Subject: Ackanomic Digest V1 #495
From: [email-masked] (Ackanomic Digest)
To: ackanomic-digest

Ackanomic Digest       Friday, January 31 1997       Volume 01 : Number 495

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

Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 22:14:06 -0800
From: [email-masked] (John Martin Lotz)
Subject: Acka:  Nomic as a game

I was just checking something on site when
I decided to follow the General Information
on Nomics link,  From there I followed the 
link to MInic.  As a posible sub game it has
many posiblities.  Any ideas?

Game Zero, initial rules:

 1) [The Official Roster]
     The Order of the Players is:
       <player name>
       <player name>
       <player name>
       <player name>
       <player name>

     The Official Scribe is <player name>.

 2) [Order of Play]
     Order of play proceeds down the roster, circularly.  So first it
     is the turn of the first person on the roster, then the second,
     then later on the last, then the first again, and so on, until
     the game is over.

 3) [Passing]
     When it is a player's turn, that player may pass, by notifying the
     Scribe that he is doing so.  The Scribe shall record this passing
     in the Official Record, and play proceeds to the next player in
     order (see Order of Play).

 4) [Not Passing]
     When it is a player's turn, and that player does not elect to pass,
     he must propose a change to the rules.  To do this, he transmits to
     the scribe the text of the proposed change, stated clearly and
     unambiguously.  A proposed change may be either a modification or
     repeal of an existing rule, or a new rule.  Once a proposal is
     made, it must be acted upon (see Acting Upon Proposals) before
     play proceeds to the next player.

 5) [Acting Upon Proposals]
     When a player transmits a proposed change to the scribe, the scribe
     must post the proposal in the Official Record.  Then each player
     must vote Yeah, Nay, Abstain, or any other word, by notifying the
     scribe that he is voting (the notification must clearly state
     the proposal being voted on, and the word of the vote).  Once
     each player has voted, the scribe tallies the votes and announces
     them (saying who voted how for each player).  If there are more votes
     of Yeah than any other words besides Abstain, the proposal is adopted,
     and the corresponding changes made to the rules (the changes do not
     actually take effect until the instant after play passes to the
     next player). Otherwise, the proposal is not adopted.  In either
     case, play passes to the next player (see Order of Play).

 6) [Resolving Disputes]
     All disputes shall be resolved in good faith by the Scribe, whose
     word is final.  Trust the Scribe; the Scribe is your friend.  (Note
     that disputes generally suggest the need for proposals to add or
     clarify rules to avoid the dispute happening again.)

 7) [Stone, Paper, Scissors]
     a) Stone breaks scissors
     b) Scissors cut paper
     c) Paper wraps stone

As a side note, Punpkin Patch isn't listed.

Jammer
John-Martin Lotz
[email-masked]

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 09:24:21 +0200 (EET)
From: Uri Bruck <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re:Acka:  Proposal 1702

On Thu, 30 Jan 1997, Dan Knapp wrote:

> > Kings cannot be Transmogrified, nor can Kings be Created through
> > Transmogrification.
> 
> I'm not certain this sentence takes effect, since an earlier paragraph
> says "any piece".  Anybody?
> 
> -Red Barn
> 
>
Within the same rule, a later sentence takes precedence over an earlier
one.

Niccolo Flychuck

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 10:44:08 +0200 (EET)
From: Uri Bruck <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Bond-harfing

On Thu, 30 Jan 1997, Guy Fawkes wrote:

> 
> If 1695 passes, I am more than willing to serve as bond-harfer; so unless 
> you actually OPPOSE bonds, please vote to keep them around.

Now that there are no enterpeneurs around, it seems that interest in
PFBonds has died down.
> 
> On a side note, are you (the citizenry of Acka) satisfied with the current 
> mechanics of PFBonds, or would you prefer a model that encourages more 
> trading?  I have an idea that the current model failed to simulate a 
> stock market as intended because of the extremely small numbers of 
> participants and bonds (as opposed to RL markets).  In Acka, some bonds 
> are simply unavailable because their holders wish to keep all of their 
> PF-derived income.  In RL, there is an essentially unlimited supply of 
> stocks as long as you're willing to pay the price.  If there is interest, 

That is absolutely inaccurate. Companies issue a limited number of
stocks.
From the viewpoint of most traders it seems to be unlimited because the
number of stocks is huge compared to the numbers they trade in.  
Usually, when stock values rise enough, companies split the stocks. So the
number of stocs on the market grows, but the value of each individual
stock is halved.

> I'd be interested in developing a model to loosen up the market and 
> encourage more trading.  Of course, if PF's are not important enough to 
> the average player, I'll save the effort for else.

The model need not depend on PFBonds. 
I'd be interested to see an RFC. 

Niccolo Flychuck

> 
> Guy Fawkes
> wasting a lot of bandwidth today
> 
> 

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 03:20:20 -0600 (CST)
From: "Joseph W. DeVincentis" <devjoe>
Subject: Re: Acka: Result of my studies

> > In Malenkai's prayer to the weather gods at the beginning of November
> > (re-used in January), the following sequence of numbers appeared:
> 
> I'm curious if you started thinking about this after the November
> post, or January post.

I first tried the proposal-word code before the January post.

> The numbers translated to:  
> 
> A simple map to a key to a valuable treasure.  Simply follow these
> directions.  Go to the tallest tower.  Say quietly vote for
> the yeenewkleorrrrmeeesseilllllee mongoose.  Wait 3 days.  Publically
> announce that you wish to bribe Tammany to vote silent on the proposal
> that contains the words yeenewkleorrrrmeeesseilllllee and mongoose.
> 
> Only the last line was actually needed.
> 
> I threw the gizz in for two reasons, to make the message longer, and
> to simulate a treasure hunt more, where the actions of a player may
> indicate they are approaching the treasure, to give more information
> to others.  I thought the yeenewkleorrrrmeeesseilllllee would give it
> away to anyone who ever read the proposal archives, and was trying to
> figure it out as well. 

I thought the same, but apparently those who did figured they were too
late.

> I couldn't believe when breadbox re-submitted the proposal with that
> word in it.

When I first saw that word come up, I was afraid breadbox had found the
treasure before me, but the rest of the code showed it was merely
coincidence.

> BTW, did anything in the parades help, such as "254 votes", or anything
> else.

No, but after I figured it out I realized how many hints were there
that I just didn't figure out.  Can't believe I missed the Tuba hint.

> BBTW, when are you going to find the other 2 treasures of Jara :)

I need the second and first to find the third, right?

/dev/joe

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 03:30:25 -0600 (CST)
From: "Joseph W. DeVincentis" <devjoe>
Subject: Acka: Misc: What Phoebe Says

As I returned to /dev/house, I started cleaning up a bit, dusting
the space around that recently vacated by the Machine, etc., and I
ran across a vaguely familiar little matchbox.  I opened it, and out
came Phoebe.

Phoebe said:

Ackanomic's subgames have really started working well, and this has
the potential to bring it to its goal of being the harfiest nomic.
However, as it is now, Acka stands to lose both fun games and fun
players unless a system is developed to allow some players to
only play the subgames and not have to see the enormous volume of
e-mail that is the main Ackanomic list.  It is already happening
with Ye Olde Rusty Lantern, but it is not yet too late to reclaim
that game.

Then she jumped back in the matchbox, and the box disappeared into the
dust on my floor, and I could not find it again.

/dev/joe

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 03:34:38 -0600 (CST)
From: "Joseph W. DeVincentis" <devjoe>
Subject: Acka: Going to the Museum

I am going to the Museum.

I am donating the Prosthetic Forehead snowgod gave me during one of his
presidential campaigns to the Museum.

I am now returning to /dev/house.

/dev/joe

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 00:48:52 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Bond-harfing 

>That is absolutely inaccurate. Companies issue a limited number of
>stocks.

But the actual number of stocks that are available for sale at any given
time is so high that they seem virtually limitless.  Perhaps not the sotcks
you want, but stocks nonetheless.

snowgod

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 00:53:04 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Treasure 

I am Creating a trinket with a value of A$100.  It is a statue of myself
made entirely of Blue Jello.  This trinket is known as "The statue of
snowgod made entirely of Blue Jello".

I am creating a treasure out of the The statue of snowgod made entirely of
Blue Jello and burying it under the floor of my house with the following
map:

Rosebud

and publically challenging Acka's most renounced treasure-hunter, /dev/joe
(who really outdid himself on that last one), to find it.

snowgod

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 00:57:41 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Ambassador: This Means War! 

Submitted for your consideration, a proposal that is currently up for vote
in Thring.  This proposal, should it pass will have a majhor effect on
internomic relations.  Please note that this was not given to me by any
player of thring.  I am currently subscribing to their list (as an
observer).  Hehhehe, snowgod the spy I guess.

Anyone want to preemptively declare war on Thring (in good fun as their
proposal seems to be)?

snowgod
Ambassador
spy

>
>Proposal 1013  - It's War But Not As We Know It
>[Enactment]
>
>By their continued claim of a win in the face of objections from other
>member nomics, Ackanomic has obviously made a UDI (Universal
>Declaration of Independence.) Such a break in the concert of NOMIC
>states cannot be tolerated.  An ultimatum has to be sent to Ackanomic.
>Either Ackanomic submits the majority ruling of Internomic on ALL
>issues, as do all members of Internomic, or else they are cast out of
>Internomic, and become shunned by all and can taste the bitter fruit
>of their solitary victory.
>
>Before this ultimatum can be delivered to Ackanomic then it has to be
>delivered to the Internomic Speaker as a proposal, by Thring's
>representative (INR) and voted on by all members of Internomic.  If passed,
>by the popular vote, it will be delivered to Ackanomic.
>
>If Acka...spit...nomic do not reply and confirm their agreement to the
>ultimatum within 48 hours, Thring's representative (INR) will pass a
>resolution to the true Speaker of Internomic that will in effect outlaw the
>concept of victory in the game of Internomic.
>
>This proposal in effect empowers the INR to write the proposals to effect
>the spirit of this proposal in Internomic.
>
>{Comment:
> If we had the guns and tanks by Jingo, we would have war.  What a
> marvellous metaphor this Internomic business has turned out to be of
> International Relations.  I hope you realise that I am not seriously
> angry about this, just intrigued how different other NOMIC groups can
> be, I suppose it must be like a country's culture, yet another
> parallel.  I must go and lie down, I'm getting dizzy.
>
> Actually, we could always pass a proposal that as it is not
> specifically prohibited, we could invade them with our armies and
> crush them and steal all of their points.  Did I hear anyone shout,
> and they started it, they invaded Poland.
>
> Proposer - Nick Luft.
>}
>
>------------------------------------------------------------

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

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 03:59:02 -0600 (CST)
From: "Joseph W. DeVincentis" <devjoe>
Subject: Acka: Postmaster

Mail to observer [email-masked] has been bouncing for more than a week,
and well over 20 messages have bounced, so I am exercising my privilege
in rule 370 to remove this observer from the game.

I note that this observer has been with us (watching us?) since April (!)
but the mail is bouncing marked "user unknown" so he appears to be really
gone.

/dev/joe
Postmaster

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 01:01:55 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Treasure 

oops forgot this:

snowgod -100, Trinket creation

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 01:21:26 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Reporters Wanted 

The SFG Internomic edition is looking for reporters to sum up interesting
Ackanomic news for readers from other nomics.  Each article should be one
or two paragraphs in length.  It has been my goal to publish two issues a
week, but due to scheduling problems (work and school, what else?) I have
so far been unable to attain this goal.  So to generate material....

I will pay A$10 for each article that I choose to print and I will accpt
most of them, but retain the right to reject them or adit them as I see
fit.  Send any articles you wish for internomic publication to
[email-masked] with the subject Acka: submission.

I may be willing to work out a salary agreement with regular contributors.

snowgod

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 01:29:22 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Steel Flea Gazette 

Steel Flea Gazette
Volume 2, Issue 1

In which we report that no news is good news.

NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS

Publication schedules for the Steel Flea Gazette mcontinue to fall behind
schedule.  snowgod, SFG's publisher and all around newspaper-baron, has
failed to devote much time to this newspaper.  Instead, he seems to be
putting all his resources to something he jokingly calls "school" and his
new pet project, SFG internomic edition.

Near as we can tell here at SFG, snowgod spent 7 hours the other night,
hours that would have been better spent building  a
silver-moon-award-winning newspaper, writing a short essay on the letter Q.
Through an amazing set of coincidences involving a goose and the top-side
of the earth (need we say more?) we have come across a copy of this
"essay", which he claims was written as a sarcastic response to a writing
exercise assinged in his creative nonfiction workshop, and are publishing
it against aour better judgement.  Golden Forg help us if snowgod actually
chooses to read this issue of his paper.

>
>	Consonant
>        Phil Ackley
>
>	Imagine for a moment the letter Q.
>
>	It stands bold,  ready to begin any word whose second letter is a U
>or lend it's unique sound to the handful of words that begin with the odd
>combination of "Qa". On the rarest of occasions it may even consent to
>lend itself to a construction in which it is immediately followed by the
>letter I,  though this happens so rarely that in a more scholarly work it
>probably wouldn't even merit a footnote.
>
>	Though tall and rounded,  and perhaps a little oblong,  the hook
>through it's lower right corner serves to distinguish it from it's cousin
>O, a common vowel.
>
>	Now examine a particular Q, specifically the Q that terminates the
>first sentence of this work. It is imprinted alone on this page, free from
>the constraints of a surrounding word, in 12 point Helvetica type.   It
>smells of bittersweet synthetic laser   toner, or at least it would if it
>were possible to distinguish its smell from that of the surrounding
>letters.  Finally, and this is possibly the most important feature of our
>Q, it is very, very, black.
>
>	As this is being written, our Q is not yet in existence, though it
>will be once the paper is finalized and printed.  It shall become one Q in
>a long and glorious history of of Q's, perhaps the most important one
>ever, do to its self-referential nature.
>
>	However, unless our Q is one of Fortune's favorites it is unlikely
>that its future will be as glorious as its brief but noble past.  After
>this paper is discussed and evaluated it , and our Q with it, will likely
>be tossed into a folder full of such papers, some perhaps containing Q's
>of their own.  Our Q will be forgotten, its ink fading into grayness even
>as the paper it resides on yellows.
>
>	Alternatively, there exists the possibility that our Q will achieve
>worldwide fame after the publication of this paper in a major journal.  It
>is this possibilty that raises some interesting questions about the our Q
>.  If it were to be republished, would the Q that millions of readers
>experienced indeed be our Q, or would it instead be a separate Q in each
>individual printing? For that matter,  is the Q that each person in my
>writing group experiences the same Q?  Common sense would argue that it
>is, so long as each as an exact reproduction of the original, but the
>issue merits exploration.
>
>	Our Q has now spawned the creation of an entire academic paper, but
>what of other Q's? Is each one as important  as ours?
>
>	Q  is certainly a minor letter in the scheme of things.  Without
>it, a standard dictionary would only be five or ten pages shorter.
>Erasing a complicated letter from the Alphabet would make the English
>language  that much easier to learn.  Certainly, one can't have too much
>use for a letter that cannot even be used twice in succession.
>
>	However, It can be argued that the letter Q is more important than
>the sum of its parts.  It is certainly much more important than the over
>glorified O, which would never have inspired a paper such as this. Without
>a letter as unique and exciting as Q this paper would never have been
>written.  Three creative writing students, who have relieved pleasure, or
>alternatively frustration, from evaluating this paper would never have had
>those experiences were it not for the letter Q.
>
>	Were it not for the letter Q, which seems on the surface to be so
>insignificant, at this moment the reader would likely be sleeping through
>yet another paper on "The Flower in the Vase Next to My Computer".
>
>	The complex nature of  our Q can save the reader that drudgery.
>More accurately, It already has.

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 01:32:42 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: SFG Internomic Edition (issue 1) 

In this Issue of the SFG internomic edition we bring you the URL of the SFG
internomic edition web page.  We also ofer thanks to Robert Sevin's brother
who speaks polish and has offered his help in establishing communications
with Pnomic.

For more information visit http://www,alaska.net/~snowgod/acka/sfg.html

And thank you, young Mr. Sevin for any assistance you have already provided
and all of that which you will provide inthe future.

Finally, we apologize for this, the truly lamest edition of any ackanomic
newspaper ever and promise to offer a report on a featured nomic (as
previously promised) in the next edition.

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 13:19:36 +0200 (EET)
From: Uri Bruck <[email-masked]>
Subject: acka : KOLOT Ackanomic 

SKELETONS DISCOVERED IN PRESIDENT'S CLOSET

Recently, an innocent query made by Speaker Malenkai uncovered duringthe
time President Flychuck served as Registrar, he had 'misplaced' records
pertaining to the Undead. President Flychuck had initially denied all
knowledge of this matter, but later admitted that he might have been
negligent after all, and blurted out a sort of an apology. One can only
speculate as to whether this was indeed nothing more than negligence.
Should any of the Undead return to Ackanomic some day, it will be up to
President Flychuck to face them and provide explanations as to the
entities their Undead were supposed to have been haunting.

NEW BLOOD in PARTY HALL

Ever since Strider became the new NAP Swinger, new life have been injected
into PartyChess.
While it is not yet clear what kind of strategy Strider will employ, one
can already see several different differect strategies employed by the mre
veteran Swingers.
The HARF Swinger, Bascule engages in Guerilla tactics with little regard
to long-range benefits. The Vulcan Swinger used eir opening moves to
fortify a portion of the board and make it defensible, and then starting
to move in on the center of the PartyBoard. Control of the center would
give Vulcan a strategic advantage. The (None Yet) Swinger prefers to
spread out eir pieces, effectively vying for control with Vulcan.

Nicolai Chuckarov 
reporting for Kolot Ackanomic

edited by Niccolo Flychuck

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 13:31:16 +0200 (EET)
From: Uri Bruck <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Ambassador: This Means War!

Ambassador, 
I am not familiar with the internal organization of Thring, their web
pages are notoriously hard to get. I would like to inform my opposited
number at Thring that I would like to confer with em, as soon as possible.

Niccolo Flychuck
President

On Fri, 31 Jan 1997, Phil Ackley wrote:

> Submitted for your consideration, a proposal that is currently up for vote
> in Thring.  This proposal, should it pass will have a majhor effect on
> internomic relations.  Please note that this was not given to me by any
> player of thring.  I am currently subscribing to their list (as an
> observer).  Hehhehe, snowgod the spy I guess.
> 
> Anyone want to preemptively declare war on Thring (in good fun as their
> proposal seems to be)?
> 
> snowgod
> Ambassador
> spy

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 15:13:15 +0200 (EET)
From: Uri Bruck <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:  Proposal 1699 - retracting

I'm gonna have to retract this one again. found another bug

On Thu, 30 Jan 1997, Jason Orendorff wrote:

> Proposal 1699
> Chess Things
> Niccolo Flychuck
> 
> 
> {{[Now, that's more like it]}}
> 
> This is a Modest proposal
> In 1230.2 "Swinger Like to Play Around II - Managing the game"
> section 2 J.(i) will be ammended to read in full:
> "A Round of play is defined as a time period in which each Swinger played
> at least once, where a Default Pass also counts a play, and a Special
> DD-Turn counts as a play for each Swinger taking part in that turn, in eir
> capacity as Swinger."
> 
> 
> In section 2 D the text :
> " as a result of the fact that eir Party no longer exists,"
> Will be deleted.
> 
> {{[The second is a correction to the null proposal. The first should have
> really gone with the check fix, because playing order may change as a
> result of check, it is possible that the current condition of each Swinger
> playing exactly once, might never be met. In the spirit of that
> ammendemnt, Special DD-Turn also count.]}}
> 

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 07:25:37 -0600 (CST)
From: Guy Fawkes <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Bond-harfing

On Fri, 31 Jan 1997, Uri Bruck wrote:

> > PF-derived income.  In RL, there is an essentially unlimited supply of 
> > stocks as long as you're willing to pay the price.  If there is interest, 
> 
> That is absolutely inaccurate. Companies issue a limited number of
> stocks.

I did not mean there was an infinte supply of the stock.  I meant that 
for a single small investor, the available supply, assuming you can 
afford to pay for it, is sufficient to fulfill your needs.  Yes, scarcity 
_does_ exist, but on the level of the individual small investor, there is 
no danger of the stock running out.  Even for the most fiercely demanded 
issues, most investors can obtain all they want -- if they're willing to 
pay a sufficient price.

GF

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 09:58:02 -0500 (EST)
From: mr cwm <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:  Proposal 1704

On Thu, 30 Jan 1997, Guy Fawkes wrote:

>Language by nature is ambiguous (do 
>I really need to say that :) ?)

... and what do you really mean by it? :)

- -mr cwm

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 10:08:58 -0500
From: "Bollinger, John C." <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: RFC Timing

>----------
>From: 	Bollinger, John C.
>Sent: 	Thursday, January 30, 1997 4:09 PM
>To: 	'Ackanomic List'
>Subject: 	Acka: RFC Timing
>
>
>RFC: What Time is it, Anyway?, V2.0
>ThinMan
>
Alright, here is my revised timing proposal.  I have taken into account
the possible repeal of R 374, and I have specified some changes to the
duties of the Promoter that will have (IMO) useful effects beyond just
protecting him from timing problems.  I have also attempted to address
Malenkai's comments about "the Speaker's computer," the problem is that
what we actually want to do is open to interpretation.  See what you
think about it.  I will probably not submit this until Monday,
earliest, so there is time for plenty of commentary if anyone has
>further objections.
>
>(#submit proposal What Time is it, Anyway?)
>
>{{ [ This is intended to resolve various timing issues involved in
>the game.  R370 is amended to establish an "official" time standard
>for posts.  A few potential timing problems are also addressed. ] }}
>
>Amend rule 370, "No E-mail, No Game," by deleting all of the fourth paragraph
>except the first sentence.
>
>
>{{ [ The actual timing specification got long enough that I think it
>should be in its own rule, so here it is: ] }}
>
>Create a new rule entitled "Timing" with the following text delimited
>by ** symbols:
>
>**
>Posts that are sent through any mailing list maintained by the
>Postmaster are deemed to have occured at the time that they are received
>by the list server.  Posts that are not sent through such a mailing list 
>and for which the Speaker is one of the designated recipients are deemed 
>to have occured at the time that they are received by the Speaker's
>mail server.  Other posts not sent through any of the Postmaster's 
>mailing lists are deemed to have occured at the earliest time that they
>are received by the mail server of any of the Players, other than the
>sender, designated as recipients.  If a Player posts a message only to
>himself, then that post is deemed to have occured at the time that it
>was sent.
>
>(The term "mail server" is intentionally left open to some
>interpretation.  It is intended to indicate the actual computer used for
>e-mail by the relevant player if that computer has a full-time internet
>-- or other form of e-mail -- connection; otherwise it is intended to
>mean that computer from which the relevant player downloads his mail.)
>
>Players are encouraged to use an appropriate Postmaster-maintained
>mailing list if available.  If the times of two posts are compared and
>(i) only one of them went through one of the Postmaster's lists and (ii)
>their times are otherwise within three minutes of each other, then the
>post sent through the Postmaster's list is deemed to have occured first.  
>
>This rule defers to any rule which specifies an alternative method for
>determining the times or relative times of posts.
>**
>
>Renumber the rule entitled "Timing" to number 371.
>
>
>{{ [ The following bit will give the Promoter some discretionary power
>in assigning proposal numbers, and remove any timing problems.  This
>will also cover some cases that previously would have been incorrect
>proposal numbering or incorrect distribution. ] }}
>
>Amend Rule 406, "Promoter," by changing the text:
>
>"(c) assign the proposal a number 1 greater than the number assigned to
>the previously distributed proposal, and distribute it for voting."
>
>to:
>
>"(c) to assign each proposal an integer number greater than any number
>previously assigned to a proposal.  It is expected, but not required,
>that the promoter shall give each proposal a number exactly one greater
>than the previous proposal's number;
>
>(d) to promptly distribute each numbered proposal for voting." 
>
>
>{{ [ The Tabulator needs a break to avoid violating the rules
>involuntarilly. ] }}
>
>Amend Rule 408, "Tabulator and Count Tabula," by changing the sentence:
>
>"(c) to report the acceptance or rejection of proposals, in the time
>order in which their voting periods ended."
>
>to
>
>"(c) to report the acceptance or rejection of proposals, in the time
>order in which their voting periods ended; the time of these reports
>is deemed to be the time indicated by the message's initial timestamp."
>
>
>{{ [ The Machine that goes *ping* doesn't have a problem per se, but
>it could benefit from some minor timing-related changes. ] }}
>
>Amend rule 1209, "The Machine That Goes *ping*," in the following ways:
>
>a) Replace section VI with the following text:
>"Unless otherwise forbidden, each player other than the Scholar is
>permitted to publicly post a guess at the undisguised form of the Machine's
>truth.  The player during each Scholar's term who legally so
>posts the correct guess first received by the Scholar shall receive
>the following rewards: he shall be congratulated by the Scholar; he
>shall receive one random Boon of the Ancients, created at that time by
>the Machine; and the Machine shall transport itself to his home.
>
>Each player who posts an incorrect guess shall suffer the following
>consequences: he shall be publicly ridiculed by the Scholar, who
>shall be immune from the politeness moon in so doing (this takes precedence
>over Rule 374), and he shall pay a fine of A$ 10 for
>mocking the sacred truth.  The Scholar must respond to each guess with
>either congratulations or ridicule, as appropriate, within three days
>of the time of the guess.
>
>Players are forbidden from posting more than one guess during any given
>term of any particular Scholar.
>
>{{ If Proposal 1686 was accepted then the text ',who shall be immune from the
>politeness moon in so doing (this takes precedence over Rule
>374) ' is hereby deleted from the text of Rule 1209. }}
>"
>
>{{ [ This removes the restriction on players posting guesses while a
>guess is already pending, thus making the game more playable by
>preventing players from accidentally violating the rules.  Guesses and
>magic letter naming which occur after a correct guess are handled by
>the next change: ] }}
>
>b) Change the sentence:
>
>"During the time after the Machine changes locations but before a new
>truth is announced, no one may post a guess at the Machine's truth or
>name the Magic Letter."
>
>to:
>
>"Guesses at the truth and attempts to name a magic letter are wholly
>ignored for the purposes of all other provisions of this rule if they
>occur before the current scholar has announced the disguised form of
>the truth, or if they are received by the Scholar after a correct
>guess has already been received during his current term."
>
>{{ [ The times that guesses and magic letter names are received by
>the Scholar is used instead of their posting time so as to protect
>the Scholar from accidentally violating the rule when two messages
>are received close together. ] }}
>
>(#end proposal)
>

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 11:21:05 -0500 (EST)
From: "A.K.A. TheWiz" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Ambassador: This Means War!

>Submitted for your consideration, a proposal that is currently up for vote
>in Thring.  This proposal, should it pass will have a majhor effect on
>internomic relations.  Please note that this was not given to me by any
>player of thring.  I am currently subscribing to their list (as an
>observer).  Hehhehe, snowgod the spy I guess.
>
>Anyone want to preemptively declare war on Thring (in good fun as their
>proposal seems to be)?

>> Actually, we could always pass a proposal that as it is not
>> specifically prohibited, we could invade them with our armies and
>> crush them and steal all of their points.  Did I hear anyone shout,
>> and they started it, they invaded Poland.

  If we had trade agreements, we could abuse them by sending in shock
troops! :)  But it should still be possible to do somethring.  Perhaps,
before they know we know, we could sneak in a seemingly harmless proposal
to invalidate this?

- -Red Barn

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 19:55:15 +0200 (EET)
From: Uri Bruck <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:  Proposal 1701

I like the concept, there is one point of implementation which seems a bit
of an overkill to me.

On Thu, 30 Jan 1997, Jason Orendorff wrote:

> Proposal 1701
> Creation of a PartyChessPiece Sniper
> Guy Fawkes
> 
> 
> Create a new rule, a member of the Party Chess Rule Suite, with text as 
> follows.
> 
> {{[If we're going to have a bunch of Pretty Powerful Party Pieces, we 
> might as well have some Kinda Cool Creative Countermeasures, somewhat 
> like the Marshall-Spy relationship in Stratego.]}}
> 
> 1.  A Sniper is respresented by the ASCII character S.
> 2.  A Sniper can move exactly two squares in any horizontal or vertical 
> direction, provided the intervening squre is unoccupied, or exactly one 
> square in any diagonal direction.  It may capture using this move.
> 3.  Alternately, when capturing a piece of material value 9 or higher, it 
> may move up to N spaces in any horizontal or vertical direction,jumping over 
> any intervening pieces.  N for this purpose is defined as 2/3 the 
> captured piece's material value, rounded to the nearest integer.

Any intervening pieces? isn't that a bit too much. I think the sniper
would be just as much of an equalizer if  the number of intervening pieces
were limited.  

This objection is not strong enough to make me vote against it though,
seeing the range limits.

Niccolo Flychuck
Chess-thing

> 4.  A Sniper which makes a capture via the method defined in 3, above, 
> may either remain a Sniper or promote to a Kamikaze.  If the controlling 
> Swinger does not specify which option he wishes to take in the message 
> which announced the capture, the Sniper does not promote.
> 5.  A Sniper's material value is 5.
> 

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 13:02:29 -0500
From: "Bollinger, John C." <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Capitally Swinging

I hereby announce my desire and intention to purchase a Capital Swinger
Office.  There appear to be four current Swinger offices, hence the
cost will be 4*50 + 100 = 300.

ThinMan -300 Capital Swinger Office

I name my Capital Swinger Office "TARZAN's Treehouse".

According to rule 1230.2, TARZAN's Treehouse receives 1 King and 5
other Party Chess Pieces.  I select the following pieces: 1 Rook, 1
Copycat, 1 Archer, 1 Kamikaze, and 1 Pawn.

I now create a treasure out of TARZAN's Treehouse.  I bury the treasure
and very carefully make a map of how to find it.

ThinMan

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 13:38:14 -0500
From: "Bollinger, John C." <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Treasure

Fellow Ackanomians, something horrible has ocurred!
The map that I so carefully wrote has been altered!

Let me tell you the whole story:

I was walking home after burying the treasure.  Burying treasure is
hard work, so I decided to take a roundabout path and enjoy the cool,
breezy day.  I threw my champion's cloak over my shoulder and strolled
all over Ackanomia -- past the Senate, past the Courthouse, through the
residential district, and past Cow Town's lake and the Ackanomic
Afterlife -- before winding up back home.  I got a close up look at
Lestrade's Lighthouse, passed a truly raunchy-looking pink place, and
spent quite some time examining Swann's singularity from as close as
I could bring myself to come.  You know, if I didn't know better, I
would say that the Tower of Bandwidth is starting to lean over towards
the Singularity next door.

Anyway, when I got home I took the map out of my pocket so I could
store it away someplace safe.  I almost didn't notice, but something
caught my eye; when I actually looked at the text, this is what it
said:

T ei l wu htarsabhnnehsshyeodo eutae   tt r lrfib rfepl osya
lh anohAsBreatgfom ae  ie  btnalSorageoadown nor nyci w e ta
 maeeat uoTen nistbrrsdc n hldes opiaeiseatnon  c  ghtsgpw "
J  .tm" ,oa"""aett"knvC hmho  eih ,br au,neR"eolnp"eee rwod!

Now I was very careful when I wrote that map, and I'm certain that
it didn't start out that way.  I'm not sure that I remember the
original details, however.  If anyone sees the treasure then be sure
to let me know.

ThinMan

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 14:00:00 -0600 (CST)
From: Guy Fawkes <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: explorer's report

Checking out the pages of the German nomic, at least, the one I found at

http://www.lahn.de/homes/blackbox/gnomic.htm

I think they are probably dead.  I don't know the language all that well, 
but the last copy of the the ruleset that I could locate was dated 
November 19 of last year, which would put them smack dab in the middle of 
the Great Nomic Dying of that month (other victims included the xensei 
nomic (Could they ever even agree on a name?) and the Established State 
of Faint Humanity.)

Oh well, are the Poles alive?

Guy Fawkes

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

Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 15:05:58 -0500
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: CFJ 343 (Bascule)

snowgod declined.

Bascule has been chosen.

Clerk of the Courts
- ------------------------------------------------------------
Call For Judgement 343
  Subject: Building
Initiator: Jammer
    Judge: snowgod (declined)
2nd Judge: Bascule (selected Jan 31, 1997, 15:06h EST)
Judgement:

Statement:

Jammer should be allowed to build his house.

Jammer's Reasoning:

Basically, there is no rule against it.

According to Rule 101/1
The Game of Ackanomic

     Ackanomic is a self-modifying game of rules. All players must always
abide by all the rules then in effect, in the form in which they are then
in
     effect, and interpreted in accordance with current game custom.

     The rules and the game state may only be changed as described in the
rules. Actions described in the rules may only be performed, and shall only
     have those effects, as specified by the rules. Whatever is not
explicitly prohibited or regulated by the rules, however, is permitted and
     unregulated. Game custom, spirit of the game, and linguistic
interpretation are external concepts and are not regulated or part of the
game state.

     The game consists of a sequence of "Cycles". Cycles end when specified
by the Rules. At most one Cycle is in progress at any one time. A
     player may only win a Cycle by achieving a winning condition that is
defined by the Rules. A player may not win the Game of Ackanomic. A
     player always has the option to leave the Game of Ackanomic.

     This rule has precedence over all other rules.

Within the Rules there are rules regarding the size of buildings
Rule 839/6
Buildings
Calvin N Hobbes (Thierry Joffrain)

     A building is a class of entity in Ackanomic which can be of six
sizes:

          small (aka cramped or puny) (1 land unit)
          cosy (2 land units)
          classy (4 land units)
          lavish (6 land units)
          sumptuous (9 land units)
          extravagant (12 land units)

     Each instance of a player Home is a Common Location, with the
restriction that no player may enter a Home they don't own without
permission
     of the owner.

     The Senate Building is lavish. The FM building is a classy place. The
Courthouse is a cosy building. These buildings may never be smaller that as
     defined originally but can be greater. All of these buildings are
Common Locations.

     All other land, with or without buildings on them, that is not owned
by players is called common lands. All deals to sell or buy common land
must
     be approved by Senate vote.

     The size of the buildings cannot be changed except as allowed by the
rules.

which does not refer in any way to how to build a building, as well as
rules
covering the size of thing that has some revelaence to the subject of
buildings

Rule 1519/0
The Size of Things
Jammer (John Lotz)

     I wish to make a modest proposal.

     All Items in Acka have a size measured in thingees.

     Negligible 0 Thingees
     Small 1 Thingees
     Medium 2 Thingees
     Large 4 Thingees
     Huge 5 Thingees
     Really Huge 6 Thingees

     The significance of this is that all structures and land have a
capacity measured in Thingees as well;
     A Space in a structure holds 10 Thingees.
     A Kaa of land holds 25 Thingees.
     A Tower holds 6 Thingees.

Once again there is no element of description of how to build one.

Additionally there are references to houses in
Rule 252/1
Joining the Game
Guy Fawkes (Robert Shimmin)

     For the purposes of this rule, a player whose most recent departure
from Ackanomic prompted the creation of an Undead is considered a
     Returning player. All other players are considered New.

     A person wishing to join the game, and who cannot do so as a Returning
player, should notify the Registrar, providing a valid email address, their
     real name, and the legal Ackanomic name they wish to play under. Upon
them providing this information, should the requested name indeed be a
     legal Ackanomic name, the Registrar shall post a public message
announcing the new player and providing their Ackanomic name, real name,
and
     email address, and if the prospective player provided it, how they
discovered the game. Upon the posting of such an announcement, the person
     becomes registered as a player.

     Upon the registration of a New player, the following procedure takes
place, in the order shown.

     1) The New player is granted 1 kaa of urban land and a Small building
thereupon as their legal residence. This building shall be known as their
     Home. This building shall also be known as "player name's House",
where "player name" is replaced by their official Ackanomic name. A player
     may change the name of this building by publically announcing the new
name and unambiguously identifying the building they wish to rename.

     2) The New player is paid from the Treasury the average A$balance of
all other extant players.

     3) The New player is given 100 newly created PFBonds associated with
himself. The Financier shall assign a label that may be used to refer to
     the PFBonds associated with the New player, although this procedure
may continue without waiting for him to do so.

     4) The Registrar shall select a Mentor for the new player. The Mentor
receives A$25 from the Treasury.

     A person able to join the game as a Returning player may do so by
posting a public message to that effect. This message must include their
     Ackanomic and real life names, as well as a valid email address. The
Registrar shall then record their return to the players list.

     Upon the registration of a Returning player, the following procedure
takes place:

     1) The Undead created in response to their most recent departure from
Acka, who bears the Ackanomic name that player had immediately prior
     to his most recent departure from Acka, transfers all entities it is
haunting to the Returning player. These entities are now no longer haunted.

     2) That Undead is destroyed.

     3) All Bond Promissories in that player's real life name are converted
to PFBonds associated with that player. Their label is the same as the
     PFBonds whose conversion created the Bond Promissories.

     4) If the player left during the current cycle, his score is the
minimum of 0 and the score he had upon last leaving the game. Otherwise,
his score is
     -15N, where N is the number of cycles he has won. If this causes his
score to be negative, he is given a Victory Eggplant, and his Eggplant
     Weight is set to -15N, where N is defined as above.

While the appropriate section of this rule
 1) The New player is granted 1 kaa of urban land and a Small building
thereupon as their legal residence. This building shall be known as their
     Home. This building shall also be known as "player name's House",
where "player name" is replaced by their official Ackanomic name. A player
     may change the name of this building by publically announcing the new
name and unambiguously identifying the building they wish to rename;

does seem to mention the creation of a house, neither states how this is
accomplished nor does it preclude any
other method of doing so.

Other mentions to buildings and houses and structu mention the size of a
building, not anything about how to build it.

At the same time it should be noted that there are rules on how to create
trinkets, blueprints and the like to provide a means to
make them, so it cannot be argued that it is emmpossible or there was
neither time nor room to concider it.

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

End of Ackanomic Digest V1 #495
*******************************