Every four years, Ordinaria adds a "leap year," This has something to do with making the calendar come out even, or making people more jumpy then they are already, but is otherwise useless.
In Cyberia, every four years the citizens have a "calm down" year. During a calm down year, most peole and organizations avoid major changes. Individual citizens don't change jobs, get married, get divorced, etc. Of course, some people claim the need to make exceptions. Special exception courts rule on these requests, and allow people to break the rules by paying a sufficient fine, thus reducing taxes of more orderly citizens.
Companies are not allowed to introduce new products during calm down years; instead they are required to concentrate on making the products they already have perform properly. They are allowed to charge reasonable "maintenance fees" during calm down years (usually no more than 25% of regular charges), but are not allowed to offer "upgrades," or "new models." In fact, during a calm down year, executives of any company using the words, "New and improved!" are sentenced to a year of imprisonment in the penal system. The penalty is doubled for using the words, "Beta test." The penalty is quadrupled for not using the words, "Beta test." when they should have been used.
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Comments: 10
We shall all wait for master Random to reply. It may very well affect my stay in Cyberia, I may decide to take a vacation in Ordinaria.
In Cyberia, we are mostly interested in results. If people have sex quietly, without issue, how is it any body else's business? And if they want to have noisy sex and a child to boot, they just pay their fine, and most other people are happy enough because it's mostly quiet, and taxes are lower. Fits the good enough policy.