Friday, July 30, 2010

Mind Puzzles


Here are some ways to exercise creative thinking.  They are separate from eachother. Have fun.

Clear your mind

The idea is to get rid of problems that are keeping you from concentrating on the task at hand.
Take out a piece of paper and quickly write down any issues which come to mind. It doesn’t matter how small the issue is, write it down. Keep writing until there is nothing left to write. Then look at the list and acknowledge that you will deal with these concerns later. Fold the paper up and put it on the corner of your desk for later.

Define your problem

The idea is to come up with different expressions of your problem, leading to a new and unusual solution.
Use an idea quota. Write down 5 different ways to express your problem in 1 sentence.

Repeat at least 3 times.

Why and what ways

The idea is to drive to root cause (why) and back up to potential solutions.

Why do I spend time less time doing this thing that I should?

Why do you want to ...?

Why do you ...?

Why do you ...?

Why ...

Now restate the answers as “In what ways can I ....”

Mind map and negative mind map

The idea is to see the problem from a negative perspective and strengthen the positive.
Do a mind map of the problem.
Now do a mind map of the opposite of the ideas. I.E. opposite of fitness is sloth.

Random words

The idea is to look at the problem from differnt perspectives.

“In what ways can I ________________?”

Choose a random verb.

Explore the relationship between the sentence and your subject and then explore the non-relationship between the sentence and your subject.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Random Number Generators and Slot Machines

Has this ever happened to you: you're playing your favorite slot machine for nearly two hours, hoping to get that big jackpot but never really winning it. You take a break for lunch and come back an hour later just to see someone else playing your machine hit the big one. Is your first thought, "That's my jackpot! If I had only stayed I would have won it all.” Don't believe it. Slot machines are based on a sequence of pseudo-random numbers and, in a way, the timing of your play.

An slot machine is a computer (Electronic Gaming Machine or EGM actually) and computers can't really create random numbers, but can generate sequences of numbers that mimic randomness - Pseudo Random Numbers which are widely known as PRNs.  These PRNs are pretty good:  they're exercised with battery of tests run against the output to ensure the numbers are statistically random.  The most common algorithm, the linear congruent method (LCM) which generates numbers such that same sequence of numbers won't occur until about 2 billion numbers have been generated. Many EGMs use variations of the LCM that have cycle periods close to the number of molecules in our galaxy!  You can't guess the sequence even if you know the algorithm.

As a rule, EGMs generate a random number continuously, not every time you drop in a coin. It's not unusual for EGMs to generate over 1000 numbers in the sequence every second. Only when you place your bet does the machine capture the next 'random' number.  Knowing the algorithm isn't of much help since you'd have to drop your coin into the machine and bet at the exactly right 1/1000th of a second in order to get the number you were counting on.

Once the number is generated, the computer compares the number to a payout chart.  All games have a payout table referred to as the PAR (Percentage Average Return) chart. Each EGM has it's own individual PAR chart, usually ranging from 99% to 81%.

Every game (even if they look the same) has a different PAR chart and the chart is usually held as confidential by the casino. The payout rate advertised on the machine or in the casino usually portrays an average of all the games taken together. Since each game is a separate entity with its own random number generator, it is not uncommon for one game to have a payout of say 95% and the one next to it, with the same game title having a payout of 86%.


To further complicate matters, PAR charts are usually different depending on the amount of the bet.  Maximum bet has the highest return rate while smaller bets typically have a lower payout rate.

Once the payout (or loss) is determined, the slot machine spins the spinners with a command from the computer to land on a certain display.  The spinners really have NOTHING to do with the actual play, it's all handled by a random number generator and a table.  Even the 'bump' of the spinners is pre-determined based on the random number and table.  Sorry to take the fun out of it.

The bottom line is that gaming is truly random. If you are at the right place at the right time with max bet you too could win a sizable jackpot on an electronic gaming machine. The fun part is the anticipation of the win and the many little wins along the way that make slot gaming fun regardless of whether you win or loose.