Greatly Improved Shuffle.EXE

[Ion Saliu]

I remembered Shuffle.EXE had a sort option. It didn’t belong there, as sorting was well done in … well … Sorting.exe! I was in process of removing the sort function from Shuffle.EXE. I noticed a kokostirk (sounds more interesting than quirk!) in the Shuffle Files function.

The most important file shuffling feature — V = Vertical Shuffle — had something I did NOT like. It didn’t handle well especially the last line (e.g. lotto combination) in the input file. I perfected the V function.

I recommend strongly you download the new version of Shuffle.EXE and reshuffle your SIM files. You might be very happy with the current randomization of your SIM files. I still recommend you reshuffle using the new V function.

Since I had reopened the Shuffle program, I decided to add new useful features. The program can now generate combinations for all kinds of lotto games, including Powerball, Mega Millions, Euromillions. The combinations tend to be like in real-life. That is, the program generates unordered numbers. In fact, the lottery commissions generate arrangements, not combinations. The lotto combinations are boxed arrangements (the numbers sorted in ascending order).

I f you want to work with the output files created by the new Shuffle.EXE, remember to sort the combinations first. Use Sorting.exe, option H = Horizontal Sort.

The Shuffle.EXE program also goes one step further. It can generate randomly delayed arrangements, like real-life lottery drawings. You can see the entire process in the images that follow.

Download here Shuffle.EXE, version 8.0, March 2011.

Happy PI(e) Day!

Parpaluck

PI Day, Divine Proportion, Golden Proportion, Golden Number, PHI





... continues ...

[Ion Saliu]

… Continued …

[Ion Saliu]

Random number generation is an incredibly hot topic! Just google and see… Just google and see… Google yields 11,600,000 results (holy smokes!) for random numbers… Not long ago, before I published my dedicated Web page (2004), everybody talked only about pseudo random numbers in software. Now, you see millions of Web pages screaming about true random number generation by computers! In many Internet searches, such sites come now way ahead of SALIU.COM! One must be always vociferous when it comes to TRUTH that belongs to him or her or them!

I noticed in the stats of my Web site. Shuffle.exe was the most popular program on my download site in one day. I updated also my Web page that presented software code to generate true random numbers. I broke up that page in two. Both pages became very popular overnight! Looks like many people instructed their browsers to alert on any updates to my Web page with random generating source code!

The first page presents the theory and algorithms (2) to generate true random numbers. The second page is source-code-only: a fully functional BASIC program (in PBCC 4.04).

Random Numbers, Shuffle, Randomize: Theory, Algorithms, Software;
BASIC Language Source Code Software to Generate True Random Numbers.

The source code does not present the functions to generate randomly delayed arrangements, like real-life lottery drawings. PowerBasic has a dedicated command:

SLEEP milliseconds

I don’t know about other languages. Probably an empty FOR/NEXT loop can mimic SLEEP.

Speaking of delay in randomization. Shuffle.exe can generate random numbers at the same speed regardless of PC or numbers per combination. It takes the same time to generate 6 of 49 numbers, or 49 of 49. The 49 from 49 case is actually a permutation, not an arrangement.

 47  40  7  33  14  11  37  39  1  19  13  2  48  35  28  41  32  45  44  3  30  42  12  38  6  4  9  27  10  46  15  43  5  34  8  20  26  21  23  18  16  49  22  25  29  31  17  36  24
 39  45  31  49  38  17  26  10  33  30  44  41  25  19  34  22  29  43  2  1  16  4  5  48  27  9  18  3  40  35  6  42  28  46  32  12  20  11  7  21  14  15  24  23  8  13  36  47  37 
 15  3  39  49  2  12  23  25  21  16  44  26  1  46  34  48  41  27  47  38  32  29  45  42  8  19  43  13  17  20  28  4  40  31  10  36  37  30  18  22  11  24  6  7  5  35  9  33  14 
 22  35  12  43  6  37  24  27  18  25  19  42  34  49  9  36  33  46  47  41  20  29  30  28  5  10  38  48  15  21  39  23  2  14  7  4  3  40  11  1  32  13  17  44  16  8  45  26  31 
 49  44  9  47  46  23  22  39  34  16  41  42  31  35  15  5  43  36  2  12  3  28  7  37  6  29  13  30  4  25  21  24  27  33  20  40  48  38  11  17  8  26  14  1  10  19  45  18  32

Best of randomly delayed luck!

Ion Saliu