Editing Alt.gothic Alcohol Transfer Engine

== _alt.gothic Alcohol Transfer Engine [agATE]_ RFC==

== As devised by [[User:erithomycin | erith, Scientific Factologist, and Specifistician]] ==

== Description ==

agATE is a simple process. Let us suppose that Alice and Bob have a shared
secret. No, wait. Erm. goth(a)<ref>e.g. Absinthe Fabricat Cardiac</ref> wishes to buy goth(b)<ref>e.g. Bier Of Sorrows</ref> a drink. goth(a) and
goth(b) are unlikely to be at the same event in the near future, but both
know goth(c)<ref> e.g. Charlotte Octal </ref><ref> Look, i'm doing my best here. it is about process, not names.</ref> will be seeing goth(a) and then goth(b) soon.

So, goth(a) acquires a stone<ref>No, really - some kind of rock or a marble or something, a physical token. [[AgLET | an agLET]] ([[AgLET | alt.gothic Libatory Encounter Token]]) is an acceptable substitute. I might even make some for distribution...</ref>, buys goth(c) a drink, and sends goth(b) the
stone. When goth(b) sees goth(c) they give goth(c) the stone, and goth(c)
buys goth(b) a drink. For validation purposes, goth(a) has supplied goth(c)
with a picture of the stone, if not a counterpart.<ref>agLET's may, for example, be a key and a lock. this is not just about working, but about being exclusionary and elitist. think of these as our very own round TUITs.</ref> goth(a) has, for all
intents and purposes, purchased a drink for goth(b), and goth(c) not only
has a story from it, but a token of their participation in the transaction.

== Process ==

To recap -

{| 
| A wishes to buy B a drink. || A --intent-->  B
|-
| A is able to buy C a drink. || A  -means-->  C
|-
|C is (or will be) able to buy B a drink. || C  -means-->  B
|-
|A sends a token to B. || A  -agLET-->  B
|-
|A buys a drink for C. || A  --*pint*--->  C
|-
|B gives token to C.  || B  -agLET-->  C
|-
|C buys a drink for B.  || C  --*pint*--->  B
|-
|Through process then, || A  --*pint*--->  B
|-
| || A  -agLET-->  C
|-
| || Happiness abounds. 
|}

== [[AgLET | agLET]] Conceptualization ==

Frequent travellers within the gothic subculture may find themselves laden
with [[AgLET | agLETs]]. Ensuring that they have a means to be transported,
personalising them, or otherwise ensuring that goth(C) has an interest in
displaying said token/agLET just makes the scheme better.

A draft agLET speculation follows:

an agLET (alt.gothic Libatory Encounter Token) should be:

# unique
# such that it can be sent in a standard airmail envelope
# recognisable from a digital photograph/description/similar

the following qualities of an agLET are preferred:

# made out of rock
# capable of being attached to a cord, keychain, or lanyard
# shiny

improvements to the agLET specification may include:

# recyclability
# inherent addressability (as with Gothic Internal Mail Protocol)
# sustainability
# jangly

== Footnotes ==
<references />