Subject: Ackanomic Digest V2 #116
From: [email-masked] (Ackanomic Digest)
To: ackanomic-digest

Ackanomic Digest         Friday, June 6 1997         Volume 02 : Number 116

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

Date: Fri, 06 Jun 1997 10:22:02 -0700
From: **Alexandre Muniz <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Concession Speech

Let all, this Acka night rejoice 
For our new Transylvanian voice,
And let not conflict sour our hearts,
but inspire wondrous monster parts.
I thank my one supporter, Vynd 
And hail thee well, my evil tvin.

**two-star

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

Date: Fri, 06 Jun 1997 00:38:21 -0700
From: Joshua Nave <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Personal Info

Ross Morgan-Linial wrote:
> 
> Dan Knapp (A.K.A. TheWiz) <[email-masked]> wrote:

> I assume that was "Hwarangdo" (haven't the foggiest idea) and Akido, which is a
> martial art I used to take, but don't any longer (doesn't count).

Hwa rang do or Hwa hrang do is a Korean martial art.  Considered more a
sport than an actual fighting technique today, it's very popular in the
land of the morning calm (translation of Chosun, the original name for
Korea)

No, I don't practice Hwa hrang do.

Narf

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 03:22:36 -0500 (CDT)
From: Jason Orendorff <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Personal Info

> Acka, I accidentally insulted ThinMan), and Catch-22 is my most 
> favouritest book ever. It's incredibly funny.
	Amen!
	I also forgot something when I sent my reply; I'm also reading
_The Screwtape Letters_ by C.S. Lewis.  I like the way he writes;
funny.  I couldn't stand Narnia for a second.

> If you're a programmer, I recommend breadbox's INTERCAL page. I 
> pissed myself from laughing at it. BTW breadbox, what about calling 
> '&' knot rather than ampersand? 
	It's pretty funny.  Any language in which PLEASE DON'T GIVE UP
is actually a legal statement... I also liked the COME FROM
construct. :o)  More importantly, I stumbled upon Inform through the
99 bottles of beer page.  I like what I've seen of Inform quite a bit.
	(Should I send a 99-bottles-of-beer program in Interpol to the
person who maintains that page, or is Interpol not really a language?
I would tend to say it isn't.  It can't do UNIX cat.)

- -- 
Mohammed
Maybe zebras and a teacher were made for each other.

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 03:28:19 -0500 (CDT)
From: Jason Orendorff <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: CFJ 391 Verdict

> (Rule 348 specifies that no two entities can have names that match;
> it does not, in itself, as I read it, prohibit changing an entity's
> name to match another's, though the results of such an action would
> certainly be illegal.)

This doesn't directly address the following sentence from R348:

An attempt to do anything that requires a name to be chosen [such as
creating a Trinket or Organization] fails if the chosen name matches a
name already in use.

I can see how that might be deemed irrelevant, but would the judge
mind offering a few more words on the subject?  I'm interested in eir
thoughts on the matter...

- -- 
Mohammed
A lawyer shouted at a sole sensational forgetful zebra from Duluth on
three continents.

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 03:38:27 -0500 (CDT)
From: Jason Orendorff <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka:  further personal info

1.  What's the best movie you've seen in the past year?

2.  What's the worst movie you've seen in the past year?

(Big-screen movies you've rented or seen on TV count, but made-for-TV
movies don't.)

- -- 
Mohammed
Weird dogs from Brazil suddenly blew up just when things were looking
up.

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 05:36:36 -0500 (CDT)
From: Jason Orendorff <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka:  Treasure

I am writing a contract that reads:

  Whosoever giveth this contract back to me, and upon so doing, giveth
  me also a postal address somewhere on the Earth, shall be entitled to
  receive from me one (1) postcard at that address, sent by myself no
  more than ten days after receiving the address; and at the time the
  postcard is sent, this contract shall be destroyed.

I am signing this contract with a large pirate flag flourish and
promise to keep the spirit of it even if the wording is iffy.  (It's
laaate.)

I am creating a Trinket called the Blarney Stone, worth A$77.  It
appears to be a rather ordinary stone, but according to legend can
grant extraordinary powers of persuasion.  I kiss it once for good
luck.

Then, I bury the contract I just wrote, and the Blarney Stone, as a single
Treasure.  I write a map to it, of course, and will reveal the
following:

  To find the treasure, send me the best babble file that I receive in
  the next 14 days.  (A babble file is a text file that can be used with
  my babble program to generate random output of a certain type.  More
  about my babble program appears below.)

  The value judgement implied here will be made by me at the end of that
  time and that judgement will be final.  Entries will be judged on
  creativity, effectiveness, originality, harf,... just about everything
  except spacing, which might be tricky for the non-programming-inclined
  and will thus be ignored.  Your file need not simply blather randomly,
  like my signature file!  I'm looking for more creative uses of the
  program.  Check out numbers.txt for one illustrative but very boring
  example.

  Remember, entries must be sent privately.  Good luck!

  Confused?  Please feel free to ask.  I want as many people to go
  after this as possible.

WHERE TO GET THE STUFF:

  The "babble" stuff is available through the mail bot for those of you
  who have a C compiler.  Send the bot these commands:

	#read file babble.c
	#read file babvocab.txt
	#read file numbers.txt

  Or, if you use a browser for _everything, visit
  http://www.cbu.edu/~jorendor/acka/babble/ where you will find all the
  above, plus a Windows-only babbler that you can download, unzip, and
  run without further ado.

HOW TO USE IT ONCE YOU'VE GOT IT:

. What babble does is read in a bunch of lists from a babble file, then
  use that information to generate random chunks of text.  It prints
  said random chunks of text on the screen one at a time as you sit
  there pressing the Enter key.  When you tire of this you hit Ctrl-Z
  and then Enter, and it quits.

. If you use the -ca option, babble will try to catch as many errors in
  your babble file as it can before it starts.  Otherwise, it will be
  pretty much oblivious to any errors that might be there, until they
  actually come into play (much like us with our ruleset.)

. When running babble, use the -f option to cause the babbler to load
  a particular babble file.  For example:

	babble -f numbers.txt -ca

. It's not altogether obvious how to stop the babbler once it's running.
  Under Windows, Ctrl-C or Ctrl-Z will do the trick.  (But you may
  have to hit Enter as well.)

. The executable was compiled using D. J. Delorie's port of the GNU
  C compiler.  Excellent software.  Fabulous.  Also means it's illegal
  to sell a stripped executable like babble.exe, so don't.  :o)  As if.

- -- 
Mohammed
Rude zebras from Mexico fell asleep while a Russian gave long lectures.
good luck!

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 13:58:35 +0300 (EET DST)
From: Uri Bruck <[email-masked]>
Subject: acka: Otzma

Back again for a day and a half.
(not back from Vacation)
 The Otzma pages are on my web space, I'll check them tonight and make
sure they're updated. One of the pages also has a column for the
probabilities.
As for Malenkai's other comment:
who's stopping you from using them?

Niccolo Flychuck

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

Date: Fri, 06 Jun 1997 07:08:56 -0400
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:  further personal info

> 1.  What's the best movie you've seen in the past year?

The People vs Larry Flynt.
 
> 2.  What's the worst movie you've seen in the past year?

Blood and Wine (I'd don't think I've ever seen a movie with
Jack Nickelson in it that I've liked).

Malenkai
Wearing a Silly Vacation Hat

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

Date: Fri, 06 Jun 1997 07:24:57 -0400
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: CFJ 392 (Techno)

CFJ 392 has been reassigned to Techno

Jun 06 7:24 EDT: -10 CarsesraC: failed to respond to CFJ 392

Clerk of the Courts
Wearing a Silly Vacation Hat
- ------------------------------------------------------------------

Call For Judgment 392
  Subject: Where's that pate?
Initiator: Bascule
    Judge: [Antimatter] (declined)
2nd Judge: CarsesraC (failed to respond)
3rd Judge: Techno (selected Jun 06, 1997, 7:24h EDT)
Judgement:

Statement:

For Bascule to give A$10 to Alfvaen is equally legal and illegal.

Bascule's Reasoning:

Bascule has two contracts binding his actions. The contracts demand
that he gives A$10 to Alfvaen, and that he does not give any A$
to Alfvaen. There is no means for deciding precedence between
contracts, and therefore the action of giving the A$ is equally legal
and illegal.

The first contract:

"Bascule must give A$10 to Alfvaen"

The second contract:

"Bascule must not give any A$ to Alfvaen"

>From Rule 1995:"Once a player has signed a contract, that player must obey any
restrictions that that contract places on em"

The player _must obey_ any restrictions. This means that if I were to
give A$10 to Alfvaen, this would be legal according to the first
contract, but illegal according to the second. If I do not give any
A$ to Alfvaen, this is illegal according to the first contract, but
legal according to the second.

As the restrictions imposed by my two contracts are contradictory,
the legality of my giving A$10 to Alfvaen is equally legal and
illegal, since no precedence exists regarding contracts.

Sorry to be so lame, but my elegant example got nuked. And I wasted
A$331.

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

Date: Fri, 06 Jun 1997 07:40:54 -0400
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Phoebe (Techno)

> I believe that Techno has not revealed to us the true wisdom of Phoebe,
> and request that a hearing be called to examine the validity of
> this statement.

A hearing has been called on the validity of Phoebe's wisdom.  The
valid responses are below.  Respond to vote:

Phoebe would not say anything so crass
Phoebe said much the same thing to me once

> Should there be a "Phoebe Ineligibility List" that people can put
> themselves on voluntarily? In addition to a hearing on Techno's post,
> I ask for opinions on the Fate of The Steel Flea.

I do not think much value will be added by making Phoebe more work
for me; it works fine the way it is.

Malenkai
Wearing a Silly Vacation Hat

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 07:52:21 -0400 (EDT)
From: mr cwm <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Phoebe (Techno)

To:   Count Tabula Malenkai
From: mr cwm

Phoebe would not say anything so crass

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 07:58:46 -0400 (EDT)
From: mr cwm <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:  further personal info

On Fri, 6 Jun 1997, Mohammed wrote:

>1.  What's the best movie you've seen in the past year?

Much as I'm tempted to answer this tomorrow so I can run my watch of Mr.
Hulot's Holiday tonight, I'll have to say Bringing Up Baby.

>2.  What's the worst movie you've seen in the past year?

Dead Man Walking.  I felt manipulated.

>
>(Big-screen movies you've rented or seen on TV count, but made-for-TV
>movies don't.)

- -mr cwm

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 05:12:58 -0700 (PDT)
From: Brian Raiter <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Phoebe (Techno)

> Should there be a "Phoebe Ineligibility List" that people can put
> themselves on voluntarily? In addition to a hearing on Techno's post,
> I ask for opinions on the Fate of The Steel Flea.

Phoebe is part of the responsibility one takes on by becoming an
Ackazen. I don't think one should be able to easily throw that burden
off. (And it isn't much of a burden, really. In my ten months here I
have found Phoebe exactly once.) It's not like the CFJ responsibility,
wherein a timely response is often important.

breadbox

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 08:09:56 -0400 (EDT)
From: "A.K.A. TheWiz" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:  further personal info

>1.  What's the best movie you've seen in the past year?
  Star Wars 4-6
>2.  What's the worst movie you've seen in the past year?
  Star Wars 4-6

  Some explanation is in order.  I refuse to have anything to do with the
institution of movies, until and unless one comes out with characters that
aren't pulled from the spare-parts bin and a plot that my cat couldn't
have written.  Thus I've _only_ seen Star Wars, plus maybe a couple of
things my family dragged me to.

- -Red Barn
Grumpy old player

____________________________________________________________________________
|The Mauve Baron|  Beep  [email-masked] * http://www.bergen.org/~dankna|
|---------------|  Blip  |-------------------------------------------------|
|   Dan Knapp   |  Bonk  |     This notice copyright (C)1997 Dan Knapp     |
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Thu, 5 Jun 1997 22:06:43 -0800
From: "Ross Morgan-Linial" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Personal Info

[email-masked] (fnord) wrote:
> Oh, and I love board games, too, especially Cosmic Encounters (been
> playing for about 10 years now).  Someday I'm gonna get some time
> to fold some Cosmic rules and things into Acka.
> 
> fnord

Cool. Look at EcoNomic - I managed to get Power Cards, and Lucre, added to the 
game. I could adapt a CE-Powers proposal to Acka, if you want, but _I_ won't 
propose it :-)
- -------------------------------
Antimatter * [email-masked]
You have the power of negation.

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

Date: Thu, 5 Jun 1997 22:06:43 -0800
From: "Ross Morgan-Linial" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Mad Scientist

Aaron Humphrey <[email-masked]> wrote:
> Moohoohahahahahahaha!!!

As one Mad Scientist to another, I must inform you that the proper spelling of 
a maniacal laugh is:

MUHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahaha!!!

    - the Mad Scientist from Agora
- -------------------------------
Antimatter * [email-masked]
You have the power of negation.

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 08:19:20 -0500
From: "Bollinger, John C." <[email-masked]>
Subject: RE: Acka: CFJ 397 (ThinMan)

Malenkai (wearing his CotC hat) wrote:

> my ironic twin, ThinMan as been selected for CFJ 397.
> 
I accept judgement.

ThinMan

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 10:34:40 -0400 (EDT)
From: "A.K.A. TheWiz" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Taglines

       "Exit? Does it say 'exit'?" 
              same source as 
       "Oh, no I haven't, I've remembered the sardines!" 
              same source as 
       "Lloyd, you know how stupid I am about moves." 
              same source as 
       "He had six days, of course. We only have six hours." 
              same source as 
       "They've _both_ not gone!" 
              same source as 
       "Good job I can't see far with this leg." 
              same source as 
       "Ah! A house of heavenly peace! I rent it!" 

  All from the movie, "Noises Off".

____________________________________________________________________________
|The Mauve Baron|  Beep  [email-masked] * http://www.bergen.org/~dankna|
|---------------|  Blip  |-------------------------------------------------|
|   Dan Knapp   |  Bonk  |     This notice copyright (C)1997 Dan Knapp     |
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 10:41:44 -0400 (EDT)
From: "A.K.A. TheWiz" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Taglines

>       "Exit? Does it say 'exit'?" 
>       "Oh, no I haven't, I've remembered the sardines!" 
>       "Lloyd, you know how stupid I am about moves." 
>       "He had six days, of course. We only have six hours." 
>       "They've _both_ not gone!" 
>       "Good job I can't see far with this leg." 
>       "Ah! A house of heavenly peace! I rent it!" 
>
>  All from the movie, "Noises Off".

  'Pologies for sending to the list.

- -Red Barn

____________________________________________________________________________
|The Mauve Baron|  Beep  [email-masked] * http://www.bergen.org/~dankna|
|---------------|  Blip  |-------------------------------------------------|
|   Dan Knapp   |  Bonk  |     This notice copyright (C)1997 Dan Knapp     |
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 11:06:35 -0400 (EDT)
From: mr cwm <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:  further personal info

On Fri, 6 Jun 1997, Red Barn wrote:

>>1.  What's the best movie you've seen in the past year?
>  Star Wars 4-6
>>2.  What's the worst movie you've seen in the past year?
>  Star Wars 4-6
>
>  Some explanation is in order.  I refuse to have anything to do with the
>institution of movies, until and unless one comes out with characters that
>aren't pulled from the spare-parts bin and a plot that my cat couldn't
>have written.  

Would I be starting something if I asked why you made the exception for
Star Wars? :)

(OK, I admit I haven't seen #4 or #5 since their original release, and I
don't think I bothered to go see #6.  But maybe that says something right
there.) 

>Thus I've _only_ seen Star Wars, plus maybe a couple of
>things my family dragged me to.
>
>-Red Barn
>Grumpy old player
        ^^^ 
Speaking of which, ThinMan was the only player who gave me the impression
of being about my age, but his response to Alfvaen's poll question
revealed that I have seven years on him.  OK, who else remembers ... the
US' Gemini space program?  (Yes, I was rather young, but I'm pretty sure
the memory is authentic.)

- -mr cwm
 getting older by the minute

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 10:30:24 -0500
From: "Bollinger, John C." <[email-masked]>
Subject: RE: Acka:  further personal info

mr cwm wrote:

> >-Red Barn
> >Grumpy old player
>         ^^^ 
> Speaking of which, ThinMan was the only player who gave me the
> impression
> of being about my age, but his response to Alfvaen's poll question
> revealed that I have seven years on him.
> 
I'll take that as a compliment.  Malenkai's response to the poll
question shows that he has four years on me, so he'll have to decide
for himself how to take mr cwm's comment.  FWIW, as long as we are
calculating age differences, my actual age is closer to 28.75 (my
birthday is August 28).

Oh, and as long as we're on birthdays -- there are enough current
players that we have a better than even chance of two having the same
birthday.  How about a birthday list?  I volunteer to harf it.  I'm
curious about whether we have any matches.

>   OK, who else remembers ... the
> US' Gemini space program?  (Yes, I was rather young, but I'm pretty
> sure
> the memory is authentic.)
> 
ThinMan
Child of the (late) 60's
Who at least remembers some Apollo launches

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 11:29:12 -0400 (EDT)
From: "A.K.A. TheWiz" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:  further personal info

>Would I be starting something if I asked why you made the exception for
>Star Wars? :)

  Probably not.  I just thought (having seen the originals on video long
since) it met my criteria.  The characters were *not* cardboard cut-outs,
at least not as much as usual.  In other words, "well-done".

____________________________________________________________________________
|The Mauve Baron|  Beep  [email-masked] * http://www.bergen.org/~dankna|
|---------------|  Blip  |-------------------------------------------------|
|   Dan Knapp   |  Bonk  |     This notice copyright (C)1997 Dan Knapp     |
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 10:40:56 -0500 (CDT)
From: "Joseph W. DeVincentis" <devjoe>
Subject: Re: Acka:  P2029 accepted (Last Wills)

> Proposal 2029
> Last Wills
> Mohammed
> 
> Votes cast by active players:  18 / 21 = 85.714286%
> Yes:  14    No:  2     Present:  2   ...Proposal accepted.

This was Mohammed's 50th accepted proposal, raising his Blue Cross Rank
to 60.

I hereby award Mohammed a Gold Stripe, as the 3 silver stripes he had
previously fade away into nothingness.

/dev/joe
Senator
Notes that a few other players are approaching stripe levels

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 11:41:23 -0400 (EDT)
From: "A.K.A. TheWiz" <[email-masked]>
Subject: RE: Acka:  further personal info

>players that we have a better than even chance of two having the same
>birthday.  How about a birthday list?  I volunteer to harf it.  I'm
>curious about whether we have any matches.

  Sure.  12/13/80.  Saturday, not Friday.

- -Red Barn

____________________________________________________________________________
|The Mauve Baron|  Beep  [email-masked] * http://www.bergen.org/~dankna|
|---------------|  Blip  |-------------------------------------------------|
|   Dan Knapp   |  Bonk  |     This notice copyright (C)1997 Dan Knapp     |
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 12:19:47 -0400 (EDT)
From: "A.K.A. TheWiz" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Babbler in training

  Here's some sample output from my babbler-to-be (using Mohammad's
engine).  The grammar isn't working quite right, so don't be too
surprised.

<<<<<
Because.

Remove?

Apes and chihuahuas and whales, oh my!

Whales and bananas and gorillas, oh my!

Oh, mauve.

Thick embiggened short tomato reduce.

Toggle readily giant short thin nuke in the essence of thick forest above
lots of forests?

Far a few of rutabagas tersify rapidly!

Squat in the essence of whale.

Verbosificate vitally comprehensably, toggle inscrutably.

Run readily whale revealing the fundamental underlying imagery of climb
inscrutably?

Do not staple, panic, or prolong.

Thin ape change!
<<<<<

  Bwahaha.

- -Red Barn

____________________________________________________________________________
|The Mauve Baron|  Beep  [email-masked] * http://www.bergen.org/~dankna|
|---------------|  Blip  |-------------------------------------------------|
|   Dan Knapp   |  Bonk  |     This notice copyright (C)1997 Dan Knapp     |
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 10:45:07 -0600 (MDT)
From: Aaron Humphrey <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:  further personal info

> Oh, and as long as we're on birthdays -- there are enough current
> players that we have a better than even chance of two having the same
> birthday.  How about a birthday list?  I volunteer to harf it.  I'm
> curious about whether we have any matches.

Mine is 7/14/71; my birthday is a national holiday in France, so I'll have
to go there some year.  :-)

> ThinMan
> Child of the (late) 60's
> Who at least remembers some Apollo launches

I remember John Lennon being shot...

- --
- --Alfvaen(Web page: http://www.terranet.ab.ca/~aaron/)
Song In My Head--Gordon Lightfoot:If You Could Read My Mind
Current Book--Steven Brust:Five Hundred Years After
'Double-check the redundancy generator, will you?'

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 10:59:51 -0600 (MDT)
From: Aaron Humphrey <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:  further personal info

You know, I never keep track of this stuff.  I keep a meticulous list of
what _books_ I read when, but not movies.

> 1.  What's the best movie you've seen in the past year?

Vague memories...Just say "Addicted To Love", and quite liked it; thought
"Fifth Element" and "Mars Attacks" were quite fun; just saw "Dangerous
Liaisons" on TV, which is delightfully twisted.
 
> 2.  What's the worst movie you've seen in the past year?

I don't really recall.  "Independence Day" was definitely disappointing.  I
purposely avoided "Dante's Peak" and "The Lost World"(so far)...  I really
go to so few movies that I'm more likely to miss one that I would like than
see one that I'd rather I hadn't.  Oh, yeah, I recently watched
"Pocahontas" and thought it a bit simplistic.

> (Big-screen movies you've rented or seen on TV count, but made-for-TV
> movies don't.)

How about made-for-cable?  One of my favourites is "Somebody Has To
Shoot The Picture", which I don't think I've watched in the past year,
so it wouldn't count anyway, but I think it's better than any
"made-for-TV" I've seen.

- --
- --Alfvaen(Web page: http://www.terranet.ab.ca/~aaron/)
Song In My Head--Godley & Creme:10,000 Angels
Current Book--Steven Brust:Five Hundred Years After
"Captain, why not just give the Borg 'Windows'?"

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

Date: 6 Jun 1997 12:51:24 CST/CDT
From: [email-masked]
Subject: Re: Acka: CFJ 396 

I accept judgment on CFJ 396.
I would appeciate it if the CotC would resend it to me via private email
- -- my copy is split between two fragments of digest.

Guy Fawkes

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 12:11:16 -0600 (MDT)
From: Aaron Humphrey <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Auction Clarifications

I'm looking over the Auction rule, and there's one thing that I'm not quite
clear on.  I can understand how it works in the case of auctioning a single
item, and in the case of auctioning several identical items.  But what if I
call a single auction, for several items, which are distinct from each
other in value and description?  Do the bidders get to bid on each item
separately(so item A may receive a number of bids, and item B none at all),
or would I take the top N bids and assign the items to them somehow?  This
is what I'd like to do, so that no one person would be able to end up with
more than one item from the Auction.  (That is how I read it happening, but
the rule makes no provision for how, if multiple disparate items are being
Auctioned, the determination of who gets which item is made.)

- --
- --Alfvaen(Web page: http://www.terranet.ab.ca/~aaron/)
Song In My Head--Rush:Anagram(For Mongo)
Current Book--Steven Brust:Five Hundred Years After
With too many rowers the ship will crash into a mountain.

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

Date: Fri, 06 Jun 1997 19:02:00 EDT 
From: [email-masked]
Subject: Acka: Re: Personal stuff

1)What do you do for a living?

At the time I joined Acka,  I was a Master Seargent in the US Air Force. 
I would give a more specific job title,  but the official one would make
no sense to anyone (not even me most times)  and I've done so many
different jobs over the last 23 years and 12 assignments that my mailer
couldn't handle it.  Let's just say I couldn't find a steady job.  But
now I'm fully retired,  and have no plans to find another job.  I'm
having too much fun traveling and playing nomic (as well as a couple of
other hobbies).

2)Where does your Ackanomic name come from?

My current name comes from the now-defunct Voting Gnome rule.  The Gnome
was a great bone for contention a while back,  and I thought I would at
least keep his memory alive,  much as those upstarts at Rishonomic have
done.  My original name was taken from the name of a pet pig in the Doc
Savage novels (see 3)

3)What are your tastes in reading and music?
Reading,  mostly SF and a litle Fantasy for change.  However,  I also
like many classics such as Shakespear and Aristophnese and LOVE the pulps
of the Twenties and Thirties.  Favourite authors include just about
everyone mentioned previously (except for Malenkai's list,  non-fiction
bores me mostly) plus Robert Heinlein,  Roger Zelazny,  Fred Pohl, 
Arthur C Doyle,  R.L. Asprin (goptta love those puns),  Cliff Simak, 
Kurt N. Stuba (sort of the Dave Barry of amateur radio),  Shirley
Jackson,  and Sun Tzu
Music,  hard rock of the late Sixties and early Seventies mostly,  but
some of the new stuff isn't bad,  Also,  I like some Classical and Jazz
(Jazz,  not that progressive stuff passing for Jazz these days). 
Actually,  I'll sit still or toe tap to just about anything except Disco,
  Rap,  and 1940's and 50's country.  Favourite bands,  Deep Purple, 
Credence Clearwater Revival,  Three Dog Night,  Steppenwolf ( I think I
was the only one in my school who knew where that name came from),  Styx,
 Steve Miller (pre-1980)  Jean-Luc Ponte,  ZZ Top,  Eurythmics,  Queen, 
INXS,  and Black  Sabbath. 
 
4)Anything else you'd like to volunteer.  :-)

My interests outside of Nomic include Ham Radio,  Hunting and Fishing, 
arguing Supreme Court cases with my sister (a paralegal in ohio who knows
more Law than most of the lawyers she works with),  and cooking (being
single this is a necessity,  but I also enjoy it).  My phone number is
not 707 427-7248 and I can't qualify for a VISA.

Voting Gnome

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 16:08:10 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Personal Info 

>> 1)What do you do for a living?

I am a  Education Major at UAA/ Video Store Manager/ Almost Professional
Writer.

>> 2)Where does your Ackanomic name come from?
Three years ago we were undergoing a "snow drought" up here in alaska.  We
had 6 or seven inches all winter (compared to the normal 115 - no wonder we
had those fires).  I changed my handle to snowgod because I couldn't afford
to sacrafice my snowboard to the snowgods, but I felt some sort of pennance
needed to be made.

>> 3)What are your tastes in reading and music?

I'll read anything.  Nicholson Baker is awesome, and Micheal Ondaatje is a
killer poet.  I really Douglas Adams and Tobias Wolfe.  I'm not limited to
Sci-Fi or Non-fiction or any particular genre.  I actually like literary
fiction .

Music.  Hmm.  I like TMBG (of course) and Mono Puff is all right.  I loce
bluies and big band.  And then I like a lot of metal.  Pantera,
Machinehead, Fear Factory, etc.  When I'm driving I usually listen to the
classic (60's 70's and 80's) rock stations.

Oh yeah.  Tlking heads are really cool too.

>> 4)Anything else you'd like to volunteer.  :-)

Uh, yeah.  Go read more about it at http://www.apparentdepth.com

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 16:14:54 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: CFJ 391 Verdict 

I wish to appeal this verdict.

Mr. Nacho

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 16:17:40 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: IP results 

>
>Players who's votes failed for various reasons
>----------------------------------------------
>Mr. Nacho
>Voting Gnome
>Guy Fawkes

What various reason did my vote fail for, if I may ask?  I was so looking
forward to getting impeached.  Is an officer not alloowed to vote for his
own impeachment?

Mr. "Still the Registrar" Nacho

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 16:28:17 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:  further personal info 

>
>Speaking of which, ThinMan was the only player who gave me the impression
>of being about my age, but his response to Alfvaen's poll question
>revealed that I have seven years on him.  OK, who else remembers ... the
>US' Gemini space program?  (Yes, I was rather young, but I'm pretty sure
>the memory is authentic.)
>

Well, since we are talking age, I'll let everyone know that I was about 6
months old when Nixon resigned (that make me 23) and I am terrified that
*kids* who were born in the eighties are growing up and getting their
drivers liscenses now!  Oh yeah, Someone asked... I'm a senior at UAA.
Next year I will start on my MFA.

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 16:29:33 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: RE: Acka:  further personal info 

>>players that we have a better than even chance of two having the same
>>birthday.  How about a birthday list?  I volunteer to harf it.  I'm
>>curious about whether we have any matches.

April 20, 1974

Mr. Still The Registrar Nacho

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 16:34:39 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: BV Add-on 

I am attaching my bonus vote add-on to my vending machine and setting the
price to A$200.

Mr. Nacho

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 16:36:43 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Re: Personal stuff 

>Music,  hard rock of the late Sixties and early Seventies mostly,  but
>some of the new stuff isn't bad,  Also,  I like some Classical and Jazz
>(Jazz,  not that progressive stuff passing for Jazz these days).
>Actually,  I'll sit still or toe tap to just about anything except Disco,
>  Rap,  and 1940's and 50's country.  Favourite bands,  Deep Purple,
>Credence Clearwater Revival,  Three Dog Night,  Steppenwolf ( I think I
>was the only one in my school who knew where that name came from),  Styx,
> Steve Miller (pre-1980)  Jean-Luc Ponte,  ZZ Top,  Eurythmics,  Queen,
>INXS,  and Black  Sabbath.

Cool list.  Some people might be interested to know that I went and saw ZZ
Top play up here just two nights ago!

Mr. Nacho

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

Date: Fri, 6 Jun 1997 16:39:13 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka:  further personal info 

>1.  What's the best movie you've seen in the past year?

Clerks!  Or was that longer than a year ago?  Maybe so,but if youhaven't
seen clerks before, you really (really!) must.  Other than that, Fargo, or
maybe Swingers.

>2.  What's the worst movie you've seen in the past year?

Hmm, ot really sure about that one.  Feeling Minnesota was kind of a let
down (expected better with Cameron Diaz :).  Lots of cheezy B-Mpovies
probably sucked much worse, but I didn't see them

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

Date: Fri, 06 Jun 1997 21:31:08 -0400
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: IP results

Mr. Nacho wrote:

> What various reason did my vote fail for, if I may ask?  I was so looking
> forward to getting impeached.  Is an officer not alloowed to vote for his
> own impeachment?

An officer may not vote on an IP against him.

I was born Feb 22, 1965, 6:05 AM local time, in Torrance, California.
My first memory that would possibly be in common with anyone else was
man walking on the moon.  Since the earth is flat, however, that did not
really happen.

Malenkai
bwg
Wearing a Silly Vacation Hat

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

Date: Fri, 06 Jun 1997 21:35:30 -0400
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: CFJ 383 Verdict

CFJ 383 has been judged TRUE.

Clerk of the Courts
Wearing a Silly Vacation Hat
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Call For Judgment 383
  Subject: Partial Repeals
Initiator: ThinMan
    Judge: IdiotBoy (left the game)
2nd Judge: Robert Sevin (failed to respond)
3rd Judge: Techno (selected Jun 05, 1997, 19:15h EDT)
Judgement: TRUE

Statement:

The acceptance of proposal 1992 does not cause rule 207 or rule 709 to
be changed in any way.

ThinMan's Reasoning:

Proposal 1992 contained the following two provisions:

        Repeal Rule 207, Section V [Effect of Proposals which do not
        meet Quorum]

        Repeal Rule 709, paragraph 4.  [Players in Gaol and Quorum]

The potential problem with these is that it is questionable whether it
is possible to "repeal" _parts_ of rules.

The rules no longer specify in detail what changes may be made to the
rules.  Until recently, however, they indicated that rules could be
created, amended, or repealed.  No room was allowed for repeal of
parts of rules.  Indeed, the effect that Guy Fawkes intended to achieve
may have been an amendment of the rules in question.

Because the rules no longer specify explicitly whether the changes
indicated by P1992 are legal, we must fall back on game custom to
interpret the rules.  In the past we have excised parts of rules by
amending the rules, not by attempting to "repeal" those parts.  To
whatever extent that indicates custom, the questionable clauses of
P1992 may be ineffective.  Alternatively, the judge only need find
that an attempt to "repeal" part of a rule is meaningless.

I cite Rule 104:

        If the proposal consisted of a list of one-time effects, such as
        changes to the rules, then those effects shall be applied, one
        at a time, in the order in which they appear in the proposal.
        (Ambiguous, conditional, retroactive, and/or meaningless effects
        are ignored.)

Techno's Reasoning:

I judge this CFJ to be TRUE.  I agree completely with Thinman's
reasoning.

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

Date: Fri, 06 Jun 1997 21:39:53 -0400
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: CFJ 392 Verdict

CFJ 392 has been judged FALSE.  I hope Bascule has a good orange sauce
lying around the house...

#transfer mr cwm , Bascule: Chartreuse Goose

Clerk of the Courts
Wearing a Silly Vacation Hat
- ------------------------------------------------------------------

Call For Judgment 392
  Subject: Where's that pate?
Initiator: Bascule
    Judge: [Antimatter] (declined)
2nd Judge: CarsesraC (failed to respond)
3rd Judge: Techno (selected Jun 06, 1997, 7:24h EDT)
Judgement: FALSE

Statement:

For Bascule to give A$10 to Alfvaen is equally legal and illegal.

Bascule's Reasoning:

Bascule has two contracts binding his actions. The contracts demand
that he gives A$10 to Alfvaen, and that he does not give any A$
to Alfvaen. There is no means for deciding precedence between
contracts, and therefore the action of giving the A$ is equally legal
and illegal.

The first contract:

"Bascule must give A$10 to Alfvaen"

The second contract:

"Bascule must not give any A$ to Alfvaen"

>From Rule 1995:"Once a player has signed a contract, that player must obey any
restrictions that that contract places on em"

The player _must obey_ any restrictions. This means that if I were to
give A$10 to Alfvaen, this would be legal according to the first
contract, but illegal according to the second. If I do not give any
A$ to Alfvaen, this is illegal according to the first contract, but
legal according to the second.

As the restrictions imposed by my two contracts are contradictory,
the legality of my giving A$10 to Alfvaen is equally legal and
illegal, since no precedence exists regarding contracts.

Sorry to be so lame, but my elegant example got nuked. And I wasted
A$331.

Techno's Reasoning:

 In the form that this CFJ is stated, it would at first appear
to me to be true.  But after reading the rule concerning contracts
(517/1) I believe it would be illegal to give the money and to not give
the money.  The contracts rule states the following...

Once a player has signed a contract, that player must obey any
restrictions that that contract places on em; to do
     otherwise is a crime.

My reading of that statement tells me that it would be illegal to give
the money because it would be illegal by contract 2.  It would also be
illegal to not pay the money as stated by contract 1.  This CFJ states
that it is both legal and illegal to give the money.  My reading of the
rule is that it would be illegal to do either.

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

Date: Fri, 06 Jun 1997 21:53:52 -0400
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: CFJ 391 Verdict

Mr. Nacho wrote:

> I wish to appeal [the CFJ 391] verdict.

This potentially brings up something I've been wondering
about for awhile.  It seems that even if the verdict is 
overturned, the Blueprint has already destroyed, and a
reversal will not retroactively "undestroy" it.  From
R 594:

>     (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.

What constitutes "judged" as used in these situations?  When the verdict
is delivered, or when it is no longer possible to appeal it?  Can an
overturn retroactively undo "judged to be in conflict"?  At least to the
second question, I would say no.

Malenkai
wondering what aspects of the game others are interested in
Wearing a Silly Vacation Hat

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

End of Ackanomic Digest V2 #116
*******************************