[sldev] A.I. & LL's No Gamble Rules

[Kamilion]

On 8/12/07, Nicholaz Beresford <nicholaz at blueflash.cc> wrote:
>
> Kamilion wrote:
> > Actually, I was looking into this as well.
> > Since they explicitly state that randomness cannot be used, I was
> > going to set up a blackjack table that wasn't random. Every hand would
> > be precomputed on a PHP server with a large database of sequential
> > hands. Like a normal video blackjack machine, the hands are geared
> > 50.100% for the house and 49.900% for the player.
>
> Well, this line of thought makes me understand why Daniel Linden
> in one interview said they would not state any clear rules.
>
> I don't remember the exact wording, but it was something like:  If we
> drew a clear line, someone would walk up to it, piss over it and then
> tell us that he didn't cross it.
>

Exactly. If you think about it, it really is the way people work. You
tell a child they can't do something, and you expect them to follow
the rules; but you also aren't surprised when they choose not to
follow them.

Geeks beat upon the rules. They spend time geeking on the rules.
Sometimes they learn them well enough to start hacking them.

http://www.poisonedminds.com/d/20050520.html

"There are also "advisories". These are laws and rules that you don't
HAVE to follow, but it's a good idea that you do. While it's not
against the law to play on the railway, it's advised that you don't
because being run over by trains tends to be bad for your health. It's
an interesting peice of social engineering because when people are
told not to do something, they want to do it, no matter how stupid and
dangerous it is. Being just told "you can but it's not a good idea"
seems to be more effective. This is because a lot of people are quite
stupid."

Alan makes a good point in this paragraph.

No matter how you stack the rules, someone will always try to
sidestep, hack, break, bend, or skirt around them.

Currently, I'm on a leave of absence from SL; I've been screwing
around in Entropia.
I feel betrayed that "Your world, your imagination" has been subtly co-opted.
The Mormonification of Second Life is causing a lot of people to lose interest.
I draw no problems with what LL did to cover their asses, as I'm
fairly sure they were or would be pressured by the credit card
companies and paypal for US Online Gambling laws against the payment
system. Personally, I also draw no problem with the "Broadly
Offensive" issues either, because I know nothing I have or do could be
considered such.
I have a moral objection, however, that doesn't mean I don't
understand the reasons behind it.

Personally, I'm awaiting the server source's release.
There's already projects like http://www.deepgrid.com that are going
to have an explosion of attention. Someone will start hosting sims
(perhaps on a non-LL grid) where gambling is allowed by local laws.
Someone will start hosting sims that have "Broadly Offensive" content.

Check Dreamhost's client lists.
Did you know they host at least one nazi site? But nothing can be done
about it, because even the people running it have their rights, their
right to free speech, to free thinking.
Other webhosts will likely happily host terrorist/jihadist sites,
because they too have the same rights as we do, and everybody wants to
make a buck, even if it's at someone else's expense.

The hosts aren't supposed to be the ones that police the content, and
they shouldn't have to!

Second Life reminds me of the song Hotel California.
You can check out, but you can never leave.

Meaning: Wherever you go, you will always come back in the end.

SL as it is, is only the beginning. It will grow, and grow, and
eventually, it will be uncontrollable, just like the internet is
today.

It will evolve into a standard protocol set. Only this time (unlike
VRML and others) it will actually succeed where others have not. It
may even make it to the desktop -- Your own private simulator-home on
your own personal computer may become your primary local interface.

And it's thanks to all of us, and all of our differing opinions and viewpoints.

Keep up the good work, but don't be afraid to think differently than others.

After all, Nine tenths of the law is precedent! ;o)

 -- Kamilion