Subject: ackanomic digest V2 #399
From: [email-masked] (ackanomic digest)
To: [email-masked]

ackanomic digest       Sunday, December 7 1997       Volume 02 : Number 399

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Date: Sun, 7 Dec 1997 22:11:38 -0500
From: Towsner <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: SPAM

I join SPAM

- --
Omnium pro iure, ius pro omnio

- -Henry Towsner

	<[email-masked]>

	"I think the true test of a genius is the ability to see the
follies of one's own times.  The ability to change one's own times is the
true test of a leader.  And the ability to do both is the true test of a
visionary who will never be elected."
	-Marilyn vos Savant

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Date: Sun, 7 Dec 1997 22:11:48 -0500 (EST)
From: John Frederic Mc Coy <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Prez

On Sun, 7 Dec 1997, Malenkai wrote:

> The following have volunteered for the office of president.
> Reply to vote; the election lasts for 3 days:
> 
> Alfvaen
> K 2
> Slakko
> 

If the candidates were to explain why their opponents are completely
unqualified to hold the office of President (nothing personal mind you),
this would help me decide how to vote.  Just a thought. :)

                               - Vynd

[email-masked]

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Date: Sun, 7 Dec 1997 19:41:26 -0800 (PST)
From: Brian Raiter <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: CFJ 481 (else...if)

> CFJ 481 has been assigned to else...if

> Call For Judgment 481
>   Subject: Paying for extra heads
> Initiator: The Gingham Wearer
> Submitted: 97-12-07 18:51
>     Judge: else...if (selected 97-12-07 21:52)
> Judgement: 
> 
> Statement:
> 
> else...if received A$50 from the treasury an infinitesimal amount of
> time after complaining about having to pay for an extra head.
> 
> The Gingham Wearer's Reasoning:
> 
> [none]

Malenkai, your dice have the strangest sense of humor.

breadbox

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Date: Sun, 07 Dec 1997 23:49:27 -0500
From: Malenkai <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: CFJ 482 (mr cwm)

CFJ 482 has been assigned to mr cwm

Clerk of the Courts
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Call For Judgment 482
  Subject: Entities and things
Initiator: Malenkai
Submitted: 97-12-07 23:49
    Judge: mr cwm (selected 97-12-07 23:49)
Judgement: 

Statement:

Non-human-player, Non-Acka things (or objects, e.g. other
nomics), may not be members of Ackanomic organizations.

Malenkai's Reasoning:

There are three separate arguments, only one of which need be
accepted for a verdict of TRUE.  I also note that this can
probably be judged trivially TRUE based on the Supreme Court's
reasoning on CFJ 473, but it seemed appropriate to get these
arguments into the fold anyway (and they prolly should have been
considered in CFJ 473, but were not).  The first argument below
should be sufficient; I present the others to hilight additional
problems should the first argument somehow fail, and to suggest
that we solve the problems with doing this before doing this.
This does not address the problems with rule 419.3, which is
another kettle of fish altogether :)

Note that the term 'thing' in the statement is intended to
be construed as 'entity' in the English sense (as clarified
by the parenthetical content) as opposed to 'entity' in the Acka
sense.  I'm referring to things that are not Acka entities, such
as the Pumpkin Patch Nomic that is understood to be a member of 
Internomic, using the term 'entity' there would be confusing.
For this CFJ, the term PPN shall be used as an example
of such, but for the sake of this argument, PPN represents *any*
entity/object/thing referred to in the CFJ's statement.

The rule that has been argued to potentially allow such joining
is rule 1015 (quoted following in part).  No other rules allow
such: 

> An Organization that has a More Than Human is allowed to have
> non-player Entities as members, provided that said Entities
> are capable of expressing eir consent in the public forum,
> or that the rules allow for some method by which said Entities can
> become members of Organizations.

Argument 1:

Can PPN be a member of an organization under the auspices of 
rule 1015 and the related org rules?  Rule 1015 allows "non-player
Entities as members".  PPN is not a "non-player Entity"; in fact,
it is not even an entity at all.  Rule 500 defines what an entity is:

> Something is an entity if and only if the rules specify that it is,
> or it is defined by the Rules and Ackanomic tradition indicates
> that it is an entity.

The rules do not specify PPN as an entity.  

A verdict of TRUE is indicated.

Argument 2:

'Entity' in rule 1015 has to be construed as an Ackanomic entity.  
A quick search of the other rules pertaining to entities, especially
the 500 series, and consideration of game custom, leads one to that
rendering.  'Entity', as used in the Acka rules, is an Acka-specific
word (as opposed to an English one), meaning an Acka thing, basically.
Where the term 'Entity' as used elsewhere in the rules clearly refers
to Acka entities, there is no guidance in rule 1015 that indicates we
should make an exception and construe the term non-traditionally to
include things such as PPN.

A verdict of TRUE is indicated.

Argument 3:

One could argue that ExtraNomic entities, especially nomics, are Entities
w.r.t. the Acka rules, or more narrowly, w.r.t. rule 1015.  What do
the rules say about ExtraNomic entities?  Rule 501 entitled "ExtraNomic
Entities" reads (in part):

> Other nomics may exist, although it is uncertain exactly where 
> they might reside (maybe in some of the smaller cells of the
> Gaol.) 

This sentence uses the weasel word "may", thus it has no meaning,
and offers no clarification on the matter of ExtraNomic entities,
despite the rule's title.  The rest of the rule talks about import
and export of entities, so it is irrelevant.

Even if we ignore this and grant that ExtraNomic entities are 
recognized by the rules, and further ignore the previous 2 arguments
and allow 'Entity' in rule 1015 to be construed to include ExtraNomic
Entities, (and this is an intense bending of the rules into 
pretzel-shaped Cheez-Whiz already), we have a reference problem.
 
Rule 500.1 says, in part:

> Each entity is either named (which means it has a name) or nameless.
> An entity is nameless unless the Rules specify otherwise. 

The rules do not specify that these assumed entities are named, thus they
are nameless.  There is no way to refer to them.  This is an 
appeal to common sense -- something that cannot be referred to cannot
be a member of an organization.  An example of another nameless entity
in Acka is the A$.  This is like saying 'I bury the 357th A$ as a 
treasure'.  It cannot be done in light of the fact that rule 1015 
uses the term 'Entity'.  

A verdict of TRUE is indicated.

I point out that it seems a bit silly to present this argument,  given 
the amount of rule bending needed to even get this far, but this is 
more of an exploration of the problems with assuming 'Entity' can 
be construed to be anything in the ExtraNomic universe.  They can
remain nameless, in which case we cannot refer to them, or Malenkai's 
Loophole type ploys can be used (e.g. 'I create an organization named
Pumpkin Patch Nomic'); or they can be named, in which case the game
cannot be played, given the indeterminate nature of the namespace. (e.g.,
I'm sure there is an ExtraNomic entity called 'the Golden Frog',
in fact, I just named my computer that :-).  As my computer can express
its opinion in the public forum (via a homebrew SMTP bot I wrote), 
perhaps it should apply for membership in an Acka org...) 

Indeed, I think this sort of thing can easily lead to an unplayable
game (and a crash in the sense of the PWCFJ rule), and I was looking for 
such when I discovered these arguments.  Perhaps that opportunity
will present itself later...

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End of ackanomic digest V2 #399
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