Burn Baby Burn (Disco Inferno)

Since the dawn of time, the one aspect to separate man from other beasts has been his ability to create fire. Only we have been able to warm ourselves without fear of the looming night. Fire has been worshiped, associated with the demoniacal, and even used as a war-tool. What has caused such utility and myth from a seemingly simple energy? I say it is because a true, perfect fire is more an art of architecture and passion than simply a means to warm oneself.
We've all known since second grade what goes in to making a fire; all you need is air, a heat source, and fuel, right? But there's a lot more to making a decent fire than just this simple formula; the art of fire making consists of so much more.
To begin with, one must pay attention to his air. The only part of air that a fire needs to flame is oxygen, which is only about twenty percent of the total atmosphere here at the surface. A good fire needs to have a constant supply of this oxygen, and since heat rises, and with it flame, the best place to have the air is underneath the actual fire, so it may be siphoned up by the flame. It also mustn't be too windy, especially when first starting the fire, for it may easily be blown out.
Above our air shall be our heat source. The best readily available to most fire-lighters is a box of kitchen matches; however, if you feel like returning to your roots, rubbing two sticks together is the way to go. In both cases, the friction caused striking or rubbing is our heat source, almost always resulting in a small flame. Then all that is needed is application of the small match (or pair of sticks) to a well-built kindling/tinder matrix.
This brings us to our fuel source to which our heat shall be applied. The fuel source must be carbon-based. As said before it is best to have a space for air underneath the fire, which can be accomplished by having a pair of small logs spaced a foot or so apart to hold up what will actually be burning. Running perpendicularly to the logs should be a few small sticks, no more than an inch in diameter each, spaced evenly across the logs. Then should come the most easily light-able carbon-based fuel available. The best, in my opinion, is a paper product, crumpled or tied into knots, but dry bark, cardboard, or leaves may also work. Atop this should be another, denser layer of sticks, and finally one or two medium-sized logs, about two to three inches in diameter, running parallel one another.
And so you have created the best fire. You have joined the ranks of innumerable generations to have warmed themselves using their own grit and determination to set themselves apart from the other beasts.