From tomj Sun Aug 22 01:55:32 1993
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From: tomj (Tom Jennings)
Message-Id: <9308220855.AA08358@wps.com>
Subject: the dealing thing I mentioned...
To: hughes@cryptoad.ah.com
Date: Sun, 22 Aug 1993 01:55:22 +0000 (WET DST)
Cc: tomj (Tom Jennings)
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL21]
Content-Type: text
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Status: O

Here it is written up.

 - - 


Robust scheme for exchanging goods. Observed firsthand over a period
of months on 16th St.

Three people form a transactional unit: One person holds the goods,
one person holds money collected from customers, another performs
the exchange and is the interface to the customer. These three stand
apart, and to the casual, outside observer do not appear to know
each other.

Customer approaches Interface, and hands over money. Interface
delivers money to Collector. Interface obtains goods from Holder.
Interface returns to customer with goods. Transaction complete.

Design features: works especially well in busy public locations.
Robust with respect to bustability: Interface never holds both
goods and money; nothing wrong with holding money; holding goods
is possesion, not dealing (much lesser crime). Collector only holds
money; nothing illegal there. Holder also only holds, again possession
not dealing.

Positive side effects: if any one component of the triad sees
trouble, they leave, possibly without notifying the others, if
necessary. If the other two see one leave, they each know to split
separately. Three people can watch out very effectively.

Secondary positive side effects: customer deals with one person,
not a group. Holder may hold only the smallest possible amount
(say, the threshold possession/dealer), fetch from a separate
location goods.  Collector can drop off money. If Holder/Collector
keep only minimal amounts, loss from bustage is minimal, and legal
ramification (large quanties == longer sentence) is lessened.

Bad side effects: Interfaces must essentially broadcast their
presence and intent; eye contact, etc. Once Interface is identified,
they must eventually make contact, however brief, with Holder and
Collector, identifying each. Partial solution: change Interface,
Holder and Collector every (1 - N) transactions.

Tertiary positive effects: each logical function can branch as
necessary, with fetches delivering goods or retrieving/storing
money, or watching out.

Sounds like a good deal to me.


How can we apply this elsewhere?

-- 
  Tom Jennings -- tomj@wps.com -- World Power Systems -- San Francisco, Calif.