Subject: ackanomic digest V2 #257
From: [email-masked] (ackanomic digest)
To: [email-masked]

ackanomic digest        Sunday, August 17 1997        Volume 02 : Number 257

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Date: Sat, 16 Aug 1997 23:16:29 -0600 (MDT)
From: [email-masked] (Aaron V. Humphrey)
Subject: Re: Acka: Apologizes

> I wrote them to be used when someone *needs* to be punished, in the 
> sense that they are wantonly breaking the rules.  I felt we needed a
> way to kick a truly offensive or destructive player out of the game.

Heh.  Fair enough.  We wouldn't just want to put that power into the hands
of any one Office to use at their discretion.  :-)

> Also, I thought they could add some harf (especially the gaoler/bribery
> stuff).  I do not think it is rude to call a CFCJ in general, but I think 
> it is over honest mistakes.

Yeah, I suppose.  It's all a question of how the CFCJ is perceived.  If it
is only perceived as punishment, then it should only be used as punishment.
If it is used for harf, then it should be perceived as more harfy.

> I think the Zilruhti or whatever is a cool
> use of the CFCJ.

Am I the only one who can remember "Zuriti'ili"?  I must have more
experience with weird names and stuff.  (I mean, "Alfvaen", "Lushrike",
"Azpiazu"...:-)

> I think most CFCJs are appropriate, but when someone is 
> trying to do the right thing, that is when they become rude.  For me, 
> it is a matter of judgement.  I think we should keep them, because they
> are low maintenance (as opposed to things like processing chips, etc). 
> I think they are like anything else, they can or cannot be used 
> offensively, and it  requires judgement.  I take offense when they are
> used on honest mistakes. It is me who should not take this offense.  
> We all learn, and I prolly should not have taken offense, but in some 
> sense, we cannot help how we react.
 
Boy, do I know that.  I've taken offense at things that were not meant to
do so, in this game...anyone who's been paying attention could probably
spot when.  :-/

> In this case, I took more offense to the penalty than to the actual
> CFCJ.  Sure, I screwed up.  The punishment should be consistent with
> customary punishments, though, IMO, which is nil for honset mistakes.

I guess I was thinking as the Scorekeeper...almost nobody's going to gain
any money on this bond cycle, for instance.  Nobody's been gaining points,
everybody's been losing.  I didn't think that a point penalty would be
altogether that bad.  I mean, it's better than the Victory Eggplants...:-)

> It has always been my opinion that the rules are flawed in that they
> allow malfeasance to occur.  In this case, the rules should be stronger
> so that the screwup doesn't happen in the first place, like many of our
> other rules; the attempt just fails.

Yeah, but the problem is how to make it so that an inaction does not
happen.  Maybe distributing two Proposals in one message doesn't work, but
it's hard to make it so that not distributing Proposals at all "doesn't
happen".  :-)  But I suppose any Rule that requires an action can also be
broken by not performing it, so that wouldn't make it any different.

> > If anyone wants to volunteer for Acting duty of any of Malenkai's other
> > offices, like Clerk of the Court or Praetor, let me know and I'll appoint
> > you summarily.

> I'm not going to be gone long.

I'm glad to hear that.  Maybe I should just declare a Holiday or something.
I think I will.  I mean, if there's a time for a Holiday, it's now, to give
our Officers(which is to say, mostly me)time to get their acts together.

Except that that will extend the Nomination periods, which would prolly be
a bad thing.  After that, maybe.  :-)

- --
- --Alfvaen(Web page: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/alfvaen/ )
Song In My Head--The Rheostatics:Claire
Current Book--John A. Williams:Mothersill And The Foxes
They may eat lamb or stroke each other.

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Date: Sat, 16 Aug 1997 23:17:56 -0600 (MDT)
From: [email-masked] (Aaron V. Humphrey)
Subject: Acka: Spam

I just got that Laundry Clean Disk advertisement that Rex Mundi used a
while back for his trinket description.  He's not lying.  Hoo boy.  (Yes,
Vynd, there is such a thing as spam.)

- --
- --Alfvaen(Web page: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/alfvaen/ )
Song In My Head--The Rheostatics:Claire
Current Book--John A. Williams:Mothersill And The Foxes
HEADLESS CORPSE FOUND IN TOPLESS BAR

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Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 09:35:50 +0300 (EET DST)
From: Uri Bruck <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Apologizes

On Sat, 16 Aug 1997, Aaron V. Humphrey wrote:

> 
> What this has brought home to me, though, is the uselessness of the Crime
> rules.  If it seems absurd to CFCJ yourself, and rude to CFCJ another, then
> when will it be used?  If anyone can see any reason why the bulk of the
> Rules in the 700's should not go the way of Rental and the Narfalone
> Family, let him speak now or as soon as the Acrobot is up again, we'll see
> about trimming some more fat from the Rules.

Finally someone who sees the light. Those rules can be simplified by an
order of magnitude, or done away with completely. That's where the real
Gizz is.

> 
> If anyone wants to volunteer for Acting duty of any of Malenkai's other
> offices, like Clerk of the Court or Praetor, let me know and I'll appoint
> you summarily.
> 

I volunteer for acting Praetor ( I believe I qualify)

Niccolo Flychuck

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Date: Sat, 16 Aug 1997 23:27:20 -0800
From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Spam

>I just got that Laundry Clean Disk advertisement that Rex Mundi used a
>while back for his trinket description.  He's not lying.  Hoo boy.  (Yes,
>Vynd, there is such a thing as spam.)

Spam? Spam? What would you know about spam?  :)  Just yesterday I got a
message offering to sell me "Charm Magnets" that should hang aove my
computer like a mobile.  Supposedly they prevent crashes, corrupted files,
and not only that, they speed up performance!  Boy! If a magnetic mobile
can do that, I oughta get a magnetic CD to put in my drive.

yeah right.

Mr. Dead Guy
wont stop talking

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Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 12:18:16 -0600 (MDT)
From: [email-masked] (Aaron V. Humphrey)
Subject: Acka: Appointments

I am appointing two-star as the new Map-Harfer.  I am also appointing
myself the new Registrar.  Whee.

- --
- --Alfvaen(Web page: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/alfvaen/ )
Current Album--Gordon Lightfoot:Back Here On Earth
Current Book--John A. Williams:Mothersill And The Foxes
Maturity is not biting a cat.

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Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 19:42:39 -0400
From: Dan Knapp (A.K.A. TheWiz) <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re:ackanomic digest V2 #254

> I have the following as the list of active players:
...
> Red Barn
...
>
> I have ThinMan's attempt as failing.
>
> If anyone has a different list, please clarify.  The deadline to
> activate and keep your offices is 8/18 23:54, as I recall.
>
> Malenkai
> Speaker

  I wasn't aware I was active.  I'm trying to sort through two majordomo
servers and an out-of-date web page to stop getting the digests (and start
with the regular lists).
  As there seems to be a voting problem again, I now become a voting player.
  HOW could you repeal SVHes?

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

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Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 19:50:40 -0400
From: Dan Knapp (A.K.A. TheWiz) <[email-masked]>
Subject: Halloo?

  You needn't reply.  If I get this, I'll assume you all did, too.

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

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Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 17:57:53 -0600
From: [email-masked] (Aaron V. Humphrey)
Subject: Re:ackanomic digest V2 #254

>  I wasn't aware I was active.  I'm trying to sort through two majordomo
>servers and an out-of-date web page to stop getting the digests (and start
>with the regular lists).

You were Active before you went on Vacation; when you returned, you became
Active again.

Use my web page, http://www.telusplanet.net/public/alfvaen/acka/; the
other one is not being updated.  (Of course, mine isn't being updated
_that_ much, but I'm trying.  :-/  )  You should probably unsubscribe
from the wilma.che.utexas.edu lists and move onto the muppetlabs.com
ones.

>  As there seems to be a voting problem again, I now become a voting player.

No, you don't have a problem with that because you came back after the
quorum failures.

>  HOW could you repeal SVHes?

It was a pain to keep track of vacations and when everybody needed them.
I ended up doing it for a while...  I think you might have a SVH(I can't
remember; if you did, it would predate the Web-Harfer vacancy and should
be on the pages), but the Rule no longer requires you to say that you're
wearing it.

- --
- --Alfvaen(Web page:http://www.telusplanet.net/public/alfvaen/)
Current Album--Linda Ronstadt:Cry Like A Rainstorm--Howl Like The Wind
Current Book--John A. Williams:Mothersill And The Foxes
You used to say I was nice; now you say I'm the Antichrist

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Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 19:59:08 -0400
From: Dan Knapp (A.K.A. TheWiz) <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re:Halloo?

>   You needn't reply.  If I get this, I'll assume you all did, too.

  Woohoo.

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

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Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 20:43:31 -0400 (EDT)
From: Benjamin Good <[email-masked]>
Subject: acka: questions

hello all.  as some of you may remember, i originally joined ackanomic
to play party chess.  recently tho, i printed out the complete rules set
(it's a hefty stack) and read them all (it's a real page-turner).

i have more reading to do.  as soon as a find a printer that works, i'm
going to print out the trinkets list, the treasure list, the blueprints
list, the otzma card list, among other things.

in the meantime tho, i'd like to ask a few questions (i believe my
mentor was released from duty a long time ago), which i hope will be
easy for somebody to answer for me.  actually, i bet my ex-mentor would
still answer the questions for me if asked (he's a nice guy) but i also
bet there's some new(er) players besides me who might benefit from
having these questions answered publically.

specific questions:

1) in the sections on land, there is often references to a kaa of land. 
however, i was not able to find a definition for kaa.  what is it?

2) what does mimsy mean?  i can't find a definition for it, either in
the rules or in my dictionary, and it is not part of my (admittedly
meager) vocabulary.

more general questions:

3) i'd heard and read all about trinkets in the digest, and i had hoped
that the rules on trinkets would clear up any questions i had about
them, but they didn't.  basically, i'm not sure i understand what the
purpose of trinkets is, or what anybody accomplishes by creating them,
or how they benefit by having them.

4) ditto on the newspapers.  it seems to me from the rules, that if you
start a newspaper, you basically pay money so that you have to do more
work to avoid paying even more money.

5) i also don't see the point of churches, either founding them or
becoming a member of one.

6) i also don't see the point of the synod.

actually, i don't much see how the game of party chess much affects
ackanomic either, other than the occasional swingpoint and the fact that
chess variants are fun.

well, that's all i can think of now,
thanks,
ben 

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

Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 20:59:24 -0400 (EDT)
From: Benjamin Good <[email-masked]>
Subject: acka: my house

in reading the rules, i discovered that i have a house.  according to
rule 252, i can change the name of my house (until now called 'Ben's
house').  so i am officially changing the name of my house to Ben's
House of Pain.

according to 846 i can post a description of my house, and apparently
there are no restrictions other than it must be less than 35 meters high.

Ben's House of Pain is a large black monolith, 3.8 meters deep,15.2
meters wide, and 34.2 meters high.  it does not reflect light, and is so
black that the material it is made of is indeterminable.  it is
completely featureless, except at the lower right, where a phish
bumpersticker has been attached to the side of the house.

Ben's House of Pain is surrounded by attractive tasteful shrubbery at
its base to hide the suction cups and emergency tether, which the owner
finds aesthetically unpleasing.

ben 

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

Date: Mon, 18 Aug 1997 01:55:24 +0100
From: "Gavin Doig" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: acka: questions

> 5) i also don't see the point of churches, either founding them or
> becoming a member of one.
> 
Azpiazu bless you*, poor misguided soul. Invite me round to your house
sometime, and I'll enlighten you, as part of my ongoing good work for the
Church of Azpiazu.

Rex Mundi.
*As a Priest of Azpiazu, I can say this, can't I?

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

Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 21:01:55 -0400
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: acka: questions

> 1) in the sections on land, there is often references to a kaa of land.
> however, i was not able to find a definition for kaa.  what is it?

Its one square of land on the map.

> 2) what does mimsy mean?  i can't find a definition for it, either in
> the rules or in my dictionary, and it is not part of my (admittedly
> meager) vocabulary.

mimsy means the item returns to unowned when its owner leaves the game.
 
> 3) i'd heard and read all about trinkets in the digest, and i had hoped
> that the rules on trinkets would clear up any questions i had about
> them, but they didn't.  basically, i'm not sure i understand what the
> purpose of trinkets is, or what anybody accomplishes by creating them,
> or how they benefit by having them.

Trinkets are for color.
 
> 4) ditto on the newspapers.  it seems to me from the rules, that if you
> start a newspaper, you basically pay money so that you have to do more
> work to avoid paying even more money.

Newspapers are for color/roleplaying as well, or creating a "theme"
to your writing.
 
> 5) i also don't see the point of churches, either founding them or
> becoming a member of one.

No point really, IMO.
 
> 6) i also don't see the point of the synod.

No point really, IMO.  In fact, I tried to repeal it and some people
came to its defense citing various reasons, etc, but I have yet to
see it do anything in the 10 months its been here, and the serveral
weeks since the repeal was voted down.  In fact, every fortnight,
someone is supposed to report its profits, and this has not been done 
either.
 
Malenkai
my opinions only

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

Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 19:38:52 -0600
From: [email-masked] (Aaron V. Humphrey)
Subject: Re: acka: questions

>in the meantime tho, i'd like to ask a few questions (i believe my
>mentor was released from duty a long time ago), which i hope will be
>easy for somebody to answer for me.  actually, i bet my ex-mentor would
>still answer the questions for me if asked (he's a nice guy) but i also
>bet there's some new(er) players besides me who might benefit from
>having these questions answered publically.

Well, I can answer them publicly too.  :-)

>specific questions:
>
>1) in the sections on land, there is often references to a kaa of land. 
>however, i was not able to find a definition for kaa.  what is it?

It's just a square of land on the Map.  I have a vague memory that the
term comes from ancient Egyptian(it _sounds_ Egyptian to me), but
ICOCBW.

>2) what does mimsy mean?  i can't find a definition for it, either in
>the rules or in my dictionary, and it is not part of my (admittedly
>meager) vocabulary.

It's one of those implicitly-defined terms(sort of like Victory Eggplants
used to be before they were repealed).  The basic effect of mimsiness is
to keep certain Entities from languishing in the possession of Undead; if
a player with a mimsy entity leaves the game, then it becomes unowned.

As for its source...Lewis Carroll.  If you've never read "Jabberwocky", or
anything else by him, you should.

>more general questions:
>
>3) i'd heard and read all about trinkets in the digest, and i had hoped
>that the rules on trinkets would clear up any questions i had about
>them, but they didn't.  basically, i'm not sure i understand what the
>purpose of trinkets is, or what anybody accomplishes by creating them,
>or how they benefit by having them.

What are trinkets for?  Adding colour, basically.  Making something other
than Prosthetic Foreheads and A$ that can be put in Treasures.  Also, right
now, they're a tax loophole, in that any money that one has in the form of
Trinkets is not counted among one's wealth.  (See the end-of-cycle tax in
Rule 666, for instance.)  I've been trying to fix that for a while, but my
first attempt was flawed and my second one I retracted rather than cause
another quorum failure in the current chaotic situation.

>4) ditto on the newspapers.  it seems to me from the rules, that if you
>start a newspaper, you basically pay money so that you have to do more
>work to avoid paying even more money.

Right!  People still do it, though.

>5) i also don't see the point of churches, either founding them or
>becoming a member of one.

Well, Churches can also serve as tax shelters right now.  Also, Priests
have some functions in the Rules.  Yeah, it's not much, but it can be fun.

>6) i also don't see the point of the synod.

I'll let Niccolo Flychuck take this one.

>actually, i don't much see how the game of party chess much affects
>ackanomic either, other than the occasional swingpoint and the fact that
>chess variants are fun.

Yeah, it's really a minor part of the game.  It could obviously certainly
take place outside of the context of Ackanomic, as could any of the subgames
as well.  Or the treasure hunts.  Basically the denizens of Ackanomic are a
set of people who tend to like such things, so they ended up in the Rules.

- --
- --Alfvaen(Web page:http://www.telusplanet.net/public/alfvaen/)
Current Album--Crystal Waters:Surprise
Current Book--John A. Williams:Mothersill And The Foxes
There are 12 people in the world; the rest are paste.

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

Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 23:51:50 -0400
From: Michael James <[email-masked]>
Subject: re acka yorl play

was my yorl play recieved?
- - karma [email-masked]

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End of ackanomic digest V2 #257
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