Subject: Ackanomic Digest V1 #538
From: [email-masked] (Ackanomic Digest)
To: ackanomic-digest

Ackanomic Digest      Tuesday, February 25 1997      Volume 01 : Number 538

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

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 01:18:53 -0500
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Widget Auction

The Widget of Yendor auction is over:

snowgod -180 +Widget of Yendor

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

Date: Sun, 23 Feb 1997 23:34:12 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Techno for President 

>I ponder the words "Techno for President" silently, and then in an unusual
>display of fervor and emotion, run out the door to the castle on a cloud and
>yell at the top of my lungs "TECHNO FOR PRESIDENT!"
>Embarrassed that the election is over, I return inside.
>Ludwig

Well, I must admit embarassment to supporting a candidate who didn't even
run, but hey, I'm a Techno Man through and Through and damned if I'm going
to let the technicalities stand in my way.  So... Congratulations Strider.
Will join with me in your support of TECHNO FOR PRESIDENT.

snowgod
Techno '97

:)

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

Date: Sun, 23 Feb 1997 23:35:42 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Presidential 

>Not that I mind, or anything, but what happened to Techno for President?
>
>Strider

Gues he forgot to run :)

snowgod
Techno For President!

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

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 08:30:29 -0500
From: "Bollinger, John C." <[email-masked]>
Subject: RE: Acka: Fictionary

I vote for number (3):
>
>3) A young female antelope.

ThinMan
>

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

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 11:01:36 -0500 (EST)
From: mr cwm <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: More Bond Trades

To:   Ackanomains
From: mr cwm

Mohammed and I agreed to a trade that, mistakenly, was never sent to a
public forum.  I'll try again.

I offer Mohammed 5 pfmr for 5 pfMohammed.

On Sun, 23 Feb 1997, Malenkai wrote:

>The following is a list of all bond trades since yesterday's report.
>Please verify for errors and omissions.  The players/entities page
>should be up-to-date with cash and bond holdings and other stuff.
>
>Watch your cash.  You know who you are :)
>
>Malenkai
>Financier
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>IdiotBoy -15, +5 PFNarf Bond trade
>Narf     +15, -5 PFNarf Bond trade
>
>/dev/joe +10, -5 PFfnord
>Mohammed -10, +5 PFfnord
>
>snowgod -15 +thring
>Mohammed +15 -thring
>
>narf, -50 +5pfTechno
>IdiotBoy +50 -5PFTechno
>
>IdiotBoy +5 PFTechno
>Narf     -5 PFTechno
>
>IdiotBoy +2 PFMohammed
>snowgod  -2 PFMohammed
>
>[an illegal attempt at this trade was made, but it was legally made
>again after IdiotBoy acquired A$50 in the PFTechno trade:]
>
>IdiotBoy -160 +5PFMalenkai
>snwogod +160 -5PFMalenkai
>
>[this was from earlier yesterday, but reconfirmed:]
>
>> > Mohammed -20 +5PFJammer
>> > Jammer +20 -5PFJammer
>
>Jammer -7 prosthetic forehead
>

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

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 10:04:28 -0600 (CST)
From: Jason Orendorff <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: IRC

> Dang, I'm on IRC, ran into Mohammed and didn't even get a chance to try to
> scam 3 PFMohammed out of him.
	Wouldna done you any good.  :o)

- --Mohammed

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

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 10:07:44 -0600 (CST)
From: Jason Orendorff <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: More Bond Trades

> I offer Mohammed 5 pfmr for 5 pfMohammed.
	I accept this offer.

- --Mohammed

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

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 11:28:45 -0500
From: "Bollinger, John C." <[email-masked]>
Subject: RE: Acka: Ghost play

>
>> awri

I protest this play on the basis that I don't believe that it is
found in any word in the Official Dictionary.

ThinMan

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

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 11:28:31 -0800
From: [email-masked] (fnord)
Subject: Acka: Shubik Auction for RoJ17 results

The Shubik auction of RoJ17 is over.

Well, the bidding got hot and heavy, in some _other_ auction, as it
was pretty tame in this one.  Only two legal bids were received, one 
each from IdiotBoy and Narf.  A third bid was received, from Strider,
but it wasn't at least 10% higher than the previous bid.

The results:

Narf receives the Runestone of Jukkasjarvi Fragment 17 for his
high bid of A$25. (Malenkai will send you the text, I believe)

IdiotBoy had the second-highest bid, and so must pay his bid of A$0.

fnord
(well, I tried)

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

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 11:31:23 -0800
From: [email-masked] (fnord)
Subject: Acka: Shubik Results for officers

Ya know, I meant to put this in the other message, but I forgot, again.
I must have a mental block against it or something.

IdiotBoy -0, Shubik Auction RoJ17
Narf -25, Shubik Auction RoJ17

I am giving the Trinket Runestone of Jukkasjarvi Fragment 17 to Narf.
No ack is necessary as it is a Trinket.

fnord

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

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 14:30:32 -0600 (CST)
From: Jason Orendorff <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka:  RFC Actions

This is a lot more far-reaching than my last RFC.  Please feel free to 
comment.

Rule 260, "Public Actions", is created, reading:
- -----
This rule defers to all other rules.

Each attempt to perform an action either succeeds or fails.  To
perform an action entails two things:  first, to attempt the action;
and second, for the attempt to succeed.

The rules may specify that certain possible courses of play are public
actions.  Any active player may attempt any public action available to
him or her simply by sending a public message specifying the action to
be taken.  However, if any information that is necessary to specify
the action fully is left out of that message, then the attempt fails.
[An attempt may also fail for other reasons.]

If the rules specify that a certain course of play is available to a
player or organization, but do not specify how that course of play is
to be taken, then that course of play is a public action, and it is
taken as described above.
- -----

Rule 594 ("Blueprints") is amended to read:
- ---
(i) Blueprints are unownable entities.  A Scientist can create a new
Blueprint by posting its text publicly.  In this case, the Scientist
is the creator of the Blueprint.  A Rule can also create a new
Blueprint by specifying that it is doing so, and specifying the text
of the new Blueprint.  In this case, the author of the Rule is
considered the creator of the Blueprint.

An attempt to create a new Blueprint fails if its text does not (a)
introduce exactly one new type of Gadget, (b) name the new Gadget
type, and (c) unambiguously define the behavior of such a Gadget.

A Scientist may create no more than 4 Blueprints per calendar month.

(ii) When a Blueprint is judged to be in conflict with one or more
Rules, the Blueprint is destroyed, as are any extant Gadgets made from
that Blueprint.

(iii) A Blueprint is lonely if and only if there do not currently
exist any Gadgets made from that Blueprint.  The creator of a
Blueprint that is lonely may destroy it.  If a Scientist leaves or
loses their office for any reason, all of his or her lonely Blueprints
are destroyed.  [This gives the Players a way to get rid of the
Blueprint for some Doomsday device: impeach the Scientist.  In other
cases, the Blueprint is generally approved by vote.]

(iv) If the specification or behaviour, attributes, etc, specified by
2 Blueprints is in conflict, the Blueprint which was created first has
precedence.  If the Blueprints were created at the same time, the one
which would appear first in an alphabetic list (using ASCII) of their
titles would hold precedence. If this still does not resolve the
conflict, or the precedence cannot be determined with finality for any
reason, both Blueprints, and all gadgets made from each, are
destroyed, in a large yellow, pungent, cloud of dust, which remains in
the Inventor's home for 3 days.

{{ [
	The text of section (v) is now covered by copyright
	infringement and the naming rule.  So I think we can do
	without it.

	(v) Entities with the same name as a Gadget proposed or
	introduced by a Blueprint may not exist or be created unless
	they are an instance of the Gadget described by said
	Blueprint.
] }}

(v) If a Blueprint specifies the effects of a certain kind of
Gadget-related manipulation, and tells who can perform it, but does
not specify how it is to be accomplished, then that type of
manipulation can be performed as a public action.  [See Rule 260 for
more about public actions.]

[A Blueprint is not a legally binding document except where the Rules
say that it is.]
- -----

- --Mohammed

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

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 15:59:15 -0600 (CST)
From: Jason Orendorff <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka:  Inventor

I, Mohammed, your Inventor, am announcing the following Blueprint for a 
(sort of) new and phenomenally useful type of Gadget:

Plunky Monkey Wrench
- ---
A Plunky Monkey Wrench is a masterpiece of metallurgical engineering.  It
can be adjusted to fit bolts of any size and works perfectly in zero
gravity.

A player who has a Plunky Monkey Wrench may throw it into any unbroken
mechanical Gadget.  The Wrench is then destroyed, and the mechanical
Gadget into which it was thrown becomes broken. 

A player who has a Plunky Monkey Wrench, a broken mechanical Gadget, and
A$ 30 can try to fix the Gadget with the Plunky Monkey Wrench, assuming he
or she has not already tried to fix the Gadget in the past three days. 
When this is done, the A$ 30 is transferred from the player to the
Treasury.  There is a fifty-percent chance that the mechanical Gadget then
ceases to be broken; whether or not this happens shall be determined by 
the Inventor, unless the rules assign that duty to someone else.

For the purposes of this Blueprint, a Gadget is mechanical if and only
if its Blueprint says that it is.
- ---

- --Mohammed

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

Date: Tue, 25 Feb 1997 00:24:25 +0200 (EET)
From: Uri Bruck <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Internomic: Ackanomic Stuff (fwd)

On Mon, 24 Feb 1997, Phil Ackley wrote:

> Niccolo Flychucks term in the Presidency has ended.  Nominations were held
> for a new presidential election.  There was only one Candidate, so no
> Election was held.
> 
> Strider is the New President of Ackanomic.
> 
> History of Past Elections:
> Robert Sevinvs ????? = Robert Sevin Wins
> this is not a name vs /dev/joe = /dev/joe wins
> snowgod vs /dev/joe vs Niccolo Flychuck = snowgod wins

At some point /dev/joe left the race, but got one vote anyway.

> snowgod vs Niccolo Flychuck vs Uncle Sam = snowgod wins
> Niccolo Flychuck vs Robert Sevin vs ??? = Niccolo Flychuck wins

The third candidate on that election was breadbox, who ran on a
"do-nothing" platform, up to and including, not voting for eirself.
Elections 4 and 5 were also the only two elections that were preceded by
debates. I'll put them up on the web, and perhaps the Historian can make
links to those debates.

> Strider vs no one = Strider wins

That and the quiet campaign led me to think that we need some sort of
provision for a case where there are no nominees.

I was thinking of something along the following lines:
If there are no nominees then the Speaker anounces one term of Absentee
President, the duration of which is equal to the term of a President.
During a term of Absentee President the Senate is expanded to 7 members
and takes over Presidential duties as well. 
When the Absentee President term is over, a new nomination period is held
for President. If there are no nominees, the Senate continues to function
is the expanded format. If there is at least one nominee, the Senate needs
to be downsized back to its normal size.  
When the Presidential Elections start, Special Senate elections are held.
The current 7 Senators run for the 4 Seats (if they wish to run).
Each player can vote for two Senators. 
All Seats which can be filled unambigously (with no ties) are filled. The
rest are opened up for general elections.
RFC.
Niccolo Flychuck

> 
> In the most recent election Techno had the most support but sadly didn't run.
> 
> snowgod
> Ambassador
> 
> And congratulations to Pumpkin Patch Liason Brandon on his election to Pumpkin!
> 
> 

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

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 16:32:05 -0600 (CST)
From: "Joseph W. DeVincentis" <devjoe>
Subject: Re: Internomic: Ackanomic Stuff (fwd)

Niccolo Flychuck wrote:
> > Strider vs no one = Strider wins
> 
> That and the quiet campaign led me to think that we need some sort of
> provision for a case where there are no nominees.
> 
> I was thinking of something along the following lines:
> If there are no nominees then the Speaker anounces one term of Absentee
> President, the duration of which is equal to the term of a President.
> During a term of Absentee President the Senate is expanded to 7 members
> and takes over Presidential duties as well. 

If nobody wanted to do the president's job, what makes you think that
you are going to find 3 more people in addition to the current senators
to do the senate job (which is more than the president's job) and to take
part in doing the president's job which nobody wanted to do anyway?

/dev/joe

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

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 16:45:53 -0600 (CST)
From: Jason Orendorff <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka:  Inventor

Your Inventor here, again.  Once again I have invented a wondrous Gadget 
that is sure to increase everyone's standard of living:

Bonus Vote Add-On
- ---
The Bonus Vote Add-On is a mechanical Gadget.  When it is created, it
is not broken.

A player who has both a Vending Machine and an unbroken Bonus Vote
Add-On can strap the Add-On to the Vending Machine.  The owner of a
Bonus Vote Add-On can unstrap it if it is strapped to something.
Should either the Add-On or the Vending Machine change ownership while
one is strapped to the other, the Add-On becomes unstrapped.

While an unbroken Bonus Vote Add-On is strapped to a Vending Machine,
the Vending Machine can vend Bonus Votes.  The price of a Bonus Vote
is A$ 500, to begin with.  If a Vending Machine with a Bonus Vote
Add-On strapped to it ever sells a Bonus Vote for less than A$ 75,
the Bonus Vote Add-On is destroyed in a fountain of sparks.

If a player ever buys a Bonus Vote from a Vending Machine he or she
owns, the new Bonus Vote is immediately destroyed.  If more than 5
Bonus Votes are purchased from the same Vending Machine in a week, the
straps will rip off, and the Bonus Vote Add-On will smash to the
ground and become broken.  It will also spurt lots of nasty smoke.

It is dangerous to operate on a broken Bonus Vote Add-On.  Whenever
someone uses a Plunky Monkey Wrench to try to fix a broken Bonus Vote
Add-On and is unsuccessful, the Bonus Vote Add-On explodes and is
destroyed, and the Player who tried to fix it is transported to the
Ackanomic Afterlife.  Further, if the Player who tried to fix it did
not announce at the time that he or she made sure to be well clear of
everything fragile, all Trinkets and destructible Gadgets he or
she owns are destroyed.
- ---

- --Mohammed

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

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 18:36:21 -0500
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Internomic: Ackanomic Stuff

Niccolo Flychuck wrote:

[history snipped]

> At some point /dev/joe left the race, but got one vote anyway.

At the beginning of presidental nominations, I post the history.  I
will post an accurate recap of it again at the end of this post.
The versions recently posted are both inaccurate.

> I was thinking of something along the following lines:
> If there are no nominees then the Speaker anounces one term of Absentee
> President, the duration of which is equal to the term of a President.
> During a term of Absentee President the Senate is expanded to 7 members
> and takes over Presidential duties as well.

The current rules already handle the case of no volunteers.  It seems
to me, if no one wants to volunteer for the single job of president,
it would be unlikely that 3 volunteers can be found for the expanded 
senate.  Moreover, it would add more to the rules to handle this special
case.  Another drawback, IMO, is that no one person would be responsible
to be acting functional officers like the president is.  If, for example,
a 7 seat senate is the acting tabulator, I believe things will be less
efficient than our current system (they certainly could not be *more*
efficient).

Malenkai
- -------------------------------------------------------------
Accurate presidental election history:
 
Robert Sevin 9, Mohammed 3
/dev/joe 5, this is not a name 4
snowgod 7, Niccolo Flychuck 4, /dev/joe 2
snowgod 7, Niccolo Flychuck 5, Uncle Sam 2
Niccolo Flychuck 7, breadbox 3, Robert Sevin 2
Strider (unapposed)

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

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 15:59:13 -0800 (PST)
From: Brian Raiter <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Expert Status

The senate has voted unanimously to confirm Niccolo Flychuck's Expert
status w/r/t "Organizations and Institutions".

breadbox
senator, seat sinecure 33

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

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 16:06:44 -0800 (PST)
From: Brian Raiter <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:  RFC Actions

> This rule defers to all other rules.

I'm curious as to why this is needed.

> The rules may specify that certain possible courses of play are public
> actions.  Any active player may attempt any public action available to
> him or her simply by sending a public message specifying the action to
> be taken.  However, if any information that is necessary to specify
> the action fully is left out of that message, then the attempt fails.

That last sentence is a tiny big vague. How about using the word
"unambiguously" instead of "fully"?

> If the rules specify that a certain course of play is available to a
> player or organization, but do not specify how that course of play is
> to be taken, then that course of play is a public action, and it is
> taken as described above.

I would rather not have this catch-all paragraph in the rule. I think
that any future rule should just describe something as a being done as
a public action, rather than depending on this default definition to
apply to it.

breadbox

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

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 22:01:38 -0500
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Key Distribution

In accordance with R 222, the chalice vault keys are distributed
as follows.  This was required to occur within 7 days of the
creation of R 222.1.  Selection was random among qualifying active
players.

Be warned that these keys can eat entities in your possession.
Also be warned that that rule has some twisty little passages,
fortunately there is an SEP field around it with respect to me :)

gold key: Robert Sevin
silver key: snowgod
bronze key: ThinMan
chartreuse key: /dev/joe
purple key: Narf

Malenkai
bearer of the Goose

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

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 21:32:03 -0600
From: Mitchell Harding <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Internomic: Ackanomic Stuff 

At 08:41 AM 2/24/97 -0900, you wrote:
>Niccolo Flychucks term in the Presidency has ended.  Nominations were held
>for a new presidential election.  There was only one Candidate, so no
>Election was held.
>
>Strider is the New President of Ackanomic.
>
>History of Past Elections:
>Robert Sevin vs ????? = Robert Sevin Wins

For the record, the election was between myself and Mohammed. I've attached
the relevant (historical) message to the end of this one...

Robert Sevin

- --begin message--
X-Sender: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 31 Mar 1996 15:06:38 -0600
To: (Recipient list suppressed)
From: Mitchell Harding <[email-masked]>
Subject: Ackanomic: Official (Presidential Election Results)

The votes are in! 

Robert Sevin received 9 votes.
Mohammed received 3 votes.

Rule 504 (dealing with the Presidency) declares that the President is the
player with the most votes during the 3 days of voting. Therefore I hereby
declare Robert Sevin (myself) to be President of Ackanomia. My glorious
reign begins today, 3pm CST, Sunday, March 31, 1996 and will last 8 weeks,
ending at 3pm CST, Sunday, March 26, 1996.

Robert Sevin
- --end message--

As you can see, we had yet to master the calculation of dates at that time
(my 8 week reign apparently was of negative duration)...

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

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 21:35:49 -0600
From: Mitchell Harding <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Internomic: Ackanomic Stuff 

>At the beginning of presidental nominations, I post the history.  I
>will post an accurate recap of it again at the end of this post.
>The versions recently posted are both inaccurate.
>
>Malenkai
>-------------------------------------------------------------
>Accurate presidental election history:
> 
>Robert Sevin 9, Mohammed 3
>/dev/joe 5, this is not a name 4
>snowgod 7, Niccolo Flychuck 4, /dev/joe 2
>snowgod 7, Niccolo Flychuck 5, Uncle Sam 2
>Niccolo Flychuck 7, breadbox 3, Robert Sevin 2
>Strider (unapposed)

Also, in case it is desired, I have a virtually complete log of Acka
messages since it's inception, so any historical event about which anyone
wishes to obtain specifics, I probably can help. 

Robert Sevin

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

End of Ackanomic Digest V1 #538
*******************************