Michael Michael (photo)

Michael Michael rides the edge of community, art, technology and culture. He is one of the principal organizers of the Burning Man art festival in Nevada and the organizing force behind the Cacophony Society, a social network dedicated to the pursuit of experiences beyond the mainstream.

He has an engineering systems background in computers and robotics, which was developed during the early days of Silicon Valley. He witnessed the development of the integrated chip while working as a technician at Fairchild Semiconductor, the spawning ground for Intel and scores of other technology companies. Later, he was a consulting engineer for Apple Computer and managed the development of the first multi-chip robotic assembly line at the Macintosh plant in Fremont. He spent several years as director of engineering for Jasmine Computer; a manufacturer of Macintosh-compatible hard drives, using off-the-shelf components. Many features of the Jasmine drive later became industry standard. A year was spent in Los Angeles, where he worked on an intelligent freeway system test project for Caltrans, which integrated roadbed sensors, traffic flow monitors and VBI embedded data in broadcast television signals. 

His interest in things new is equaled by an interest in things old, having been involved in several historical preservation projects, including managing the restoration of the 80-year Sweets Ballroom in Oakland and the neon sign/marquee of the Oaks Theater in Berkeley.

In the area of art, he has been involved with many large-scale projects including Defenestration, a three story building in San Francisco, which has animated furniture attached to the exterior.

Also an art car enthusiast, he still owns an earthquake-damaged Oldsmobile bearing the license plate 504 PM, which appeared in the Harrod Blank film "Wild Wheels" and was the last privately-owned car to traverse the Central Freeway in San Francisco before it was demolished. Often integrating cars and technology, he once owned a Volvo that was a beta test site for the first Etack navigation system, an early precursor to on-board GPS map displays.

Michael continues to provide wisdom, encouragement and support for artists and community builders. His colorful range of experience includes having been a combat veteran in Vietnam and a federal fugitive in the United States. His personal contributions of material relating to Bay Area cultural anthropology can be found in the San Francisco Library and the Bancroft Library. He provides a nurturing influence at the Shipyard and drives a 1958 Nash.