Instituted at the very outset of competition, this stipulation has since been abandoned, due, in part, to lack of space on the entry form. The idea was to prevent players from entering the names of famous people they were personally acquainted with, and thereby gaining the unfair advantage of inside information about a celebrity’s health. It was also decided, and we quote now from the original entry form, “That would be just a little too weird.” We chose Dave as the single most famous person within our circle of friends. Pretty pathetic, huh?

Well, now that our little game has gone international, everything’s changed, and since the L.A.I.D.P. now includes scores of total strangers, we recognize that the rule has become completely unenforceable. After all, who knows who knows who? Additionally, we decided that we didn’t want to impose our own moral code (correct though it may be) on anyone else. Most of the people we know wouldn’t want to include a dying friend on any of their lists, even if it is for money. Let those that would try and live with themselves.