Subject: Ackanomic Digest V2 #131
From: [email-masked] (Ackanomic Digest)
To: ackanomic-digest

Ackanomic Digest       Wednesday, June 11 1997       Volume 02 : Number 131

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

Date: 11 Jun 1997 12:54:12 CST/CDT
From: [email-masked]
Subject: Acka: gadgets 

I am attaching my Bonus Vote Add-On to my Vending Machine.  Whether or
not Mr. Lunatic Fringe got the bot-speak right is irrelevant to the fact
the the offer was legally made and legally accepted by Mr. Lunatic
Fringe.

Guy Fawkes

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 12:57:00 -0900
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: trade 

>Poor ex-snowgod can't even remember his own name any more.
>
>Hey, Mr. Fringe, you're not a Dorito any more!!
>
>/dev/joe

Hehehe.  When I wrote that, I hadn't seen any voting results yet, and I
wasn't aware that Mohamed had changed my botname.  I was just trying to
make things easier :)

"There's no place like home, Uncle Dev..."
"Fringey, I'm afraid you're not a dorito anymore."

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 16:08:05 -0500 (CDT)
From: "Joseph W. DeVincentis" <devjoe>
Subject: Acka: Web Server Stats

This report covers the period from approximately
Mar 18 1997, 16:09 EDT to Jun 11 1997, 15:45 EDT
a period of about 85 days.

There were a total of 81077 hits on the web server that actually sent
files (ignoring redirections, errors, etc.) for a total of 944,583,632
bytes sent.  (954 hits and 11.1 MB per day)

There were a total of 43443 hits on URLs in ~devjoe/acka that sent files,
for a total of 674,320,022 bytes sent.  (511 hits and 7.9 MB per day)

Alfvaen was right, the usage has gone up somewhat, but not to a huge
extent.  Last time I did this, the acka usage was 32290 hits in 119
days, or 271 hits/day, and 694MB in that period (5.8MB/day).

The overall amount of web traffic has increased, but only approximately
in proportion to the amount of stuff there -- roughly the equivalent
of each file being accessed once a day.

The average file size of the transfers has decreased, however,
which makes me believe that extra little gifs, such as those on the
player/entity page, account for much of the difference in hits.
Looking only at hits on html pages, the totals for Acka in this
block of time are 16618 hits for 606MB; 170MB of that is just on
the full rules page, from 432 hits.

On the other end of the scale, even obscure, obsolete files get
about 6 hits a month.  popular-charter.html (Charter for the
Popular Stability party) got 18 hits, from:

biscuit.rs.itd.umich.edu
waz.easynet.co.uk
j11.inktomi.com (2x)
ts1-06.pdx.cyberhighway.net
crawl1.atext.com (2x)
scooter.pa-x.dec.com (5x)
tornado.northernlight.com
main.univer.omsk.su
saffron.hensa.ac.uk
search.tenet.edu
207.107.136.227
lr01p4.cbu.edu

At least half these hits, the sites that checked it multiple times,
are likely due to robots from the web search engines, and some
of the others ones probably are too.  It appears every file linked
into the acka site received at least 17 hits over these 85 days.

/dev/joe

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 13:18:46 -0800
From: "Ross Morgan-Linial" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Snowgod map auction (fwd)

Malenkai <[email-masked]> wrote:
> > Alfvaen has found <nameless trinket>.
> > #transfer buried, Alfvaen:<???>:treasure
> 
> The actual map should really be revealed for this
> to happen, if for no other purpose than to keep a 
> record on the web pages (and to follow the rules, I
> suppose).

I believe that Alfvaen posted the map, but here it is:

"snowgod will be found by the first player other than Antimatter, or the player
formerly known as such, to pay A$100 to Antimatter (not any player formerly
known as Antimatter), with his permission, for the express purpose of retrieving
snowgod."
- -------------------------------
Antimatter * [email-masked]
You have the power of negation.

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 13:18:46 -0800
From: "Ross Morgan-Linial" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Some announcements

John Frederic Mc Coy <[email-masked]> wrote
> My impeachment paper against Malenkai is awaiting your votes.

I vote to retain Malenkai as Wizard. If he gets kicked out, I'll have to find 
some other scientist to bribe :-)

> Thus, the Senate now
> announces that it is begining a vote on the revokation of Mr. Lunatic
> Fringe's Expertise in Headware.

Sure, I vote to revoke it, since e was absolutely no use in a recent dispute 
involving headgear *<|:-)
- -------------------------------
Antimatter * [email-masked]
You have the power of negation.

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 16:43:01 -0500 (CDT)
From: Mitchell Harding <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Results of Senate Vote on Headwear Expertise 

The vote on revoking Mr Lunatic Fringe's headwear expertise was 2-2, Senator
Robert Sevin and
Senator Vynd voting NO, Senator ThinMan and Senator /dev/joe voting YES.
This fails, as 75% YES was
needed. The following is the reasoning I posted along with my vote, which
Senator Vynd agreed with, and therefore is the reasoning for our decision:

The following criteria are what an Expert must meet, per the rules:

- ---

1. The player must be well versed in all rules and CFJs relevant to the area.
2. The player must be keeping up to date with any relevant new proposals.
3. The player must be honest, and willing to interpret the rules when a
conflict arises that is relevant to their area of Expertness. They must do
so without bias.
4. The area must be well-defined and specific.
5. The area must not be too broad (ie "the rules" is too broad, but "Acka
economy" isn't).
6. The area must not be so simple that everyone understands it well. 

- ---

Malenkai's reasons to remove Mr Lunatic Fringe's (at the time named Mr
Nacho) Expert status follow:

- ---

1) As was noted at the time of application, Headwear, although a 
vital portion of Acka's rules, is a very narrow area of Acka's rules.

2) Mr. Nacho was asleep at the switch when Malenkai became eligible
for a Silly Vacation Hat.  Any Expert in the area, especially in an
area so narrow, would have and should have notified the Acting Speaker
of the event.  Had he been on top of 5 or so other occurrances at the
time I would understand the oversight; but I do not in this case.

3) Mr. Nacho, our resident Expert, has been notably silent on whether
Malenkai is required to appoint a Mad Hatter, or whether, in fact,
Malenkai is currently wearing a Platonic SVH that simply has yet to be
described.  Its not like there are a million other issues about Headwear
currently before the Expert :)

4) Mr. Nacho has given no visible evidence of coming close to finding
the Map of Jara.

- ---

The 2nd complaint assumes that an Expert is obliged to police their
particular area of expertise. This is not one of the criteria. Had someone
requested Mr Lunatic Fringe's assistance in a matter related to Acka
Headwear, and he refused, then I would be willing to concede this point, but
as it is, the 2nd complaint is invalid.

As for the 3rd complaint, I do not believe Mr Lunatic Fringe was consulted,
and therefore the 3rd complaint is invalid also.

I'm not sure I follow the 4th complaint, but as far as I can tell, it
implies that Mr Lunatic Fringe was supposed to do something that he failed
to do. None of the criteria require him to actively do anything unless
requested to do so.

So, the only real question is whether or not the 1st complaint is valid. It
basically claims that "Acka Headwear" is too narrow of a topic to be an
Expert in, as described in criteria 5. However, this was already discussed
when he was originally given Expert status. I quote Mr Lunatic Fringe's
original application for Expert status:

" In light of this decision, I am once again formally applying for
 Expert Status on the subject of "Ackanomic Headwear".  I am well
 qualified.  I am the foremost designer of Prosthetic Foreheads
 (asSPEC and otherwise) and the author of the silly vacation hat
 rule. I fought a duelk (guberniya) to defend the honor of Ackanomic
 Headwear. The only person (well, undead) who came close to matching
 my expertise in this area is Guy Fawkes."

The decision referred to in the first line, I believe, was the approval of
Malenkai as an Expert in the area of "Bandwidth-Wasting Gizz", which the
Senate approved. It seems we are left with two options:

Re-evaluate Malenkai's Expert status also
or
Re-affirm our past decision

The precedent seems to be set that Acka Headwear is an acceptable area of
Expertise, being that the only objection is it's narrowness, and that
complaint was considered unfounded previously, in light of the precedent set
by giving Malenkai Expert status in "Bandwidth-Wasting Gizz".

Robert Sevin,
Senator

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 17:47:23 -0400 (EDT)
From: [email-masked]
Subject: Acka: names 

I am changing my name by adding three-fourths of a "z" to the end of it.

I am changing the name of my house to correspond to a text string consisting
of an infinite number of q's.

- -Micah Smukler
AtP

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 16:50:44 -0500 (CDT)
From: Mitchell Harding <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: names 

>I am changing my name by adding three-fourths of a "z" to the end of it.
>
>I am changing the name of my house to correspond to a text string consisting
>of an infinite number of q's.

I'm not sure if you'll succeed, but I heartily applaud the efforts! :)

Robert Sevin

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

Date: 11 Jun 1997 17:02:22 CST/CDT
From: [email-masked]
Subject: Acka: P2064 

Though I like the idea, I urge players to vote against "The Nameless
Horror"

As presently written, I believe it would force _every_ entity in Acka to
be named.  I find naming each point, PF, and A$ to be in excess.

If I am mistaken, feel free to correct me.

Guy Fawkes

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 16:12:41 -0600 (MDT)
From: Aaron Humphrey <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: names

> I am changing my name by adding three-fourths of a "z" to the end of it.

Hmmmm...I'm not 100% sure this will work, because Rule 500.1 specifies that
an entity name(and players are entities)must consist of a sequence of
characters from a defined set...and I don't know if such a sequence can
have a fractional character on the end of it.  I'd wager that if were to go
to a CFJ, it would be declared invalid.  (And, of course, our Registrar
could refuse to do it, too...)

> I am changing the name of my house to correspond to a text string consisting
> of an infinite number of q's.

This, however, I can find no fault with.  R500.1 specifies no upper limit
to entity names, and I don't recall any upper length limit in the
"Building" rules...  This should be a challenge to the Map-Harfer.  :-)

Very harfy of you.  As a token of this, I will offer you as a gift
"Little Bag O' Chips I", part of the "Hubert Feathers Annex" treasure I
just recovered, and a PF Alfvaen.  (My, sometimes my generosity just
overwhelms me...:-)

#transfer Alfvaen, Atilla The Pun:Little Bag O' Chips I:gift
#transfer Alfvaen, Atilla The Pun:1 PFAlfvaen:gift

- --
- --Alfvaen(Web page: http://www.terranet.ab.ca/~aaron/)
Current Album--Genesis:From Genesis To Revelation
Current Book--Sean Stewart:Cloud's End
Strive to achieve Pareto-superiority.

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 16:15:06 -0600 (MDT)
From: Aaron Humphrey <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: P2064

> Though I like the idea, I urge players to vote against "The Nameless
> Horror"
> 
> As presently written, I believe it would force _every_ entity in Acka to
> be named.  I find naming each point, PF, and A$ to be in excess.
> 
> If I am mistaken, feel free to correct me.

I think Red Barn has expressed it well in saying "every _nameable_
object" (and of course he means entity, and hopefully the rule shall be
read that way).  IIRC, A$, PFs, and points are not nameable, or at
least they shouldn't be.  If they are, this will give us incentive to
fix that.  :-)

- --
- --Alfvaen(Web page: http://www.terranet.ab.ca/~aaron/)
Current Album--Genesis:From Genesis To Revelation
Current Book--Sean Stewart:Cloud's End
A committee is a life form with six or more legs and no brain.

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 17:38:42 -0500 (CDT)
From: Thierry Joffrain <[email-masked]>
Subject: RE: Acka: Ambassadorness 

>The senate would be one option, another would be to leave it with the
>discretion of the ambassador.  The third would be to make it possible to
>change our alliance via hearing.  I am open to all three options.  Anyone
>have a preference before I submit a proposal?

I am in favor of leaving it at the discretion of the ambassador... to a
point. The proposal made by Mohammed allows us to keep a leash on the
Ambassador (if you'll pardon the expression). Should the Ambassador go crazy
and declare war status when we do not want it, the president can remove that
ambassador and appoint another. Of course, frivolous removals can be negated
by the supreme court since it would be a prez action.

Good set of checks and balances imho.

Of course, the idea of having the Senate with direct control over it has merits.

CnH

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 15:45:38 -0700
From: Alexandre Muniz <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: The HTML Standard Volume I number 2

By popular demand:

The following is an accented representation of the letter z, followed by
its description.

&z3/4; it is three-fourths of the letter z.

**two-star, Editor in chief, HTML Standard

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 18:53:19 EDT 
From: [email-masked]
Subject: Acka:  huh

I'm still waiting for Lunatic Fringe to ack my purchase.

VG

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 18:53:19 EDT 
From: [email-masked]
Subject: Acka: Re: Quiz Over

Unanimous is a mouse with a single horn in its forehead.
CTHULHU not found: try [1]CHIHUAHUA [2]CATHY [3]CUDDLY ?  ???

The lab just called...your brain is ready.   This sounds very familiar, 
from a Don Rickles routine,  but I'm not sure

I've stopped payment on my reality check.  S.  Wright (?)

No generalization is true, not even this one.   ???

Never pet a burning dog.  From the hints file in Warcraft

This is *NOT FUN*.  I've had fun before, and this *ISN'T IT*.???

Look up and smile for the satellite.???

A subtle dragon stings us in the midst of plenty.  Sounds like Mohammed's
tagline generator]

He couldn't pour water out of a boot with instructions on the heel. ???

I was the kid-next-door's imaginary playmate.
   --Actually, now that I think about it, this sounds sort of
     Steven Wrightesque...

Get thee down.  Be thou funky.      Robin Williams on a HBO special

And a great whirling and a bashing of keys arose   ???

All things are possible, except skiing through a revolving door.   ???

At last, the Eludium Pu-36 Explosive Space Moderator!  The Martian in the
Bugs Bunny cartoons

The gene pool could use a little chlorine.   ???

My, the toves seem particularly slithy today.   ???

Not very good,  but the best I could do on three hours sleep

VG

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 18:53:18 EDT 
From: [email-masked]
Subject: Acka:  Fame Fortune and Glory

Recently,  I have begun submitting RFC's on subjects that I thought might
improve Acka play,  or possibly close a prospective loophole,  or even
create a loophole for some adventurous Player.  So far I have seen no
responses to those RFC's,  no Proposals dealing with the subjects of
those RFC's and only one comment that the RFC was even read (with only a
dismmissive comment on its subject line).

I don't know if it's because no one really cared about the RFC's or if
not everyone was reading the AAcka-Research list where they were posted. 
I will start posting my RFC's to the main list again and see if they
excite more comment.  If not,  maybe I'll have to become a Voting Player
so I can Propose them and see what people think by counting eir votes.

In light of the recent discussion about where the game is going,  and
some of the tie-ins to other games,  I was reminded of a board game I
used to play years ago,  called Careers.

In Careers,  each player set their own goals for victory,  choosing a
unique formula made up of Adulation points (Fame),  dollars (Fortune), 
and achievement points (Glory).  While Acka does not have directly
corresponding systems,  we do have some equivelants that may be used. 
We,  of course,  have Ackadollars (which could be expanded),  and we have
Points (which require no modification as far as I can see),  and we have
Trinkets and Gadgets.  Both of these last two would require a lot of
rework to be used as part of a winning condition formula.

Anyone who thinks it's time for a major rework of the scoring system
please let me know and I'll help drafting a Proposal to integrate the
above items (or even other areas such as our wonderful subgames and 
Organizations)  into methods for wuinning a cycle.

Malenkai once said that winning by points alone was ultimately boring, 
and even offered a Treasure for the first Non-Point win to be Proposed
and passed (with eir vote of course).  I won that Treasure,  so far the
only Treasure Hunt I have felt qualified to attempt.  Maybe it's time for
even more radical changes to what this game makes possible.

BTW,  as the author of the Crystal Chalice Rule,  I was slightly
disapointed in the lack of attempts to use this as a win,  I tried to
make it atainable without requiring a PHD to figure it out.  If I become
a Voting Player,  my first Proposal will be to repeal the Chalice Rule
and delete all references to Processing chips.  They seem to be nothing
but a headache,  and the Keys and their effects are a nuisance.

Voting Gnome
doesn't somebody have the Trombone,  and weren't we suopposed to have a
Parade?

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 18:05:45 -0500 (CDT)
From: Jason Orendorff <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Announcements (was Re: Acka: Observation)

On Wed, 11 Jun 1997, A.K.A. TheWiz wrote:

> >If I do become web-harfer, this is probably the way I'll do it.  I mean,
> >I've got at least two CGI scripts like this on my site alone, and I did one
> >up for a commercial customer last year.  And if accesses are as infrequent as
> >/dev/joe says, it won't be too much of a problem anyway.  I'm sure my
> >Random Band Name Server uses much more CPU time.  :-)
>   Just a shot in the dark:  it would be extremely useful to be able to
> load rules one at a time.
	And to find all rules that contain a certain phrase or pattern.
	And...

- -- 
Mohammed
The deal was a stork in a poke.  A pig in a whatnot.

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 19:19:21 -0400
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Parties

I am leaving the (None Yet) Party, with much regrets, and requesting
membership in Vulcan (which only has two members).

Malenkai
Party Hopper
Wearing a Silly Vacation Hat

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 19:28:24 -0400
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Results of Senate Vote on Headwear Expertise

The Honorable Senator Sevin wrote, on the manner of Lunatic Fringe's
Hearwear Expertese revocation:

> As for the 3rd complaint, I do not believe Mr Lunatic Fringe was consulted,
> and therefore the 3rd complaint is invalid also.

Actually, I asked in a tag line what Mr. Nacho's opinion of
the SVH situation was that was ignored.  Perhaps a more formal request
is required.  In that case, seeing as the normally prompt ThinMan has
been deliberating almost a week on CFJ 397:

So, for our benefit and the judge's, would our resident expert on
Headwear please enlighten us with his expertese on the matter of 
CFJ 397, and whether or not it was a duty of the Speaker to assign a
Mad Hatter for for Malenkai, and whether or not Malenkai was in fact
wearing a SVH that had yet to be designed?  Is he wearing one now?

The crowd awaits...

Malenkai
may or may not be Wearing a Silly Vacation Hat

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 18:36:45 -0500 (CDT)
From: Thierry Joffrain <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: BWG Expert Revocation Petition 

>In accordance with the rules I am asking the senate to conduct a vote on
>the matter of revoking Malenkai's expert status in the area of Bandwidth
>Wasting Gizz.

Yeah, I liked the irony of having Malenkai calling that petition.   ; )

I doubt your own petition will work though, for much the same reasons. I'm
more puzzled in how one can be an expert in something so broad as
"Internomic", without qualifier, restrictions or expiration date.   : )

Bowing to Malenkai, the foremost expert on "Internomic loophole surfing",
Calvin N Hobbes

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 16:50:42 -0700
From: [email-masked] (Dice server)
Subject: Acka: Thermonuclear Annhilation

- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

Dice rolls requested by: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Rolls also sent to:
    [email-masked]

# I am using the dice server to determine what happens to the Gumball
# odd is the Thermonuclear Annhilation, even is the QI.
# Wearing a Silly Vacation Hat

No. of sides on every die:     20
No. of dice for every roll:     1
No. of dice rolls requested:    1
No. of rolls per line:          1

     13

Information on the dice server:
   DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE!
   Replies to [email-masked] vanish into a seldom-read mailbox.

   For instructions on using the dice server, send a message with
   subject "help" to [email-masked], or see http://www.pbm.com/dice/

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      http://www.pbm.com/ds.html

Original message follows:
> From [email-masked]  Wed Jun 11 16:50:22 1997
> Received: (from smtp@localhost) by xkey.com
>       id QAA12504 for <[email-masked]>; Wed, 11 Jun 1997 16:50:22 -0700
> Received: from mail.itw.net(206.138.122.6) by xkey.com via smtp (V1.3)
>       id sma012494; Wed Jun 11 16:50:13 1997
> Received: from ppp108.itw.com (ppp108.itw.com [206.138.122.108]) by mail.itw.net (8.8.0/8.7.3) with SMTP id TAA29031 for <[email-masked]>; Wed, 11 Jun 1997 19:50:07 -0400
> Message-ID: <[email-masked]>
> Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 19:48:49 -0400
> From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
> X-Mailer: Mozilla 2.0 (Win95; I; 16bit)
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> To: [email-masked]
> Subject: Acka:
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
> 
> #P [email-masked]
> #S 20
> #D 1
> #R 1
> #L 1
> #T Acka: Thermonuclear Annhilation
> 
> #C I am using the dice server to determine what happens to the Gumball
> #C odd is the Thermonuclear Annhilation, even is the QI.
> #C Wearing a Silly Vacation Hat

- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: 2.7

iQCVAwUBM5850j8NitsTFjcVAQH1XgP9EQ8K4/qFUJImvck1NKMWYwZ36/tYrLNx
z7vms6w9dVFJfdZFQwDhptZJ2W4vWWg7cQyijY+JY3S+rDpJrakIVPLxgOLgIt/5
LZWXIab6/muOze0WySV1xk1nJDy5/MdhGdEiALrNDP8AnjcldLgy0SlN58ZSf2rr
P8A/BWwQfuM=
=vv8b
- -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 16:58:30 -0700
From: [email-masked] (Dice server)
Subject: Acka: Boon determination (breadbox)

- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

Dice rolls requested by: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Rolls also sent to:
    [email-masked]

# I am using the dice server to determine breadbox's boon from the
# based on the following (using a 100 sided die):
# 1 -45: ancient artifact (random gadget)
# 46-70: ancient scroll (random otzma card)
# 71-80: gods are smiling (bonus vote)
# 81-87: ancient relic (trinket worth A$75)
# 88-92: ancient knowledge (new blueprint)
# 93-97: ancient wisdom (new otzma card)
# 98-99: gods are bored (pointy ears)
#  100 : gods are grouchy (chartreuse goose)
# Malenkai
# Wearing a Silly Vacation Hat

No. of sides on every die:    100
No. of dice for every roll:     1
No. of dice rolls requested:    1
No. of rolls per line:          1

     54

Information on the dice server:
   DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE!
   Replies to [email-masked] vanish into a seldom-read mailbox.

   For instructions on using the dice server, send a message with
   subject "help" to [email-masked], or see http://www.pbm.com/dice/

   The dice server is provided by:

      Shadow Island Games
      http://www.pbm.com/ds.html

Original message follows:
> From [email-masked]  Wed Jun 11 16:58:17 1997
> Received: (from smtp@localhost) by xkey.com
>       id QAA12615 for <[email-masked]>; Wed, 11 Jun 1997 16:58:17 -0700
> Received: from mail.itw.net(206.138.122.6) by xkey.com via smtp (V1.3)
>       id sma012611; Wed Jun 11 16:58:11 1997
> Received: from ppp108.itw.com (ppp108.itw.com [206.138.122.108]) by mail.itw.net (8.8.0/8.7.3) with SMTP id TAA29550 for <[email-masked]>; Wed, 11 Jun 1997 19:58:09 -0400
> Message-ID: <[email-masked]>
> Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 19:56:51 -0400
> From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
> X-Mailer: Mozilla 2.0 (Win95; I; 16bit)
> MIME-Version: 1.0
> To: [email-masked]
> Subject: Acka:
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
> 
> #P [email-masked]
> #S 100
> #D 1
> #R 1
> #L 1
> #T Acka: Boon determination (breadbox)
> 
> #C I am using the dice server to determine breadbox's boon from the
> machine
> #C based on the following (using a 100 sided die):
> #C 1 -45: ancient artifact (random gadget)
> #C 46-70: ancient scroll (random otzma card)
> #C 71-80: gods are smiling (bonus vote)
> #C 81-87: ancient relic (trinket worth A$75)
> #C 88-92: ancient knowledge (new blueprint)
> #C 93-97: ancient wisdom (new otzma card)
> #C 98-99: gods are bored (pointy ears)
> #C  100 : gods are grouchy (chartreuse goose)
> #C Malenkai
> #C Wearing a Silly Vacation Hat

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 17:39:34 -0700
From: [email-masked] (fnord)
Subject: Re: Acka: names

Aaron Humphrey writes:
> 
> > I am changing the name of my house to correspond to a text string consisting
> > of an infinite number of q's.
> 
> This, however, I can find no fault with.  R500.1 specifies no upper limit
> to entity names, and I don't recall any upper length limit in the
> "Building" rules...  This should be a challenge to the Map-Harfer.  :-)

Nah, this isn't a problem.  It merely depends on how the Map-Harfer
reads it.  I would read it as the name changing to:

correspond to a text string consisting of an infinite number of q's

but, that's me.  I can be terribly literal.  Which can be a good thing,
sometimes.  Now, if only I could use that skill to scam a win (which
I've never been able to think of a way to do such).

fnord

- -- 
Michael J. Thomas                              [email-masked]
"Opinions are falling like drops of rain"  In that case, I'm in a downpour!

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 20:14:15 -0400
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Auctions

Some auctions are over.  The results are

#award You can call me Al : Otzma card swinger sale
#award You can call me Al : -104 A$
#award You can call me Al : Otzma card untouch me
#award You can call me Al : -107 A$
#award Malenkai : +22 A$ : private auction commission
#award You can call me Al : Pyriac Frobnotzer
#award You can call me Al : -101 A$

Malenkai
Chief Cheese
Wearing a Silly Vacation Hat

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 20:18:21 -0400
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: CFJ 404 (Bascule)

CFJ 404 has been assigned to Bascule

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

Call For Judgment 404
  Subject: I Am Still Utterly Mad!
Initiator: Alfvaen
    Judge: Bascule (selected Jun 11, 1997, 20:17h EDT)
Judgement:

Statement:

Alfvaen will remain Mad Scientist even if Azpiazu is transferred to
Malenkai and the Cycle ends as a result.

Alfvaen's Reasoning:

[This reasoning has been pre-processed by Zee Bad Transylvanian
Accent-English translator(which, however, is still in beta-testing).]

I was somehow operating under the assumption that I would lose the office
of Mad Scientist when I completed a Frankenstein Monster.  However, upon
rereading zee relefant rules, I have come to the conclusion that there is
no basis in the rules for this assumption.

I quote from Rule 596, first:

   This Office can only be filled or transferred as follows: If the
   seat is vacant, it is filled by the last Player to take possession
   of any Frankenstein Monster. If no such player exists, the seat
   shall be filled by Election for Office.

Zis quite clearly delineates how the office is to be filled if it becomes
facant, but how may it become so?  If it were to be vacated when the
Monster was completed, it would be mentioned at the end of Rule 597, which
deals with the sequence of efents when the Monster is completed:

   viii) The Mad Scientist shall exclaim, "It's alive! <name> IS
   ALIVE!"

   ix) The <name> Monster is awarded to the last Player other than the
   Mad Scientist to have dug up and delivered a Part that was
   successfully attached (i.e. not rejected) to the Monster. This
   Player then owns the <name> Monster.

   x) If this Player also submitted the last Part in the case where any
   additional Parts would have been rejected, that Player shall also
   win the current cycle, be awarded the honorary title of Angry
   Villager, and be awarded a Silver Pitchfork (a non-unique ownable
   entity).

   xi) The Blueprint is hidden away and may never, ever be used again
   to create another Monster. If the <name> Monster ever ceases to
   exist, its Blueprint instantly crumbles into useless dust.

This regulates the transferrence of the Monster upon its completion, the
possible end of cycle, etc., but makes no mention of the transfer of the
office of Mad Scientist.  I am thus forced to conclude that the office of
Mad Scientist can only be vacated by the normal means--resignation,
impeachment, etc.

So I vill get zee chance to create a new Monster!!!

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 20:21:52 -0400
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: CFJ 405 (Alfvaen)

CFJ 405 has been assigned to Alfvaen

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

Call For Judgment 405
  Subject: Lost Trinkets
Initiator: two-star
    Judge: Alfvaen (selected Jun 11, 1997, 20:21h EDT)
Judgement:

Statement:

   Inky Bloater Decoy 6 is Somewhere Else.

two-star's reasoning:

    I believe it was stated when I lost this trinket that it was
transfered to the treasury. While trinkets generally act as named
bundles of A$, this is one case where that does not hold.  Rule 505,
section III states: "Whenever the Rules specify that a Player should
lose A$, and do not indicate where those A$ should go to, or specify
that they should be destroyed, they shall go to the Treasury instead."
There is, however, no analogous sentence for trinkets in Rule 506
(Trinkets), nor anywhere else I could find. Therefore Rule 500.2 comes
into play:  "At any given time, each ownable entity is either owned by
one named entity or Somewhere Else (unowned)."
   Rule 940 (Beldin's Pants) currently states: "The creator of Beldin's
Pants loses 1 Trinket every Thursday at noon." I take this to mean that
I cease to own any trinket lost in this manner, and it goes Somewhere
Else by 500.2. (The upshot of this is that if this CFJ is judged true,
we have a very small leak in the economy that should be patched.)

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 20:23:36 -0400
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: CFJ 405 (Alfvaen)

> Statement:
> 
>    Inky Bloater Decoy 6 is Somewhere Else.
> 
> two-star's reasoning:
> 
>     I believe it was stated when I lost this trinket that it was
> transfered to the treasury.

I seem to remember "Somewhere Else" and the "Treasury" being the
same.  I guess that does not change the veracity of the statement :)

Malenkai
has his own game custom
Wearing a Silly Vacation Hat

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 20:31:12 -0400
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: CFJ 383 Appeal Verdict

The Supreme Court, consisting of Justices breadbox and mr cwm, unanimously
returns this descision on CFJ 383:

Supreme Court's Decision: overturn to FALSE.

Penalty:  one point from the original Judge.

Please note the retroactive game effect, if it is different from what
people thought it would be.

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
   Appeal: FALSE

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.

Mohammed's Appeal Reasoning:

Usage of the word "repeal" in the sense used in P1992 has always been
common in the Ackanomic public forum.  Everybody knows what P1992 was
saying.  If P1992 were ambiguous or meaningless, its meaning would not
be so clear.

Supreme Court's Reasoning:

P1992 consists of a list of one-time effects that are neither ambiguous,
conditional, retroactive, nor meaningless.  It is, thus, valid, and the
effects shall be applied.  There is no need to turn to game custom
(developed under a different rule), as R104 is clear.

Penalty:  one point from the original Judge.

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 19:33:34 -0500 (CDT)
From: Thierry Joffrain <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: New Organization 

While rummaging through the saved FTP files to rule on CFJ402 (which is done
and sent) I came across a message, dated June 8th. It said:

>Many of the game's founders are now sleeping giants, rumbling now and 
>then, but mostly wishing the game they'd built was more like it was when 
>they were still building it, while they dream of other nomics.
>
>Alfvaen

Such a great and highly quotable phrase cannot just go to waste. The
organization will be called "They Might Be Slumbering Giants"

Requirements? To have been in Acka more than a year is the basic
requirement. For an application to be accepted though, the player should be
recognized as a mostly dormant player, possibly with short, irregular and
frantic bouts of activity. Chances of being accepted into tmbsg also
increase if the player has reminisced about the "good old days", some event
that's many months old, or something to that effect.

Calvin N Hobbes

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 20:41:16 -0400
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: CFJ 396 Verdict

CFJ 396 has been judged TRUE.

Clerk of the Courts
may or may not be Wearing a Silly Vacation Hat
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Call For Judgment 396
  Subject: Trinket Creation
Initiator: Alfvaen
    Judge: Atilla the Pun (declined)
2nd Judge: Guy Fawkes (selected Jun 05, 1997, 18:53h EDT)
Judgement: TRUE

Statement:

mr cwm did not create the Haddocks' Eyes Locket.

Alfvaen's Reasoning:

The trinket in question was created because mr cwm was granted a Boon of
The Ancients.  Rule 1211 specifies that the player granted the Boon Must
Describe a trinket bestowed thereby.  The trinket's actual creation is the
result of the player's actions--it cannot take place until after the
trinket is described--but nowhere does it state that the player actually
creates the trinket.  The trinket is created with money from the Treasury,
not the player's own money, as it would be if the player had created it.
Nowhere in Rule 1211 or Rule 506 does it specify who, or what, is the
creator of a trinket not created specifically by a player's declaration(as
in the third paragraph of R506).

Therefore, a trinket bestowed by a Boon of The Ancients is not created by
the player who received the Boon, nor in fact by any other player.  In
fact, the term "creator of the Haddocks' Eyes Locket" may well be
meaningless under the current ruleset, or at the very least not correspond
to any existing entity.  (Perhaps Rule 1211 was the creator of the
trinket.)

In any case, if at any time a rule is to specify that "A trinket is
returned to its creator", and this CFJ is judged TRUE, then there should be
some provision for dealing with rule-created trinkets.

Guy Fawkes Reasoning:

 Rule 506 "Trinkets" states that a Trinket may be
created by a player action or by the Rules.  Its third paragraph gives a
means by which a player may create a Trinket, and so it regulates the
player creation of Trinkets.  mr cwm did not follow these guidlines when
created the Haddock's Eyes trinket, and so he did not create it.

The judge finds the initiator's speculation that Rule 1211 was the
creator of the Trinket to be a strong possibility.  Rule 506 does admit
the possibiblity of the Rules creating Trinkets, and Rule 1211 states
conditions under which a Trinket may be created as a Boon of the
Ancients.  Therefore, the judge finds that Haddock's Eyes (is that
really the name of the Trinket, or simply what it is called?) was
created by the Rules rather than by a player.

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

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 19:44:25 -0500 (CDT)
From: Jason Orendorff <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Phoebe (Mohammed)

On Thu, 5 Jun 1997, Malenkai wrote:
> It is Mohammed's lucky day, he has found Phoebe's Matchbox.

This morning I found the prettiest little matchbox tucked in the
little PC-MCIA bay of my new laptop.  Immediately I popped it open and
out, to my delight, popped Phoebe, the steel flee.  Resplendent as
ever in the early sun that leaked through the blinds, Phoebe settled
on the little touchpad and looked up at me with a little smirk.

"Took you long enough to find me, didn't it?"

I mumbled something about having had a lot to do during the past week.

"Well, listen up, because I haven't much time."  I folded my hands
before me on the bed and set my chin on my fingers to get a closer
look at the little sage.  "While I was passing the time in your little
computer here I noticed a few pirated software items mucking about.
What are you thinking?"  She wiggled her little antennae.

Embarrassed, I pretended to be acutely interested with something on
the screen, behind her little head.  Phoebe went on.  "Let's take this
Borland C compiler, for instance.  You do know GNU makes a perfectly
good product, for your purposes at least, correct?  With make and awk
and grep and more for that matter, and you don't have to risk fines
and jail time.  Besides, the Borland integrated environment is grossly
inferior to Emacs any day of the week, or I'm scrap tin."

Abashed, I mumbled a promise to get rid of the Borland stuff and use
gcc for everything up to dental floss.

"Now then, on the other hand...

"Your piracy of that mathematics package, the one that retails for
A$&infinity; or about 350 U.S. dollars, does or does not constitute
damage to the company that packages it?  Discuss."

I thought about it for a second.  "Well, I would guess that I only
harm the company if I give the software to someone who would have
bought it from them otherwise, or if I take the software for free when
I would have purchased it otherwise.  So in swiping a program I had no
intention of paying $350-plus for retail, I do no harm to the
company."  I paused for a second.  "Furthermore, since having the
program helps my performance in school, it could be argued that in
charging $350 for it and making it illegal for me to use otherwise,
*they're* the ones harming *me*-- and other non-rich students across
the country."

I looked up, and was certain I saw a little smile on Phoebe's little
steel face.  She was about to comment, I'm sure, when the laptop, for
no reason, clapped itself shut.  The last I heard from Phoebe was a
little *bzzzip* that seemed to move past my right ear.

The little matchbox seemed to have disappeared as well.  Then I looked
at the clock.  I guess she really did have a pressing engagement...

- -- 
Mohammed

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

End of Ackanomic Digest V2 #131
*******************************