press contacts if needed.

Project Interactivity:
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('24 hour interactive elements', 'chill space', 'entertaining guests',
'misting system', 'services rendered', 'primarily day time', 'primarily night
time')

Art Installation:
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no

Burning:
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no

Combustibles:
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no

Primary Flame Type:
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prinone

Secondary Flame Type:
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secNone

tertiaryFlameEffect:
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terNone

Mutant Vehicles:
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no

Sound Amplification:
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no

Big-Name Performers:
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no

Big-Name Performer List:
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('We believe that everyone is a celebrity at Burning Man!',)

Stage:
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no

Leave No Trace plan:
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('Psychic Taxi Clean up Plan 2008', 'We are experienced campers, averaging 6
or 7 Burns apiece. Therefore we have a strong idea of what is necessary, what
is possible, and what is easiest.', 'We camp simply in sturdy well staked
structures. We are constantly aware of the wind that may come up at any time
and we secure our camp accordingly. We do not use decorations or costume
elements that fragment, fly off, become MOOP or become buried. We clean as we
go.', 'We have no open flames in camp except our camp stove so there is no
burning in our camp to create ash or to scar the playa.', 'We do have a shower
with a sizable catchments basin and all of our wastewater from the shower and
from domestic activities goes into a Johnny Box which we rent and have
serviced during the festival.', 'We account for every piece of equipment
(especially stakes) and all supplies so that we can be sure we leave nothing
behind. During our stay our motto about waste is \xe2\x80\x9cnever let it hit
the ground\xe2\x80\x9d. We use large double bag lined garbage containers for
waste and recycling that we keep inside our shelters with attached lids to
secure all waste.', 'We plan on spreading out the striking of our camp over
three days in order to not be rushed, or hurried and therefore eliminating
fatigue as a factor in not doing a proper job. After striking some of our camp
on the Saturday of the burn we secure and examine our site. Then again on
Sunday when strike and pack most of the camp we again police up our came and
lap out into surrounding camps and areas and sweep with a fine tooth comb. On
Sunday morning after final strike we repeat this process. All of our campers
have pledged to help with this process.', "We hereby designate Jack Allen &
Tres Fontaine as the camp LNT experts, these people will ensure that our camp
stays clean before, during and after the event. They will also be given the
onerous chore of making our camp fun and spontaneous. As difficult as this is
they will be held to this horrible task and will if necessary shed every
stitch if that is what it takes to make people smile. They will get help with
the cleanup from fellow Psychic Taxi residents if and when it is needed. They
will also take part in planning our purchases and encourage us to reuse /
recycle / reduce. They will be there when it's time to take down and sweep
our camp for every last trace and will make sure everything left goes with
us.", 'We have containers on our Rickshaw and our bicycles to contain MOOP we
find while riding and are constantly on the look out for stuff to pack out.
(We have found some really nice additions to our costuming this way! You know,
hats, cod pieces, lacey panties, Medals of Honor, that sort of thing.)', 'We
bring our camp in a variety of vehicles and a trailer and always ensure that
we have extra space for back hauling. We travel out lighter but bulkier than
we arrive, trading off weight, mostly water and some food and fuel, for
MOOP.', 'To minimize our impact on the Playa, we will follow these rules:',
'\xef\x82\xa7\tPlan Ahead', '\xef\x82\xa7\tPractice the 5 R\xe2\x80\x99s:
Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Restore, and Respect', '\xef\x82\xa7\tKeep
our camp clean before, during and after the event', '\xef\x82\xa7\tAdopt the
seven principles and practices of Leave No Trace at Burning Man',
'\xef\x82\xa7\tDo what is necessary to protect and restore the Black Rock
Desert', '\xef\x82\xa7\tIdentify potential problems and issues that may
arise', '\xef\x82\xa7\tCreate a strategy or plan for Leaving No Trace',
'\xef\x82\xa7\tWe will educate all camp members about minimizing our impact on
the playa', 'Psychic Taxi camp will minimize our impact on the Playa, we will
follow these rules:', 'Before the event', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe pledge to Leave No
Trace in and around our campsite, including our own and others\xe2\x80\x99
waste.', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will read the survival guide and LNT tips.',
'\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will complete this camp\xe2\x80\x99s Leave No Trace Plan and
share it with the entire camp.', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will plan the assembly and
takedown of our structures and decorations and tape the edges of our carpets',
'\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will inventory vehicle space so we can pack out everything',
'\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will take the packaging off of just about everything and
stock up on reusable products and containers', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will shop for
simple finger foods and prepare meals in advance to reduce waste',
'\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will bring no glass, cheap trinkets, small feathers, and
anything that might get left on the playa', 'During the event',
'\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will check our camp daily', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will clean as
we go, realizing that any trash or MOOP (matter out of place) can blow away or
be buried at any moment.', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will keep our recyclables,
burnables, and non-burnables clearly separated for easy disposal,',
'\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will recycle our aluminum, either on-site or back home',
'\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will have special cleanup crews for any high traffic
activities we host and take care of any trash left by guests, invited or
otherwise.', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe won\xe2\x80\x99t leave trash in or around the
port-o-potties', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe won\xe2\x80\x99t light fires on bare ground
or dig pits, leaving scars. If we must burn, we\xe2\x80\x99ll use a public
burn barrel or burn platform', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will burn only clean
untreated wood or paper (nothing synthetic) and follow the safety guidelines
for fires and burn scar prevention.', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe won\xe2\x80\x99t dig
large holes or trenches', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will keep all items tied or
weighted down, and leave papers at home.', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will not dump any
grey or black water on the playa', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will encourage members of
our camp to carry a personal trash (MOOP) container and a cigarette butt
container when they are outside camp.', 'After the event', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe
will put aside time and have designated volunteers for the final cleanup',
'\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will take all trash in sealed containers to a landfill and
recyclables to a recycle center on the way home.', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tAfter
cleaning our camp, everyone in our camp will devote at least two hours to the
general city cleanup (e.g. trash fence, local port-o-potties, caf\xc3\xa9,
etc).', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will leave extra space in every vehicle on the way
to the desert, knowing that repacking will inevitably take up more space and
ensure that no items can detach during the ride home.', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will
pack out everything, including any unevaporated gray water and scum',
'\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe won\xe2\x80\x99t put trash in or around the port-o-potties',
'\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will help out our neighbors and fellow citizens', 'We will
be Good Neighbors', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will encourage our guests to bring their
own beverage containers.', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will help out our neighbors',
'\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will adopt the space around our camp, making sure that it
stays traceless', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tWe will help careless or forgetful campers',
"We bring the following items for our Camp's Clean-up Day (every day actually
but especially Saturday and Sunday and Monday)", '\xe2\x80\xa2\tFlat-blade
shovel', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tbroom', '\xe2\x80\xa2\t5-gallon buckets',
'\xe2\x80\xa2\tSeparate containers for recyclable, burnable, and
non-burnable.', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tExtra heavy duty Trash bags',
'\xe2\x80\xa2\tRope and string for tying loose stuff down.',
'\xe2\x80\xa2\tCheap work gloves for everybody.', '\xe2\x80\xa2\tTwo single
jacks for compacting in 5-gallon buckets and driving stakes.',
'\xe2\x80\xa2\tCustom made puller for stakes and rebar.',
'\xe2\x80\xa2\tDirections and hours of landfills.')