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s70a9
21st Oct 2007, 10:43
With the silly season approaching I am looking for some software to run this year's Christmas Draw. If anyone can help please pm me. Basically looking for something that you enter the number of tickets an individual has bought and it then runs an automated draw.

Or, if any one has any unusual ways of conducting the draw.

Thanks

splitbrain
21st Oct 2007, 10:54
A sinclair spectrum should do the trick..

10 X=0
20 X = RND (0-however many tickets are sold)
30 Goto list (display winner)
40 goto 10

grey_not_green
21st Oct 2007, 10:55
check your PMs, but it may be a long shot .

s70a9
21st Oct 2007, 11:59
Sorry I don’t get this. I was looking for something that could be used on excel or access. However if you wish to explain, then any help at all would be appreciated.

IT literate, but basics only.

MostlyModerate
21st Oct 2007, 12:51
If you want to try Split's solution but haven't got a Spectrum, you could borrow my VIC-20 - or if you are very very good, my Commodore64

newt
21st Oct 2007, 13:36
I seem to remember someone at Bruggen trying a random number generator for the Christmas draw. It worked fine on the trial but when they ran it for the actual draw it came up with the same numbers!! Not so random after all!

Might I suggest a large barrel full of tickets and a pretty lady to do the draw!! Who knows, you might get lucky twice!!!

Spurlash2
21st Oct 2007, 13:51
http://www.ablebits.com/excel-random-generator-assistant-free-addins/index.php
Try that, should do the job.
S2

airborne_artist
21st Oct 2007, 13:51
Here's an even easier solution.

Ticket price £5.00 - all payments in cash. Write your name on the fiver before you put it in the container.

Afore-mentioned long-legged lovely draws out fiver, reads out name of ticket holder.

Spurlash2
21st Oct 2007, 14:09
...or B, also try this in Excel.

If you have a list of numbers and you want to select one at random follow these simple steps;

Enter a list of numbers in column A
Now enter the formula below in the cell you want the random number returned.
=INDEX($A:$A,RANDBETWEEN(1,COUNTA($A:$A)),1)

This will pick a number at random from your list in column A. It will also be dynamic in that when/if you add/remove numbers from the list they will automatically be included/excluded.

S2

s70a9
21st Oct 2007, 14:20
I have looked at the random functions of Excel and downloaded the random generator, but what I am trying to do is display a name to make it easier on the night.

Ideally what I would like to do is have a list/number of how many tickets a person has bought. This would then be placed in a spreadsheet with all other ticket buyers, a calculation would then display the name of the person who wins each "draw", the draw would occur for the number of prizes.

Otherwise I will go old school with tickets in a barrel.

Spurlash2
21st Oct 2007, 14:40
Put the persons name in a column for the number of tickets they have bought.
Use the formula in post #9. Press F9 to refresh the calc and get another name.
ie:
bloggs
bloggs
bloggs
white
white
white
Alternatively, use the barrel (for the tickets, that is;)

splitbrain
21st Oct 2007, 14:49
Actually, in spite of my earlier reply, I'd go for the traditional method.

A computerised system is all well and good but many people are suspicious about the visibility and accounatbility of the software, (and the geekiness of someone who tries to use one for such a purpose :}) and you're bound to have someone who'll point out that a computer is not a true random number generator and never can be.

Plus, if the technology lets you down (chances = fair to middling) you look like a right trumpet on the big night!

Tickets, big barrel, girly to pull them out*.

(*And the tickets too)

s70a9
21st Oct 2007, 14:50
Result! Thanks.

As an add on, what prizes to the Ppruners think draw the most interest/buying of tickets.

Mess membership approx 100 so a Porsche would be out:hmm:

vecvechookattack
21st Oct 2007, 15:31
A shed full of beer always does the trick....

Touchin' Down
21st Oct 2007, 15:38
This has all the hallmarks of a Channel 4 phone in scam!! :}

detgnome
21st Oct 2007, 15:41
The shed full of beer was done several years ago at Shawbury. Well actually it was a Wendy House full of beer, but lets not split hairs here...

BEagle
21st Oct 2007, 16:59
"As an add on, what prizes to the Ppruners think draw the most interest/buying of tickets."

To quote Blackadder IV:-

"Well, one or two things do suggest themselves. But you'd probably think them........unhygienic!"

teeteringhead
22nd Oct 2007, 08:35
As the yoof of today's messes have all the mod cons/boys toys they want, you need to think out of the box.

Best one I remember (can't think from where) was a year of a reserved parking slot outside the front of the Mess. It was good to see "Fg Off Bloggs" written on a blue sign next to OC 123 Sqn and OC Trivia Wg .....

.....or a day's slightly dodgy "Extreme Activity". Last year someone bought the senior daughter a day out which involved rolling down a hill in a water-filled sphere...... my how we laughed at her shrieks of terror....;)

airborne_artist
22nd Oct 2007, 09:12
As the yoof of today's messes have all the mod cons/boys toys they want, you need to think out of the box.


And how they laughed when as a spotty Midshipman of 19 I won an electric blanket in the Culdrose Christmas Draw of 1979. Luckily the Wren officer who had been sent out to do the prize shopping had bought it from Boots and kept the receipt, so I was able to exchange it for a year's supply of Brut :ok:

BEagle
22nd Oct 2007, 09:28
And how they laughed at Wattisham when I won a set of Carmen rollers.....:rolleyes:

Which went straight back into the draw!

6Z3
22nd Oct 2007, 10:28
you need to think out of the box
Some boxless suggestions:
Book of pink chitsPair of Summer Ball tickets
Year's worth of post Happy Hour taxis, (with complimentary earplugs)

Trappers Exemption chit (not transferable)

Lapdance (not sure if this meets the 'boxless' criteria)
Fast-track PVR staffing chit (complete with Black-n-Yellow Handle)

cornish-stormrider
22nd Oct 2007, 11:36
A discrete badge for the windscreen that gaurantees the immunity from Snowdrop Harassment for the following year.

The override codes on the Station Heating plant to allow you to warm the mess up.

A trip down to see Delta Lady at TVOC

Torchy
22nd Oct 2007, 13:42
These prizes remind me of a Christmas draw in the O Club at Portland early 90's when P Andrew was stationed there - one of the prizes was the "Complete Literary Works of the Duchess of York" - (Budgie plus whatever the other was called!)

6Z3
23rd Oct 2007, 07:57
Aaaah, Portland O Club, 737, Moggies Gob, Lodgers........now thems were the days.

peterperfect
23rd Oct 2007, 08:14
Trams and Wizlon equipped with a Guinness moustache by 1705, the 3 Verne Way Summer Ball...... The Mk 1 table top space invader machine.....

Leading on from Touchin Down's post...Why not bring your draw up to date and at a certain point announce a phone-in number and the first caller to get through has to answer a nobby question to win a prize ? Question like:

Q: Are the Forces paid enough ?

A: NO
B: Bobby Charlton
C: 1st April 1918

pp

Al R
23rd Oct 2007, 08:42
Families Dat at Akr 1984.

AOC draws star prize (drum roll).. a rather nice Honda Civic.. for.. for.. (more drum roll) his missus. :eek:

6Z3
23rd Oct 2007, 18:17
By the way, if you plan to have a 1st Prize then do make sure the winning ticket for that gets drawn first. Something to do with the gaming laws that requires all tickets to have an equal chance at winning the 1st prize. And that can only happen if it's done first.
Get the Captain's wife or some such celebrity to draw the 1st prize winner's ticket at the start of the draw, then put it in a sealed envelope to be revealed later if you want to maintain the suspense.
Random number machines are boring. Computer driven Christmas Draws are boring. I agree with the drum full of tickets and a dolly.

L J R
23rd Oct 2007, 18:22
Wife once won a pink bikini-line hand held electric shaver. Much amusement later in the night when the (slurring) lads wanted to see it work.

....Actually, come to think of it, I haven't seen it since, must ask Mrs JR.