Archives for 2018

Burning Man 2018 Project

At Burning Man some participants bluster that they experience 60 to 70 MPH winds every day. “Bluster” is an anemometer constructed from a 13-foot commercial lamppost. The piece has an illuminated bargraph that shows the current wind speed and the peak wind speed.… Read the rest

Bluster’s Milestones

A simple project always looks more daunting after one lists its detailed milestones. Last update: August 22, 2018. And it’s done! Anemometer I’m using a modified Adafruit Anemometer to sense the wind speed. The “zero-MPH” value of the original anemometer’s output signal depends on the resting position of the rotor.… Read the rest

Cupcake Cafe 2018 Milestones

Here’s what’s left to prepare for Burning Man 2018. Last update: August 24, 2018. 16-foot Trailer I bought a new trailer to dedicate to Burning Man events. In the past I’ve used a 10-foot trailer, but because I use that trailer for other purposes, much time is spent loading and unloading it and finding places to store everything.… Read the rest

Bluster’s Lamppost

Bluster’s lamppost is much taller than I had imagined! I’m very happy that I bought this instead of a short residential lampost from Home Depot. And buying a lamppost was much smarter than trying to build one. Update after Burning Man 2018: Here it is on the playa with its automotive paint job and its new scrollwork!… Read the rest

Bluster’s Comment Book

At Burning Man I mounted a small twin-wire bound notebook on Bluster along with a Sharpie. Participants completely filled the notebook. Here is a PDF scan of its contents: Bluster Comment Book Read the rest

The Final Tally

Mike Case and I installed Bluster on August 25 at 7:00 pm. Then on September 3 at 10:00 am, 8 days and 15 hours later, I took the installation down. During that time, the column of air that blew by was 8,148,257 feet long.… Read the rest