The Great Mac Express Train Race - Race Journal

The Macadamia Light Rail

The Macadamia Light Rail started with the following resources earned by the tribal member specified:

Coal: 125 lbs (Moe), 525 lbs (Julie), 451 lbs (Moe), 539 lbs (*Moe [Julie])
Gold: 466 bars (Julie), 293 bars (¬Mark), 200 bars (¬Mark)
Cotton: 690 cubic ft (Mark), 641 cubic ft (*Mark[Judd])
Redwood: 344 logs (Julie), 465 logs (Julie), 527 logs (Mark)
Mac Software: $366 (Julie), $377 (Mark), $276 (Moe), $566 (Julie)
Mac Hardware: $5530 (Moe), $1600 (Moe), $6720 (Moe), $5090 (¬Mark)

* Indicates this was a retrieved hidden resource, double value applied
¬ Discovered lost resource
[name] Indicate resource was stolen from "name"

• San Francisco Trade Depot
  • Trade 500 redwood logs for 200 bars of gold
  • Trade 800 cubic ft cotton for $4000 of Mac hardware
    
    
• Nevada
  • Exhausts 130 lbs of coal
  • Nevada offers 100 lbs of coal for $1000 of Mac hardware
  • Trades $4000 of Mac hardware for 400 lbs of coal ($18940 Mac hardware left, 1910 lbs coal)
  • Train heads to Utah
    
    
• Utah
  • Exhausts 350 lbs of coal (1560 remaining)
  • Utah's religious nature puts the Macadamia's to a test:

    "When booting the Mac, what key combinations do you press to do the following:
    Start up without extensions?
    Rebuild the desktop?
    Zap the PRAM?
    Have all previously open windows be closed?"

   

  • Mark answers the questions correctly (Shift, command-option, command-option-p-r, option)
  • The Macadamias bed down for the send expending 5 gold bars (1154 remaining)
  • Utah offers $3000 Mac Hardware in exchange for 100 Redwood logs
  • 700 redwood logs trade for $21,000 of Mac Hardware (136 logs remain, $39940 Mac hdwr)
  • Light Rail proceeds to Colorado
    
    
• Colorado
  • Unbalanced load and winter conditions cause train wreck in Rockies
  • $15,000 Mac hardware damaged ($24,940 left)
  • 100 bars gold spent for repairs (1054 bars left)
  • Train towed to Denver (time delay)
  • Train arrives at Denver, repairs still ongoing, 200 lbs coal exhaust before wreck (1360 lbs left)
  • Repairs are completed, Colorado offers 100 Redwood logs for 25 bars of gold
  • 125 bars of gold traded for 500 Redwood logs (929 gold left, 626 logs)
  • Train heads to Kansas
    
    
• Kansas
  • Coal exhausted is 660 lbs (700 remain)
  • Kansas offers 100 lbs coal for $1500 Mac hardware.

    (The normal trade is 100 lbs coal for $1000 Mac hardware, but because Kansas was capitalizing on the Pomorum's need for coal, and since both trains are in Kansas at the same time, the politically correct thing to do was make the same offer to both trains)

   

  • $19,500 Mac hardware traded for 1300 lbs of coal ($5,440 left, 2000 lbs of coal)
  • Next stop: Missouri
    
    
• Missouri
  • The Show Me challenge:

    1. What is the 2-word terminology for the ratio between the physical movement of the mouse on your mouse pad and the movement of the pointer on your monitor?
    
    2. Which OS version did the Web Sharing control panel debut?
    
    3. With the advent of Open Transport, which control panels replaced MacTCP and Network?

   

  • Mark answered correctly (Mouse Tracking, OS 8.0, Appletalk & TCP/IP)
  • Coal expended: 150 lbs (1850 lbs left)
  • No trade requested in Missouri
  • Next stop: Kentucky
    
    
• Kentucky
  • Coal expended on trip: 600 lbs (1250 lbs left)
  • Offers cotton for fuel, but no fuel to be had
  • On to Virginia
    
    
• Virginia
  • Coal exhausted: 500 lbs (750 lbs left)
  • Offers gold for fuel, but no fuel to be had
  • On to Maryland
    
    
• Maryland
  • Trip to Annapolis takes 100 lbs of coal (650 lbs left)

    This is the end of the line for the Macadamia Light Rail. The Mac Hardware must be shipped to the White House by way of Maryland Freight.
    
    Maryland Official:
    "For use of our freight trucks and enough coal to make your return trip, we require 500 lbs of brick. I understand that you are to present a Mac system to the president upon your arrival. I recommend you putting that system together prior to us making that trip."
    
    Macadamia tasks:
    1. Using dispatch, determine how to obtain 500 lbs of brick.
    2. Using Mac software and hardware resources, design a system, including software, to bring to the President.

   

  • Delaware offers dispatch: 100 cubic feet of cotton or 100 Redwood logs or for 50 lbs of brick.
  • Maryland will run dispatch for 50 bars of gold for each 50 lbs of brick.
  • Macadamias makes a web order

    (1) G4 w/OS 9, 256 MB SDRAM, 56k internal modem, dual 450MHz G4 processors,
    Airport Card, 40GB Ultra ATA drive, DVD-ROM drive ($2998)
    (1) Apple 17" Studio Display ($499)
    (1) iBook 366Mhz indigo, 10GB Ultra ATA, Airport Card, 64MB SDRAM ($1598)

   

  • Remaining Mac Hardware resource: $345

    (1) Microsoft Office 2001 ($459)
    (1) Virtual PC 3.0 ($179)
    (1) Norton AntiVirus 6.0 ($69)
    (1) Stuffit Deluxe 5.5 ($74)
    (1) MacLinkPlus Deluxe ($89)
    (1) Retrospect Express ($49)
    (1) Quicken 2001 Deluxe ($59)
    (1) SoundJam MP Plus ($49)
    (1) IBM ViaVoice ($79)
    (1) The Sims - Aspyr ($49)
    (1) Fireworks 3.0 ($189)

   

  • Remaining Mac Software resource: $241
  • Trade 500 ft cotton, 500 logs, and 500 bars of gold to dispatch 500 lbs of brick from Delaware
  • Freight takes Macadamia to White House

Read the Press Release to see what happened at the White House!

The Pomorum Express

Coal: 513 lbs (Kent), 296 lbs (Kent), 313 lbs (Kent), 496 lbs (*Jay)
Gold: 475 bars (Kent), 562 bars (¬Jay), 200 bars (¬Jay)
Cotton: 169 cubic ft (Jay), 185 cubic ft (Jay), 516 cubic ft (Jay), 346 cubic ft (*Kent), 412 cubic ft (*Kent[Joann]), 179 cubic ft (*Kent[Mark])
Redwood: 423 logs (Jay), 607 logs (*Kent[Thomas])
Mac Software: $549 (Jay)
Mac Hardware: $4900 (Jay), $6590 (Joann), $4190 (Kent), $3250 (*Jay[Moe])

* Indicates this was a retrieved hidden resource, double value applied
¬ Discovered lost resource
[name] Indicate resource was stolen from "name"

• San Francisco Trade Depot
  • Trade 400 cubic ft of cotton for 100 lbs of coal
    
    
• Arizona
  • Bandits steal 200 gold bars near Mexican border (1037 bars left)
  • Arizona requires test to enter state
  • Train docks in Phoenix, offers trade of 100 lbs coal for $300 Mac software
  • Train exausts 650 lbs of coal (1068 lbs left)
  • Trades $300 Mac software for 100 lbs coal (1168 lbs coal left, $249 Mac software left)
    
    
• New Mexico
  • Santa Fe tracks expedite trip, burn less coal
  • Santa Fe authorities require no quiz
  • New Mexico offers $1000 Mac Hardware for each 100 cubic feet of cotton
  • Train exhausts 250 lbs of coal (918 lbs left)
  • Trade 500 cubif feet of cotton for $5000 of Mac Hardware (907 cotton left, $23930 hardware)
    
    
• Oklahoma
  • Stopped by State Troopers

    "You must prove your intentions before we can let you enter Oklahoma City", shouted a state trooper. "What is the proper method of disabling At Ease? What will happen to your Mac if you do not disable At Ease properly, and instead drag the At Ease files to your trash? Answer these questions and prove your worth, and then will we let you pass into Oklahoma City."

   

  • Joann answers correctly (Use Control Panel, could crash hard drive)
  • 400 lbs of coal expended (518 lbs left)
  • Trade offer is 600 cubic feet of cotton for 100 Redwood logs
  • Room and food for the night expends 5 bars of gold (1032 bars left)
  • Off to Kansas City, Kansas
    
    
• Kansas
  • Coal exhausted on trip: 365 lbs (153 lbs left)
  • Kansas offers 100 lbs coal for $1500 Mac hardware.

    (Rumor has it that their normal trade is 100 lbs coal for $1000 Mac hardware, but noticing that your coal supply is down low, officials appear to be capitalizing on the situation)

   

  • $13,500 Mac hardware traded for 900 lbs of coal ($10,430 left, 1053 lbs of Coal)
  • Next stop: Missouri
    
    
• Missouri
  • The Show Me challenge:

    1. What is the 2-word terminology for the ratio between the physical movement of the mouse on your mouse pad and the movement of the pointer on your monitor?
    
    2. Which OS version did the Web Sharing control panel debut?
    
    3. With the advent of Open Transport, which control panels replaced MacTCP and Network?

   

  • Kent Answered correctly (Mouse Tracking, OS 8.0, Appletalk & TCP/IP)
  • Coal expended: 100 lbs (953 lbs left)
  • Missouri gives clue for being first with correct answer: Maryland needs bricks!
  • Missouri offers 200 lbs of cotton for $500 of Mac software
  • Speed through to Tennessee (no trade requested)
    
    
• Tennessee
  • Coal expended on trip: 400 lbs of coal (553 lbs left)
  • Offers 100 lbs of brick for 500 redwood logs
  • 1000 logs traded for 200 lbs of brick (30 logs left, 200 lbs brick into Car 6, train unbalanced)
  • Move to Virginia
    
    
• Virginia
  • Coal expended: 550 lbs (3 lbs of coal left)
  • Richmond official:

    "Maryland has a surplus of coal. If you like, we'd be happy to send a dispatch to Maryland to pick you up some coal. Say, 100 cubic feet of cotton and $2000 of Mac Hardware in exchange for 100 lbs of coal? Interested in a trade?"

   

  • Pomorum make the trade (103 lbs of coal, 807 ft cotton, $8,430 Mac hardware)
  • Next stop: Maryland
    
    
• Maryland
  • Trip to Annapolis takes 100 lbs of coal (3 lbs left)

    This is the end of the line for the Pomorum Express. The Mac Hardware must be shipped to the White House by way of Maryland Freight.
    
    Maryland Official:
    "For use of our freight trucks and enough coal to make your return trip, we require 500 lbs of brick. I understand that you are to present a Mac system to the president upon your arrival. I recommend you putting that system together prior to us making that trip."
    
    Pomorum tasks:
    1. Using dispatch, determine how to obtain 300 additional lbs of brick.
    2. Using Mac software and hardware resources, design a system, including software, to bring to the President.

   

  • Delaware offers dispatch (100 cubic feet of cotton for 50 lbs of brick).
  • Maryland will run dispatch for 50 bars of gold for each 50 lbs of brick.
  • Pomorum makes a web order

    (1) G4 Cube w/OS 9 ($1795)
    (1) 512 MB RAM add-on ($404)
    (1) Apple Cinema Display ($3994)
    (1) Imation Floppy Drive ($80)

   

  • Remaining Mac Hardware resource: $2157

    (1) Unreal Tournament ($35)
    (1) Quake 3 ($45)
    (1) Now Contact/Up-to-date ($90)

   

  • Remaining Mac Software resource: $79
  • Trade 600 ft cotton and 300 bars of gold to dispatch 300 lbs of brick from Delaware
  • Freight takes Pomorum to White House

Read the Press Release to see what happened at the White House!