Subject: ackanomic digest V3 #168
From: [email-masked] (ackanomic digest)
To: [email-masked]

ackanomic digest        Saturday, May 23 1998        Volume 03 : Number 168

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Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 01:15:23 -0400 (EDT)
From: K2 <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: K 2 being REALLY evil.

Question: Which member of the Razor Boomerang Party has so far failed to
approve these actions?

17 May 1998 20:15:59 JT Sugested Purchase of an Excavation Permit
18 May 1998 05:26:08 Hubert Approved

21 May 1998 19:29:15 Hubert Suggested Chewing the Gum Ball
21 May 1998 19:43:52 JT Approved

21 May 1998 20:11:34 Hubert Suggested a Poem recitation
21 May 1998 20:16:15 JT Approved

22 May 1998 18:34:32 Hubert Suggested a Treasure Burial
22 May 1998 19:01:23 JT Approved

22 May 1998 19:01:23 Hubert Suggested Moving to the Library
22 May 1998 19:13:15 JT Approved

Answer: Church of the Order of the Razor Boomerang joined The Razor
Boomerang Political Party on: 17 May 1998 19:12:27

The funny thing is I'm now going to have to tell the Financier to unharf
the Excavation Permit Purchase :)

K 2

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 01:15:34 -0400 (EDT)
From: K2 <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Ambassadorness

Aaron V. Humphrey wrote:

> I also approve.  This leaves only J. M. Bear to approve, I think.
>

Pandora and J. M.

K 2

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 03:16:40 -0400 (EDT)
From: Uri Bruck <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: The Infrequent Ackan Volume 1 Issue 23

On Fri, 22 May 1998, Duncan Richer wrote:

> I would beg to differ with you on this point.  One of the definitions of
> economy given in one of the Fictionary Dictionaries is:
> 
> the system of production and distribution and consumption [syn: {economic
> system}] 
> 
> We have entities whose production is regulated (e..g. gadgets, Otzma
> Cards).  Their distribution is determined, mostly although not entirely,
> by who has access to the medium of exchange, namely Ackadollars.  In some
> cases, the objects are created in other circumstances (e.g. use of an
> SBoC), in which case some people have access to the sources of production,
> thereby making distribution a moot point (or counting it as distribution
> to one's self).  The consumption of these entities by the players gains
> them some material effect (e.g. the use ofa Gadget, or the benefit of an
> Otzma Card).  I'd say that's a pretty good example of an economy.

Otzma Cards and Gadgets are created at 0 cost. Rules can, and do, create
entities that did not exist before without explanation of where they came
from.  That's not production, that's constant nearly magical creation.

Niccolo Flychuck

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 03:36:53 -0400 (EDT)
From: Duncan Richer <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: The Infrequent Ackan Volume 1 Issue 23

On Sat, 23 May 1998, Uri Bruck wrote:

> Otzma Cards and Gadgets are created at 0 cost. Rules can, and do, create
> entities that did not exist before without explanation of where they came
> from.  That's not production, that's constant nearly magical creation.

So no system that only exists on computers can have an economy?

Further, "constant magical creation" as you put it exists in the real
world, when governments run budget deficits.  Instead of financing it by
selling assets, governments can simply issue more money.  This money need
never even become notes directly, just simply an increase in the
government's "bank balance" which, from the government's point of view, is
cancelled out by a debt to the central Reserve Bank (which is effectively
run by the government anyway - what a sweet deal).  So to argue that
"constant magical creation" of entities precludes something being an
economy is to eliminate most of Europe, the United States (at least up
until last year, when they were still running a deficit), and Australia.

I would argue against your "cost 0" viewpoint, from an economic
standpoint.  The economic definition of cost is not simply how many A$ or
whatever other currency you have to pay to make or acquire something.  The
economic definition is called "opportunity cost", and is the benefits you
have foregone by choosing to acquire or make the particular item.

For example, an Organisation can pay A$1000 to gain a Secret Laboratory.
Once they have this, they can create one Gadget a month.  The cost of that
Gadget per month production is therefore "the best alternative use of that
A$1000" (which would therefore have value at least A$1000).

Gadgets can also be created from the Spell Book of Chorg, but this
creation has a clear cost: the destruction of the Spell Book.

A harder cost to identify is that of the Inventor or Wizard simply
deciding to create a gadget.  The only costs I can easily identify for
the Inventor are the time cost I explain below, and the cost of the
political campaign to reach the post.  However, note that to an extent the
"time cost" paid by the Inventor is 3 days' worth, as only one Gadget can
be created in any 3 day period.  The Wizard has the additional cost of the
price of the Office, it being a capital office.

Another example of a cost: A miniscule, but still present, part
of the cost of creating gadgets is the time cost involved in composing and
sending the email.  Sure, it may cost you nothing to actually send it, but
you have used up your time, which is a valued resource, in order to create
that gadget.  (Real World Comparison: What is the cost of writing a
computer program?  The salary you pay the programmer.  But what if the
programmer is working for themselves?  Is the cost suddenly 0 because of
the self-employment?  Most[*] economists would say no.)

Simply to say that it doesn't cost you a cent doesn't mean that something
is free.  Not to any economist who uses opportunity cost (which is most
economists[*]).

[*] Take n economists and you get n+1 opinions.
- -- 
Duncan C. "" Richer aka
Slakko (Lost) Warner - http://dcr24.quns.cam.ac.uk/ - Queens' College
Cambridge, 1st Year PhD(Pure Maths), CUDipSoc, CUSFS, CUSTS, CURS etc
Acka - President, Web-Harfer, RuneMaker, ChessUmpire, Map-Harfer

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 03:51:28 -0400 (EDT)
From: JT <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: K 2 being REALLY evil.

On Sat, 23 May 1998, K2 wrote:

>Question: Which member of the Razor Boomerang Party has so far failed to
>approve these actions?
>
>17 May 1998 20:15:59 JT Sugested Purchase of an Excavation Permit
>18 May 1998 05:26:08 Hubert Approved
>
>21 May 1998 19:29:15 Hubert Suggested Chewing the Gum Ball
>21 May 1998 19:43:52 JT Approved
>
>21 May 1998 20:11:34 Hubert Suggested a Poem recitation
>21 May 1998 20:16:15 JT Approved
>
>22 May 1998 18:34:32 Hubert Suggested a Treasure Burial
>22 May 1998 19:01:23 JT Approved
>
>22 May 1998 19:01:23 Hubert Suggested Moving to the Library
>22 May 1998 19:13:15 JT Approved
>
>Answer: Church of the Order of the Razor Boomerang joined The Razor
>Boomerang Political Party on: 17 May 1998 19:12:27
>
>The funny thing is I'm now going to have to tell the Financier to unharf
>the Excavation Permit Purchase :)

It's not too late!!  I suggest that the Order of the Razor boomerang
approve all of the above suggestions and approve this suggestion (it
really only takes Hubert to do it as founder of the Order, but hey :)

- --JT

[-------------------------------------------------------------------------]
[ Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty.                  ]
[ It's hard to seize the day when you must first grapple with the morning ]
[-------------------------------------------------------------------------]

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 03:52:30 -0400 (EDT)
From: JT <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: K 2 being REALLY evil.

On Sat, 23 May 1998, K2 wrote:

>Question: Which member of the Razor Boomerang Party has so far failed to
>approve these actions?
>
>17 May 1998 20:15:59 JT Sugested Purchase of an Excavation Permit
>18 May 1998 05:26:08 Hubert Approved
>
>21 May 1998 19:29:15 Hubert Suggested Chewing the Gum Ball
>21 May 1998 19:43:52 JT Approved
>
>21 May 1998 20:11:34 Hubert Suggested a Poem recitation
>21 May 1998 20:16:15 JT Approved
>
>22 May 1998 18:34:32 Hubert Suggested a Treasure Burial
>22 May 1998 19:01:23 JT Approved
>
>22 May 1998 19:01:23 Hubert Suggested Moving to the Library
>22 May 1998 19:13:15 JT Approved
>
>Answer: Church of the Order of the Razor Boomerang joined The Razor
>Boomerang Political Party on: 17 May 1998 19:12:27
>
>The funny thing is I'm now going to have to tell the Financier to unharf
>the Excavation Permit Purchase :)

Also, if the OoRB *doesn't* object within 7 days they happen anyway, so
you might as well not tell the financier to unharf :)

- --JT

[-------------------------------------------------------------------------]
[ Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty.                  ]
[ It's hard to seize the day when you must first grapple with the morning ]
[-------------------------------------------------------------------------]

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 06:01:23 -0400 (EDT)
From: Duncan Richer <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: AR-F

On Fri, 22 May 1998, JT wrote:

> On Fri, 22 May 1998, Aaron V. Humphrey wrote:
> >> I believe that i don't have the office because the voting started later
> >> than it should have.
> >
> >> In the even that I don't have the office, I ask the financier to please
> >> begin an auction on this office.
> >
> >To close off the threads, in the event that you _do_ have the Office, which
> >is now Capital, you should transfer it to the Treasury and then do the same.
> >:-)

As soon as the office was made Capital, it became ownable, and it was only
allowed to be held by its owner.  JT won the right to hold the office, but
was not able to take ownership of it as a result of the election, because
elections do not transfer Ownership of Offices (the offices which are
elected are unownable entities).  Hence the Capital Office of AR-F is now
back in the Treasury, unowned.  Whether or not JT can still hold the
office in such a situation is debatable, but, regardless, the office can
be auctioned.
- -- 
Duncan C. "" Richer aka
Slakko (Lost) Warner - http://dcr24.quns.cam.ac.uk/ - Queens' College
Cambridge, 1st Year PhD(Pure Maths), CUDipSoc, CUSFS, CUSTS, CURS etc
Acka - President, Web-Harfer, RuneMaker, ChessUmpire, Map-Harfer

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 06:04:30 -0400 (EDT)
From: Duncan Richer <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: CSR 141

On Wed, 20 May 1998, Duncan Richer wrote:

> As Chess-Umpire, I am issuing the following Common Sense Report affecting
> only the Party Chess Rule Suite.
> 
> This is CSR 141:

<CSR cut>

No objections were received within 3 days of the issuance of this CSR.
Therefore CSR 141 is adopted and the changes it makes are implemented.
- -- 
Duncan C. "" Richer aka
Slakko (Lost) Warner - http://dcr24.quns.cam.ac.uk/ - Queens' College
Cambridge, 1st Year PhD(Pure Maths), CUDipSoc, CUSFS, CUSTS, CURS etc
Acka - President, Web-Harfer, RuneMaker, ChessUmpire, Map-Harfer

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 06:13:14 -0400 (EDT)
From: Duncan Richer <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Treasure burial

On Fri, 22 May 1998, Eric Plumb wrote:

> Hmmm... I suggest that the Political Party known as the Razor Boomerangs
> go to the Library.  I approve of this suggestion.

Locations may contain Players.  Nothing allows Locations to contain
Organisations.  Therefore, the Organisation cannot succeed in performing
this action.  (The nature of Locations is regulated by Rule 835 - any
number of Players may be present.  It does not permit anything else to be
present in a location).

- -- 
Duncan C. "" Richer aka
Slakko (Lost) Warner - http://dcr24.quns.cam.ac.uk/ - Queens' College
Cambridge, 1st Year PhD(Pure Maths), CUDipSoc, CUSFS, CUSTS, CURS etc
Acka - President, Web-Harfer, RuneMaker, ChessUmpire, Map-Harfer

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 06:52:49 -0400 (EDT)
From: Brian Raiter <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Vacation

> I decline all CFJs assigned to me that I have not 
> passed judgement on (there is one I worked with /dev/joe
> on that we finished, but for some reason I have not seen
> it, so I do not know its state).
> 
> Expected duration is the difference between June 8th,
> 18:00, and the time of this post.

I presume the above is meant to be an unambiguous declaration that
saaremaa is going on vacation?

breadbox

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 06:54:18 -0400 (EDT)
From: Brian Raiter <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: CSR 141

> No objections were received within 3 days of the issuance of this
> CSR.  Therefore CSR 141 is adopted and the changes it makes are
> implemented.

As was CSR 140, a few hours previously. With any luck, I have seen the
last of the temporary century pages.

breadbox

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 07:49:10 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Ian K." <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Justice must be done.

The Church to the Evil Ballot Stuffer, in response to Alfvaen's flagrant
and (now) continued use of a blasphemous Good Ballot Stuffer wishes to
perform the following activity.

The Scroll of Crumble is transferred to Koxvolio. Since I am the Founder,
this happens.

Proceeding to the 'Long Live to the Great Evil Ballot Stuffer' level of
the Monolith, Ayla, Slakko, JT, H*Bert and I all prepare to take action
against Alfvaen's heresy.

Standing in a five-pointed star, we prepare to worship our patron - the
Great Evil Ballot Stuffer - by ridding Acka of one of the perversions of
its holiness, a GBS. 

The Ceremony, begins, with each of our classicist priests chanting a part
of the formula...

Ayla:
'Parva scintilla excitavit magnum incendium,
qualis vita, finis ita.'

Slakko:
'Benedic, Domine, nos et dona tua.'

JT:
'Sumus sumpturi.' (under advisement)

H*Bert/Wild Card
'Let that which is evil make that which is not crumble away and die.'

Koxvolio:
'In nomine Stuffer Malus. Amen.'

Following this mixed display of good and bad Latin, I, as owner of the
relevant Scroll of Crumble, read the glowing text on the scroll; 'Wirple
wurple glarahn cat. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.' As I
come to the end of the (somewhat cumbersome) invocation, slightly out of
breath, the scroll crumbles itself and Alfvaen's GBS to dust.

So perish all those who oppose us, and you can't say we didn't give
Alfvaen a chance to repent, even offering to *buy* the GBS from him.

Shame, really.

In recognition of the feud between the Church of the GBS and the Most Holy
Church to the Evil Ballot Stuffer, I would like to construct a new level
of the Monolith, called 'So Perish all those who oppose the Church to the
Evil Ballot Stuffer'. I believe this costs me A$150.

Koxvolio

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 08:11:12 -0400 (EDT)
From: Frank Schmidt <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Ambassadorness

Aaron V. Humphrey schrieb:

> K 2 wrote:
> > > > I suggest that the Metamorph party accept Pumpkin Patch Nomic as a
> > Member.
>
> > > I approve of this suggestion
> > > Niccolo Flychuck
>
> > I suggest that the church of the Good Ballot Stuffer approves this suggestion
> > and since I am the founder this happens (GBS approving, not the Patch
> > becoming a member).
>
> I also approve.  This leaves only J. M. Bear to approve, I think.

I also approve.
J. M. Bear

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 09:26:13 -0400 (EDT)
From: K2 <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Location

I traipse back to my house and shut the black plastic.

I point out that Vulcan has finished building the SBoC for /dev/joe

K 2

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 10:01:11 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Tom Walmsley" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: K 2 being REALLY evil.

> >21 May 1998 19:29:15 Hubert Suggested Chewing the Gum Ball
> >21 May 1998 19:43:52 JT Approved

> It's not too late!!  I suggest that the Order of the Razor boomerang
> approve all of the above suggestions and approve this suggestion (it
> really only takes Hubert to do it as founder of the Order, but hey :)

Except of course that you won't be able to chew the gumball anymore.

TGW.

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 10:27:05 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Tom Walmsley" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: CSR 141

> > No objections were received within 3 days of the issuance of this
> > CSR.  Therefore CSR 141 is adopted and the changes it makes are
> > implemented.
> 
> As was CSR 140, a few hours previously. With any luck, I have seen the
> last of the temporary century pages.

I probably ought to announce that CSR 139 was too.

TGW.

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 13:11:37 -0400 (EDT)
From: [email-masked] (Aaron V. Humphrey)
Subject: Acka: Twits

> > If it is the case that I am a member of a Society named "The Twits",
> > then I give it A$1.

>   Twits won't exist until TGW annouces its four members and pays the SHF.

Then I give A$1 to The Gingham Wearer and tell em to hurry up(if we have
four members yet).

- --
- --Alfvaen(Web page: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/alfvaen/ )
Current Album--Moxy Fruvous:The B Album
Current Book--Robert Jordan:The Shadow Rising
All we have to do now is take these lies and make them true somehow

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 13:14:12 -0400 (EDT)
From: [email-masked] (Aaron V. Humphrey)
Subject: Re: Acka: Ambassadorness

> > I also approve.  This leaves only J. M. Bear to approve, I think.

> Pandora and J. M.

Phoo.  I give another A$1 to The Gingham Wearer for the Twits.

- --
- --Alfvaen(Web page: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/alfvaen/ )
Current Album--Moxy Fruvous:The B Album
Current Book--Robert Jordan:The Shadow Rising
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 13:46:13 -0400 (EDT)
From: JT <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: K 2 being REALLY evil.

On Sat, 23 May 1998, Tom Walmsley wrote:

>> >21 May 1998 19:29:15 Hubert Suggested Chewing the Gum Ball
>> >21 May 1998 19:43:52 JT Approved
>
>> It's not too late!!  I suggest that the Order of the Razor boomerang
>> approve all of the above suggestions and approve this suggestion (it
>> really only takes Hubert to do it as founder of the Order, but hey :)
>
>Except of course that you won't be able to chew the gumball anymore.

Well, yes, that will have to wait until next legal time.. A shame really.

- --JT

[-------------------------------------------------------------------------]
[ Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty.                  ]
[ It's hard to seize the day when you must first grapple with the morning ]
[-------------------------------------------------------------------------]

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 14:07:40 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Tom Walmsley" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: PCP purchases

I am purchasing 10 party chess pieces locust which costs me A$10, one party
chess piece guard which costs me A$50 and one party chess piece Bouncy!Ball
which costs me A$36.

TGW.

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 14:15:52 -0400 (EDT)
From: [email-masked] (Aaron V. Humphrey)
Subject: Acka: Iced Ambassador

Guy Fawkes has now been On Ice for over 14 days(since midnight), and so
is removed from eir offices.  I think we've settled that NAP Swinger was
already vacant, but now so is Ambassador, and e is probably no longer a
Justice either.

- --
- --Alfvaen(Web page: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/alfvaen/ )
Song In My Head--Michelle Shocked:When I Grow Up
Current Book--Robert Jordan:The Shadow Rising
Is it true that the meteor was a dove of Amethyst?

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 15:23:52 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Tom Walmsley" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Iced Ambassador

> Guy Fawkes has now been On Ice for over 14 days(since midnight), and so
> is removed from eir offices.  I think we've settled that NAP Swinger was
> already vacant, but now so is Ambassador, and e is probably no longer a
> Justice either.

I am now starting a nomination for the office of Ambassador. You may reply to
nominate yourself. I also ask anyone with a greater knowledge of the rules
than I if I am still acting ambassador, and if I am not then I request that
Alfvaen makes me acting Ambassador again for the next few days (until the
current batch of voting on INPs is over at least).

TGW, Count Tabula.

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 15:23:56 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Tom Walmsley" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Fw: Acka: Metamorph

Upon closer perusal of the rules it became apparent that I needed to forward
this entire message to the list. I don't think that this should effect PPN
being adopted into Metamorph with the current suggested action but if it is
(and only if the current action could not succeed) then I suggest that the
Church of the Good Ballot Stuffer (suggests that Metamorph accepts Pumpkin
Patch Nomic as a member and then approve this suggestion) and since I am the
founder this happens. Got all that? I also apologize for wasting your
bandwidth.

TGW.

- ----------
> From: Phil Ackley <[email-masked]>
> To: [email-masked]
> Subject: Acka: Metamorph
> Date: 22 May 1998 04:43
> 
> Mr Gingham Weaver,
> a message for the People of Ackanomic,
> 
> I, as GRAPE and official representative of the Pumpkin Patch Nomic, do
> hereby request admission for said body into the ranks of the Metamorph
> party.  It has been indicated to me that the party will accept this
request.
> 
> Thank you, sirs.
> 
> erPhil
> GRAPE, Gourd
> 
> 
> 

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 15:51:55 -0400 (EDT)
From: [email-masked] (Aaron V. Humphrey)
Subject: Re: Acka: Iced Ambassador

(Since the last version of this went to TGW, this having sensibly been
sent to acka-priv, let me try again:)

> I am now starting a nomination for the office of Ambassador. You may reply to
> nominate yourself. I also ask anyone with a greater knowledge of the rules
> than I if I am still acting ambassador, and if I am not then I request that
> Alfvaen makes me acting Ambassador again for the next few days (until the
> current batch of voting on INPs is over at least).

I appoint The Gingham Wearer to be Acting Ambassador if it is within my
power to do so.

I think a lot of the Rules' language regarding Acting Officers needs to be
cleared up.  I'll try to RFC something soon.

- --
- --Alfvaen(Web page: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/alfvaen/ )
Current Song--John Farnham:You're The Voice
Current Book--Robert Jordan:The Shadow Rising
Oho!  Lies the wind in that quarter?

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 15:53:03 -0400 (EDT)
From: Duncan Richer <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: PCP purchases

On Sat, 23 May 1998, Tom Walmsley wrote:

> I am purchasing 10 party chess pieces locust which costs me A$10, one party
> chess piece guard which costs me A$50 and one party chess piece Bouncy!Ball
> which costs me A$36.

I am purchasing 3 party chess pieces Locust.
This costs me A$3.

Yours,
Slakko
getting on this bandwagon - hey it isn't a scam, it was bleeding obvious.
- -- 
Duncan C. "" Richer aka
Slakko (Lost) Warner - http://dcr24.quns.cam.ac.uk/ - Queens' College
Cambridge, 1st Year PhD(Pure Maths), CUDipSoc, CUSFS, CUSTS, CURS etc
Acka - President, Web-Harfer, RuneMaker, ChessUmpire, Map-Harfer

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 15:55:34 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Tom Walmsley" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Duel Challenge

On behalf of Alfvaen; DeeJay, Praetor, Illuminatus, Scorekeeper, Speaker and
Registrar; two-term president of Ackanomic and long time Financier and Undead
Harfer; Officer of the Blue Cross, owner of the Amber Banana Tree, bearer of
a silver moon, Founder of the church of Azpiazu and above all member of the
Church of the Good Ballot Stuffer...

...I do hereby challenge you, JT, to a duel. Alfvaen was rightly chagrined by
the deplorable actions of the Church of the Evil Ballot Stuffer (spit), in
destroying his sacred and holy Good Ballot Stuffer with a scroll of crumble.
Whilst it is true that it was Koxvolio who performed the final deed Alfvaen
muttered something to me about "the founders being occupied at the moment".
What he meant I am not entirely sure but I'm sue it was particularly
pertinent.

Anyhow JT, choose your second, choose your field of battle and above all,
fear Alfvaen.

TGW, second to the honourable Alfvaen.

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 16:29:42 -0400 (EDT)
From: [email-masked] (Aaron V. Humphrey)
Subject: Acka: Big White Gazette

The Big White Gazette

"Wasting Bandwidth With Verve And Effulgence"
"See?  Over a _week_ before the end of the month!"

The Billboard Challenge Treasure

I'm sure many of you have been wondering how the Billboard Challenge thing
has been progressing.  Well, it has been plagued by connectivity problems
on the Billboard end of things, apparently.  Only one week's game, the
first, saw full participation, and last week's saw only Alfvaen's own
Azpiazu Records and Temple of Azpiazu Records participating.  (Admittedly,
the Billboard folks screwed up quite badly, first showing all-zero scores
for the week, and then erroneously announcing on Monday that no further
entries would be accepted; this was fixed on Tuesday, but if you didn't
happen to have the time that day...)  Hopefully more entrants will return
to the fray, to keep Sonic Vynd and Wild Ackan Productions(the two most
consistent entrants)from stealing the Treasure uncontested.  And new
entrants are always welcomed.

Anyway, here are the results so far(with Alfvaen's record labels included
for comparison purposes only):

Temple of Azpiazu Records--Alfvaen
Azpiazu Records--Alfvaen
Chewy Tasty Ackasmaks--IdiotBoy
Acka: Koxvolio--Koxvolio
Slakkology--Slakko
Sonic Vynd--Vynd
Wild Ackan Productions--Wild Card

Score(Placing)

Game 61:
                          Week 1      Week 2      Week 3      Week 4
Sonic Vynd              1297(#455)  2591(#308)  3698(#325)  4697(#360)
Slakkology              1411(#257)  2637(#265)  3723(#305)  4613(#403)
Temple of Azpiazu       1277(#483)  2342(#537)  3287(#581)  4150(#624)
Wild Ackan Productions  1048(#784)  1999(#771)  2944(#743)  3868(#717)
Acka: Koxvolio          1105(#732)  2022(#762)  2899(#760)  3721(#759)
Chewy Tasty Ackasmaks    977(#813)  1844(#805)  2752(#800)  3478(#806)
Azpiazu                  718(#844)  1402(#844)  1996(#845)  2505(#848)

(Note that the players with previous experience did better than Temple of
Azpiazu Records, and the newer players didn't.  All did better than
Azpiazu Records, which is there mainly so I can get the chart stats before
submitting my real play, and so I can find out the full versions of the
album titles they truncate.)

Game 62:
                          Week 1      Week 2      Week 3      Week 4
Sonic Vynd              1346(#148)  2626(#111)  3838(#100)  5110(#67)
Temple of Azpiazu       1283(#261)  2430(#285)  3502(#307)  4645(#270)
Azpiazu                  896(#695)  1677(#709)  2529(#689)  3085(#709)

(See?  Sonic Vynd came _very_ close to getting into the Top 50 in that
game, and nobody else even tried...  You can't find the Treasure if you
don't play...)

Game 63:
                          Week 1      Week 2      Week 3      Week 4
Temple of Azpiazu       1189(#205)  2438(#100)  3493(#147)
Wild Ackan Productions  1078(#376)  2186(#281)  3104(#347)
Sonic Vynd               889(#582)  1715(#577)  2451(#590)
Azpiazu                  878(#587)  1641(#590)  2401(#597)

(Of course, in this game Sonic Vynd isn't doing too much better than
Azpiazu Records...)

Game 64:
                          Week 1      Week 2      Week 3      Week 4
Azpiazu                 1013(#581)  1946(#597)
Temple of Azpiazu        847(#658)  1564(#666)
Wild Ackan Productions   867(#653)  1381(#680)

(This one I mixed up Azpiazu Records and Temple of Azpiazu Records due
to an administrative error.  I.E., typing in the wrong login name first.)

Game 65:
                          Week 1      Week 2      Week 3      Week 4
Temple of Azpiazu       1078(#206)
Azpiazu                  650(#248)

(No legal Treasure competitors in this once, but I figured I'd include it
anyway.  Note the relatively high placings due to the small number of
entrants overall.)

So let's get a few more entrants into Game 66, shall we?  It seemed to be
working fine when I tried it on Friday, so make hay while the iron is hot...

Musical Names

Some of you may recall one of the currently extant Agenda Hats(#22, which
inexplicably ended up with a negative weight)having the condition "The
wearer of this hat has played a song whose lyrics contain eir name
(Ackanomic name or real name) on the Ackanomic Sound System."  Now, while
changing one's real name is relatively difficult, changing one's Ackanomic
name is dead easy, so I can't see this being a really difficult thing to
achieve.  (Well, it's Ayla's fault for bidding so low, and since e has
the Nemesis Eggplant, e will pay the price if this ends up being one of
the winning hats...)

Anyway, the point of this is that while I was bored at work this week, I
decided to try thinking up some good names that come from songs.  I won't
list the songs here, just the names, so whoever the owner of Agenda Hat 22
may be, you can look 'em up yourself.  I'm not really trying to make it any
easier, just trying to prevent someone going around with a stupid name like
"I Write The Songs".

So here they are:

Crazy Diamond		Ziggy Stardust		King of Saturday Night
Mr. Fahrenheit		Spiderman		Little Red Corvette
Particle Man		Joey's Camel		Black Light Trap
Weird Henry		Pocahontas		Peter Pumpkinhead
Supersonic		Bassline		Mr. Big
White Trash		I Zimbra		Mushroom Maniac
Beelzebub		Crimson King		Shiloh
El Presidente		Lady Ice		Kiko
Poison Ivy		Happy Phantom		Devil's Right Hand
Disco Strangler		Mbaqanga Man		Moribund The Burgermeister
Major Tom		David Bowie		Iggy Pop
Looking Glass		Dear Prudence		Jukebox Hero
Ancient Mariner		Gold Dust Woman		Alexander The Great
Gordian Knot		Stool Pigeon		The Hundredth Meridian
Arnold Layne		Abby Hoffman		Uriel
El Diablo		Gravity's Angel		Sharkey
Mr. Horrible		Ugliness Man		Longines Symphonette
Rabid Child		Old Dope Peddler	Ana Ng
Just A Gigolo		Solomon Grundy		Mr. Me
Frank Mills		Hoop Dancer		The Old Dope Peddler
Scaramouche

And, my favorite:

Lapti Nek

Best of luck to all Agenda Hat owners, holders, and wearers!

- --
- --Alfvaen(Web page: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/alfvaen/ )
Current Album--XTC:Skylarking
Current Book--Robert Jordan:The Shadow Rising
Questions of a zealous nature have become by degrees petty waxen jokes.

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 16:53:01 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Tom Walmsley" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Big White Gazette

> "Wasting Bandwidth With Verve And Effulgence"
> "See?  Over a _week_ before the end of the month!"

Reminds me, I must get an issue of TGT out soon.

> Musical Names
> 
> Some of you may recall one of the currently extant Agenda Hats(#22, which
> inexplicably ended up with a negative weight)having the condition "The
> wearer of this hat has played a song whose lyrics contain eir name
> (Ackanomic name or real name) on the Ackanomic Sound System."  Now, while
> changing one's real name is relatively difficult, changing one's Ackanomic
> name is dead easy, so I can't see this being a really difficult thing to
> achieve.  (Well, it's Ayla's fault for bidding so low, and since e has
> the Nemesis Eggplant, e will pay the price if this ends up being one of
> the winning hats...)

Unless I'm mistaken, nothing stops you from writing your own song with your
own name in and then getting that played, and that wouldn't even cost you the
standard harfer fee.

> Anyway, the point of this is that while I was bored at work this week, I
> decided to try thinking up some good names that come from songs.  I won't
> list the songs here, just the names, so whoever the owner of Agenda Hat 22
> may be, you can look 'em up yourself.  I'm not really trying to make it any
> easier, just trying to prevent someone going around with a stupid name like
> "I Write The Songs".
> 
> So here they are:
> Crazy Diamond		Ziggy Stardust		King of Saturday Night
> Mr. Fahrenheit		Spiderman		Little Red Corvette
> Particle Man		Joey's Camel		Black Light Trap
> Weird Henry		Pocahontas		Peter Pumpkinhead
> Supersonic		Bassline		Mr. Big
> White Trash		I Zimbra		Mushroom Maniac
> Beelzebub		Crimson King		Shiloh
> El Presidente		Lady Ice		Kiko
> Poison Ivy		Happy Phantom		Devil's Right Hand
> Disco Strangler		Mbaqanga Man		Moribund The Burgermeister
> Major Tom		David Bowie		Iggy Pop
> Looking Glass		Dear Prudence		Jukebox Hero
> Ancient Mariner		Gold Dust Woman		Alexander The Great
> Gordian Knot		Stool Pigeon		The Hundredth Meridian
> Arnold Layne		Abby Hoffman		Uriel
> El Diablo		Gravity's Angel		Sharkey
> Mr. Horrible		Ugliness Man		Longines Symphonette
> Rabid Child		Old Dope Peddler	Ana Ng
> Just A Gigolo		Solomon Grundy		Mr. Me
> Frank Mills		Hoop Dancer		The Old Dope Peddler
> Scaramouche
> 
> And, my favorite:
> 
> Lapti Nek

Hmm, I'm tempted, some of these are good and I've been meaning to change my
name for a bit. I'm particularly tempted by Mr. Fahrenheit but in the end I
have decided to change my name (probably on a temporary basis) to "Mr.
Tambourine Man", pending the registrar's ack (yes, it's as long as The
Gingham Wearer).

TGW, short span of attention.

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 16:54:05 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Tom Walmsley" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: IRC

Anyone fancy joining me on Acka IRC? I've just got to do a few CotC duties,
and then I'll be there.

TGW.

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 16:59:41 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Tom Walmsley" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: CFJ 596 (FALSE)

J.M. Bear has judged FALSE.

Clerk of the Courts
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Call For Judgement 596- May 21, 1998
Subject: Crackfoo
Initiator: Alfvaen (sent May 20, 1998, 23:48)
Judge: J.M. Bear (selected May 21, 1998, 11:34)
Judgement: FALSE

Statement:
There exists a Player of Ackanomic named Crackfoo.

Alfvaen's Reasoning:
This is if I was unable to remove em despite my recent Rule 257 message.
There is probably also a Player named Enigma if this is the case.

Judge's Reasoning:
Both Crackfoo and Enigma wanted to leave the game.
That should take precedence before anything else, being mentioned in Rule
101. The only reason for me judging this true would have been that Alfvaen
faked these statements, which I really don't believe.

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 17:02:59 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Tom Walmsley" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: CFJ 573 (FALSE (overturned))

This has been overturned to FALSE with a penalty of one point to the initial
judge.

Clerk of the Courts
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Call For Judgement 573- April 19, 1998
Subject: Undead Actions
Initiator: K 2 (sent April 19, 1998, 01:16)
Judge: Hubert (selected April 19, 1998, 06:44)
Judgement: TRUE
Appealed by: breadbox
Justices: saaremaa and /dev/joe
Judgement: FALSE

Statement:
K 2 owns a vending machine

Initiator's Reasoning:
Rule 258:
Entities that are owned by Undead cannot be manipulated in any way
except by an action of the Undead.

The undead Bascule posted a public message on Sat, 18 Apr 1998 21:19:14
transferring eir vending machine to K 2, this constituted an action by
the undead.

Judge's Reasoning:
While Rule 373 states that "Any _active_ player may attempt any public 
action..." (emphasis mine) and so forth, it explicitly defers precedence
to Rule 258, which explicitly takes precedence.

Although the Rules are very clear on the distinction between players and
Undead, they are less clear on the distinction between Actions taken by
either.  I am pretty sure that R258 was intended to allow only
Rule-sanctioned actions on the part of an Undead (e.g. the transfer of
the Goose or the Unhanding of a Trinket) but couldn't find any clause in
the Rules saying so.  Thus, I am obliged to render a judgment of TRUE.

Appealer's Comments:
  There's one small point that's been overlooked here. Undead are NOT
  players. Rule 373 doesn't even begin to apply to them. An undead can
  no more be controlled by its likeness than your bookmark can read
  your book for you.

Supreme Court's Comments:
[email-masked] is an extra-nomic entity.  The 
Undead is a nomic entity.  [email-masked] cannot 
control any nomic entity, and the rules do not cause the undead
to give away vending machines.  In other words, the Undead is
a different thing than the natural human person with e-mail
address that used to be the player that turned into the undead.

Rule 373 explicitly allows players to do things by sending public
messages.  While Rule 258 takes precedence, it does not permit the
former players which have been turned into (or replaced by) undead
to cause those undead to do things.

Finally, Rule 101 states that the game state may only be changed as
described in the rules, and Rule 258 states that Entities that are owned
by Undead cannot be manipulated in any way except by an action of the
Undead.  Many rules describe things the undead do; none of those cause
or the Undead Bascule to give its Vending Machine to K 2.

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 17:09:31 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Tom Walmsley" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: CFJ 598 (Wild Card)

Wild Card has been selected.

Clerk of the Courts
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Call For Judgement 598- May 23, 1998
Subject: Godfather
Initiator: Slakko (sent May 21, 1998, 15:06)
Judge: Wild Card (selected May 23, 1998, 17:04)
Judgement: 

Statement:
saaremaa is not the Godfather.

Initiator's Reasoning:
The player known as saaremaa was created at a time when there was no
definition of Godfather in the rules.  The only possible way saaremaa
could have acquired the title is by transfer from the undead Malenkai.
Yet the rule which enabled this transfer had the following text:

> {{
> This rule has precedence over all rules. If an Undead named Malenkai
> exists, that undead transfers all of its possessions to the author of the
> proposal that added this text to this rule, then that Undead is destroyed.
> }}

The Godfather, when it was defined by the rules, was an Office, and hence
unowned regardless of who "held" it.  As it was not owned, it could not be
possessed, and could therefore not have been a possession of the undead
Malenkai.  Hence saaremaa could not have acquired it from the undead
Malenkai, hence there is no way that saaremaa could have acquired it.
So saaremaa is not the Godfather.

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

Date: Sat, 23 May 1998 17:09:33 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Tom Walmsley" <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: CFJ 599 (AtP)

Attila the Pun has been selected.

Clerk of the Courts
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Call For Judgement 599- May 23, 1998
Subject: Third Cat
Initiator: Alfvaen (sent May 22, 1998, 09:59)
Judge: Attila the Pun (selected May 23, 1998, 17:07)
Judgement: 

Statement:
Robert Sevin is the Third Cat.

Initiator's Reasoning:
Rule 1142, "Reincarnating Into The Third Cat", states:

   When a player starts playing for the first time, there are said to
   have never been reincarnated. For every two chronologically
   consecutive proposals made by certain player which have a difference
   of more than 200 in their number, then that player is said to have
   reincarnated once.

   The active player with the greatest difference in the number of two of
   their chronologically consecutive proposals is said the be the Passive
   Contemplator. The active player who has been reincarnated the most
   times is said to be the Third Cat.

However, the Rule doesn't seem to say what happens when two players have
both been reincarnated the same number of times.  And Robert Sevin and
Calvin N Hobbes have both been reincarnated three times:

Robert Sevin: 522-1448, 1581-1843, 1843-2067
Calvin N Hobbes: 840-1279, 1329-1633, 2161-2634

So there is no "the" active player who has been reincarnated the most times,
and hence no player should have the title.

(Unless, of course, I missed one of Robert Sevin's reincarnations...)

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

End of ackanomic digest V3 #168
*******************************