Campaign Trail by Sombrero Guy
July 30th, 2010 3:30 PM
). You may then select a congressional committee and subcommitte (While reading, you may wish to listen to either of my two selected campaign songs.
El Sombrero, by Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan. This was suggested as my theme tune a while ago by susy derkins, and I like it.
The SFØ SkypeTeam Audio Collage. I was unfortunately not around at the time it was organised, but this, and the task attached to it, sum up so many of my views and policies. It was a long distance collaboration by the community working together on the SFØ Skype chat. To some it may sound like a random collection of noises, but I hear beauty in it.
The UK is in need of a senator. It is true that two players from my country already hold the badge, but they appear to have abandoned ship. They don't play any more. And what's more, I can show that they should never have been elected in the first place.
The sordid pasts of these senators, and indeed those of many other senators, have already been delved into by others on the campaign trail. I shall simply add a couple of personal experiences to convince you that they simply aren't good enough, and that you need a UK representitive on the senate who you can trust.
I have met Adam on a few occasions. While he manages to seem like a really nice guy most of the time, sometimes he fails to keep up the act. I once tried to engage him in a friendly debate on the subject of his sudden switch away from the vegetarian team, and his true nature showed. As soon as I started to ask him difficult questions, he threatened me with his demonic powers:
GYØ Ben has been careful never to display any incriminating behaviour while in the presense of cameras. Thus, everyone thinks he is merely a talented musician and very hospitable to other SFZerians looking for somewhere to stay in Great Yarmouth. But I know differently. He is cunning, and plots our downfall from behind the mask of friendliness. A prime example of his devious nature can be found here (and I want part II back). Also, would you really trust someone with this facial expression:
I'm sure you are now convinced that these supposed 'senators' are not up to the job, and a new UK politician is needed. That would be me. In order to show you what a nice guy I am, I offer you all pipe cleaner Sutro Towers free of charge. If you want one, send me your postal address along with your request. I cannot guarantee the arrival of the models in good condition, or in one piece. They may well be squashed in transit.
Now, a few words on one of my policies. One of my aims is to see the SFØ Skype Chat restored to its former glory, or close to it. The recent senatorial debate saw a small surge in activity for a week or two, but it has since lapsed again. I remember a time when there would always be someone online to talk to, but these days the few people who are online at any one time are often busy or away. I urge anyone out there who's interested in extending the SFØ community to get Skype. You can find me by searching for 'Sombrero Guy', and I can add you into the SFØ chat.
And now,
THE BIG ELECTION PROMISE
In every campaign, there is a promise. It may not end up being kept, but you have to place trust in your candidate that they will try everything they can to keep to it.
So here it is. If I am elected to the senate, I will strive to reintroduce the SFØ Podcast. This was an entertaining look at the week's tasks and events, and random chatter, hosted by three or more SFZerians. I envisage a new series (series 3) which keeps to a similar format, although not necessarily as long as the old ones. There would in fact be no set length; it would depend on how much there is to talk about in any particular week. The presenters could change each week, or if some people were particularly interested we could have regulars. Obviously this is not a goal I can achieve on my own. It would have to be a community effort, with volunteers for presenting and editing jobs. But I believe we can make it work, and make it as good as it used to be, if not better.
That is my election promise, and I will try my hardest not to disappoint.
Feel free to ask me any questions.
Vote Sombrero Guy!
Manifesto
Read it.
Adam
This person is evidently unfit for office, as you can see by the demonic flames he can conjure up against anyone who disagrees with him.
GYZero Ben
Would you trust someone who can pull off this expression? Really? Think about it...
25 vote(s)
GYØ Vicki
5
Dela Dejavoo
5
GYØ Daryl
5
Tøm
5
Amby D
5
Lincøln
5
Pixie
5
teucer
5
susy derkins
5
Amithy Ilexa
5
Minch
5
Julian Muffinbot
5
artmouse
5
Remy The Living
5
Adam
4
Kate Saturday
5
Tiger Nine
5
Picø ҉ ØwO
5
gh◌st ᵰⱥ₥ing
5
Poisøn Lake
4
Arietis
4
APR dreamlands
5
Ty Ødin
5
Chase of SF0
5
Bex.
Terms
(none yet)37 comment(s)
And here we have proof that I can inspire old players to look at this website again! Of course, I can't force them to start tasking again, but there is potential...
(It's not libel, honest. It wouldn't look good to have lawyers chasing after me at the moment...)
I want the podcast back. You've got my vote.
Skype fail makes me want you to restore the chat by other means. IRC?
Of course, IRC is bad for podcasting with. But if you use anything I can make work, which sadly is not currently Skype, I'll volunteer a fraction of what little time I have (there'll be more come fall) to assist.
IRC would certainly be possible. I have contacts who know how to set up and maintain channels, so I'm sure I could learn how to do that.
The podcast could be done over Mumble or Teamspeak, or another similar program, and recorded with Audacity. That's the plan anyway. Admittedly I have little experience in podcasting, but it is something I want to see happen and again I have useful contacts.
(Useful contacts = GYØ)
Right, SFØ now has an IRC channel, so get an IRC program (XChat is a good one), select 'Applied' in the network list, type in "/join #SFZero" and it should work.
Now I have to work on advertising this fact.
Splendid!
and it was about time, dammit
Before Tom and Adam and Ben and all of GYØ went away, they gave me the keys to the podcast. So I have the account and stuff, and obviously I am willing and able to help as well.
I don't believe I can support someone waging a war against vegetarians.
I would like to offer aid in resurrecting some of these traditions I was never a part of. How can I get involved with this podcast?
In my defense, I have never killed anyone in this war, not even in a Player Killing Area. The war is quite possibly over anyway, as many of the major players on both sides aren't really active anymore. Nevertheless, Get Your War On is in my task list and I stick by my decision to fight on the side of meat.
As for the podcast, for the moment I'll just keep a record of anyone who's interested in helping out, and get back to you later. We can check that necessary programs work for everyone and work out a presenting rota or something. I haven't got all the details clarified in my mind, but then I haven't been elected yet!
For the moment, if you want to listen to old episodes to get an idea of what you're letting yourself in for, they can be found on the SFØ Podcast player page.
(Off the record, I'll probably try to get this reinstated even if I don't end up being elected. But nobody saw me say that.)
He is very hospitable to those looking for a place to stay.... but had I seen that face... I may have thought better... shudder
Indeed. I am braving his hospitality for a second time in a few weeks, and just hoping nothing bad happens to me after revealing his true nature...
I have now listened to the entire senatorial debate (yes, all nearly 2 hours of it), and as a candidate for senate I would like to give a few of my views on the topics raised which I haven't already addressed.
First of all, I will say that I was very impressed by the debate. It shows that the podcast-style format can still work in the context of SFØ, and makes me feel even more so that reinstating the podcast will work. I will be away for the next week, with limited or no internet access, but after this serious work towards getting the first podcast done will begin.
I missed some of the hot topics in my manifesto.
I agree with many of the senators that robots deserve respect and freedom. However, we must at any cost make sure that the upcoming robot apocalypse is avoided in our universe.
I like pyjamas. I wear them myself. I also enjoy the idea of dressing gown appreciation day, which is a related event.
As to mutant cats, I must admit I was not aware of the issue. I'm probably not going to win many fans here by admitting that I don't really like cats, but this is true. I have had a pet rabbit and have a pond in my back garden with fish in it. I'd say that outside of my garden my attitude towards cats is more positive, but if I find one within the fences of the aforementioned plot of land, I will attempt to get rid of them as quickly as possible. If a mutant strain were created which suppressed the hunting instinct in cats, I would be in favour of it.
I will admit now that I have sock puppets. Mainly I use them for storage, as I like to have a large library of tasks available, more than the ten allowed in one account. I never use any account other than this one to vote for or flag a task. Sock puppets are only a bad thing if used without appropriate responsibility.
I am perfectly willing to join any rescue mission to steal back teucer's drive. I do not believe that allowing a megalomaniac into our senate is a good idea, and the senate should certainly not negotiate with terrorists.
As for extreme tasking, I don't think that there has been anything too controversial so far on the site. Generally, we know instinctively what is and isn't acceptable. I would say that, as the tasks are performed in the real world, the laws of whichever land (or body of water) you happen to be on should be followed. One possible exception of this is the killing of players you consider foes in clearly marked Player Killing Zones.
New players always pose difficult issues. When I first joined back in Insatiability, my tasking was not too good. This is true of almost everyone. I completed some of the obvious new player tasks, 'First Impressions', 'Part-time Writer, Full-time Waitress' and 'A Real Life Secret Egg'. I suppose equivalent tasks in this era would be, for example, 'Saucy Tales' and 'Work Is So Strange'. I was, however, made to feel welcome by the community. I was perhaps in a fortunate position, having been introduced to the game by an old friend of mine who was at the time an established player and had one of the best scores. When I attempted to complete tasks which I perhaps did not really understand, I recieved criticism. But it was friendly criticism, and I appreciated it. It meant people were willing to accept me into their community and helping me fit in better by telling me what I could improve on.
I think it is this friendly approach that needs to be used on new players. If they are doing something wrong, in your mind, tell them. But don't be mean about it. This era's voting system allows you to give new players confidence by voting without giving the full 5 points, so you can point out the good bits of their tasking as well.
I agree with some of the ideas for a new era. Having new abilities unlocked as you progress through the levels is a good thing, but I don't think the trajectories should be a part of that system. As I only joined in Insatiability, I have always had a free choice of all the tasks. I do any task that takes my fancy, and rarely consciously associate it with a group. This is why I do not choose any of the group-specific titles to preceed my name. I only noticed quite recently that my Grouposis for BART PA is far higher than the other groups this era. This may well be a complete coincidence, and I could end up liking more tasks from SNIDE or HC, for example, next era. I don't like the idea of having to commit to one group right from the start, especially as the task list is constantly being added to and you cannot see all the tasks you are missing out on when you make the decision.
I will stop there, as this is getting rather wordy, but I hope this gives an idea of some of my views and helps more people decide to cast their vote...
ten more votes!
if this comment serves any help :)
Markov Walker and Dan's senate platform includes an economic stimulus program that we believe this campaign can benefit from. Read over our economic policy, vote for us, and let us know of a task you'd prefer to see funded to collect your stimulus points.
You shouldn't vote for this for stimulus, you should vote because he's an amazing member of the community who has a strong drive, great praxis and goals which you share.
He hasn't been super active lately in praxis, but he still is part of the community and still contributes to this site. Hence he gets my vote, and he should get yours as well
From the task prompt:
Curry political favors from the powerful SFZero Players' Union.
If he doesn't wish to curry favor with our Union and receive his kickback, so be it. Best of luck in your senate run.
vote for platform. how often does that happen? ; ) and slander. much more common.
I know I am not a senator, and with 9 votes still needed in this campaign I may never be, but I hope you will take the time to look at my ideas.
With the rather quick outcome of the most recent campaign, the Order of the Wild Onion have made us aware of flaws in our voting system. Congratulations to them for finding these flaws, and earning their place in the senate. The first time it's a clever trick which no-one had thought of before, but I think we can agree that we don't want repeats of this method. As it stands, anyone could become senator easily, without even the originality of finding the loophole themselves. I could quite easily find 9 friends who would be willing to spend 5 minutes signing up and voting for me, but I'd just be a cheap copycat and would not deserve the senate position.
So I suggest a radical upheaval of the voting system. Firstly, I believe that only players who have reached level 3 or higher should be eligable to vote. You may be thinking this is unfair, but there is a reason why in all good voting systems across the world, there is a minimum voting age. Those who are young lack experience, and do not really know what they are voting for. The same can be said of new players in SF0. They need to experience the game a little before they can understand it.
As I was thinking of solutions, I realised another problem. Senatorship is permanent as it stands, and there are a few senators who are now inactive players. I suggest that at certain intervals, before the beginning of a new era for example, all current senators should stand for re-election. They should create a mini-campaign proving that they are still an active community member. They would not have to recieve a full 25 votes to get back in, maybe 10 or 15. Enough to show that the players of SF0 still support them. I would suggest a 'Shadow Cabinet' badge, or something similar, for inactive players who do not reapply or get re-elected to senate. They would then be free to stand for senate again at any time.
I realise that such a system would probably be difficult to program into game mechanics, and that we would probably have to police the restrictions unofficially. I also realise that it is quite possibly a badly thought-out solution to a problem which may not exist.
will this debacle finally encourage you all to support a candidate who has actual "transparency" ?!
Dear SSI, Please notice this. I know this is just a game and all, but now that members of the senate actually do things (such as vote to revive the newsletter and act as a welcoming committee) we should ensure our elections have some kind of legitimacy. I'm not saying i like all of SG's ideas (or that i dislike everything about MWalkers and Dan's campaign, i think what they did was brilliant politics but shouldn't be repeated) but having an active senate and a shadow cabinet is a great plan. (also, theoretically giving us any kind of power to do things you don't have time for would be rather cool as well.)
Then again, i attach the last sentience of what SG said to this comment. This may be a badly thought out solution to a problem that doesn't exist
So I suggest a radical upheaval of the voting system. Firstly, I believe that only players who have reached level 3 or higher should be eligable to vote. You may be thinking this is unfair
I'm not thinking this is unfair, merely impractical. Voting is what generally gets people up to 3rd level in the first place, so you run into a startup problem at the beginning of the new era, where nobody has the power to vote.
This system could also be gamed, albeit less trivially. Another possibility is to give everyone the ability to vote for the first two weeks of the era, to start a seed of level 3+ players.
Ah, sorry. I've not made myself clear there...
To clarify, when I said the 'voting system' I was refering specifically to the way in which people are voted to senate. I should have been specific about that, and I apologise for any confusion caused. I didn't realise how ambiguous that was when I wrote it.
You are right that the system would be entirely impractical if it were used over the entire game.
I'll check my terminology more carefully next time.
Noted. We could also add a literacy test for Senate voting, and bring back the poll tax (paid to SSI for administration expenses, of course).
The past is quite instructive when it comes to criteria qualified voters ought to have.
Poll tax bad. Mandatory donation by active senators: good idea. Will donate when i get money...
Wow, it is as well.
Although of course the matter of whether non-5 votes count has yet to be clarified...
(Personally I don't think they should, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the votes of those of my lovely supporters who gave me less than 5)
I said this in january i'll say it again
COME ON GUYS! TWO MORE VOTES! THAT'S IT!
SF0 Podcast vote!
Congrats senator! ::pats back and light cigar::
Congratulations!!!!
Can't wait to work with you more!
The fact that I'm featured on both the poster and one of the pieces of music is enough for me!
(That and the rather amusing slander... or is it libel?)