The following is most of the generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) strings applied for in the 2000 and 2003 applications. Some are two, and even one character ASCII strings. Some have since been approved, or disapproved (which of course means nothing in the 2008 round). It is a universe of 180 strings. Enjoy.

ads africa agency aids air antiques art artists asia auction audio bbs biz books cafe cam card cars cash cat center channel church city club commerce computers consulting cool culture design digital dir direct dot dtv dubai dvd ebiz ecom event factory fam fashion festival fiction film films fin find firm foundation free fun fund funds gallery game games gay geo global go graphics group guide health help history home hotel i inc index info insurance jazz jina jobs kids lab law llc ltd mad mag magic mail mall market mas max media men mid mis mobi mobile monitor movie music name news nom now nyc one online opera own page partners people per pid planet politics post power productions projects properties radio real records san sansansan school secure security service sex shareware shoes shop show site society software solutions sound soup space sports spot star store studios sucks surf svc systems tech tel temple theater three33 time times tour toys trade travel union voice wap war watch weather web women world writer xing xxx yp ypa ypi zine zone

So, when we think about auctions, it is wicked likely that we’re thinking about some subset of this set of strings, and some other set of strings, where the bidders have chosen (a) not to be encumbered by community and therefore, policy other than First-Come-First-Serve at or about $6/unit/year, and (b) have chosen not to reach some form of accommodation in the post-similarity, post-challenge phase of the process, with other applicants distinguishable only by their legal domicile, and their apparent available risk capital.

Leaving aside the allure of found money, the necessity and utility of “efficiently allocating” between two or more applications for {identical string, identical policy, distinct non-cooperative franchisee} appears an artifact of an economic theory of strings.