Re: What would make you believe?

On Tue, 12 Feb 2008 18:54:00 -0600, Michael Ash <mike@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

>Wildepad <noreplies> wrote:
>>>You act as if $1 is extremely hard to acquire in the modern world. 
Walk 
>>>up to someone and ask for it.  

>> That's a complete non-starter. 

>> In some areas, shopkeepers immediately contact the police if they see
>> someone panhandling. Is this one of those areas? There is no way of
>> knowing.

>> In some areas, neighborhood watch people report any strangers who walk
>> into the area without seeming purpose. Is this one of those areas?
>> There is no way of knowing.

>> etc. etc. etc. 

>> While the total chance of the contact person being approached by the
>> police is probably less than 0.1%, any such incident would be fatal.
>> Without a traceable id, and speaking less than fluent English, he
>> would be detained, missing his mark for the transit home. 

>Some people call the police when an obviously insane person shows up at 
>their doorstep.

>I would wager that the odds of having that happen are quite a bit higher 
>than the odds of getting arrested for panhandling, especially if you try 
>several different places trying to find someone who doesn't slam the door

>in your face.


Well, possibly not in the alternate universe Wildepad comes from.  And 
it's pretty clear that the first paratemporal scouts to these parts were
riding the short bus.  Or maybe they were just lazy.  Either way, that's
what you get for letting the civil service handle the job - in any time
or dimension :-)

But, I think we're pretty close to the optimal way for any *competent*
batch of time-meddlers to handle the scenario.  Arrive.  Walk around
asking for a dollar bill, until you get one.  If someone does call the
cops first, be obsequiosly deferential and wait for them to get bored
with you, then start over a few miles away.

Actually, keep it up until you get *two* dollars.  Then go to a store
and buy, one winning lottery ticket, an envelope, and a pen.  Pay cash,
keep your head down, walk away and don't look back.  

Right after the lottery is called and your ticket has won, put the ticket
in the envelope and write "To [X]: This is important, really.  A friend",
by hand.  Do not seal the envelope.  Then walk over to your target's home
and put the envelope in his mailbox, or slide it under the door.

The end.

Minimal risk of exposure, minimal risk of rejection, no face-to-face
interaction with anyone who has reason to remember you five minutes
later, and even if your target does go public with the tale of how he
wound up with the winning ticket, this version is a lot less specific
and a lot less suspicious.


-- 
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*Member:AIAA,NRA,ACLU,SAS,LP       *  is worth doing for money"     *
*Chief Scientist & General Partner *    -13th Rule of Acquisition   *
*White Elephant Research, LLC      * "There is no substitute        *
*John.Schilling@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
     *  for success"                  *
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