Altivo

US federal tax forms and instructions are probably the worst crap ever written/designed by anyone. Worse, every time they start out to "simplify" them, they make it worse rather than better.

Today's weather called for possible rain late, but we got none. What we did get were cold, gusty winds all day, and lots of overcast. Feels like... November. Still predicting rain for tomorrow and the weekend. Boo.

Tess went out to the pasture with me, and came back, like a perfect lady. I can't believe this. Every spring we go through about two weeks of relearning the proper manners for leading and following. Has she finally learned them so that she remembers even after a four or five month hiatus? I'm not putting away my leather gloves for a while, but I hope she has. It makes everything so much more pleasant for both of us. She's 17 years old this year, so it's really time she was grown up. Still a surprise though.

We were discussing board games this week, after Diplomacy came up and I hunted down my set. In particular the 3M (later Avalon Hill) bookshelf game series that included Oh-Wah-Ree, Twixt, Acquire, Jumpin, Feudal, Quinto, and others, was what came to mind. Some of those were particularly good, others didn't amount to much. I think Acquire might be the only one still being marketed (in a different physical format) today. Twixt was one I particularly enjoyed, though I think it's rather like tic tac toe in the end. If you play it perfectly, whoever gets the first move must win. My family had most of the games in the series, but none of them ended up in my possession. I'm not sure what happened to them. Too bad. Apparently collectors are paying big prices for several of them. I see prices in excess of $250 for Twixt, for instance.

Checking the box of games that were out in the barn, and have been there since we moved here in 1998 (very dusty, believe me,) I find two Scrabble sets, a chess set I've had since my 14th birthday, a go set (a game I was never any good at,) Diplomacy (ditto,) National Geographic's geography trivia game (at which I was pretty good,) Dirty Words (if you don't remember this, you missed something funny,) Regatta (sail boat racing strategy,) The Adventures of Robin Hood (Avalon Hill, intriguing but horrendously complicated,) and a board game based on The Lord of the Rings (also unacceptably complex.) In the back of my closet, because it was shockingly expensive at the time it was purchased in the 1960s for $26, is a real Chinese style Mah Jongg set. That saw lots of play at one time but hasn't seen the light of day in decades. Played by Chinese rules it very much resembles rummy or pinochle. American tournament play rules, alas, are quite degenerate and have lost the whole concept of the original game.

Generally speaking, combat games and games that rely largely on chance have little appeal to me. Puzzles and strategy-based games are more appealing, though often in table top or board editions the rules are so complex as to become daunting. This is where I do actually find some advantage in computerized versions. Railroad Tycoon is a very well developed simulation, as is 1830, the board game on which it was based. The board game is so complex as to be unplayable by any but the most dedicated of geeks. It would be nice to see a combination of the two in which a tangible board setup is used to map and comprehend the action, but a computer program provides rule arbitration and enforcement. I've never seen this done in practice, though.

Back to the IRS and its horrible rules and forms. Gary insists on doing our taxes with TurboTax. He tries various scenarios for dividing up deductible expenses between us to try to find the best savings. As bad as the IRS rules and instruction booklets may be, Turbo Tax is worse. I hate it because I can't tell what it is doing "behind the scenes" and it doesn't show me the actual form as it progresses. Instead you have to answer dozens of irrelevant questions, and it finslly presents you with the completed forms at the end. I would much prefer to just fill in the forms on the screen, and have the program "audit" them for inconsistencies or errors at the end. It would be much quicker, and much less stressful. Years ago I used a product called "AmTax" that did work that way, but it is long extinct. Fortunately, this year's deadline is April 18 (Paul Revere is probably spinning in his grave) for some arbitrary and arcane reason, so I guess we'll manage to get it done in time.

But don't have to go back to work until Weds. evening.

Poking around in old/vintage computer game stuff looking for something to suit Gary's interest in Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey novels. In other words, sailing ships, late 18th to early 19th century. Could be pirate-based, or military, or exploring, but needs some elements of actual maneuvering of a square rigged sailing ship. I found some that were largely concerned with accumulating treasure or merchant goods, but nothing that had much about dealing with winds, weather, and navigation. Anyone have ideas?

I'm thinking something along the lines of the modern board game "Regatta" which is a yacht race thing where you have to decide points of sailing and observe right of way rules. Only it would involve older ships.

He's also interested in steampunk, and I gather that "Space 1889" fits into that genre. Any others?

And off to bed.

Following the example set by schnee, I have created my own little utopian nation state:

The Principality of Transmontania

This site is a sort of loose simulation of macroeconomics and international politics. I suspect the model is slanted toward capitalist objectivism as the inevitable conqueror of all, but I've always been one to buck the tide. The idea seems rather like the board game Diplomacy® except the interactions are based not on military competition but on economics.

Within minutes of having my application validated, I started receiving "telegrams" from leaders of various regions urging me to throw my allegiance with them. The enticements offered were all power and financial gain, which isn't going to interest me. There is no formal method for military attack or conquest in the game, though I guess some nation states have been engaging in that anyway, via roleplay.

The basic direction of change in the nation state, though, is determined by "issues" which are presented one or two each day. You decide on an official policy for each issue (or decide to ignore it, as governments so often do) and the effect on your nation is projected on that basis. The first issue was whether voting would be mandatory for all who are qualified to vote. There were four possible choices: the vote is mandatory, the vote is voluntary, the government ignores popular ballots, or take no action at all on the issue and let the controversy rage in the newspapers where it began.

No doubt some will find this distasteful, but... I rejected the mandatory ballot, though I affirm that Transmontania is a parliamentary democracy, with a constitution and a very limited ruler-for-life called a prince. The title of prince is not hereditary, but is an appointed one, which is confirmed by a vote of the parliament. Each prince or princess chooses a successor, with the agreement of the parliamentary representatives. Should a ruler die or resign without having successfully named and confirmed a successor, then parliament itself would choose the next prince with two stipulations: the ruler must not be a current voting member of parliament itself, and they must be a qualified citizen voter within the principality. The prince has veto powers over legislation, similar to those of the US President, and subject to override by a substantial majority of parliament, also like the US system. The prince may propose legislation, but it must pass the unicameral parliament successfully in order to become law. In all other respects, the prince has no real powers, but may wield tremendous influence if he/she is clever enough. In other respects the government resembles that of most existing parliamentary nations. There are several political parties, the prime minister is chosen by the members of the parliamentary body and may have to head a coalition government if no party has a clear majority, etc.

The economy of Transmontania is largely agrarian, and its limited international trade consists of the export of natural and synthetic fibers (wool, linen, tencel) and related products.

We shall see what happens. I fully expect the "issues" to be weighted so that even a moderately socialist state will fall upon hard times.