al said:
> Keep track of "awards" for the year, then
> donate any resulting money to PG.
hmm...
any impulse toward charity is a good one...
and i won't chalk that up to self-interest,
even though you're a principle in p.g., al,
because i'm pretty sure you're a volunteer,
and you've donated a big slice of your life
to the cause, and i give full credit for that...
but the money i'm awarding already _will_
benefit p.g., by making its listserve better.
and besides, i have also liked the fact that
michael hart built p.g. not to need money.
(it's so hard to speak of him in past-tense.)
so there's a reluctance to give p.g. money...
the other thing is that p.g. isn't really my
favorite charity. i very much like 826-l.a.,
an organization nurturing young writers.
still, i like the general idea.
the overwhelming objection, however, is
that i already put the cash in the pockets
of the people who will post the messages.
the money has been promised to _them_.
so i can't now take it out of their pockets
and give it to project gutenberg "instead".
that would be like the "white man" who
broke all his promises to the "indians"...
i just can't do that.
but like i said, i still like the idea.
so here's what i'll do...
i'll give people a _choice_ between:
1. receiving their money as promised, or
2. opting instead to donate it to charity...
if they decide to donate their prize-money,
i'll _increase_ it by 50% (so $2 becomes $3)
and then split it between p.g. and 826-l.a,
so p.g. will get $1.50, and likewise 826-l.a.
transparent accounting will be done here:
> http://z-m-l.com/misc/gutvold_positivity.html
and yes, i'll give al his $2 prize for that post.
-bowerbird