				


			COMPUTER IN A HAT


EVALUATION COPY
This program you have downloaded is the Evaluation Copy of 
Computer in a Hat. The only difference between this version and 
the full version is that this version is restricted to 5 names 
whereas the full version allows up to 250 names. Running this 
Evaluation Copy will allow you to determine the usefulness of 
the program for your purposes as well as check out the program's 
compatibility with your computer and printer. Purchase of the 
full program is described in the text file 'Purchase.txt' in the 
program directory, or in the Help Menu item 'How to Purchase 
Computer in a Hat'. The cost is only $19.95 per copy and the 
process is both simple and quick.

You are free, indeed encouraged, to pass on this copy to anyone 
interested, with the developer's thanks. 

OVERVIEW OF COMPUTER IN A HAT:
Computer in a Hat consists of three separate programs, all of 
which make use of a random pairing algorithm to make decisions 
as to how to match or assign things in a way that is free of 
human bias or prejudice.  Freedom from bias is often very 
important in persuading someone that a result, while perhaps 
not to their liking, is simply 'the luck of the draw' and not due to 
personal intervention, or worse, malice.  Fairness has been a 
major consideration in the writing of these programs, which 
together with a sense of 'fun' will hopefully provide you with 
something that is useful and that you will enjoy using. Here is a 
description of each program:
 
Note that all three programs have demo files included that will 
give the user a feel for how the programs work. Just go to Open 
in the File menu to access these programs. 

I) DRAW OR EXCHANGE NAMES AT CHRISTMAS:
Many families, large and small, routinely draw or exchange 
names at Christmas time.  The usual purpose in doing so, besides 
reducing the financial burden of the holidays, is to allow the gift 
giver to concentrate on a single present that is really wanted or 
needed. 

Once a family has made the decision to 'draw names' there 
remains only the problem of how to do it.  Ideally, the whole 
family gets together over a bottle of wine, coffee etc., and the 
obligatory hat, and name tags.  For many, if not most families 
however, getting everyone together at one time is all but 
impossible so that the whole process falls to one 'lucky' person 
who has to do all of the work and then put up with complaints 
from those who are unhappy with the draw. Draw Names at 
Christmas cannot guarantee that everyone will be happy, but it 
will remove the need for everyone to be present.  In addition, the 
process is easy, quick and even fun. Furthermore, if someone 
does insist on complaining, just blame the computer. It doesn't care. 

II) DRAW NAMES AT PARTIES:
'Draw Names at Parties' was written to help parents celebrate a 
child's birthday. Games are usually played and often party favors 
are handed out to everyone at some point. Rather than simply 
distribute gifts to each child, why not add a little suspense as to 
who gets what?  First, arrange the party favors so you know the 
order in which they will be given away.  Then enter each child's 
name into the spreadsheet, press GO and then stand back and 
watch each child's name appear against a colorful background 
using the same graphical 'wipes' or transitions seen in 
commercial television. You then hand out the favors in the order 
that the kid's name appears.  The children will have fun and it 
should help kill at least an hour for the parent (children's parties 
can have the feel of 'eternity' about them).

III) ASSIGN THINGS TO THINGS:
Assign Things is a program that allows the random pairing of 
any arbitrary list of objects to any other arbitrary list of objects.  
Most of the time, it will be people that will be paired with objects 
like 'work projects', 'chores' etc., but the potential uses are 
limited only by imagination.

Here are some possible applications:
1) You can assign duties or chores to people, especially children, 
where the specific assignments are all done randomly thereby 
reducing the perception of unfairness.

2) You can pick a group of persons or things of a specified size 
from a much larger group - just like Jean-Luc Picard picking an 
'Away Team' from the crew of the Enterprise. Some individuals 
will not be picked of course but what fairer way to do it than by 
random selection.  

3) Perhaps you are a teacher and you want each member of your 
class to give a talk or do a 'show and tell' during the course of the 
term. Say you have 30 students and you want to have 5 students 
speak each week.  The program will then randomly assign 5 
students to each of 6 weeks as well as take into account that 
some students might have conflicts with certain weeks. 

4) You are going to host the annual Christmas or Thanksgiving 
dinner, or perhaps a party for friends and relatives, and you 
expect everyone to bring a dish. To randomly pick who brings 
what (including exceptions for those who can't cook), just list 
expected names and what you want brought. The program will 
make your choices for you.

5) Sports activities in schools often use some kind of random 
process to determine details like:

a  the initial draw or play assignments 
b. the order of rotation of team positions e.g., captains, if you 
want everyone to participate in each activity 
c. the order in which student's participate in some kind of sports 
activity like track and field.
d. pick team members, especially children where the stigma of 
being chosen last by an adult, or worse, by other children, is 
painful and totally unnecessary. If the computer makes the 
decision, then its a matter of chance, not a judgment.
      	  
The beauty of random assignment is that people are less likely to 
complain if they know the process was done objectively by 
computer. Of course they will, but again, it's the computer's 
fault.

Software Requirements:
Computer in a Hat will run in Windows 3.1 or higher and 
requires at least 256 colors with a preferable screen resolution of 
640 by 480 or 600 by 800 pixels and a little more than 1 Meg of 
hard disk space. The recommended CPU is a 66 MHz 486 or 
better with at least 8 Megs of ram (a 386 will also work but will 
seem awfully slow). The program will run with 16 colors but 
some of the graphics will look decidedly 'uncool'. 





