I think it is much less bogus than you think. Yes, price would change if a large number sell or buy, perhaps that would be more of a statement on liquidity than bogusness.

At anytime, all shareholders are able to sell their shares at the market price, therefore anyone still owning believes the price is at or less than it's true value, likewise anyone has the option to buy at the current price so (barring non-idealities) everyone else thinks the price is potentially higher than its true value, therefore market capitalization is much less bogus as it is the price where there is balance between people's capital put towards buying and selling bets on the true value (of course lots of assumptions: low transaction costs, ignoring tax treatment, spherical cows, etc, etc).

I agree this would certainly be better than an outright ban on price gouging, though I don't understand the advantage over not treating disasters differently.

The larger the tax base, ceteris peribus, the less distortionary the tax, so if you want more money for the poor during disasters, just raise normal sales/income/or property tax rate an amount to equal the revenue needed to help poorer people in disasters, and then don't have the more heavily distortionary high tax that only applies to disasters. As an added plus, doing it this way avoids a high tax when adherance is lower and may be more popular than an onerous tax when goods are at their most expensive.

This seems like the kind of thing that could be hosted in a place like Próspera. I believe the ZEDE law was very recently repealed, but I have yet to hear that the Próspera project is stopping and the constitutional amendment could be repealed next year. Próspera claims it will be proceeding and international law/treaties and it's 50 year stability agreements protect it. https://prospera.hn/news/press-releases/built-to-last-legal-stability-in-the-zede-framework

It seems too early, but if Próspera survives this most recent political shift in Honduras, then it would prove to be protected from the political whims of Honduras (and its legal framwork already prevents changes in taxes or regulations even with a democratic majority. A betting market could thrive in such a stable environment, and possibly allow for longer term bets. Also the legal framework for businesses is very streamlined. https://prospera.hn/business

It might just be my wishful thinking and political biases showing, but if Próspera can prove to be resilient to changes in Honduras, I think it could become pretty close to Dath Ilan, or help other countries become closer to it. Positive signs are things like Minicircle, a reversible gene therapy company conducting trials in Próspera because they are easier to do there than the US. https://minicircle.clinic/ 

Policymakers

A scorpion asks a frog to carry it across a river. The frog hesitates, afraid that the scorpion might sting it, but the scorpion promises not to, pointing out that it would drown if it killed the frog in the middle of the river. The frog agrees to transport the scorpion. Midway across the river, the scorpion stings the frog anyway, dooming them both. The dying frog asks the scorpion why it stung despite knowing the consequence, and the scorpion replies: "I am sorry, but I couldn't resist the urge. It's in my nature."

-Fable

We are the frog, and the nature of our future AI scorpions must be figured out or we all may die, or worse.

Also there is a lot of confirmation bias. I don't remember hearing any friends telling me someone they know died of Covid, but I have heard one say someone they know died right after getting the vaccine and another complaining about what they think are symptoms of vaccination and say their PCP has not been treating them seriously.

I bet there have been covid deaths of a friend of a friend, but that is a lot less notable to them or me compared to a potential death due to the vaccine. I wish I had recorded every covid/vax death/problem so I wasn't just relying on my faulty memory.

Similarly what I have seen from by my friends and acquaintances is.

1. Disease breaks out.
2. Public health authorities/pharmaceutical companies push a new vaccine and claim it is X% effective/prevents the spread.
3. Later it is found to be less effective than initially promised/new variants make it less effective and boosters are now announced as needed.
4. People feel lied to, believing they were originally told vaccine was more effective than evidence shows it is/the fact that restrictions are still in place with the vaccine makes reduces its credibility in their eyes.

"I'm a rationalist."

JKJK

Thanks for the explanation.

Someone please correct me if my interpretation of food and reproduction are incorrect as my programing experience is limited.

I see the energy being reduced by 20%, but what is the threshold for death? 

The number of offspring is determined by rolling a number between 0 and 1 rolled 10 * creature energy times, and for each random number  less than 1 / (body size x 10), a baby is created with the same energy as the original creature and no impact on the original creature?

I think I am missing where predator efficiency is accounted for. 

In line 163/164: 

          (reproduce (. [organism-0 organism-1] [fight-flight-result]

                    (energy-of (. [organism-1 organism-1] [fight-flight-result])

does this mean reproduction of organism-1 and organism-0 is only dependent on the body size of organism-1?  no impact of stored energy?