ALTCCC
ALTCCC is an abbreviation which stands for “Absence of a Large Three-Color Coffee Cup”. ALTCCC first appeared in IWGH, and was being sold for $250.
It was advertised as having these unique features:
- doesn't take much space (none, actually)
- can be doubled in number by the power of will alone
- can change colors depending on your mood and imagination
It also came with a warning to not pour liquid into it.
Criticism
Over the years, some criticism has been leveled against the concept by the Slow Club.
The main problem is the alleged ability to change colors at will. It can be argued that the absence of a three-color coffee cup does not have colors, even in principle. So, while colors can be changed for an imaginary coffee cup, this cannot be done for ALTCCC.
Professor J. N. Spoilsport also argues that absence cannot have quantity and, therefore, cannot be doubled. His argument was pointing to other members of the Club, who claim they own thousands and hundred of thousands copies of ALTCCC today.
A more fundamental objection had been suggested, that the only important part of ALTCCC is A - absence. Whether it is an absence of a coffee cup or absence of a truck - it doesn't matter, as both are not there. A counter-argument to this objection is that at least psychologically there is a difference between missing a cup and missing a truck.
Additionally, absences might be containable within space and, thus, be somewhat definable. For instance, an absence of a coffee cup in the cupboard is preventable, whereas the absence of a truck in the cupboard is not, as a cupboard cannot contain a truck.