The Writers' Block

[Australian rePublic]

I have an idea for people who don't want to obey laws they perceive as stupid, but I genuinely don't know where to take it from there because I'm stupid. This is anything from noise pollution laws to water restrictions (in times of drought)

maybe do something with the classic dumb act of not wearing a seat belt, and make it an issue because of increased death rates in crashes due to it. That'd probably have to have a requirement for low intelligence or something. Is intelligence even a stat?

Interesting. Thanks!

[Noahs Second Country]

I have a feeling this may be already an issue, but I might as well ask...

Is there an issue regarding brand name products becoming so common in daily use that people begin to question the brand's rights to the word? I know a few times certain trademarks were revoked due to this irl.

ex, Kleenex or Coke are synonymous with tissues and cola drinks.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Doesn't ring a bell. There's 859 "A Cola by Any Other Name" which is about rights to a brand name, but that's slightly different to what you're describing, I think.

Just stay away from coke/cola on your draft, and you should be fine.

[Bears Armed]

I have an idea for people who don't want to obey laws they perceive as stupid, but I genuinely don't know where to take it from there because I'm stupid. This is anything from noise pollution laws to water restrictions (in times of drought)

maybe do something with the classic dumb act of not wearing a seat belt, and make it an issue because of increased death rates in crashes due to it. That'd probably have to have a requirement for low intelligence or something. Is intelligence even a stat?

There's already one about helmets for motorcyclists...

[Bowzin]

I've heard talks of a GI discord but can't find a working link..anyone wanna help me out

[Makdon]

I've heard talks of a GI discord but can't find a working link..anyone wanna help me out

discord.gg/MqzCPkw should work

[Australian rePublic]

maybe do something with the classic dumb act of not wearing a seat belt, and make it an issue because of increased death rates in crashes due to it. That'd probably have to have a requirement for low intelligence or something. Is intelligence even a stat?

There's already one about helmets for motorcyclists...

Thanks

[Polis Diamonil]

Hey, I had some fun with Issue #626 recently, and I basically ended up being inspired to write up two dispatches about it.

This one about the decision itself:
https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1315094

And this one, about celebrations afterwards:
https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1315094

However, while writing up that first reaction, I noticed something. The research team shouldn't need to cut up volunteers in Polis Diamonil, because Polis Diamonil has citizen vats. The nation can construct brain tissue samples that never were a person for conducting that research. That still has a strong potential heebie-jeebies factor to it, but unlike chopping up disposable citizens for testing purposes, it's safer, more pacifistic, and less rude.

[Trotterdam]

The research team shouldn't need to cut up volunteers in Polis Diamonil, because Polis Diamonil has citizen vats. The nation can construct brain tissue samples that never were a person for conducting that research.

Brain tissue samples that were never used for performing actual thought would probably be of little help in figuring out how the brain works while in use and thus how to copy its functions.

You'd have more luck either trying to figure out a way to perform nondestructive testing of brain functions while in use, or testing on animals first and moving ahead to humans only once you're pretty sure you've got the process right with animals.

[Sensorland]

I'm considering writing up a draft for an issue that can remove the Curfew policy. The basic idea is - a person, out past curfew, witnesses a crime in action, calls the police, and gets arrested themselves for violating the curfew. This sparks a national debate about the fairness of the curfew. Good idea?

[Sedgistan]

I'm considering writing up a draft for an issue that can remove the Curfew policy. The basic idea is - a person, out past curfew, witnesses a crime in action, calls the police, and gets arrested themselves for violating the curfew. This sparks a national debate about the fairness of the curfew. Good idea?

I like it.

[Jutsa]

Not gonna lie I find this amusing, myself.

[Trotterdam]

Many countries offer some degree of protection for people who admit to committing crime in the act of reporting a more serious one. In NationStates, this includes at a minimum nations that chose #1294 3.

[The Free Joy State]

I'm considering writing up a draft for an issue that can remove the Curfew policy. The basic idea is - a person, out past curfew, witnesses a crime in action, calls the police, and gets arrested themselves for violating the curfew. This sparks a national debate about the fairness of the curfew. Good idea?

I like that idea as a possible reversal for curfew. I suggest you write it and see how it comes out.

Many countries offer some degree of protection for people who admit to committing crime in the act of reporting a more serious one. In NationStates, this includes at a minimum nations that chose #1294 3.

Just to allay any concerns: If an issue comes up that's interesting and well-written enough, editors can add policies as absolutely necessary -- not that that is always necessary -- to ensure issues go to the right nations.

That some nations may (and others may not) have previously answered issues in a way that would make an interesting and novel idea inapplicable to some nations should never make an author feel dissuaded from writing.

Our message to authors is always: focus on the writing, and let us worry about any coding that may be needed! The ideas that make you excited are always your best ideas.

[Australian rePublic]

I've noticed that a lot of issues assume that children in poor countries go to school. However, in some countries, most children are too poor to go to school. Can we please look into this?

[Sensorland]

I've noticed that a lot of issues assume that children in poor countries go to school. However, in some countries, most children are too poor to go to school. Can we please look into this?

Seems like it would require a massive overhaul of issues. In many cases, though, it can at least be assumed that the schoolchildren depicted happen to be some of the lucky few whose families can afford to give them an education.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

OTOH, you could write an issue for countries with bad economies and no education spending pointing out that large numbers of children aren't going to school...

[Jutsa]

Frankly more issues surrounding dirt-poor nations would be nice.

In fact, that does inspire me to write an issue about something, though I already have a dozen drafts I'm neglecting can't remember if it's been done.
"that's what YOUR LIST is for" Right. But I feel too lazy to look there before making this post.

[Ehenhet Dralgad]

Thinking about issues for dirt poor economies, I immediately thought of a possible effect line. "@@LEADER@@ is trying to figure out how much of an economy the economy needs." I'm not sure what issue to link it to. I'm sure it could be imagined going many different ways in the effect line jest.

I wandered in here to suggest that thirty decibels is too low for #891. I know that exaggeration is for effect in comedy, but forty decibels would already be exaggerated, since it would have retail establishments operating at the volume of libraries. That's still exaggerated, but since it's no longer inconceivable, it becomes less of the auditory equivalent of carrying around a giant foam ear.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Effect lines are often ridiculous interpretations of a reasonable decision. That's kind of the point, I think.

[Ehenhet Dralgad]

Bit of a transhumanist issue request: could someone write up an issue for technologically advanced nations about rich people reinforcing income inequality by buying themselves better bodies? I thought of this when I read something else-thread (here: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=475174&start=100#wrap ) where it was said that Retail + Health could provide private sector healthcare. If rich people can buy themselves better bodies in technologically advanced nations, that could be an opportunity for a pro-health issue to be founded on private sector activity. It would be especially relevant (limit validity?) for nations which have one of the various flesh-printing technologies represented in the NS metaverse.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

Sleeving lies too far into the realm of science fiction to work well in NS at present. Its one of those technologies that would be so dramatic in its effect on society that around half the issues in the base would be narratively inconsistent with the existing of that technology.

Cancer rates on the rise? Sleeve people to healthy bodies.
Terrorists attack? Why weren't the people backed up?
Immigrants out of jobs? Let them make money by swapping their healthy bodies with older natives.
Crime committed? What if that was someone just wearing that body?

Then you've got a load of other considerations. If you can sleeve someone, why can't you copy them? If you can sleeve someone, why can't you alter that data en route and make the citizens you want?

While it makes for great stories and scifi, it also makes for entirely different sorts of stories from what NS presents.

I guess the obvious question then is "well, what about the issues we have about AIs and vat people?"

Well, for AIs, the rule is that it should never be explicitly clear that AIs actually are sentient, and no AI should be depicted doing or saying anything that is beyond today's technology. Perhaps AIs are giving their well-formed opinions because someone put them there.

For vat people, all we're talking about is babies who are conceived from human eggs and sperm being grown in an ex-vitro environment, which is pretty challenging, admittedly, but possible with today's tech, having been held back for ethical reasons rather than technological ones.

Sleeving, otoh, is well beyond current technology and not plausibly "fakeable", so it doesn't belong in the game.

Actually though, the presence of "AIs" (unproven to be sentient) does allow for some of these issue ideas to be explored in other forms. For example, 715 Copy Rights basically asks about the legality of division of wealth in a transhuman future where copying mindstates is possible. It doesn't matter if the AIs are true AIs are not -- the fact that a nation's laws recognise them as such means such issues could arise.

[Australian rePublic]

I've noticed that a lot of issues assume that children in poor countries go to school. However, in some countries, most children are too poor to go to school. Can we please look into this?

Seems like it would require a massive overhaul of issues. In many cases, though, it can at least be assumed that the schoolchildren depicted happen to be some of the lucky few whose families can afford to give them an education.

Yes, but these issues would mostly apply to the poor

[Australian rePublic]

OTOH, you could write an issue for countries with bad economies and no education spending pointing out that large numbers of children aren't going to school...

Interesting

[SherpDaWerp]

However, this issue could also be a problem without sleeving. You might be able to write an issue around the idea of "rich people can afford better healthcare, so they live longer", without saying that the rich people are buying entire new bodies.