Mashup/files/media/music maven Moldover checks in in comments with another tip for surviving the desert of Burning Man (or, you know, your next gig in Yemen):
I’ve been bringing my laptop to the playa for several years now. My solution this year was a modified briefcase. I made a mount for my MIDI controller to sit right on ontop of the open case. This minimized my footprint which was very helpful. The case worked like a charm at night but it would overheat during the day. The quick fix was to put it ontop of a bag of ice. (Not very elegant, but still effective!) Next year I’m going to check out liquid or dry-ice cooling systems…
I like the liquid / dry-ice cooling idea!
Moldover is co-conspirator on the excellent, Ableton-biased near-monthly performance party Warper here in New York (though hopefully part of a new cultural fever spreading the country).
Dealing with the elements is a serious idea. I may have to do some low-tech waterproofing for a party this week in DC, and CDMotion’s Jaymis recently experimented with combining laptops and beer. (Hint: this turns out not to enhance performance.)
Previously:
Burning Man: Musical Mac Laptops in Home-Built Bio-Hazard Boxes
Numark’s $99 Portable Turntable, Torture Tested in the Burning Man Desert
Now, anyone got general Burning Man reports / photos for this year?
