I *like* his idea. He pays for the minutes out of his own pocket, and gifts phone use to anyone who asks. He slapped together this rig and somehow made it work. It shows a certain amount of DIY skill and at least a little innovation.
I don't carry my phone around during The Week, and I don't think anyone else should. But there's something cute and fun about calling a buddy at home and rubbing it in his face that I'm at Burning Man and he's at home.
If you want to get away from the rest of the world for The Week, I'm right there with you. But I *do* think that, outside emergency situations, there can be an entertaining, participatory, interactive way to use a telephone at Burning Man.
Just sayin'.
EDIT:
A theme camp is bringing a setup at minimum. Does that make you feel differently?
Krewe of Papa Legba
The Krewe of Papa Legba will provide on-playa text messaging and LIMITED cellular service over parts of BRC. If you are interested in "community telephony" (or just want to see what a hand-crafted cellular base station looks like) please stop by for a visit.
Hometown: Fairfield, CA
URL: http://openbts.sf.net