Budget
There are gaps in the list of costs, and not all parts are accounted for in detail, but most of the high cost items are caught, to give a fair estimate. Some things priced as new could conceivably be found used for less, but there is no assurance so I used reliable sources for costs. I had looked into bike technology for the mechanical systems, but the costs were about the same for new bike parts as for new industrial parts. One could imagine cutting up a bunch of old bikes and welding up something, though this would take more time and effort and be less versatile. It’s unclear how well the specified parts will work, so the schedule has plenty of development time. Extra costs will be accrued as initial components are discarded and replaced with later iterations, though it is hard to put this into a budget intelligently. So a contingency of 20% is added.
Schedule
The hardest thing to develop is the displays, so there is a lot of time devoted to R&D. Halfway through display development, it should be possible to write up a draft of the text and diagrams, and then finalize the text when the displays are finalized. In parallel are the more conventional frame and sign construction. A key initial thing is to design the look of the display. This satisfies the always-necessary “art” component, though it really functions more like advertising. Paint colors are chosen based on this design.
Transportation depends on where the subsystems are built. The displays will be built in the Bay Area, and transported for free by the organization, according to an email I received. Other subsystems (i.e. frame and signs) can be transported in the same way if they are at the Bay Area pickup point. Otherwise, shipping them from far away makes no sense, and they could be transported as the builder goes to the playa. If all subsystems are built to spec, they ought to assemble satisfactorily the first time on playa. We can bring extra hardware to cover conflicts. Transport back will include all components together. This project will probably be reassembled in other venues later, including Decompression.
Personnel
There are three main subsystems and therefore three “groups:” Displays, Signs and Frames. Hat-swapping is assumed.
The display group will include myself, pedants and engineers (I’m just calling people by their functions, not necessarily their day jobs.) The task there is to balance what best communicates the science with what can be done. For instance, it would be great to have a computer display of the total energy under a power curve as one cranks the generator crank, but this is a time sink and expense that may be too much. Maybe the same thing is communicated with a few simple meters, or better by the water pumped to a height in the Rube Goldberg display. There are parts that multiple people can build and bring together to increase efficiency. I have a garage to work in, but it’s small and full of solar cars, so extra building sites would help. For transport, some protection needs to be built so delicate parts are not damaged.
The sign group should include a graphic designer, a printer and a painter. These can be separate in geography, if the designs can be communicated digitally, or even by mailing silkscreen patterns or whatnot. In the past, I’ve used a sign shop for the science museums, to make signs that project the illusion that I can be relied upon for the truth. The sign group would get text panel info from the display group, including text, diagrams and overall layout. Also information as to overall size of panels, where fasteners will go, and means of mounting the panels.
The frame group should include a woodworker who can build the 6’x6’ frames using typical construction techniques. They will probably be painted or stained. Information will be communicated from the display group as to exact dimensions. Design has to include some playa anchoring system to prevent damage from giant dust devils. Gravity may not be enough.
I assume the setup for the Greenhouse displays will occur before the event, so enough of a crew has to be present early to do the assembly. Assembly should take a day at most, so “early arrival” would be Saturday. Most of the subsystems will be large and heavy, requiring four people at times, but usually two or three. Setup crew can be different from the development groups. There also has to be a takedown crew of the same number of people. The displays will have to come apart on Friday night, as the preparations for burning the Man will take all day Saturday, and they want all personnel cleared out in order to install pyro. It would be nice to have the displays sit somewhere else for a couple days, which they would have to anyway before the transport people went out again. Thus maybe we could place them in AEZ Saturday and Sunday. Have to see. There will be no attention needed by the displays when in operation, aside from possible repairs.