Subject: ackanomic Digest V4 #193
From: [email-masked]
To: ackanomic digest users <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 00:00:01 -0400 (EDT)

ackanomic Digest	Tuesday, July 20 1999	Volume: 04  Issue: 193

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From: Gabe Drummond-Cole <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: T256 Attn EA!P!
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 03:31:57 -0400 (EDT)

At 03:49 PM 7/19/99 +0000, you wrote:
>I request to find the treasure containing "Not For You, Traub".
>
>**
>
>two-star
> 

two-star was the fourth distinct player to ask for this treasure.  E has
found it.  The map was pretty much as posted.

-- Emperor Ai! Pedrito!
 DeeJay * Dungeon Master * Harfmeister * Rule-Harfer * Wrangler
 Crazy French-Scotsman * Really Weird * Weird

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

From: [email-masked] (John Bollinger)
Subject: Re:  Acka: Treasure!
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 10:07:32 -0400 (EDT)

/dev/joe,

I am working on your first puzzle, and I hope you can provide a
clarification regarding the exclusion rules: must an exclusion rule
refer to a _positive_ property that all but one of the words have?
In your first example this was the case for every rule, but in the
second it was not.  So do you really want to accept rules like you
used for "fifth" in your five-word series ("none of the others has
a repeated letter")?  I wager I can come up with some very long series
if I can depend on finding words with unique properties, rather than
series of words with most of their properties in common.  I see that
this distinction could require you to make potentially difficult
judgement calls (your rule for "fifth" could be rewritten in a positive
sense -- would it then be acceptable?), but I think you need to employ
it nonetheless.

Cheers,

ThinMan

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

From: K 2 <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: On a tip...
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 13:58:58 -0400 (EDT)

Aaron V. Humphrey wrote:

> > At 06:38 PM 7/19/99 -0400, you wrote:
> > >searched the messages I haven't read (I've been abducted by a foetus)
> > >and located 23 instances of the word hubert.  I know it means something
> > >but I have a hard enough time finding a clean pair of socks lately.
>
> > WOOHOO!!!!!!
>
> > Historian, take note.  This is the end of an era.
>
> > Scaremonger: if the discovery of T200 is not enough to herald the end of
> > Acka, I don't know what is.  Go to work.
>
> Well, as the burier of Treasure 200(even if K2 has been keeping track
> of it better than I), I'm going to out on a limb and announce that,
> as far as I can tell, Sir Galahad has found the Exquisite Dead Guy,
> pending confirmation by K2.
>

I hate to rain on this parade - but -

 > Subject: Acka: Blue Thing
 > Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 11:45:28 -0400 (EDT)
 > From: James McGregor <[email-masked]> (AKA Pure Haste AKA
Euphrates)

 > If I have to return from vacation to do the following I do, if not, I do
not.

In order to use the RBBTTDDM,R Pure Haste returned from vacation (ie is now
active)

> [snip - RBBT use]

> If my state is not that of vacationing I alter it so that it becomes so.

One state change per player per three day period so this failed. (see rule 4
section III)

-------

I note that Pure Haste is off in fairy land and ask that the Speaker check eir
vital signs.

It is true, however, that only Sir Galahad and Pure Haste remain both active
and eligible for T200 (the hubert treasure).

K 2

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

From: K 2 <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Word Un-Association (404 Not Found)
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 13:59:29 -0400 (EDT)

If it takes bribery, I offer A$10 to whoever volunteers :-)

K 2

Gavin Logan wrote:

> 404 Not Found has not responded within three days. I am now able to appoint
> any willing player as referee of this game. Volunteer away.
>
> King Felix
> (Burger Cat)

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

From: K 2 <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: T256 Attn EA!P!
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 13:59:32 -0400 (EDT)

I create a trinket called "Treasure numbers are important devices which help
the the Financier" worth A$5 this trinket fits over its owners head. Its
subliminal visual and auditory messages are reinforced by aversion training
carried out by a large mallet and sharp pointy devices.

I gift this trinket to Emperor Ai! Pedrito! and note that while two-star's
message is unambiguous, there is in fact no treasure containing an entity of
that name - it contains A$1 instead.

K 2
Only joking :-)

Gabe Drummond-Cole wrote:

> At 03:49 PM 7/19/99 +0000, you wrote:
> >I request to find the treasure containing "Not For You, Traub".
> >
> >**
> >
> >two-star
> >
>
> two-star was the fourth distinct player to ask for this treasure.  E has
> found it.  The map was pretty much as posted.
>

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

From: K 2 <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: herald: RFC
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 14:19:15 -0400 (EDT)

I'm reposting this to ackanomic, since it contains the word "help"
(small bug in listar ;-)

JT wrote:

> I also resign as herald as I've been completely forgetting to track
> anything on it since April :(.
>
> When someone takes it over, I will try and help them get caught back
up to
> current, but will not guarentee that I have the time to do so.

I have been thinking for a while that the honour tracking duties of the
herald could be shifted over to the DM. This would make the herald much
more like a political position, requiring em only to announce duels and
make blazons. Comments? - Particularly from the DM and herald candidates
:-)

K 2

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

From: K 2 <[email-masked]>
Subject: [Fwd: Acka: Priv: Temporary List for Summary]
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 14:27:59 -0400 (EDT)

--------------EE0F975927C7E77E3176159D
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

.
.
.
.
.
listar spoiler space :-)
.
.
.

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Content-Disposition: inline

Message-ID: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 04:10:34 +1000
From: K 2 <[email-masked]>
X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.03 [en] (Win95; I)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: [email-masked]
Subject: Acka: Priv: Temporary List for Summary
References: <[email-masked]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Hya everyone,

Thanks to JT and IB there is now a mailing list called acka-summary which is
designed for the discussion of the rule summary. To subscribe to the list send a
message with 'subscribe' in it to acka-summary-request.

K 2

--------------EE0F975927C7E77E3176159D--

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

From: JT <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: herald: RFC
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 14:40:52 -0400 (EDT)

On Tue, 20 Jul 1999, K 2 wrote:
> I'm reposting this to ackanomic, since it contains the word "help"
> (small bug in listar ;-)

Actually, it's not a bug, it's a feature.   Listar attempts to catch and
trap what might be administrative requests and forwards them to the list
admins or moderators.  The word 'help' in a message is usually someone
trying to get some help on how to do something and so it's one of the
keywords that is trapped.   As you will see, the previous message also
made it through (I just had to approve it manually).   I have also
changed the ackanomic lists to n longer trap 'help' in the middle of
a line, but only as a solitary word on a line.

--JT

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

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

From: JT <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: [Fwd: Acka: Priv: Temporary List for Summary]
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 14:43:14 -0400 (EDT)

On Tue, 20 Jul 1999, K 2 wrote:
> --------------EE0F975927C7E77E3176159D
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
> 
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> listar spoiler space :-)
> .
> .
> .

Gah!! Please don't do that.   Listar doesn't *eat* the messages which are
marked as administrivia.  It forwards them to me to approve or reject
their posting.  Yes, it means a possible 5 minute (or 5 hour if I'm
asleep) delay, but that's not really a big deal (imho).

--JT

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

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

From: Gabe Drummond-Cole <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: herald: RFC
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 14:51:48 -0400 (EDT)

At 02:19 PM 7/20/99 -0400, you wrote:
>I'm reposting this to ackanomic, since it contains the word "help"
>(small bug in listar ;-)
>
>JT wrote:
>
>> I also resign as herald as I've been completely forgetting to track
>> anything on it since April :(.
>>
>> When someone takes it over, I will try and help them get caught back
>up to
>> current, but will not guarentee that I have the time to do so.
>
>I have been thinking for a while that the honour tracking duties of the
>herald could be shifted over to the DM. This would make the herald much
>more like a political position, requiring em only to announce duels and
>make blazons. Comments? - Particularly from the DM and herald candidates
>:-)
>
>K 2
> 

As present and past DM, I've always been irritated by the fact that I
didn't track honour.  I used to feel it was almost a slight to the position
of DM -- that DM wasn't 'honourable' enough or something.  I guess what I'm
trying to say is that *I* would support such an change.

-- Emperor Ai! Pedrito!
 DeeJay * Dungeon Master * Harfmeister * Rule-Harfer * Wrangler
 Crazy French-Scotsman * Really Weird * Weird

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

From: K 2 <[email-masked]>
Subject: Acka: Token of appreciation
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 18:22:10 -0400 (EDT)

I create a trinket called "A Wizard's Staff" worth A$10 and a
description "It has a knob on the end." I give this to A German Dog for
their help the other day.

I create a trinket called "The Barrel of Boundless Possibility" worth
A$10 and having the description "After the monkeys have left". I give
this to IdiotBoy for providing the resources necessary for the things A
German Dog helped me with.

K 2

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

Subject: Acka: Odd Man Out
From: Joseph DeVincentis <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 20:02:36 -0400 (EDT)

Laa Laa has found the treasure containing the Perpetual Trophy, whose
map was "To find this treasure, you must have signed on the dotted line,
not found more treasures containing the perpetual trophy than any other
signer, and sent /dev/joe a set of 6 or more items which he accepted in
his Odd Man Out contest."  Details below.

My Odd Man Out contest has been well-received.  Five players already
submitted entries.  Some also asked some questions, which I will answer
first.

One player asked, "Must an exclusion rule refer to a _positive_ property
that all but one of the words have?"

I tried to explain this in the original post but perhaps did not make
myself clear.  This is preferable, but not absolutely necessary for every
single rule.  However, more than one such rule is enough to disqualify
a set unless it is otherwise exceptionally good.  Note that I'm looking
at the nature of the property described, rather than how it's worded.
I realize that sometimes it can be unclear whether something is a property
that the things all do have or all don't have. Some properties may be
able to work either way, and perhaps this is the case for my example.
I was only considering the property "has a repeated letter" but "all
its letters are different" may also be a valid property.  On the other
hand, I think that it is probably only these questionable ones that I
really want to consider.  If you added some other famous person to that
list with Stephen King et al., and changed his rule to "the only one who
is a famous writer" I would really not want to consider that.  So, one or
maybe two questionable ones can cut it, but please don't send in entries
with rules that can't even be remotely considered to be properties of the
other words.

Another player asked if he submitted a list of 8 items, and 2 were bad,
would he then not be allowed to submit a 7-element set.  No, the
restriction only applies to accepted entries.  If the best I've accepted
from you is a 6-element set, you are free to submit a 7.

Yet another player submitted an entry that, while remarkable, was not
really in line with the spirit of the contest.  I'm not revealing
the entry, but I'll simply say that you shouldn't focus your entries
around lots and lots of variations of a single rule.  While it's OK
to use similar rules for some words, don't overdo it.  The same player
also submitted another entry in which the elements were not words, but
were best described as sets, and of course, we can make as many sets as
we want where each set lacks some property the others all have.

Now, for some accepted entries:

ThinMan's 5-member set:
hark:  cannot be more than one part of speech.
sharp: does not have exactly four letters.
harf:  is not in any standard English dictionary (but is still a word!)
book:  does not contain the letters "ar".
tart:  cannot be a verb.

This is exactly the kind of thing I am looking for.
Hark is a little iffy, as I'd have expected it to be listed as an
interjection, and as it turns out, it is listed as a verb and noun in
my dictionary (the noun just describing the use of the verb, mainly),
but the dictionary on the moo shows it only as a verb.

Laa Laa's 6-member set:
beetle - contains 3 instances of the same letter
bear - can't fly
butterfly - odd number of letters
Boeing 747 - not an animal
bird - contains no e
hornet - doesn't begin with "b"

This is also accepted.  "Beetle" is one of those borderline ones, which seems
more like a property it has than one the others all have, but I'm accepting
it only because I used such a similar rule in one of my examples.  Please
don't send a flood of such entries.  With this entry, Laa Laa found the
treasure of the Perpetual Trophy.

else...if's 7-member set:
1) dries--all others can be used as nouns
2) drier--all others can be used as verb forms
3) brick--all others have d as the first letter
4) doing--all others have r as the second letter
5) drain--all others have i as the third letter
6) drip--all others are five letters long
7) drive--all others end in consonants

This is also accepted.  It is pushing the limit with four specific-letter
conditions, but the first 3 are so precise that I'm not counting off for
this.

EAP's 6-member set:
thee (not plural)
three (not a pronoun)
these (nonsequential vowels)
them (ends with a consonant)
they (has a vowel other than e)
we (doesn't start with t)

This is also accepted.  The condition on "these" is one of those that is
difficult to say is a property of the other words, but managing to use
5 pronouns makes this entry worthy.  Note that it also means that another
pronoun-based entry should either use more words or be significantly
different from this one.

Keep it up, I want to see better and longer entries when I return from
vacation.

/dev/joe

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

Subject: Acka: Vacation
From: Joseph DeVincentis <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 21:55:21 -0400 (EDT)

I go on vacation, with an expected return one week from now.
I name JT to be the acting officer for the offices of Tabulator and
Promoter.

/dev/joe

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

From: JT <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: Acka: Vacation
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 23:47:14 -0400 (EDT)

On Tue, 20 Jul 1999, Joseph DeVincentis wrote:
> I go on vacation, with an expected return one week from now.
> I name JT to be the acting officer for the offices of Tabulator and
> Promoter.

I accept these appointments (if I need to, otherwise I just waste
bandwidth).

I create a nose-sack of oxygium.

--JT

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

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End of ackanomic Digest V4 #193
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