Participation in the Bureau’s field study is entirely voluntary. No one made you do this. The Bureau does not coerce Subjects. Subjects may discontinue participation at any time by simply… stopping. There are no penalties for withdrawal, though the Bureau will note the absence in its records with mild bureaucratic disappointment.
The study is not a competition. Joy Points are a unit of measurement, not a prize system. The Bureau tracks them because the Bureau tracks everything. Any rewards, recognitions, or moments of cosmic significance arising from participation are incidental to the study’s primary objectives and are not guaranteed.
The study takes place within the grounds of Lightning in a Bottle Festival 2026, an outdoor event held in Kern County, California. Participation involves navigating festival grounds on foot, potentially across uneven terrain, in variable weather conditions, during daylight and nighttime hours. Subjects are responsible for their own physical wellbeing, hydration, footwear choices, and general awareness of their surroundings at all times.
By enrolling, you acknowledge that participation in an outdoor festival environment involves inherent risks, including but not limited to: uneven terrain, crowds, heat, dust, nighttime conditions, and the general unpredictability of large-scale outdoor gatherings. You voluntarily assume all such risks as a condition of participation in the Bureau’s field study.
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, you release and hold harmless the Lightning Information Bureau, its organizers, collaborators, volunteers, Do Lab, Inc., and all affiliated parties from any and all claims, demands, injuries, damages, losses, or liabilities of any kind arising out of or related to your participation in the field study. This includes, without limitation, claims arising from physical injury, property loss, or any other consequence of navigating the festival grounds as part of the study.
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California. You acknowledge that you are participating in an activity held in California and that California law applies to any dispute arising from your participation.
The Bureau collects the following information at enrollment: your assigned Bureau field name (a generated pseudonym, not your legal name), your chosen Field Division (Team Green or Team Orange), your team number, your enrollment timestamp, and optionally, your contact signal (email address) if you choose to provide it.
Your field name and associated study data are used solely to operate the Bureau’s field study during Lightning in a Bottle 2026. Your contact signal, if provided, is stored in the Bureau’s archives and attached to your enrollment record. It will not be used to contact you, sold, shared with third parties, or deployed for any purpose beyond its existence as a data point in the Bureau’s records. The Bureau has more interesting things to do.
The Bureau’s records may be retained following the conclusion of the festival for internal research and archival purposes. No personally identifiable information beyond an optional email address is collected.
The Bureau makes no representations or warranties regarding the availability, continuity, or performance of the field study platform, NFC infrastructure, or any associated experience. The study operates on festival grounds. Things happen.
The Bureau reserves the right to modify, suspend, or terminate any element of the field study at any time, with or without notice, for operational, safety, or bureaucratic reasons.
If any provision of these terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force. The Bureau is nothing if not resilient.
These terms constitute the entire agreement between you and the Bureau with respect to your participation in the field study. They supersede all prior transmissions, verbal debriefs, and interdimensional communiques.