I have been asked to post the initial draft of the rules for the contest that I drew up when editing Evan's long article on disappearing. I sent these to Evan. He then edited them, and then Wired copy desk edited further. I then cut that down to fit within the restrictions of magazine spacing, getting us to the final and official rules. But here's the draft:
__Vanish Rules Sidebar
Hed: Disappearing Act
Ratliff - DRAFT
__
The basics: I'm going to vanish from my normal life for 30 days, beginning August 15. I’ll be hidden enough that⎯with part of my own story fee on the line⎯I believe you won't find me. In the course of doing so, I will:
-Stay within the 48 contiguous U.S. states.
-Not commit a crime.
-Move to at least three locations.
-Continue to use the kind of technologies I do every day, including social networking, cell phones, and mobile computing.
-Keep track of my pursuers online and search constantly for news about myself.
The clues: Via the Wired Vanish blog at stag-mantis.wired.com/TK, you will find all of the following to assist your investigation:
-Information on my last known location.
-Credit card, ATM, or other bank transactions I make on my usual accounts.
-Calls made with my usual phones.
-Emails sent from my usual addresses.
-Interviews with friends and family members, who may or may not choose to cooperate.
-Other information as it becomes available to my editor, who will not know my whereabouts.
To win: All you have to do is locate me any time in the next 30 days, take my photo, and say the password: "Fluke." I will then have to respond with a second code word, known only to me and to Wired, which you will then email to Nicholas_thompson@wired. Upon doing so, you will agree to interviews so that I can tell the story of how you found me. If no one finds me before September 15th, I receive my full story fee and Wired will not award any prize.
