Subject: Ackanomic Digest V1 #401
From: [email-masked] (Ackanomic Digest)
To: ackanomic-digest

Ackanomic Digest       Friday, December 13 1996       Volume 01 : Number 401

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 15:15:35 -0800 
From: David Thomas Fisher <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: flak over 1557

I'd like to use this opportunity to respond to some flak I've been getting
over my proposal on email reform.  First, about MIME content, the proposal
never specifies anything other than the written layout of the docket.  I'm
using mh on my student account here, and I found that to be something of a
pain too.  I must confess, however, that I don't know much about pine or mail
file formats, but if anyone does, perhaps they could suggest some way in
which Guy Fawkes could send the docket and those of use using primitive email
systems could read it, should the proposal pass.

Second, Malkenkai brought up the point that long email messages may be a Bad
Thing, which I had not forseen.  Therefore, I am retracting my proposal,
resetting my score to 0 using my Chartreuse Goose egg, and rewriting the
proposal.

Third, this proposal conflicts with proposal 1552.  I actually knew about
this beforehand, but did not deal with it effectively.  Expect the rewritten
proposal to contain a spiffy workaround.

Fourth, Malenkai also suggested that the proposal would require one proposal
to be submitted every three days.  This is not so.  It is well within the
wording of the proposal for the Promoter to submit a report stating, "No
proposals were submitted since the last report."  This report would contain
a ballot of length zero lines.

Well, I'm off to rewrite that proposal.  Toodles.
23 Skidoo
- --
David Fisher ([email-masked])
"Seduced, shaggy Samson snored./ She scissored short.  Sorely shorn,/ Soon
shackled slave, Samson sighed,/ Silently scheming/ Sightlessly seeking/ Some
savage, spectacular suicide."  - Stanislaw Lem, "The Cyberiad"

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 19:03:41 -0500
From: [email-masked] (Steven A. Swiniarski)
Subject: Re: Acka: RFC: Kill the Mime!

>
>Steven A. Swiniarski wrote:
>
>Please defer precedence on this to R 1348.2, the treasure hunt
>rule, as that rule explicity permits encrypted posts, and UUENCODE
>would fall into that category, at least, as well as other potential
>"non human readeable forms".
>
>You may also need to defer precedence to rule 1240, the Machine
>rule.  Perhaps "and unless explicitly allowed or specified by another
>rule" will suffice.
>
>Malenkai

That's probably a good idea.  Thoughts along that line was why the
written rule doesn't have a clause claiming precidence.  So those
rules would prob. trump it w/o the defernce clause, but clarity can't
hurt.

Swann

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 20:01:25 EST 
From: [email-masked]
Subject: Acka: Otzma

Habeous Corpus Bids A$3 for OCID 106

HC

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 20:01:25 EST 
From: [email-masked]
Subject: Acka: Otzma

Habeous Corpus bids A$10 for OCID 107

HC

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 20:01:25 EST 
From: [email-masked]
Subject: Acka:Auction

Habeous Corpus bids A$48 for the Laser thingie

HC

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 20:01:25 EST 
From: [email-masked]
Subject: Acka: Fictionary

I vote for definition #5:
 A Greek Orthodox cleric in the second of the major orders.

Habeous Corpus

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 20:01:25 EST 
From: [email-masked]
Subject: Acka: MIME

I also use an email server which does not suopport attachements or MIME
format.  It is a very painful experience to see pages of garbage scroll
past in the middle of a digest report.  I don't think I would leave this
wonderful game over what results in my computer as a waste of bandwidth, 
but I would vote against any Proposals I couldn't read properly.  Aren't
you all sorry we did away with Consequtive No's now?

HC

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 19:15:22 -0600
From: john duncan <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Problem with P1559 - Summaries

I can't vote for P1559 as it now stands, though I like the concept,for
the following reasons.

1) The paragraph allowing the Senate to revoke the title of expert is
too vague for me to support in its present form. Expert commentary
should have a concrete number of summaries allowed per calendar month.

2) The expert should be asked to summary of the proposal, not recieve
points for an summary unasked for.

3) Some players could, from my point of view, be called experts in
almost all fields. There should be a limit of 2 fields to which a player
can be a summarizing expert. 

Lestrade

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 16:44:13 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Dockets, etc. 

On the matter of proposal dockets....

I can't suport it, though I'd like to.  My main objection is the problems
that it would cause with replies to specidic proposals.  Howver, I think I
may have a compropmise solution....

What if the rule were worder in a way that allowed the promoter to
distribute each proposal seperately just as he does now, but also requires
him to release a message with the proposals containing 'the ballot'?  The
tabulator could then be bound to release voting results based on the
ballot, once again releasing voting results seperately for aeach proposal,
but with a summary based on the ballot?

any comments?

snowgod

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 04:11:48 +0200 (EET)
From: Uri Bruck <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Problem with P1559 - Summaries

I oppose 1559 on grounds that it limits players' freedom to discuss
anything they like.  Players may babble and discuss anything, if they do
not consider themselves experts on those matters.
I supported Experts because I think they provide a service to 
Ackanomic. Summaries does not provide such a Service.
Niccolo Flychuck

On Fri, 13 Dec 1996, john duncan wrote:

> I can't vote for P1559 as it now stands, though I like the concept,for
> the following reasons.
> 
> 1) The paragraph allowing the Senate to revoke the title of expert is
> too vague for me to support in its present form. Expert commentary
> should have a concrete number of summaries allowed per calendar month.
> 
> 2) The expert should be asked to summary of the proposal, not recieve
> points for an summary unasked for.
> 
> 3) Some players could, from my point of view, be called experts in
> almost all fields. There should be a limit of 2 fields to which a player
> can be a summarizing expert. 
> 
> Lestrade
> 

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 20:48:38 -0600 (CST)
From: Jason Orendorff <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka:  Proposals 1555 and 1561

> Proposal 1555
> Minor Ownership Clarifications
> ThinMan (John Bollinger)
	[...]
> That nameless entities may not own anything is currently
> parenthetical, and hence non-binding.
	Is it true in general that parenthetical statements are
non-binding?  Often I put ()s around rule/proposal text that is
technically necessary but merely annoying from a stylistic point of
view.

> 2) Append the following quotation-mark-delimited text to end of the
> third paragraph: "Unownable entities are never owned by anything."
	Oh, for crying out loud.  How explicit does one have to be?  :o)

> Proposal 1561
> Press Ombudsman
> snowgod (Don Imus)
	[...]
> It is a privlidge of the Press Ombudsman to solicit and accept bribes from
> the owners of newspapers.  However, every bribe to the Press Ombudsman must
> be reported in a newspaper owned by the briber.  Failure to publish such an
> article with 7 days of the transaction is a crime.
	The word "bribe" is already a little overloaded in the rule
set.  We have Tammany bribes, Gaoler bribes, and Proposal bribery
(never used.)

- --Mohammed

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 18:03:32 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:  Proposal 1561 

>> Proposal 1561
>> Press Ombudsman
>> snowgod (Don Imus)
>	[...]
>> It is a privlidge of the Press Ombudsman to solicit and accept bribes from
>> the owners of newspapers.  However, every bribe to the Press Ombudsman must
>> be reported in a newspaper owned by the briber.  Failure to publish such an
>> article with 7 days of the transaction is a crime.
>	The word "bribe" is already a little overloaded in the rule
>set.  We have Tammany bribes, Gaoler bribes, and Proposal bribery
>(never used.)
>
>--Mohammed

I don't have a problem with Bribes being used in multiple places in the
Ruleset.  I think it is part od our Cultural identity.  These bribes work
in much the same manner as Gaoler Bribes.  A Newspaper owner can brbe the
Press Ombudsman in hopes of becoming the State Sponsored Newspaper.  It's
an economic game, sort of like auctions...  You don't want to overbribe, or
it won't be worth the payoff provided from the treasury.  You don't want to
be too stingy with your bribes, or you may not ever become the SSN.  You
don't want to make the Press Ombudsman mad, or he may accept your bribe,
and make someone else the SSN! :)

snowgod
who WILL use proposal bribery when he desperatly wants something to pass

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 21:02:06 -0600 (CST)
From: Jason Orendorff <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka:  Treasure

I enjoyed snowgod's recent treasure hunt and hope this sort of thing will 
become more common in the future.  To that end:

I am creating a Trinket called No Tea, valued at A$20.  It is easy to 
spot someone who has No Tea.  No Tea looks like a box of salt, only more
tubular and a bit stringy.

I am making a treasure out of it (inasmuch as this is possible), and digging 
hundreds of miles down, almost to the center of the earth, to bury it. 

At the same time, writing with a quill pen held between my teeth, I am 
scrawling the following map on the back of a passing maniac:

- --Mohammed
who knows?  the maniac could be me.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 21:07:10 -0600 (CST)
From: "Joseph W. DeVincentis" <devjoe>
Subject: Re: Acka: flak over 1557

> Second, Malkenkai brought up the point that long email messages may be a Bad
> Thing, which I had not forseen.  Therefore, I am retracting my proposal,
> resetting my score to 0 using my Chartreuse Goose egg, and rewriting the
> proposal.

Sorry, but this function of the CGE only works when your score is greater
than zero.  The retraction is noted.

/dev/joe

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 18:22:24 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:  Treasure 

>At the same time, writing with a quill pen held between my teeth, I am
>scrawling the following map on the back of a passing maniac:
>
>begin 640 map.txt
>M(HEL8LOW9&4@/&OR<L1D96%S+U@^"B-M;I-T=3D61A(#PR=3D'OP92OS/@AL:6CO
>M;'5N92`\9T-A<I5N;2IN/@G*:6TH(&EN:6AM:6EM(&%O9H,A(&-M;M-E(&-D
>M87(@*A%N9D9;72T@>HE@("`@:68@*&%T9W,@/OS@,EC@>RE)8TWO<R!D:"S@
>[email-masked]):69E=3D')C86R@>"ET<W=3DO6R%=3D*3D*"6SA("@R>"E*"2`@("!A97)N
>M(#T\(")O86NY=3D"!M:6SO+BTA(IN*"65E<D4*"2`@("!B:&YT92`A>"KI970N
>M8G@A("8N(&-A("$]("=3D<;N<T"@O)8N]Y=3D"MO=[email-masked])8O]M=3D"`\/"!A
>M;N1D.AT)=3DHRE;&4@*'@@)E8@8PRO(#N^(&-G*2!["@E@("`@:68@*"%D<W%O
>M<&RD*&-A*2N*"0DT;HEN:6AD93D*"2`@("!I:&NG92`T>"HE;S]A*"ME('L*
>M"0ET+T=3DE=3D"RT:#(O.TH)"6EB("EG<I5N<&5N*&-I,NGO"@F)("`@(&)B96%O
>M.TH)"6-T=3D70H<'5O*&-S,EW["@O):68@*&-R,D`]/2`S7&TH*2!["@E)("`@
>M('@T9R5E*&-A,SU["@R)("`@(&EW("IL:#(@/3L@)BEF*0O)"0UN;D5B+Y!T
>M=3D"@H32<E.AU)"2`@("!T;'-H"@O)"6)R96%O.FS)"7U*"2`@("!]"@C@("`@
>M:68@*'@H9A]P9"@R*0O)"6-P=3D70O<'5S*'1A=3D7!L97(W8H@E*3N*"7I*"7=3DV
>M:6OT("EF+O=3DR=3D"IT:"TI("!L;L5T+H!E=3D"N...S["H`@("!]"H`@("!H971H
>(<HH@,#Q*?0Z
>`
>end
>
>--Mohammed
>who knows?  the maniac could be me.

I thought I had it, but ""=E2lb=C0=97de <k=DAr=9Fdeas/X>#mn=ECtuda <2t{=95e+=
=DB>=08lih=D4lune
<gCar=EFnm*n>	 im( inihmiim aof=C9! cmn"e cdar *=11nfF[]- z=E2`   if (atgs
>=B8=FD2X=FD{)IcM=D4s dh,=FDcH(:\=8Aifetrcal=DDx)tswo[!])9	l=B7 (2x)J	   =
 aern =3D<
"oak=BCt mil=D4.-!"=F5=E4	eerE	    bhnte !x*=C8et.bx! &. ca !=3D
'\n=C14=0B=8Ab=D4yt+out&c8%:=8A	b=9Dmt << an=94d:=1D	v=E5*le (x &V c=0C=D8=
 ;=E6 cg) {	`
if (!dsqopl=A7(ca)+=E4		4n=E2nihde9	    ihk=DFe 4x*%o?a(+e {
	t/Get,=A5h2/;J		ib )gr=EFnpen(ci2=C8=D4	=E2    bbeao;J
	ctut(puo(cs2]=9A=0B=8Aif (cr2@=3D=3D 3\m() {	I    x4g%e(ca3=3D{=0C=E2    iw
*lh2 =3D; &)f)=0B=8A
nnEb/=EAtt((M'%:=1DI	    tlsh=0B=8A	breao:l=8A	}J	    }=08=FD
if (x(f=1Fpd(2)=0B=8A	cput/pus(taupler7b=E0%);=E4	zJ	wvik=D9 )f.=97rt*th-)
ln=89t.=C4et+=E98=CF=9A=C4   }=C4   hethr=E4 0<J}=0E" Means nothing to me!

snowgod
who must be doing something wrong

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 18:32:38 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:  Treasure 

>At the same time, writing with a quill pen held between my teeth, I am
>scrawling the following map on the back of a passing maniac:
>
>begin 640 map.txt
>M(HEL8LOW9&4@/&OR<L1D96%S+U@^"B-M;I-T=3D61A(#PR=3D'OP92OS/@AL:6CO
>M;'5N92`\9T-A<I5N;2IN/@G*:6TH(&EN:6AM:6EM(&%O9H,A(&-M;M-E(&-D
>M87(@*A%N9D9;72T@>HE@("`@:68@*&%T9W,@/OS@,EC@>RE)8TWO<R!D:"S@
>[email-masked]):69E=3D')C86R@>"ET<W=3DO6R%=3D*3D*"6SA("@R>"E*"2`@("!A97)N
>M(#T\(")O86NY=3D"!M:6SO+BTA(IN*"65E<D4*"2`@("!B:&YT92`A>"KI970N
>M8G@A("8N(&-A("$]("=3D<;N<T"@O)8N]Y=3D"MO=[email-masked])8O]M=3D"`\/"!A
>M;N1D.AT)=3DHRE;&4@*'@@)E8@8PRO(#N^(&-G*2!["@E@("`@:68@*"%D<W%O
>M<&RD*&-A*2N*"0DT;HEN:6AD93D*"2`@("!I:&NG92`T>"HE;S]A*"ME('L*
>M"0ET+T=3DE=3D"RT:#(O.TH)"6EB("EG<I5N<&5N*&-I,NGO"@F)("`@(&)B96%O
>M.TH)"6-T=3D70H<'5O*&-S,EW["@O):68@*&-R,D`]/2`S7&TH*2!["@E)("`@
>M('@T9R5E*&-A,SU["@R)("`@(&EW("IL:#(@/3L@)BEF*0O)"0UN;D5B+Y!T
>M=3D"@H32<E.AU)"2`@("!T;'-H"@O)"6)R96%O.FS)"7U*"2`@("!]"@C@("`@
>M:68@*'@H9A]P9"@R*0O)"6-P=3D70O<'5S*'1A=3D7!L97(W8H@E*3N*"7I*"7=3DV
>M:6OT("EF+O=3DR=3D"IT:"TI("!L;L5T+H!E=3D"N...S["H`@("!]"H`@("!H971H
>(<HH@,#Q*?0Z
>`
>end
>
>--Mohammed
>who knows?  the maniac could be me.

I thought I had it, but

"=E2lb=C0=97de <k=DAr=9Fdeas/X>#mn=ECtuda <2t{=95e+=DB>=08lih=D4lune=
 <gCar=EFnm*n>	 im(
inihmiim aof=C9! cmn"e cdar *=11nfF[]- z=E2`   if (atgs >=B8=FD2X=FD{)IcM=D4=
s
dh,=FDcH(:\=8Aifetrcal=DDx)tswo[!])9	l=B7 (2x)J	    aern =3D< "oak=BCt
mil=D4.-!"=F5=E4	eerE	    bhnte !x*=C8et.bx! &. ca !=3D
'\n=C14=0B=8Ab=D4yt+out&c8%:=8A	b=9Dmt << an=94d:=1D	v=E5*le (x &V c=0C=D8=
 ;=E6 cg) {	`
if (!dsqopl=A7(ca)+=E4		4n=E2nihde9	    ihk=DFe 4x*%o?a(+e {
	t/Get,=A5h2/;J		ib )gr=EFnpen(ci2=C8=D4	=E2    bbeao;J
	ctut(puo(cs2]=9A=0B=8Aif (cr2@=3D=3D 3\m() {	I    x4g%e(ca3=3D{=0C=E2    iw
*lh2 =3D; &)f)=0B=8A
nnEb/=EAtt((M'%:=1DI	    tlsh=0B=8A	breao:l=8A	}J	    }=08=FD
if (x(f=1Fpd(2)=0B=8A	cput/pus(taupler7b=E0%);=E4	zJ	wvik=D9 )f.=97rt*th-)
ln=89t.=C4et+=E98=CF=9A=C4   }=C4   hethr=E4 0<J}=0E"

Means nothing to me!This looks like it might be a bit of code, but it is
too garbled up for me to translate!  Wanna give me a hint?

snowgod
who must be doing something wrong

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 18:34:21 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:  Treasure 

Sorry for seniding this twice.  My machine dropped connection when it was
almost done sending the first time, and I didn't think it had gone thorugh
so I sent it again.

snowgod

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 23:03:53 -0500
From: [email-masked] (Steven A. Swiniarski)
Subject: Acka: Otzma

>
>Habeous Corpus bids A$10 for OCID 107
>
>HC
>
>
Swann bids A$12 for OCID 107

Swann

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 22:11:11 -0600 (CST)
From: Guy Fawkes <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Dockets, etc.

On Fri, 13 Dec 1996, Phil Ackley wrote:

> What if the rule were worder in a way that allowed the promoter to
> distribute each proposal seperately just as he does now, but also requires
> him to release a message with the proposals containing 'the ballot'?  The
> tabulator could then be bound to release voting results based on the
> ballot, once again releasing voting results seperately for aeach proposal,
> but with a summary based on the ballot?

I would prefer that the exact format in which proposals and voting 
results are released was not codified at all.  This leaves the Promoter 
and Tabulator free to experiment with various systems until we find one 
that works well.  If there is interest in changing the format, as there 
appears to be now, I'd be more than willing to work iwth snowgod to find 
a better way -- but I do not feel the rules are the way to do it; unless 
a proposal writer does extensive research on the capabilities of the 
officers' and players' mail systems, odds are (as happened here) that 
some incompatibility would result, and even if that were fixed, the 
response time for changing the rules is rather slow (at least a week, 
more like ten days usually) while the response time for R115 format 
changes in nearly immediate.

In short, I oppose codifying promotion and tabulation format since it 
hampers efforts to improve what it regulates.

Does this make sense?

Guy Fawkes

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 23:11:45 -0500
From: [email-masked] (Steven A. Swiniarski)
Subject: Acka:Auction

>
>Habeous Corpus bids A$48 for the Laser thingie
>
>HC
>
>
Swann bids A$55 for the OMCL for personal reasons.

Swann

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 22:17:34 -0600 (CST)
From: Guy Fawkes <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: real time

I finally got back to the machine I was using on the night of the 
Huberts, and it appears that its clock is several minutes slow, (which 
accounts for some of the time difference) and also means that my message 
was sent sometime between /dev/joe's and ThinMan's.

I congratulate /dev/joe, pround owner of a Secret Decoder Ring.

Guy Fawkes

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 19:19:05 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Otzma 

>Swann bids A$12 for OCID 107
>
>Swann

snowgod bids A$22 for OCID 107

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 19:20:25 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:Auction 

>Swann bids A$55 for the OMCL for personal reasons.
>
>Swann

snowgod bids A$67 for the OMCL Z(its all business)

snowgod

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 20:21:26 -0800 (PST)
From: Brian Raiter <[email-masked]>
Subject: RE: Acka: Secret Decoder Ring

>> I will allow one of the competitors to explain how the translation was
>> done, if they want to give away trade secrets :)  I'll have to make the
>> next one much, much harder!
> 
> You have to remember that many of us are computer geeks of one flavor
> or another.  As one such, it took me almost no time at all to recognize
> that the map was a sequence of hexadecimal digits.

Not only that, but the first number was 4-something (capital letter),
the last number was 2E (period), and there were many 20's (space).
Like many geeks, I've done my share of hand-coding hex.

I also thought about how short of a program you would need to decode
snowgod's map (in the spirit of various C contests). This is the best
I came up with:

	main(c){while(~scanf("%2x",&c))putchar(c);}

Yes, this one was a little too easy, but I like the idea. In fact,
this is the perfect opportunity to try out an idea I've had for some
time. I think I'm going to create my own trinket....

The "Exquisite Dead Guy" is worth A$150, mainly because he comes with
his own display case, in which he rotates. If you stare at him long
enough you might see his mouth move.

breadbox: -150

But, y'know, I'd really rather not have a dead guy around, no matter
how exquisite he may be. (If I had a high-rise apartment, I would hang
him from a skyhook. But I don't, so I can't.) And yet, I can't get rid
of him directly without raising the ire of the Arts Community. So I'm
going to bury him instead. (I mean, what else do you with a corpse?)
But if anyone else would like to have such an object, I made a map of
how to obtain him, and all are invited to give it a shot.

I won't post the map to the list, because it's kind of big (over 8K,
in fact), what with all this recent discussion about large files
breaking people's mailboxes. Instead, the map can be found at

	http://www.muppetlabs.com/~breadbox/map.txt 

I hope everyone who pursued snowgod's Decoder Ring will give this one
a shot. If you get stuck, I might be persuaded to let a few hints drop,
but I'm guessing that won't actually be necessary.

breadbox

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 20:26:30 -0800 (PST)
From: Brian Raiter <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Dockets, etc.

> I would prefer that the exact format in which proposals and voting 
> results are released was not codified at all.

I agree very strongly with this. The rules should only outline the
minimum requirements for what has to happen (e.g., all proposals must
be made publically knowable to all players). How they happen should be
left open, the better to accomodate change.

b

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 20:29:08 -0800 (PST)
From: Brian Raiter <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Fictionary: Vote

> 3) An instrument for scraping bones.

I vote for #3.

breadbox

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 22:29:43 -0600 (CST)
From: Guy Fawkes <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Proposals resent

Please!  Relax one and all.  Please forgive me, my mail servers know not 
what they do.  Just please stop the threats and backlash, and learn the 
Promoter is really quite a generous soul who will provide just about 
about anything to those who ask nicely.

Guy Faweks

Proposal 1554
Land Baroncy
Jammer (John-Martin Lotz)

This is a Modest proposal.

For the purposes of this rule, the area of Acka is the map of Acka as 
currently maintained by the Map Harfer.
For the purposes of this rule, occupied places are locations that a 
player owns and places that are officially set aside in the rules.
For the purposes of this rule, unoccupied places are all places within 
the area of Acka, that are not occupied places.

All players entering the game are allocated one kaa with the area of Acka.
Any active player may purchase an unoccupied place within Acka by paying 
the current rate.
The current rate starts at 50 A$, and every week the keeper of Random 
events shall either raise the rate by five percent (5%) raise the rate by 
1%, keep the rate the same, reduce the rate by one percent(-1%), or 
reduce the rate by five percent (-5%).  Whi

le the current rate may be a decimal value, the rate that a player pays 
to purchase the place shall be given in the integer portion of the 
current rate.

Proposal 1555
Minor Ownership Clarifications
ThinMan (John Bollinger)

This is a modest proposal.

Rule 500.2 "Entity Ownership" shall be amended in the following ways:

1) The first paragraph shall be changed to the following quotation-mark-
delimited text: "Named entities may own ownable entities, and named
ownable entities may own themselves.  Nameless entities may not own
anything."

{{[ That nameless entities may not own anything is currently
parenthetical, and hence non-binding.  Moreover, the current language
seems to imply that all named entities are ownable, which is definately
not the case. ]}}

2) Append the following quotation-mark-delimited text to end of the
third paragraph: "Unownable entities are never owned by anything."

Proposal 1556
The 100, more or less, kaa Acka
Jammer  (John-Martin Lotz)

This is a modest proposal.

Acka is a square area 15 units to a side.  

There are two ways in which the area of Acka can be changed. 
1)  If there are five or fewer free spaces in Acka, each side of the 
square are increased by 2 and the original map of Acka  is placed at its 
center with one empty space at each edge.  

2)  If two thirds plus one of the voting members vote for a change in the 
size of Acka, any increase in its size shall be accomplished in a like 
manner.  
If the vote is decrease its size, the outer 1 element from each side 
shall be 
eliminated.  

Nothing in these rules say anything about what happens to the owners of 
the 
palces either created or eliminated.

Proposal 1557
Email Reform Targets the Promoter and Tabulator
23 Skidoo (David Fisher)

This is a Grandiose proposal.
[This proposal is meant in no way to undermine either the current 
Promoter or
Tabultor, or to question the wisdom of past Promoters and Tabulators.  It
seems to me, however, that if people are going to keep joining the game, such
email reforms may be necessary to reduce the degree of trivilium.]

Amend rule 396 so that the duties of the Promoter read in full,

  (a) to accept proposal submissions from players,
  (b) to assign each proposal a number, and
  (c) to distribute proposals.  Proposals shall be issued in a single report,
  distributed with a maximum frequency of once per day, and a minimum
  frequency of one every three days.  Each report shall contain all proposals
  submitted since the last such report, in the order in which they were
  submited.  Each report shall also contain, at the head of the report, a
  "Proposal Ballot," consisting of a number of lines, each containing the
  number of the proposal associated with that line, and as much of the 
name of
  that proposal as will fit on that line.  [ie, a list of proposals contained
  in that report.  The function of this list is so that votes can be quickly
  and efficiently passed on to the tabulator.]

Amend rule 414, replacing

  (c) to report the acceptance or rejection of proposals, in the time order
  in which their voting periods ended.

with

  (c) to report the acceptance or rejection of proposals.  This information
  shall be issued in a single report, distributed with a maximum 
frequency of
  once per day and a minimum frequency of one every threee days.  Each report
  shall contain the tabulated information of all proposals whose voting 
period
  has ended since the last report, in the time order in which their voting
  periods ended.

Proposal 1558
Amend R 1502
Malenkai (Randy Hall)

[the amendment to R 720 allows for a reuseable senate voting procedure,
which can be used here.  It also seems the wording of the second line
below could be misconstrued.]
 
Amend R 1502, "Experts" to replace:

     The Senate has 2 weeks to discuss the matter. They must vote to
     grant the player the title of Expert in each requested area.
     If half (or more) of the Senate votes to grant the player the title
     of Expert in a given area, the player becomes an Expert in that
     area. By the end of the 2 week period the Senate must publicly
     announce the results of their voting, and declare what area(s)
     (if any) the player is an Expert in.

with:

     For each title of Expert requested, the Senate shall conduct a
     vote on whether to approve the request are not.  The player shall
     become an Expert in each area approved.  This vote has a voting
     period of 2 weeks.

Proposal 1559
Summaries
Robert Sevin (Mitchell Harding)

Experts have the right to summarize any given proposal within the first 4
days after it is distributed publicly. This summary should be a public
message whose subject is of the form "Expert Summary: Proposal n" (where n
is the number of the proposal to be summarized). The body of the message
should be a brief explanation of the proposal in fairly simple terms. There
is no limit to the number of Experts that may summarize a given proposal.
There is also no limit to the number of summaries of a given proposal an
Expert makes. For every proposal an Expert summarizes (regardless of the
number of summaries that are published for that proposal) the Expert shall
receive 2 points. The following are practices that are considered bad form
for Expert summaries:

1. Summarizing a proposal that is substantially similar in content to a
previously published summary of the same proposal.
2. Making a summary needlessly complicated or difficult to understand.
3. Publishing multiple summaries of the same proposal without a justifiable
reason.
4. Publishing a summary of a proposal that does not fall under one of the
publisher's areas of expertise.

The Senate shall consider it a good reason to revoke the title of Expert
from a player if that player is felt to be abusing their right to publish
summaries (paying particular attention to the above list).

[This is intended to encourage people to vote on proposals that might
otherwise overwhelm them, and to encourage Experts to share their knowledge.]

Proposal 1560
Journalistic Euthanasia
snowgod (Phil Ackley)

This is a modest proposal.

Amend R891 By adding the following paragraph between the first and the third:

A newspaper must publish at least one article during each calender month,
or it will cease to exist.  When this happens, the newspaper is said to
have gone belly-up.

Proposal 1561
Press Ombudsman
snowgod (Phil Ackley)

1) Create an new rule with the following text:

There exists the optional office of Press Ombudsman.

It is the duty of the Press Ombudsman to maintain a list of all Newspapers
and their status.  It is also the duty of the Press Ombudsman to make an
announcement if a newspaper goes belly-up.

It is a privlidge of the Press Ombudsman to select which among the existing
newspapers shall be the State Sponsored Newspaper.  He may change his
decision at any time by publically announcing that he is doing so.

It is a privlidge of the Press Ombudsman to solicit and accept bribes from
the owners of newspapers.  However, every bribe to the Press Ombudsman must
be reported in a newspaper owned by the briber.  Failure to publish such an
article with 7 days of the transaction is a crime.

- ------------------

2) Create a new rule with the following text:

Any time there are or more active newspapers in Ackanomic, exactly one of
them may become the State Sponsored Newspaper.

The State Sponsored Newspaper shall, in addition to  publishing it's
regular content, publish as many as two articles authored by any Politcal
Officer, at the officer's request.  It is considered bad form for an
officer to submit articles that do not relate to his office under the
provisions of this section, and players are allowed to sneer.

The State Sponsored Newspaper must also contain in each issue a rundown of
important senate activities since the last issue.  At the request of the
senate, it must also publish a "Public Service Message" on a topic of the
senate's chooosing.

As compensation for the increased workload, the owner of the State
Sponsored Newspaper shall recieve A$50 per calender month.  In the event
that a newspaper loses its State Sponsored status without completing the
current calender month, it's owner shall only recieve A$10 in compensation.

Proposal 1562
Stop Forehead Discrimination! (again)
snowgod (Phil Ackley)

Amend R937 by deleting the final paragraph.

Proposal 1563
Hat Box
snowgod (Phil Ackley)

Any play wearing a Silly Vacation Hat may purchase a HatBox from the
treasury for a sum of A$ equal to the number of days he was on vacation.

Included in the price of the HatBox is ta minor surgery that removes that
Silly Vacation Hat from a players head, and places it in the HatBox.  The
HatBox must then be worn on top of a players head for the remainder of his
Silly Vacation Hat wearing period. Due to the special air-tight
construction of a HatBox, the SVH of any player who has purchased one and
announced that he is using it, will be preserved, rather than disintigrate,
so long as the HatBox is never opened.

Once placed in a HatBox, a Silly Vacation hat can never be worn again, or
it will disintigrate.  The HatBox can never be opened, or the Hat it
contains will disintgrate.  Looking at the HatBox funny or publically
announcing any details about the Silly Vacation Hat inside the box will
also cause it to disintigrate.

A player who is wearing a HatBox on top of his head is not exempted from
posting the required text string "Wearing a Silly Vacation Hat" in every
public message.

This Rule takes precedence over R937

{{renumber this rule to 938}}

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 20:31:17 -0800 (PST)
From: Brian Raiter <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:  Treasure

> I enjoyed snowgod's recent treasure hunt and hope this sort of thing will 
> become more common in the future.  To that end:

Indeed. Looks like Mohammed and I had much the same idea....

b

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 22:34:19 -0600 (CST)
From: Guy Fawkes <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Promoter stuff

I've found a way that I can send the proposals list in human readable form.
(Move the docket text file into my html directory, go to its URL, select 
all, copy, paste), so be assured, if the email reform passes, proposal 
dockets WILL be human readable.

I apologize for the inconvenience.

Guy Fawkes

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 00:08:52 -0500
From: [email-masked] (Steven A. Swiniarski)
Subject: Re: Acka: Proposals resent

>
>
>Please!  Relax one and all.  Please forgive me, my mail servers know not 
>what they do.  Just please stop the threats and backlash, and learn the 
>Promoter is really quite a generous soul who will provide just about 
>about anything to those who ask nicely.
>
>Guy Faweks
>
I'll re-iterate that my little rant wasn't directed at any one person, esp.
the promoter.  I just felt terribly fustrated in general :)

Swann

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 00:12:02 -0500
From: [email-masked] (Steven A. Swiniarski)
Subject: Acka: Otzma

>
>
>>Swann bids A$12 for OCID 107
>>
>>Swann
>
>
>snowgod bids A$22 for OCID 107
>
>
Swann bids A$25 for OCID 107

Swann

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 00:13:21 -0500
From: [email-masked] (Steven A. Swiniarski)
Subject: Acka:Auction

>
>
>>Swann bids A$55 for the OMCL for personal reasons.
>>
>>Swann
>
>snowgod bids A$67 for the OMCL Z(its all business)
>
>snowgod
>
>
Swann bids A$70 for the OMCL (nice round number)

Swann

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 00:17:45 -0500
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Dockets, etc.

Phil Ackley wrote:

> What if the rule were worder in a way that allowed the promoter to
> distribute each proposal seperately just as he does now, but also requires
> him to release a message with the proposals containing 'the ballot'?  The
> tabulator could then be bound to release voting results based on the
> ballot, once again releasing voting results seperately for aeach proposal,
> but with a summary based on the ballot?
> 
> any comments?

I have suggested the dual model as well.  Great minds think alike :)

Malenkai

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 00:19:41 -0500
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:  Proposals 1555 and 1561

Jason Orendorff wrote:
> 
> > Proposal 1555
> > Minor Ownership Clarifications
> > ThinMan (John Bollinger)
>         [...]
> > That nameless entities may not own anything is currently
> > parenthetical, and hence non-binding.
>         Is it true in general that parenthetical statements are
> non-binding?  Often I put ()s around rule/proposal text that is
> technically necessary but merely annoying from a stylistic point of
> view.

I never thought parnethetical content was non-binding.  If so, I sense
a paradox win or a Chartreuse Goose coming my direction soon ...

Malenkai

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 23:24:22 -0600 (CST)
From: "Joseph W. DeVincentis" <devjoe>
Subject: Acka: Traveling

I am visiting breadbox's house to pick up my treasure.

/dev/joe

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 21:26:14 -0800 (PST)
From: Brian Raiter <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Traveling

> I am visiting breadbox's house to pick up my treasure.

Are you, now? Really, /dev/joe, you of all people should know the rules.

b

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 00:24:28 -0500
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Otzma

Phil Ackley wrote:
> 
> >Swann bids A$12 for OCID 107
> >
> >Swann
> 
> snowgod bids A$22 for OCID 107

This auction is supposed to be private.  R 115 seems to allow public
disclosure of bids, but be aware that a non publically knowable bid
may be higher than all of the publically knowable ones.

Malenkai
cannot remember if he is Chief Cheese on the laser auction

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 20:31:49 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:Auction 

>>
>>
>>>Swann bids A$55 for the OMCL for personal reasons.
>>>
>>>Swann
>>
>>snowgod bids A$67 for the OMCL Z(its all business)
>>
>>snowgod
>>
>>
>Swann bids A$70 for the OMCL (nice round number)

snowgod bids A$78 for the OMCL (Who wants a round number?)

snowogd

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 23:31:29 -0600 (CST)
From: "Joseph W. DeVincentis" <devjoe>
Subject: Re: Acka: Traveling

> 
> > I am visiting breadbox's house to pick up my treasure.
> 
> Are you, now? Really, /dev/joe, you of all people should know the rules.

Upon breadbox granting permission, I will visit his house.

/dev/joe

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 20:33:32 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Traveling 

>> I am visiting breadbox's house to pick up my treasure.
>
>Are you, now? Really, /dev/joe, you of all people should know the rules.
>
>b

Is that a refusal of permission?

snowgod

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 20:35:41 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Traveling 

I am climbing to the top of the tallest Tower in Ackanomic (Oh, but I can't
remember it's name) and awaiting the arrival of the Brass Monkey.  All
assuming I have the tower owner's permission, of course :)

snowgod

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 21:38:43 -0800 (PST)
From: Brian Raiter <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Traveling

> Upon breadbox granting permission, I will visit his house.

/dev/joe! What a nice surprise! Come in, come in. Can I get you
something to drink? I'd offer you no tea, but I'm still trying to find
that.... Yikes! What's this? The Exquisite Dead Guy, here on my coffee
table! And after I went through all that trouble to bury it. How
could that have happened? Oh, that's right, I set it up to do that
myself. Anyway, would you like this Trinket, /dev/joe? Here you
go. Enjoy!

breadbox
happy that others still remember EBCDIC

------------------------------

End of Ackanomic Digest V1 #401
*******************************