deskthority

randomness does not exist

Halvar wrote: 1517927237377648673702171415080348658870561989054503408987636413482916122071826564744377231058588
9510096312635336251601544710408635356180988893699193075140936414981613210827192288277552341281795
0238168310346836663763187020584783505916169641659884166479077786445386924348557064744593545502155
3280992873155118401685985147175112525685581486836460682200384420917941806588340433460032780748091
2692077350551431276761...

What a coincidence, my lucky number!

luck does not exist

Simple, we get together and draw the names out of a hat

Last year I made it easy by using a random online list randomizer then just shifting two. Something like:

P1 => P8
P5 => P7
P8 => P2
P7 => P10
P2 => P3
P10 => P6
P3 => P9
P6 => P4
P9 => P1
P4 => P5

Compgeke wrote: Last year I made it easy by using a random online list randomizer then just shifting two. Something like:

P1 => P8
P5 => P7
P8 => P2
P7 => P10
P2 => P3
P10 => P6
P3 => P9
P6 => P4
P9 => P1
P4 => P5

(1 8 2 3 9)(4 5 7 10 6)

Ok... I don't understand permutations

I think the cycle notation is pretty elegant. 7bit correctly captured Compgeke's shuffling. It might help to reorder what Compgeke proposed to understand this a little better:

P1 -> P8
P8 -> P2
P2 -> P3
P3 -> P9
P9 -> P1

This is exactly what (1 8 2 3 9) expresses. These form a "cycle" in that they are an inter-related set of moves.

P4 -> P5
P5 -> P7
P7 -> P10
P10 -> P6
P6 -> P4

This is exactly what (4 5 7 10 6) expresses.

Here's a more intuitive example that I remember from the third grade. We did an experiment where everyone in the class wrote their names down on a piece of paper. Everyone then put those names in a bowl. Then, everyone drew someone's name. The teacher picked someone at random, and they recited the name that was on the piece of paper they drew.

No one ever called my name! I was sad and thought that the kids were being mean. But no, we had two cycles! Of the 30 or so students in the class, it worked out that about 20 were in one cycle and 10 were in the other. When I complained that no one had called my name, the teacher had me read the name on my card and we found all of the other kids whose name had not been called in my cycle.

So, using the cycle notation, we could have expressed who got who's name after the shuffle as:
(20 names in one set of parens in some order) (10 other names in this second set of parens in some order)

I think it's equally valid to put either the names of objects, or their indices, in the parens.

Fine. All you guys dance about. I'm not moving. Zero! I'll be at the bar…

Muirium wrote: Fine. All you guys dance about. I'm not moving. Zero! I'll be at the bar…

Drinking Zero beers?

Hmm. Good point. Once I've had a few, I might just grace the dance floor. But watch yourselves. I fall heavy!

Muirium wrote: Hmm. Good point. Once I've had a few, I might just grace the dance floor. But watch yourselves. I fall heavy!

Then the person you gift will be the number of beers you drink before you pass out :D

it must be an interesting gift the one you pick one beer away from passing out

Muirium wrote: Hmm. Good point. Once I've had a few, I might just grace the dance floor. But watch yourselves. I fall heavy!

So Mu's gonna pick up a lass drinks another beer, passes out. When he wakes again, he will box her up and send her across the globe?

I'm leaving this here, just in case.
choose life

Burrrp.

3 r's well that settles it, mu trades gifts number 3

I don't have much time. I know how it works, but can't type the script down, because of lack of time.

I will pm someone the initial permutation and every body who want s to, posts his lucky number.
I will take those numbers (modulo 28) in the posted order and order the participants accordingly. Finally, I let the bot apply the permutation and let it send the addresses for everybody.

I think it is best to pm the permutation to kbdfr, because chances are the least that he can apply it to the inital ordering to know who has to send a gift to whom.


Just start posting your random numbers now ...

11034711

42

1337

I suppose I didn't join Deskthority before October 3rd 2015. Never mind. I had only odds and ends planned anyway.

Time travel is possible. 10212015

I can add you, if you like, but be quick!

7bit wrote: […] I will take those numbers (modulo 28) […].
I think it is best to pm the permutation to kbdfr, because chances are the least that he can apply it to the inital ordering to know who has to send a gift to whom. […]

I have not the slightest idea what "modulo 28" is supposed to mean,
nor do I know what a "permutation" is.

7bit just sent me a PM containing a list of numbers.
I don't know what I'm supposed to do with them,
so I'm going to copy and paste them here.

Probably 7bit missed this:

Findecanor wrote: If it is not too late, please sign me up as well!

I have been holding off because I find it difficult to pick out what to give. Not too cheap and small, and not too expensive either.

7bit get this man in there!
We'd like his trinkets!

19032013

Nothing, just keep them until we all got our Secret Santa stuff.


It must be verifiable that I did not manipulate anything!
:p

@Findecanor: You are in!