Awaiting Korean Burning Man Festival

“Software intuition is not learned from books.”

How does one cultivate software intuition? The number of people concerned about this seems to be rapidly growing lately. August 15’s news of Google’s takeover of Motorola is yet another reminder to our society of the significance of software knowledge. It represents the shift in the landscape where search technology has become stronger than cell phone manufacturing.

Former Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee was quoted yesterday as having urged the company to step up efforts to acquire needed software talent and, if necessary, “proactively pursue [mergers and acquisitions] of software companies.”* This signifies pressing needs for software technology.

This emphasis on software intuition is actually nothing new. The book “No software in South Korea,” published eight years ago, made this painful realization. For over 10 years there have been voices demanding that Korea develop an application specific integration circuit (ASIC), in addition to memory chips to uphold its status as a semiconductor power. But, it is evident that our software intuition level still leaves something to be desired.

Software intuition is not easily cultivated. Apple’s Steve Jobs contemplates frequently; Microsoft’s Bill Gates takes a “Think Week” each year for a reason. Software intuition is not acquired from such things as books; instead, it requires an enlightened mind. It requires freedom from logic and conventions.

The Burning Man Festival takes place in the United States around this time of year. The festival runs for one week beginning the Monday prior to Labor Day (the first Monday of September), which is August 29 this year. The festival has been attracting journalists’ interest as it is said that the mind and culture of Silicon Valley is cultivated from this festival. The 1999 festival put a spotlight on the participation of Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and their employees. Even Google’s corporate slogan, “Don’t be evil,” has its roots in the spirit of the Burning Man festival. It has been suggested that Burning Man participants have an edge in Google’s job interviews. Google Doodles, design changes to the Google logo to commemorate special days, socio-cultural issues and famous people’s lives, were also borne out of this festival.

The Burning Man festival started in 1986, when Larry Harvey performed a burning ritual of a wooden effigy at a San Francisco beach to celebrate the summer solstice. After holding the burning ritual at the same place for the next four years, it was moved to the Nevada desert in 1990 upon request of concerned authorities. Even now, Harvey still assumes a management role and is the spokesperson for the festival.

“Trying to explain Burning Man to someone who never participated is like trying to explain color to a blind person.” One needs to be in the festival itself to understand its unique culture and atmosphere.

For one day, in the middle of a desert where electricity and cell phone reception are scarce, tens of thousands of people suddenly appear to create a brand new city. They put together various events and activities; the next week, everything is gone. Highly creative artists, passionate musicians and engineers gather from all over the world to unleash their own creativity. Spectators become creators at the same time. Commercial activities are completely nonexistent in the festival; except for ice and coffee, there is nothing to buy. Instead of money, survival requires reliance on each other, and learning to rely on teamwork is of utmost importance.

Last year more than 50,000 people participated. The pouring rain that turned the ground to mud at the beginning of the festival proved to be no deterrent. Tickets are completely sold out for this year’s festival too. The festival has no rules. On the last day, participants stand in a circle with a gigantic wooden doll burning in the center. This event imparts a great sense of solidarity. Some volunteers stay behind after the event and, within a few weeks, restore the site to its original state. People who meet here from various places, nevertheless, naturally form a community of their own and continue exchanging information and inspiration. Hence, even though nobody directly teaches anybody anything, a tremendous deal of software intuition is cultivated through the Burning Man Festival.

I’m looking forward to a Korean version of the Burning Man summer festival, even if it takes place on a riverbank or a local beach.

*Editor’s Note: This quote, accurately translated, could not be verified.