Subject: ackanomic digest V3 #52
From: [email-masked] (ackanomic digest)
To: [email-masked]

ackanomic digest        Saturday, March 7 1998        Volume 03 : Number 052

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Date: Sat, 07 Mar 1998 14:52:46 -0500 (EST)
From: Duncan Richer <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Game Submission

On Sat, 7 Mar 1998, Aaron V. Humphrey wrote:

> > > The following is a Game Submission:
> > > Abstract Crescent
> > I support this.
> 
> As do I.  (I'm trying to remember if I've ever played the original game.
> Maybe once...this doesn't look familiar, but it could still be interesting.)

The original "game" worked as follows:

Players in turn name stations on the London Underground.
The first player to name Mornington Crescent wins.

However, the value of the win was maximised if you won just before someone
else was going to name Mornington Crescent.

The game has a trivial winning strategy, and in fact a single guaranteed
winning strategy.  However, said strategy is also the worst possible
winning strategy in that it nets you the least possible gain.

The numbers in Abstract Crescent represent the turn numbers that the
players have.  So your number is equivalent to the turn you would have
said "Mornington Crescent" on.  And you gain most points if someone else
was just about to name MC (i.e. their number is only just higher than
yours).

These days the game of Mornington Crescent is mainly an excuse to be silly
while naming Underground stations.  It is still a lot of fun, though.  
It has also been turned into a game with _real_rules_, Mornington Nomic
(of course, the rules do change, but it was originally designed so that
the ruleset could grow and change to resemble the way the "game" of MC was
being played in various places.  It has developed quite a life of its own,
and the rules it includes are starting to retro-infect the "games" from
which it was spawned.

The true MC was just a game theory exercise.  I wanted to try it out for
real to see what happened.  I think that Abstract Crescent is a good way
to do it.

I support and endorse the Game Submission of Abstract Crescent.
- -- 
Duncan C. "" Richer aka
Slakko (Lost) Warner - http://dcr24.quns.cam.ac.uk/ - Queens' College
Cambridge, 1st Yr PhD(PMa) - .Nomic Elector, Frgn Minister, HP(Morpork)
Acka - President "Gumball" Web-Harfer RuneMaker ChessUmpire Map-Harfer

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Date: Sat, 07 Mar 1998 15:20:46 -0500 (EST)
From: Guy Fawkes <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Game Submission

On Sat, 7 Mar 1998, Aaron V. Humphrey wrote:

> > > The following is a Game Submission:
> 
> > > Abstract Crescent
> 
> > I support this.
> 
> As do I.  (I'm trying to remember if I've ever played the original game.
> Maybe once...this doesn't look familiar, but it could still be interesting.)

I do support this Submission, but I was under the impression (based on
reading a few game records of Mornington Crescent) that there were no
Rules to the game (other than whoever said Mornington Crescent first won),
and that the whole point of the game was to pretend that there actually
were rules, and that the length of that ruleset would put any nomic game
to shame, and generally play a horribly complex game that didn't, in
actuality exist.

Guy Fawkes

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Date: Sat, 07 Mar 1998 15:23:09 -0500 (EST)
From: "Tom Walmsley" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Action

I am putting on my mr cwm prosthetic forehead.

The Gingham Wearer.

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Date: Sat, 07 Mar 1998 15:41:40 -0500 (EST)
From: Duncan Richer <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Game Submission

On Sat, 7 Mar 1998, Guy Fawkes wrote:

> 
> On Sat, 7 Mar 1998, Aaron V. Humphrey wrote:
> 
> > > > The following is a Game Submission:
> > 
> > > > Abstract Crescent
> > 
> > > I support this.
> > 
> > As do I.  (I'm trying to remember if I've ever played the original game.
> > Maybe once...this doesn't look familiar, but it could still be interesting.)
> 
> I do support this Submission, but I was under the impression (based on
> reading a few game records of Mornington Crescent) that there were no
> Rules to the game (other than whoever said Mornington Crescent first won),
> and that the whole point of the game was to pretend that there actually
> were rules, and that the length of that ruleset would put any nomic game
> to shame, and generally play a horribly complex game that didn't, in
> actuality exist.

Well that is how it is played currently.  The _concept_ of naming
Underground stations actually goes back to J.H.Conway the game theorist
(and joint author of Winning Ways).[1]

[1] I heard this from Dr. Pinch in DPMMS, who is also a Fellow at my
College, and who therefore I trust implicitly to be right about this.

- -- 
Duncan C. "" Richer aka
Slakko (Lost) Warner - http://dcr24.quns.cam.ac.uk/ - Queens' College
Cambridge, 1st Yr PhD(PMa) - .Nomic Elector, Frgn Minister, HP(Morpork)
Acka - President "Gumball" Web-Harfer RuneMaker ChessUmpire Map-Harfer

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

Date: Sat, 07 Mar 1998 16:36:53 -0500 (EST)
From: Hubert <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: *ping*

Today is Saturday, the 7th of March, and the Machine That Goes *ping* Has
Gone *ping* today.  Since I have been scholar, the Machine has gone *ping*
1 time. 

- -Hubert

Jesus saves sinners and redeems them--for valuable cash prizes.

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Date: Sat, 07 Mar 1998 16:54:53 -0500 (EST)
From: Hubert <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Game Submission

On Fri, 6 Mar 1998, Duncan Richer wrote:

> The following is a Game Submission:
> 
> Abstract Crescent

I endorse this Games & Contests Submission.

- -Hubert

Jesus saves sinners and redeems them--for valuable cash prizes. 

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Date: Sat, 07 Mar 1998 17:19:56 -0500 (EST)
From: Hubert <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: DeeJay's Page

I have tentatively put up a DeeJay's page.  It can be found at

http://www2.hawaii.edu/~plumb/acka/ass.html

I would welcome any comments, suggestions, additions, substitutions,
exchanges, or refunds from any of you.

- -Hubert

2+2=5 for extremely large values of 2. 

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

Date: Sat, 07 Mar 1998 17:22:53 -0500 (EST)
From: Duncan Richer <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: DeeJay's Page

On Sat, 7 Mar 1998, Hubert wrote:

> 
> I have tentatively put up a DeeJay's page.  It can be found at
> 
> http://www2.hawaii.edu/~plumb/acka/ass.html
> 
> I would welcome any comments, suggestions, additions, substitutions,
> exchanges, or refunds from any of you.

This page is accessible now from the Ackanomic Compressed Main Page and
the Ackanomic Main Officers Page (both on the Main Ackanomic Website)

Yours,
Slakko
Web-Harfer
- -- 
Duncan C. "" Richer aka
Slakko (Lost) Warner - http://dcr24.quns.cam.ac.uk/ - Queens' College
Cambridge, 1st Yr PhD(PMa) - .Nomic Elector, Frgn Minister, HP(Morpork)
Acka - President "Gumball" Web-Harfer RuneMaker ChessUmpire Map-Harfer

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

Date: Sat, 07 Mar 1998 18:01:13 -0500 (EST)
From: Duncan Richer <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Correction

Last week I issued Swingpoint tallies.
I mistakenly forgot to include the 2 points rufus received from Rex
Mundi's gift of a FairPlay award.

So Hibert's current Swingpoint total is 7, not 5.

Yours,
Slakko

- -- 
Duncan C. "" Richer aka
Slakko (Lost) Warner - http://dcr24.quns.cam.ac.uk/ - Queens' College
Cambridge, 1st Yr PhD(PMa) - .Nomic Elector, Frgn Minister, HP(Morpork)
Acka - President "Gumball" Web-Harfer RuneMaker ChessUmpire Map-Harfer

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

Date: Sat, 07 Mar 1998 18:24:04 -0500 (EST)
From: David Scheidt <[email-masked]>
Subject: acka: illuminatus election

Reply to vote.  The canidates are
Alfvaen
Hubert
TGW
K 2

voting lasts three days.
hibert
Count Tabula

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Date: Sat, 07 Mar 1998 18:49:42 -0500 (EST)
From: [email-masked] (Aaron V. Humphrey)
Subject: Acka: Jukebox

And inside, the jukebox roars just like thunder.

I wish to play the song "Remember A Day" by Pink Floyd.  (From one of
their early albums, in or around the Syd Barrett era, and on the "Relics"
compilation.)

I insert A$5 into the banna-shaped slot in the control panel.

And I'd just like to express my admiration for Hubert's DeeJay page.
Links to lyrics and tablatures and everything.  I'll have to restrain
myself from trying to play "Stump The DeeJay"...:-)

- --
- --Alfvaen(Web page: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/alfvaen/ )
Current Album--Drivin' N' Cryin':Whisper Tames The Lion
Current Book--Robert Charles Wilson:The Harvest
At the sign of your redemption, wear this tableau on your mind forever.

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Date: Sat, 07 Mar 1998 19:55:25 -0500 (EST)
From: [email-masked] (Aaron V. Humphrey)
Subject: Acka: The B-Ack

In case anyone was wondering, I decided to stop using the Random Dice
Server for the B-Ack, since it was too regular and would end up being a
waste of bandwidth.

However, I have determined that the B-Ack is on the trail of Hubert,
still in the Wilds of Ackanomia, while not having had any luck at all
trailing The Gingham Wearer.

- --
- --Alfvaen(Web page: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/alfvaen/ )
Song In My Head--Teena Marie:14K
Current Book--Robert Charles Wilson:The Harvest
A splash and hiss beyond my measuring

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Date: Sat, 07 Mar 1998 20:35:50 -0500 (EST)
From: Towsner <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Invention

	I suggest that Shell#10 create a Whamiol.

- --
- -Henry Towsner, AKA else...if, The Fearless Alibi Posesser, Laefu, and Yilran

	<[email-masked]>

	Success is the child of audacity.
		-Benjamin Disraeli

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Date: Sat, 07 Mar 1998 20:39:00 -0500 (EST)
From: Towsner <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Stocks

I sell all stocks I currently own.

- --
- -Henry Towsner, AKA else...if, The Fearless Alibi Posesser, Laefu, and Yilran

	<[email-masked]>

	Success is the child of audacity.
		-Benjamin Disraeli

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Date: Sat, 07 Mar 1998 23:06:32 -0500 (EST)
From: Towsner <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Positivity

At 10:43pm -0500 3/7/98, Aaron V. Humphrey wrote:
>I got a value of 2.9 for Positivity; did you remember to remove the votes
>of non-player entities in your calculations?  I think there were a couple
>of unity votes and a Tammany bribe in there that might account for the
>discrepancy.
	You're right.  I caught most of them, but I must have missed that
one.  The correct stock value is 20.2, with a positivity of 12.9.  I'm
still getting used to the formulae, so I hope there won't be many more of
these mistakes (but keep an eye on me just in case:)

- --
- -Henry Towsner, AKA else...if, The Fearless Alibi Posesser, Laefu, and Yilran

	<[email-masked]>

	Success is the child of audacity.
		-Benjamin Disraeli

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End of ackanomic digest V3 #52
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