On Fri, Apr 05, 2002 at 10:58:32AM -0500, Ala Qumsieh wrote: > Yanick writes: > > Rally golf. > > Interesting idea. But, you have to precisely define what "ameliorate" means. > Someone can take my 107 solution, and completely re-write it to a > 70-something solution. Is this part of the rules?
I would say it is. If not, trying to judge what is an amelioration would be hell. So yes, this means a team could consist of golfers concentrating on their own solution and ignoring the input of the other members, but I think the best teams would actually adopt a group strategy and merge the best elements of all previous entries. So it could look like (if we suppose we are a team): - I submit a first solution, score of 121. - You had a totally different solution that is better, and go for it, score of 103. - I find your approach more elegant and work on it, change a map for a while and do some black magic, score of 89. - You change a few things, score of 78. - I cannot find anything to improve. Stuck at 78. - You have an epiphany and has a solution of 18 strokes, but the relay is still mine. You urge me to hurry. - I try and try, but can't see anything. Time passes. - Pressure increase. I still can't find anything. I feel the despair of the other half of the team. Only a few hours before the hole is closed. Argh! - YES! I manage to reduce '$very_long_variable_name' to '$one_long_variable_name', shaving a stroke and passing the relay to you. The crowd cheers and goes wild! - And so on, and so forth. :) Joy, `/anick -- The whole secret of life is to be interested in one thing profoundly and in a thousand other things well. - Hugh Walpole