Join the new world

My newspaper began as one that is "primarily about Greece and for just about anything I want to write about, including the non-charts and graphs stuff" and carried the torch for both worlds (personal and political, economic and analytic) after I retired The Underdog's Bark. Since my e-Life is far from over, the title is a bit inappropriate, and some of my plans will be detailed in the last section.

If you stay subscribed just for the economic, statistical, and analytic articles, I appreciate that. The previous one showed you the best jobs in eRepublik, with a manual poll of wage data in all countries in the game. The next one will show you the best export markets in eRepublik, with a manual poll of all the Import and VAT taxes, along with price data for each country. On top of this, I will continue to do what the press should do: I will publish my thoughts, observations, and even a bit of propaganda. It's all in good fun! For the best of both worlds... subscribe!

Be sure to check out my plans at the end for my new website with tools dedicated to eRepublik!



(Yes, I own that t-shirt.) I'm old school. Not in the sense that I'm older than you irl, nor in the sense that I've been in eRepublik longer. No, I mean that I'm an old school gamer. I played on the Tandy 1000 and with the NES and SNES after that. I have been playing computer games avidly since 1985, from Sierra adventure games, to economic simulation games, to TBS and RTS and everything in-between. The only thing I've never picked up is the first-person shooter. Yeah, WoW, been there, done that, left and came back a couple times. My idea of a good time includes long turns on the chess board, reasonably well-written tl;dr articles, and staying up all night talking with eggheads. Past favorites? Civilization of every edition, Master of Orion 2, Capitalism II, Alpha Centauri, Starcraft, Total War, and too many other strategy games.

I have also written a small mountain (yes, making my eRepublik output appear tiny) in the form of posts scattered throughout Usenet, mailing lists, and the blogosphere. I have an article that has been published in a scholarly journal and a website (not the one mentioned below) that has been mentioned in a Wall Street Journal editorial, both of them related to my studies in early church history. My focus in University has been Computer Science and History before "settling" on Mathematics.

I know the attraction of eRepublik: it combines the addictive elements of the RPG in terms of progress and achievement with the obsessive micro-management required of those who wish to understand it fully and make change, then it mixes that with the viral lure of social interaction... all of which can intoxicate the player enough to overlook the bugs, poor interface, and poor support. Yes, I am a true eRepublik fan. I am also fortunate enough to be self-employed and even more fortunate that I can make ends meet without devoting myself full-time, a fact that has allowed me to indulge in more than one "bender" to get the research done for an article.

You have heard me mention Tina Roger before. We know each other in real life for half a year now but not, yet, in person. We are fixing this very soon. On April 20, I will be departing these balmy shores of California and landing in Oslo, Norway to be united with her, not for the last time either. God willing, I intend to immigrate to Norway to be with her. I am, admittedly, a bit eccentric - in a good way, I think.

I also strive for humility... and frequently fall short. 😉



I have been asked the same question many times: why is it that I have made Greece my home in eRepublik? Why not my real-life home (at that time, California) or indeed any other country? For what reason was I born in July 2009 in Central Greece?

The first reason was dislike for the situation in the USA that I perceived then: plagued by political positioning that overshadowed everything else; this was the USA famously described by scrabman. Ironically, that USA is nothing like the one today, but I would not want to join this one either.

That is because of the second reason, which is valid today and always will be. The USA does not lack for leadership or opinion whatsoever, and I have always known that I am an organizer and a persuader by personality. I would add little of value. Many of those in very populous countries should consider contributing to eRepublik from another home. It will mean escape from the cacaphony of a hyperactive national press and entry into a scene where leadership is in strong demand.

But none of this makes sense without the third and most important reason, that I sensed that I could make a real home in Greece, with real friends and real appreciation for my efforts. You can read about this more in my interview with Iphigenia a while back. As you can see, I had also considered locating in China or in Spain. I quickly dismissed the latter, and I came to prefer Greece over China. As I noted then, one important reason is that more people in Greece can understand what I write. I have always appreciated the tolerance - at times, celebration - shown by the people of Greece to those of good-will who participate in this country through the shared medium of English (whether it is a second language for one or, at times, both parties). I am proud that this has continued even today when we are fortunate to have the game translated into Greek, among other languages.

I chose the name "Buck Roger" for being (hopefully) memorable and (perhaps) a bit exotic and a clue of my real-life identity, which I have never hid. I picked the avatar of Marvin the Martian because he is also a space man, like "Buck Rogers," and he has that nice Greek-style helmet. I also am attracted to his sense of ruthless logic. I too like to follow my reasoning wherever it may lead me.

Obviously at this point I am as attached to my virtual home as anyone, and I am glad to remain here with my friends and those who appreciate my work. What work am I talking about?



My early life is brought into review with my article Buck Roger's Greatest Hits published around New Year's Day. In 2009, Buck Roger...

- Predicted that Greece would become a "Top Ten" country measured by experience, a spot that we have (more or less) held ever since.
- I created a modified "Greek battle orders" script that runs the text through Google translator to produce English.
- Wrote a report on the motives of the thousands who had migrated into Greece during WW3 using a survey of 50 of them.
- Wrote a report on changes in the raw materials markets, an enduring interest of mine.
- Wrote a report on how to maximize your damage through improvement of rank and the right selection of Weapons and Gifts.
- Wrote two groundbreaking reports analysing the profitability of every industry and Quality in 27 selected countries. It hit #1 International.
- Wrote a pair of articles dedicated to ways of making money and saving money for the citizen.
- Wrote an article on my ideas for the Economics Module v2... seven months ago! It hit #1 International.
- Wrote a popular guide for surviving "Your First 45 Days" that has been translated into five languages and adapted into English for four other countries.
- Wrote a "Merry Christmas" article in which I gave away 500 GOLD to the Hellenic Depository, 250 GOLD to 250 citizens blindly, and 125 GOLD to charitable initiatives.
- I've also managed to donate to many other governments and warchests of allied nations such as old North Korea, the USA, Croatia, and Israel; for a total over 1500 GOLD for the interests of allied nations and Greece.
- I've actively managed companies for as long as I've been a citizen, but who doesn't? This is why I have always felt that education about the economy, which is so lacking, is so important. The economy are the wheels upon which everything else rolls, and they need the greasing of investors with intelligence.

In 2009, although I could have run more often than I did, I chose to run for congress only once. The reason is simple: at first, I did not believe I had enough experience, and I wanted to establish my reputation as someone who cared for my country, not just another title seeker. And, after my first term in congress, I wanted to two-click, which I did until December. I believe it is completely irresponsible to seek a position in congress or government if you will not be active.



What have I done lately? I have not stopped writing articles in 2010. If anything, the pace has picked up dramatically, winning me my first four Media Mogul medals. By the way, to aspiring journalists: Yes, it is true that the first is the hardest, but it is also true that the second is the one that counts.

- Wrote a guide to "Rules of War Every Greek Should Know."
- With the help of Astra Kat G, gave out 1839 gifts to fighters in the Hello Kitty battle.
- Wrote a guide to using the "incentivized offers."
- Wrote a small thesis on the situation for Houses and Wood taxes at the time.
- Wrote "Save the Game, Spain!" to give eRepublik free advertising for its jobs. It hit #1 International.
- Wrote two articles for China, one of admiration and one of encouragement.
- Wrote a pair of articles for Croatia and Romania and, during Prekmurje, an article of support.
- Wrote "Graduate to Become a Two-Dozen Clicker," which hit Top 5 International, purely on its merit.
- Wrote an article suggesting that "Lanaflation" will correct itself, not anticipating the Wellness changes that would intervene first.
- Wrote an interview with CybeRNerO and an article of support for Constantinos.
- Wrote an article in which I pledged to provide funds to help Israel secure strong MPP's. Then provided them. Then, with less fanfare, helped them renew the MPP with Poland a few days ago.
- Wrote "The Economy: Past, Present, and Future" with uncanny accuracy for the effects of the Wellness changes in terms of the importance of Food and Houses. The (relative) decline of Iron is already underway.
- Wrote "A Guide for the Perplexed" to young Greek citizens.
- Wrote the tongue-in-cheek "Answer to All Our v1 Problems" in the brief, shining v1 moment in which Q5 Tickets were viable.
- Ended up giving away 3400 Gifts, 1700 Q3 Food, and a Q5 House... free.
- Asked the admin to Change the Business Model. Their response is forthcoming.
- Told you about the Best Jobs in the New World with data culled from all countries.
- Am about to tell you the best places to export your goods - any industry, any quality, find out the best market for export.

In January of 2010, I accepted the most daunting feat of organization, planning, and just plain work that I had ever undertaken, and it took me two months. Heretofore, I tried to avoid party politics entirely because it did not sit well with my own beliefs about the role of politics in eRepublik. I believe that every party and especially the top five parties, charged with responsibility over forming the congress, should endeavor to use the party as a tool for the improvement of their country. The preservation and expansion of the party's influence is merely a means to that overriding purpose, not an end in itself. Sitting at sixth place, it would have been impossible to participate in party elections with my own chosen party, GIP, the second-oldest party in Greece and the one to which I had always belonged. GIP was, moreover, uniquely positioned as a party that has never made identifications with real-life politics (whether left, right, up or down) and thus could be imbued with new life with an e-political philosophy that I endeavored to develop in a series of articles in GIP News and my own newspaper.

Armed with the ideas that are the sine qua non of any political movement, sheer effort and practical solutions drove the party to quadruple in membership and sit third on the lists. Believing firmly that this helped the party grow and also helped Greece and, thus, shot down two birds with one stone, I have given away Weapons, Gifts, Food, and Moving Tickets to all Greeks in the manner of charity: everyone is welcome. In the end, however, the real drive for membership came from the comprehensive PM campaign undertaken first by me and then, in zest, continued by Tina for several weeks. In the end we reached over 2000 young Greeks with our messages, directing them to guides and offering help, having started before there was a similar spectacular initiative taken up by the Ministry of New Players. Along the way the party picked up help in the form of new leadership along with the new members: Ektonosiakos, Makedonissa, Megalexandros, and CybeRNerO, just to name a few.

Handing over the reigns to Ektonosiakos, I am quite relieved to be extricated from the Party President role, as it has given me more time to devote myself to the work that I have done on behalf of the Greek state. I have served for some time now as the ambassador to the USA, to Canada, and to Ireland. For a while, I was an aide to the Ministry of Defense, and most recently I have come upon the administration position that I have most enjoyed, that of the Minister of Trade. In it I have organized the agenda for an ambitious 8 point discussion of economic policy that drew in 40 Greeks and lasted a good two hours (and a bad half hour!). I would like to continue in the post another month to pursue the discussion further.

It's coming... the website!



Archimedes said, "Give me a place to stand and I will move the Earth." I think the same way. Where others see only problems and impossibilities, I see their causes and possible solutions. It's a habit of thinking that I've never shaken and choose to embrace.

My most ambitious plan at present is the development of my eRepublik website, uncreatively titled buckroger.com, which will have truly useful eRepublik tools for the citizen, for the company manager, for the government, and for the opinion maker.

For the citizen, my aim is to provide the same data that I did in the last article: job offers, sorted helpfully to allow the competitive worker to get a better wage with consideration to the changing data, exchange rate, and various income taxes.

For the company manager, I have a few goodies. First, I want to integrate the job offer data in order to provide company holders with information at a glance on when to place their job offers and at what skill; moreover, where to look for future investment opportunities. Second, I want to combine that information with a company calculator that offers evaluation of profitability and ways to improve it, including when to sell. Third, I obviously need to poll the API for market data, and this will give company holders and potential investors information on the best markets for export, like that in the next article.

For the government and its need for data, but after the initial efforts above, I intend to make full use of the company API, in ways that they never have been before, in order to provide the most reliable data possible about the active citizens of a country; what their Wellness is, what their professions are, what companies they work in, what their citizenship is, what their region is, and more. A veritable goldmine for analysis and "outreach" work.

For the opinion maker, I would offer the same thing that governments view, but for every country.

There is one problem that has held back much of this work, and that is the manual data entry required for two sets of data; first, the various taxes of the governments and their changes over time; second, the job offers of companies. Neither are in the API, and eRepublik has backed off supporting the development of the API for a long time. Scanning the website directly is illegal. And so I've decided on something both legal and beneficial; I will have those who enter this data paid in GOLD. This is not entirely magnanimous, as the company manager, government, and opinion maker will need to pay fees in order to access all the data that they need. The full details will be revealed as the project unfolds.

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