TJ's (Unofficial) L2K FAQ

Q: What's an FAQ?
A: You'd be surprised how frequently that question gets asked.

Q: What does L2K stand for?
A: Nothing in particular.  I can tell you what we don't stand for: impatience, hubris, ennui, dispassion.

Q: No, I mean where did you get the name L2K?
A: Well, we were building a ring of 2000 lights, and we wanted a catchy name.  You figure it out.

Q: Was '99 the first year for L2K?
A: Yes.

Q: Did you burn the ring at the end of the festival?
A: No.

Q: Why not?
A: We didn't bring enough gasoline. Really, though, if you're asking this question, you obviously haven't read the Legend of L2K.

Q: Will L2K be back in 2000?
A: Possibly. We are discussing various options.

Q: How big was the ring?
A: It was 500 ft. in diameter, or 1570 ft. in circumference. We actually built it to be 2000 ft. in circumference (636 ft. diameter). The Burning Man organization decided to have L2K serve double-duty as the safety perimeter for the burn, so they shrunk the circle to 500 ft. in diameter.

Q: What are the technical specs of L2K?
A: See the technical specs page here, or head over to the official L2K site for the gory details.

Q: How much did it cost?
A: I've heard estimates of $8-10k in material costs, which is pretty huge considering many of the materials were obtained as surplus.  I can't even begin to tally up the labor cost.  It was truly a labor of love.

Q: Who paid for it?
A: The Wizard, L2K team members, and the Burning Man organization.

Q: Are you guys nuts?
A: Yes. No. Take your pick. We did what we did because we enjoyed it, and we wanted others to enjoy it.  I think we succeeded beyond our highest expectations.  It was a major rush to see this whole thing come together! 

Q: How long did it take to build?
A: The Wizard started working on prototypes of the parts in February.  Full-scale building work started in May/June and continued through mid-August. We had the whole thing ready a week or two before the festival.

Q: How long did it take to install?
A: Installation and testing of the ring took three solid days (Sun.-Tue., with a small break for the wind storm on Mon.).  The ring was designed to be easily removed, so deinstallation took a little over half a day. In addition, the lounge was built in a couple of days, though we kept adding decorative touches all week long.

Q: Wow, you guys must be a bunch of techno-geeks with too much time on your hands, huh?
A: Well, no. While I will say that the Wizard did an incredible amount of technical work in the design and testing of the system, most of the effort was menial manufacturing tasks, done by a group of hard-working people who shared the Wizard's vision. We had folks from many walks of life, who sacrificed parts of their normal, everyday lives to make this happen. Why? Simply for the satisfaction of it. I must say that watching strangers enjoy the ring and play with it made the summer of sweating over wires and plastic and concrete all worthwhile. If you've ever created a work of art for  others to enjoy, you understand what I mean.  For more insight into the Wizard's thoughts and motivations, head on over to the official L2K site and have a look at The Wizard Speaks (PDF file).

Q: Was L2K inspired by the Alien Landing Strip from several years ago?
A: No.  I don't think anyone on the team had seen or even heard of the Strip until people started asking this question.  Well, maybe Bob knows something about it, but he just clams up when you ask him.

Q: Did you guys see that red UFO that was hovering over Black Rock City?
A: Yes.  One of my favorite quotes is something Bob overheard: "Dude.  L2K is calling to it."

Q: Were you guys really signaling UFO's?
A: Yes.  The message was: "bring pizza.  no anchovies."

Q: I saw the sushi sign at L2K Camp.  Did you guys really have sushi in the desert?
A: Yes.  You just missed it.  A big thank you goes out to the fishermen from Portland who got us fresh tuna late in the week.  You guys were way cool.

Q: Wow, are you going to have sushi next year?
A: I doubt it, but keep your eye out for the sushi sign.  You gotta be right on time, though.  It goes really fast. ;-)