Burners’ tortured relationship with tech

[Bloomberg] [Fully Charged]( From [Bloomberg](   [FOLLOW US [Facebook Share]]( [Twitter Share]( [SUBSCRIBE [Subscribe]](  Hi. [Sarah McBride](mailto:smcbride24@bloomberg.net)here. This week, thousands of revelers are heading back to Silicon Valley and Los Angeles after disconnecting in Nevada's Black Rock Desert at the annual Burning Man festival. I usually watch them wearily return to civilization, but this year I was one of them. And what struck me about the experience was the tension between "Burners" and technology. Sculptures on this year's theme -- I, Robot -- dotted the Playa, a baked-earth expanse that's the center of the event. One was a giant eyeball with two battery-powered oars (eye, row, bot -- ahem). It sat just beside an area called Playa Analytica, a twist on Cambridge Analytica, the consulting firm that accessed data on millions of Facebook users without their permission. Coffee was doled out in exchange for pretend information like "birth time" amid signs in familiar Facebook-blue type. One sign on a slotted box asked people to "Insert nude photos here for your protection." Nearby, another read "For sale nude photos." The source of this harsh satire was Camp Nose Fish, a location that's been set up by a group of Burners for more than a decade. About two-thirds of Camp Nose Fish members work in the tech industry, according to organizer Gordon Hamachi -- himself a veteran of Silicon Valley companies including PayPal. And the camp remained online at all times. Hamachi attended a summit back in May on how to set up an internet connection at Burning Man. He came with all the necessary equipment, and wired up the camp on its first day. Full disclosure: 24 hours into the event, I was begging for the password, and Camp Nosefish kindly obliged. Yes, Burning Man marks an impressive annual experiment in community living and free expression amid the remote, dusty conditions of the desert. But Burners are never far away from technology, even as they mock some of the sector's wayward creations. Along with the satire, there were talks on topics like quantum physics and neuroscience, and, for those who knew where to look, plenty of Wi-Fi.  And here’s what you need to know in global technology news: Google posted testimony for a congressional hearing on internet company efforts to thwart election meddling ahead of U.S. midterm elections. As of Tuesday afternoon, it looked like there would be [no one]( to deliver the words in person.  Amazon was briefly [worth $1 trillion]( on Tuesday, about a month after Apple reached this stock-market milestone. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is [even more rich](bbg://news/stories/NSN%20PEJJ6E6S9728) than he used to be.  Big telecom is [throttling]( your favorite video apps.   Intel has begun to [narrow]( its search for a new CEO.  Palantir will [probably file]( for an IPO in 2019 or early 2020.   Sponsored Content by Morgan Stanley The next crop of tech stocks to dominate the market will likely serve businesses, not consumers. The new leaders will likely be companies that reduce the cost of production, rather than the cost of consumption, through industrial automation, robotics, AI or blockchain technology. [Read more.](   You received this message because you are subscribed to the Bloomberg Technology newsletter Fully Charged. You can tell your friends to [sign up here](.  [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022