NationStates Jolt Archive

I reckon everyone got this issue eh? :D


World to End, or Possibly Just Mark Anniversary

The Issue
Along with the rest of the world, the citizens of Parratoga has been stunned by the revelation of a small team of geophysical philosophers that the world turns exactly one year old today, as measured by what they call "RL units".
The Debate
1. "Frankly, I saw this coming -- all the signs of the Apocalypse are here," says local community leader Randy Hanover. "Moral standards are falling, the government is making increasingly erratic decisions, and people are neglecting their work to play bizarre political simulation games on the internet. There's only one sensible reaction: declaring a state of emergency, sending out the military, and shooting curfew breakers until the crisis is over."
[Accept]
2. "With respect, I don't think falling moral standards are the problem," says cubicle dweller and Slashdot karma god Buffy Spirit. "The issue is what's going to happen to our computers if the world clock ticks over from 0 to 1. This Y1 problem, as I call it, could be devastating for our IT industry unless it's tackled swiftly. And by tackled swiftly, I mean given a massive injection of public money."
[Accept]
3. "Why panic when you should be partying?" says Billy-Bob Dodinas, not completely soberly. "It's the first birthday of the world, man -- let people go nuts! If the government has a shred of decency, they'll order the cops to back off and let people really enjoy this incredible moment in history."
[Accept]
4. "This is neither a time for clamping down, nor, as they say, going off," says religious leader Gregory Longbottom. "Rather, we should encourage people to reflect on the great mysteries of life. For example, what is God, to each of us? What is the true meaning of faith? And is the world around us reality, or are we instead living inside a simulated reality that exists only the amusement of beings we cannot even imagine?"
[Accept]
5. "Well, I know what I'll be doing," says obscure author and Perl amateur Max Barry. "Sitting at home with a good book! Jennifer Government, for instance, is a cracking read. And I hear that some of the profits go into maintaining a cool web game. But of course, that's just my opinion. People should celebrate however they want."
[Accept]
The Government Position
The government has yet to formalize a position on this issue.

no, it shall be repeated next week, and every week after that. :P

I havent got my issue (yet) :(

And I want to pick three of those choices (IT / Y1, Party, and buy JG). No fair.

I suppose I should say "Har har, Max..."

Wolfsreich chose option #5, and our timber industry has been alerted to an imminent uptick in demand for paper as we get a special edition printing of Jennifer Government ready for consumption by all Wolfsreich's human and rodent citizens.

Rock on, NationStates...Happy Birthday to the World!

its hillarious

But my West Pacific nation has gotten it. Not the East pacific one, though.

*twitch*So thats what it feels like to be updated.

~Naleth

I wonder, what would choosing number five do? Any ideas?

well I dunno about you guys, but I'm shooting curfew breakers 8)

Not even the mod squad knew the details on this one! [violet] told us that the word from on high was that there'd be a special worldwide issue today, but didn't give us any details!

I nearly fell off my computer chair laughing :lol:

It's a great issue!

I couldn't stop laughing.

Good stuff. I'm with Max. Celebrate by doing a bongload and reading JG, which, by the way I will be buying now that I have my credit cards paid up. *frolics*

Everyone in the PC pool thought I was crazy, because I had to laugh really loud. Great issue! (BTW: The book JG is also great)

BEST. ISSUE. EVER!

BEST. ISSUE. EVER!

Indeed!

<---- selects option 5

Glad you like it! :D

Did option 5 as well. 1 would be more my normal style, but I had to have fun with this one. Who knows, bet my book publishing industry even gets a boost.

I have some puppets with five back issues and in vacation mode and they all got seem to have gotten it. I've never seen a "you have 6 outstanding issues before. Needless to say with about as many puppets as Corinthe now, I'll have a supply of this issue to tide me over for months. :twisted:

Yeah, that's pretty cool. I chose 5; does that mean every home must possess a copy of JG or just that people can celebrate however?

I wish that I had never received this issue.

I wish that I had never received this issue.
Why do you hate it so much?

I hated "DEAT.exe" and "Order of the Violet" (or whatever it was), so what makes you think I would like this? :o

I hate things that break the fourth wall. And this isn't just breaking the fourth wall, it's tossing a grenade at it, crashing through it with a tank, and tossing the shattered pieces into an incinerator.

I was forced to select 1 so as not to compromise my strength in the global military rankings. I wanted to have an all oot pahty.

i got that issue today.(14th november 2003)

]Glad you like it! :D

Loved the effect too.

What a chance to suck up.

:oops: Like I did. But only because it was the most reasonable option. We all know the world is four point something billion years old, and some team of wackos coming up with "RL units" isn't going to change my mind. Which means I will be doing what I always do - visiting my best friend, eating dinner, talking on the phone, doing homework, and then reading before bed.

Option #5 seems to most resemble that.

Excellent... that issue > else.

w00t for [violet]!!!

What a chance to suck up.

:oops: Like I did. But only because it was the most reasonable option. We all know the world is four point something billion years old, and some team of wackos coming up with "RL units" isn't going to change my mind. Which means I will be doing what I always do - visiting my best friend, eating dinner, talking on the phone, doing homework, and then reading before bed.

Option #5 seems to most resemble that.
Now you are meesing up NS- and RL- world!

I choose option 1, whilst my enemies have a party, my Arms industry expands ever more...

BTW hello Eizen, how is Edge of Space doing?

Did anyone choose options 2 or 4? I'm curious to see what they did...

I chose 2.

"over-inflated fears of a "Y1" bug have turned humble IT workers into millionaires"

i chose it to boost my economy. It's gone up a little

I choose option 1, whilst my enemies have a party, my Arms industry expands ever more...

BTW hello Eizen, how is Edge of Space doing?

Doing quite well actually, all nations appear to be prospering and Eizen's military rankings are higher than ever, hoping to crack the top 100 soon.

Did anyone choose options 2 or 4? I'm curious to see what they did...
Yeah, I think "residents firmly believe there is no spoon" is what came from that issue. I hated the Matrix, but meh. Pretty darn cool issue.

Matrix references are a sure sign that NS has started going downhill. :)

Did anyone choose options 2 or 4? I'm curious to see what they did...

I choose 2, but then again, I'm an IT whore.

I don't understand how spoons are related to the Matrix.

I don't understand how spoons are related to the Matrix. 'There is no spoon' is a sentence, which was used in the first film.

I don't understand how spoons are related to the Matrix.
Have you seen the movie? It's one of the more well known Matrix quotes. And it fits the issue, too, our citizens don't really exist, they're just living in a "simulated reality" like in the Matrix.

---Post deleted by NationStates Moderators---

I didn't like it and ended up dismissing it

I didn't think it broke the fourth wall anymore than the RL Earth hitting 2K did.

Our citizens are leaving the "first age" and entering the "second age." It's just part of their calendar. It just happens to coincide with a much faster version of ours. 8)

I think it was a spectacular issue, and we should have more worldwide events (SARS/new vaccine, general golobal economic upturn/downturn, discovery of a new resource/ running out of an old one.) thousands of possibiliies.

- Sim, diplomat of the Malarkies

I didn't think it broke the fourth wall anymore than the RL Earth hitting 2K did.
I don't think all of this could have happened in one "year." :o

Why is there no spoon?

Why is there no spoon?

It seems Max rather liked the Matrix...

I don't think all of this could have happened in one "year."

Our citizens are leaving the "first age" and entering the "second age." It's just part of their calendar. It just happens to coincide with a much faster version of ours. 8)

What a chance to suck up.

:oops: Like I did. But only because it was the most reasonable option. We all know the world is four point something billion years old, and some team of wackos coming up with "RL units" isn't going to change my mind. Which means I will be doing what I always do - visiting my best friend, eating dinner, talking on the phone, doing homework, and then reading before bed.

Option #5 seems to most resemble that.
Now you are meesing up NS- and RL- world!

This thing is supposed to resemble the RL world, right?

Our citizens are leaving the "first age" and entering the "second age." It's just part of their calendar. It just happens to coincide with a much faster version of ours. 8)
Didn't the issue say something about the world turning one year old? :?

Our citizens are leaving the "first age" and entering the "second age." It's just part of their calendar. It just happens to coincide with a much faster version of ours. 8)
Didn't the issue say something about the world turning one year old? :?

...stunned by the revelation of a small team of geophysical philosophers that the world turns exactly one year old today, as measured by what they call "RL units".

So they discovered a new measuring unit.

But, more importantly, how realistic is anything on this site?

But, more importantly, how realistic is anything on this site?


:shock: you mean this game's not real??? :wink:

But, more importantly, how realistic is anything on this site?
Quite realistic; rather, nearly everything except for this particular issue.

Option #4 was about contemplating whether the world was really a vast virtual reality... hence the Matrix ref. 8)

rather, nearly everything except for this particular issue.
So 1 "RL unit" equals 4 billion years. No problem!

]Option #4 was about contemplating whether the world was really a vast virtual reality... hence the Matrix ref. 8)
I got it, I just am not a huge fan of the Matrix. I have to admit I didn't understand Revolutions at all.

So lemme get this:

The option 1 curfew increases military, simple enough...

The Y1 bug option 2 boosts economy and IT, sure...

The great big party option 3 boosts... what?

The life contemplation option 4 boosts ... hmm, contentment?

option 5 the book option obviously boosts education and intelligence.

So, anyone wanna clarify the actual effects of option 3 and 4? I knew my guys had a nice big party :)

We have lined up and shot the protestors.
If this "Jennifer"book is behind the unrest, our agents will find a way to put a stop to it.

]rather, nearly everything except for this particular issue.
So 1 "RL unit" equals 4 billion years. No problem!
Then why did the issue state that the world turned 1 "year" old, and not 1 "RL unit" old?

]rather, nearly everything except for this particular issue.
So 1 "RL unit" equals 4 billion years. No problem!
Then why did the issue state that the world turned 1 "year" old, and not 1 "RL unit" old?

...stunned by the revelation of a small team of geophysical philosophers that the world turns exactly one year old today, as measured by what they call "RL units".

Touché.

The great big party option 3 boosts... what?
Happyness of the citizens?

Good stuff. I'm with Max. Celebrate by doing a bongload and reading JG, which, by the way I will be buying now that I have my credit cards paid up. *frolics*

Good Idea.