#Adding Numbers In Columns; Place Value

[talonabraxas]

Magic Square of Mars 18 Ce British Grimoire magic square and seal For war magic.

Associated Numbers

The numbers associated with Mars are 5, 25, 65, and 325. This is because:

Each row and column of the magic square contains five numbers.

The square contains 25 numbers total, ranging from 1 to 25.

Each row, column and diagonal adds up to 65.

All of the numbers in the square add up to 325.

Divine Names

The divine names associated with Mars all have numerological values of 5 or 65. The names of the intelligence of Mars and the spirit of Mars have a value of 325. These values are calculated by writing out the names in Hebrew and then adding up the value of each included letter, as each Hebrew letter can represent both a sound and a numerical value.

Construction of The Square

The square is constructed by arranging the numbers consecutively in a pre-arranged pattern. In general, numbering moves down and to the right. Hence, 2 is down and to the right of 1. When the down and right motion would take you off the edge of the square, it wraps around. Thus, since 2 is on the bottom edge, 3 is still to the right of 2, but it's at the top of the square instead of the bottom.

When this pattern runs up against numbers already placed, the pattern shifts two rows down. Thus, 4 is on the left, 5 is one down and one to the right of 4, and if that motion were to be repeated, it would collide with the already placed 1. Instead, 6 appears two rows down from 5, and the pattern continues.

Construction of The Seal

The seal of Mars is constructed by drawing lines that intersect every number within the magic square.

[santoschristos]

Magic Square of Mars

18 Ce British Grimoire

magic square and seal

For war magic.

Associated Numbers

The numbers associated with Mars are 5, 25, 65, and 325. This is because:

Each row and column of the magic square contains five numbers.

The square contains 25 numbers total, ranging from 1 to 25.

Each row, column and diagonal adds up to 65.

All of the numbers in the square add up to 325.

Divine Names

The divine names associated with Mars all have numerological values of 5 or 65. The names of the intelligence of Mars and the spirit of Mars have a value of 325. These values are calculated by writing out the names in Hebrew and then adding up the value of each included letter, as each Hebrew letter can represent both a sound and a numerical value.

Construction of The Square

The square is constructed by arranging the numbers consecutively in a pre-arranged pattern. In general, numbering moves down and to the right. Hence, 2 is down and to the right of 1. When the down and right motion would take you off the edge of the square, it wraps around. Thus, since 2 is on the bottom edge, 3 is still to the right of 2, but it's at the top of the square instead of the bottom.

When this pattern runs up against numbers already placed, the pattern shifts two rows down. Thus, 4 is on the left, 5 is one down and one to the right of 4, and if that motion were to be repeated, it would collide with the already placed 1. Instead, 6 appears two rows down from 5, and the pattern continues.

Construction of The Seal

The seal of Mars is constructed by drawing lines that intersect every number within the magic square.

[unothief]

How to Play Caravan in Fallout New Vegas

I promised a guide on how to play Caravan a bit ago so here it is

Getting a Deck and Finding a Player

Step 1: you'll need Ringo's spare deck, you've probably picked it up at least once while talking to him about Caravan as he'll just hand it to you, as far as i know it's impossible to play without getting this deck in some fashion but I'm fairly sure you can loot it off him if you plan to just kill him on sight for one reason or another

Step 2: you'll need an NPC to play caravan with, there are only a few of them but you'll run across while playing the game if you look through their dialogue, Ringo is the earliest one you'll run across but some other ones of note are Cliff Briscoe, No-Bark Noonan, and Johnson Nash.

NPCs which aren't merchants have somewhat fixed cap counts they're willing to bet on a game, with No-Bark being the highest (he often will put up to 1000 caps down on his first game), playing subsequent games with an NPC will result in them putting less and less down for each time they lose

NPCs which act as merchants will pull a percentage of their store's cap inventory, including the value of any Legion Coin or NCR dollar they have. This makes it possible to buy a ton of stuff from a merchants and then beat them in a game of caravan with a high bet to return most of the caps spent or even more than you spent to begin with, however you can only ever play a total of 5 games with a single merchant per save

Building a Deck

Now that you've found a player you'll be placed into the game's screen when you select the dialogue option to start a game.

You'll be presented with all the cards you have in your inventory, Caravan is not played with a standard deck of cards and can be played with any almost any assortment of loose cards, this screen (shown in the attached image) is where you select what cards you want to have in play when the game starts

the only rule you'll need to worry about when building a deck is you must have at least 30 cards in play, you can have more if you think it's a good idea

the top row is where you'll see the cards you have in play and the bottom row is the cards you have on you but not in play, use the arrow keys to navigate this screen, if you don't want to build a deck for one reason or another hitting S will randomize the cards you have into a playable deck.

more cards can be found to be added to your deck throughout the game, normally as items on merchants that sell for a few caps each, when bought these won't show in your inventory but will be added to your deck.

The Game

Once a deck is confirmed you will move onto the actual game, you'll draw a handful of cards from your deck and your opponent will make their first move

Three columns exist on the board "Boneyard-Dayglow" (Left), "Redding-New Reno" (Middle), and "Shady Sands-The Hub" (Right)

your "caravans" are the stacks of cards that we will build on your side of the board (Dayglow, New Reno, and The Hub), they compete with your opponents caravans placed in the same column (Boneyard, Redding, and New Reno)

a Caravan can be in one of three states: unsold, sold, or overstacked, the state it is in depends on the value of the numbered cards within the stack

A sold caravan is anywhere from 21-26 in value, anything over 26 is overstacked and anything under 21 is unsold. If both of the caravans in a column are within the sold range the Caravan with the higher value sells and the lower value caravan acts as though it were unsold if both are the same value neither will be sold

the game ends when one caravan in all three columns is sold and the winner is determined by which player has sold at least two in their favor.

during the first 6 moves of the game (including your opponents moves) only number cards and aces can be playe, one card must be placed in each column before any other cards can be played

CARDS

The value of a card is simply the number assigned to it, aces act as ones for this purpose so a caravan with a 10 and an ace is worth 11

as you play cards you'll draw more from your deck into your hand, note cards removed from the board do not return to your deck

a deck has an "order" based on ascending or descending value this order is defined when you place the second card on a caravan, example the Dayglow caravan (see the below image) is in a descending order, numbered cards of a value higher than the top numbered card can't be played normally on a descending deck, the inverse is true for a deck which is ascending there are two ways to bypass caravan order

you can either play a matching suit at which point the order rule can be ignored, example a three of clovers is a valid card for the dayglow caravan this would also change the order to ascending for future cards OR a queen can be played which leads us into face cards

Face cards each have a unique function and can be placed not only on your caravans but also on your opponents caravans

Queens will invert the order of a deck but provide no extra value on their own (placing a queen on dayglow in the below image would make it ascending but it's value would remain at 12)

Kings will double the value of the card they're placed on, these can be placed on any numbed card in a caravan not just the top most card (example placing a king on the 10 in dayglow would double it to be worth 20, which would make the overall value caravan value 22)

Jacks will remove the card they're placed on and any face cards which have been attached to it from the board like kings these can be placed anywhere on the deck (placing a jack on the 9 in boneyard would remove the 9 AND King attached to it from the board)

Jokers when placed on numbered cards will remove all cards of that number from the board, not including the card it's been placed on, when placed on an ace it'll remove all of the ace's suit from the board (a Joker on a 9 of spades will remove all 9s from the board, while a joker on an Ace of Spades will remove all Spades from the Board)

[seedlinggames]

Here's the full blog post, including an off topic rant about people arguing about types of games online too much:

Story game pick lists and OSR spark tables

I am, against my will, mostly writing things these days that are largely categorized as OSR, so this is kind of aimed mainly at an audience of people in a similar situation.

The difference between a random table and a pick list is that the random table has a second column for numbers, in case you want to choose things randomly. For instance, Blades in the Dark has a list of appropriate names for the setting, and Cairn also has a list of appropriate names for the setting with numbers beside them.

On Discord, the subject of whether pick lists can teach us something about OSR tables came up. One person had a pretty cool idea which I won't share because it's their idea, you'll just have to join the NSR discord to find out. This had me think about a cool thing I'd seen in some pick lists. For instance, Wanderhome has character generation picklists that ask questions like, "choose two you still are and two you arent' any more" or "choose two you are and two you refuse to be." I think this is good inspiration for random tables. Let's imagine this in an OSR table.

Pick one that this dungeon room has and one that it clearly used to have:

A pit trap

A slumbering monster

A chest of gold

A water fountain

A holy altar

A passageway leading down

A valuable relic

Strange writing on the wall

Example 1. Let's say it has a chest of gold but clearly is missing a valuable relic. Well, that poses a mystery. Why is the gold undisturbed? Is it trapped or cursed? Or did the one who stole the relic not value gold the way you might? Or perhaps they're wounded and still around here - they had the strength to carry the relic but had to leave the gold.

Example 2. There is a holy altar but it's missing strange writing on the wall. Maybe the writing was defaced? Maybe this was once an altar to some other god whose very name was erased - perhaps some danger related to that old god still lurks? Or maybe the power of the altar can only be unlocked if the writing can be restored.

This is basically the most cliche spark table I can come up with, but adding the "clearly used to have" makes it a little more interesting.

Also I cheated and added some numbers. I'm indecisive.

This is basically the most cliche spark table I can come up with, but adding the "clearly used to have" makes it a little more interesting.

Also I cheated and added some numbers. I'm indecisive.

Pick one the town provides and one the town would pay good money for

A healer

Plentiful food

Military might

Skilled craftspeople

Political legitimacy

Protection from supernatural dangers

I threw this together in about a minute, but I think it might work as a simple faction system. I'll take it out for a quick spin.

Town A: Has political legitimacy, needs protection from supernatural dangers

Town B: Has military might, lacks food

Town C: Has food, is in desperate need of a healer

There's obvious conflict between B and C here, and a real potential for it to break out into open violence. If C needs a healer, maybe there's some kind of plague spreading? C is especially vulnerable but also the plague could spread to B if they proceed with their plans. Meanwhile, A is above the fray - maybe they're the capital, but why aren't they getting involved? Maybe the ruling family has been taken over by some hidden supernatural forces.

Recently, I was playing around with Mythic Bastionland's faction generation system, and while theirs is a lot better thought out and tested and so on, I think with some work my approach here would not be totally out of place in that kind of game.

I'm not sure that something like this hasn't been done within OSR, but I personally heard about this way of structuring spark tables, sorry, pick lists, from story games. In fact, they now seem so obviously similar that I am now second-guessing myself - do people really consider these two approaches to be so fundamentally different? And yet there are probably a lot of cool ideas we're missing out on, by isolating ourselves in these two camps.

[hashed-potatoes-with-salt]

An Overview of The Nihilist Cipher

Hello! If you're someone interested in ciphers, read ahead to learn a little about one of my long time favorite ciphers, the Nihilist Cipher.

The Nihilist cipher is a polyalphabetic substitution cipher, which basically means it relies on multiple shift ciphers applied to different letters in the text being encoded. If you're familiar with the Vigenère Cipher, Nihilist is pretty similar in a lot of ways.

I'll go through some history of the cipher, how to encode/decode using it, and how to conduct a known plaintext attack on it. I'll also go over how you might approach attacking it without a known plaintext (mainly because I think it's cool), but it won't be the main focus.

History

The Nihilist Cipher was first used by Russian nihilists against Russia's tsarist regime in the late 19th century. It's since been used as a basis for several ciphers with improved security used in WWII, notably the VIC cipher which is essentially an extremely complex hand-encoded cipher that's part of the Nihilist family.

"If [the VIC] cipher were to be given a technical name, it would be known as a 'straddling bipartite monoalphabetic substitution superenciphered by modified double transposition.'" David Kahn, Number One From Moscow

Usage

Encoding a message requires two things: A key and a Polybius square, known by you and the person you're communicating with. A Polybius square is one of these guys:

To use the cipher, you must first convert the plaintext into a numeric representation by mapping each letter to a number using the square. The mapping follows a (row, column) scheme, so the letter 'T' in the above square would become '45'. You'll notice that the square is 5x5, meaning there is 1 less square than there are letters in the English alphabet! This is typically solved by either choosing a square to represent 2 letters, differentiated using context by the receiver, or by simply leaving off an unused/infrequently used letter (often Q). It's also common to place a word at the start of the Polybius square, in this case "EXAMPLE" to offset the alphabet and avoid the mappings becoming trivial and obvious to attackers.

After we convert the plaintext to it's numeric representation, that's when the key becomes important. We first encode the key we picked using the Polybius square (i.e. the key MATH would become 14 13 45 32). Then, we repeat the key along the plaintext, and add each plaintext value to the key value to get the ciphertext!

To decode, the receiver must simply repeat the encryption process in reverse: repeating the key across the ciphertext, subtracting the key values, and translating the numeric plaintext back into English text. Because the encryption and decryption processes use the same key, the Nihilist Cipher is considered symmetric.

Known Plaintext Attack

Now we get into the fun part: How can we decode Nihilist encoded text without knowing the key? We will assume we know some ciphertext and the plaintext associated with it. Therefore, our goal is to use what we know to reveal the key, and use the key to decrypt the rest of the cipher. For example, assume we know that the first line of the Bee Movie script, "According to all known laws of aviation", results in the ciphertext "37 66 67 64 35 68 48 53 75 66 57 66 56 84 84 32 57 95 25 84 66 73 36 86 45 65 94 55 37 88 48 85 54".

Since the ciphertext is simply the result of adding the key to the plaintext, to find the key we only need to do the reverse and subtract the plaintext from the ciphertext!

Even with only this short segment, we can see the repeating key is "14 42 43 21 14 43". Now we can repeat this key across the whole message and decrypt the Bee Movie script into numeric encoded plaintext.

At this point, you might be realizing where the next challenge lies. Unless you happen to be in a situation where you don't know the key yet somehow do know the Polybius square, this alone doesn't tell us very much! Since we've essentially converted our original problem into a simple substitution cipher, this is where we employ frequency analysis to figure out which number maps to which letter in the Polybius square. If you're up for a challenge you can do this manually, or use an online tool to analyze the frequency of each number and compare it to how often each letter of the English alphabet appears in typical text. Eventually, you'll be able to decode the Polybius square as the square below.

Ironically, the first snippet of The Bee Movie which we knew the plaintext of includes no 'E's, which are the most frequent letter in the English language, but letter frequencies of the full text would end up being much closer to the expected letter proportions.

Congratulations! You've now completed a plaintext attack on the Nihilist cipher and can sit down with a cup of tea for a bit of light reading .

Ciphertext-Only Attack

Now maybe that was too easy for you. Maybe you're a pro cipher-cracker, and you want to decode the Nihilist cipher without some "plaintext crutch". Here's how you can try to approach it! This method will need a large amount of ciphertext available, and relies on statistical analysis, plus some exploitation of the cipher's design to crack it.

The majority of this attack follows the same approach as a statistical attack on the Vigenère cipher. First you determine the key length by testing various key lengths, splitting the text up into groups that would be encoded with the same key, and computing the index of coincidence, which will be high (close to 0.068, the index of coincidence of English text) when the guessed key length is correct.

At this point, if this were the Vigenère cipher, we would have to go on to analyze the mutual index of coincidence between groups of ciphertext characters with the same key shifted by various amounts, but flaws in the Nihilist encoding system mean there's a good chance we can identify the key without this step!

Because of the way the Polybius square is set up, and the lack of modular arithmetic in the encoding method, every key letter value has exactly 25 possible ciphertext numbers that can result from that key. By comparing the ciphertext values encoded with the same shift, we can quickly identify or at least significantly narrow down the shift used to obtain those values! There are even a few cipher text values that immediately reveal what key was used to generate that cipher text (For example, a cipher text value of 30 can only be obtained using key=15). For a full list of possible ciphertext values generated by each key, check out this document I put together.

And that's it!

You are now a certified expert in all things Nihilist cipher. Go forth and use your new skill responsibly, leaving behind cryptic messages everywhere you go.

Happy decoding!

Sources:

https://www.cia.gov/resources/csi/static/Number-One-From-Moscow.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VIC_cipher

https://cyberw1ng.medium.com/nihilist-cipher-an-in-depth-look-at-the-cryptographic-technique-2023-b05b83551957

https://courses.cs.washington.edu/courses/cse163/20wi/files/lectures/L04/bee-movie.txt

[warrenwoodhouse]

Caravan Card Game from Fallout: New Vegas - Card Games

What is Caravan

Caravan was designed by Obsidian Entertainment as a fictitious card game played in New Vegas within their video game called Fallout: New Vegas.

Kyle Mifflin’s version simulates as closely as possible the the way that Caravan is played in the video game of Fallout: New Vegas. The only differences are:

That instead of custom decks, each player receives the same deck to make the game as fair as possible (custom decks are allowed as a variant).

That the bug that allows you to discard during the opening round has been removed as an option.

Players and Cards

Caravan is a two-player game using two standard Anglo-American decks of 52 cards plus 2 jokers, one deck of 54 cards for each player.

Player A

Caravan

one

Caravan

two

Caravan

three

Player B

Caravan

one

Caravan

two

Caravan

three

Number cards are placed in an overlapping column within each caravan and each number card may be modified by picture cards placed overlapping to the side.

Throughout the game, Player A's Caravan One will be directly competing against Player B's Caravan One. The same goes for Caravans Two and Three. In addition, each player has a face-down deck from which they draw cards and some cards in their hand, and there is a face-up discard pile.

Objective

Each caravan has a numerical value based on the total value of the number cards in it, possibly modified by Kings. A caravan is 'for sale' when it's value is in the range 21 to 26. A caravan with a value of less than 21 or more than 26 is not for sale. Cards may be added to a caravan that is already for sale to change its value.

The object is to sell at least two of your three caravans. If both competing caravans in a position are for sale, only the higher valued caravan is sold. No sale takes place until there is at least one caravan for sale in each of the three positions at the same time.

Opening Round

To start, each player shuffles their deck, stacks it face down and draws the top eight cards from it to form their initial hand. The opening round in its entirety consists of three turns for each player, playing alternately. Each turn must be used to place one card face up to start off each of their three caravans. During this opening round only number cards (A, 2-10) can be placed. If a player does not have three number cards or aces to play, then they must show their hand, reshuffle their deck and draw eight new cards. No cards can be discarded or re-drawn during the opening round. Therefore at the end of this round when each player has had three turns, they will each have a hand of five cards and one card in each caravan.

Game Play

After the opening round play continues with players taking alternate turns. On each turn, you must do one of the following:

Play a card from your hand on a caravan, then draw a new card from your deck and add it to your hand.

Discard a card from your hand, then draw a new card from the deck to replace it.

Disband one of your caravans. Take all the cards from this caravan and place them on your discard pile.

Note that after the opening round, if any of your caravans is empty of cards you are not required to play on the empty caravan in your next turn: it can be left empty. Technically, you could win the game with only two caravans if you could sell both of them while your opponent sold the third. Any card that is discarded or removed from play is added to the discard pile. These cards can't be recovered.

Playing Number Cards

(A=1, 2-10)

Number cards in each caravan are played in a column. Each new card is added to the bottom of the column overlapping the previous number card. Number cards can only be placed on your own caravans. On an empty caravan, any number card can be played. On a caravan with one card, you may play any number that is not equal to the first card. On a caravan with two cards, the bottom two cards indicate its numerical direction - ascending if the bottom card is higher, descending if it is lower. You may play any card that preserves the direction or any card matches the suit of the bottom card. Example: if the last two cards of a caravan are 3, 7 the direction is ascending. On this caravan you may play any 8, 9 or 10 to continue the ascending direction, or the A, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 of hearts changing the direction to descending.

Note that cards following numerical direction do not need to be adjacent in value. For example you can go up from a three to a seven, or down from a seven to a three. Under no circumstances are you allowed to place a number card on an equal number card (e.g. a 10 on a 10).

Playing Picture Cards (J, Q, K, Joker)

Picture cards all have special effects. Unlike number cards which are placed in a column overlapping each other, a picture card is placed to the side of and overlapping the card it is played on. A picture card can be played on a number card in any caravan, no matter whether it belongs to you or your opponent. Jacks, Kings and Jokers can be played on any number card; a Queen can only be played on the bottom card of a caravan's column. The special effects are as follows:

Jack

Removes the card the Jack is played on as well as any face cards attached to it, and place them on the discard pile.

Queen

This may only be played on the last card of a caravan's column. It reverses the current numerical direction of the caravan and changes the suit of the caravan to that of the Queen. Example: if the last two cards of a caravan are 3, 7 and the Q is played on the 7 the numerical direction is changed to descending and the suit to diamonds - so the next card played on this caravan can be any A, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 or the 8, 9 or 10 of diamonds. Multiple Queens can be played on the same card.

King

Doubles the value of the card the King is played on. Multiple Kings can be used on the same card (for example a 9 with a King on it is worth 18, a 9 with two Kings on it is worth 36).

Joker

If a Joker is played on an Ace it removes all other number cards (including Aces) from both player's caravans that are the same suit as the Ace on which the Joker was played, along with any picture cards attached to those cards. Picture cards that are the same suit as the Ace are not affected (unless they are attached to a number card removed by the Joker). Number cards and Aces with Queens attached to them count as belonging to their printed suit: the suit of the attached Queens is ignored.

If a Joker is played on a number card from 2-10 it removes all other printed number cards of the same value from both player's caravans, along with any picture cards attached to those cards.

In all cases the card on which the Joker is played and any pictures attached to it are spared. A played Joker only affects cards that have been played before it, not cards played subsequently. All removed cards are added to the discard pile.

Picture cards can be played on number cards which already have one or two other picture cards attached to them. However, no more than three picture cards can be attached to a single number card at one time. Therefore a picture card cannot be played on a number card that already has three picture cards attached to it, and the only way to remove such a card is by the use of a Joker on another card, or by disbanding the caravan. In particular a Jack cannot be used to remove a number card that already has three face cards or Jokers attached to it.

If in the event that a Jack or Joker removes a card leaving a caravan ending with two equal numbered cards, then the numerical direction remains as it was before the card was removed (Example. If a Jack is played on the 7 in this caravan: 6-7Q-6, leaving just 6-6, the direction is descending, since before the Jack was played there was a downward sequence of 7 to 6). This only applies in situations where the removal leaves equal cards following each other. (Example: If a Jack or Joker removes the 6 in this caravan: 2-6-4, then the sequence is now ascending [2-4] and it doesn't matter that beforehand the sequence was descending.)

Winning

To score a caravan you simply add the total sum of a caravan's number cards (as modified by Kings) to determine the caravan's value. When at least one caravan is for sale from each of the three positions the game is over, and the player with two or more of the higher sales wins the game. However, in the event that one of three caravan values is tied between players, the game continues until all three caravans have sold. In this case, if a player has three caravans for sale with two being higher bids and the other being a tie, if it's that player's turn he can simply disband the tied caravan to win the game.

If you run out of cards to play before meeting the criteria of winning, then your opponent automatically wins.

Variants

Optionally, you may play with one Joker each or no Jokers. Optionally, each player may customize their own deck provided that it consists of at least 30 cards (selected from standard 52-card decks with jokers), and doesn't contain any two cards that are precisely the same. The maximum number of cards to be used should be agreed upon before the game. It is recommended that no more than four decks (216 cards) be used to make a player's deck, as there are only four different decks that can be used in the New Vegas version of the game.

Bugs and Discrepancies

Here is Kyle Mifflin's summary of some issues with the original New Vegas game and how these are addressed in his interpretation.

Deck Construction

The actual game of Caravan as found in New Vegas is played with custom decks. You must have a minimum of 30 cards to play with in your deck - the rules do not mention a maximum number of cards allowed in your deck. You may use more than one set of traditional playing cards, and have any number of cards of any type provided they don't include any two cards that are precisely the same (face and back). In practice, deck construction doesn't matter. So long as you're playing with at least 30 cards and don't have two of the same card from identical decks, then you are playing by the rules. A full 54-card deck with Jokers for each player is ideal for even, fair game play. Both players have the same cards and the same advantage. 54 cards is also enough for what could be a battle, should the game go on for that long.

Running Out of Cards

In New Vegas the in-game rules for Caravan do not mention what happens when a player completely runs out of cards to play. However, when this happens in New Vegas the opposing player automatically wins. It's pretty clear that this is supposed to happen since it's been coded into the game.

End of Game Mechanics

This isn't a discrepancy or a bug, but it's something I want to discuss. A lot of people online think that the end-game mechanics of Caravan in New Vegas is bugged. I just want to clarify that having all three of your caravans sold - two at a higher bid and one tied - does not, and is not supposed to end the game. The rules state that the game continues if one of the sold caravan tracks is at a tie. However, I get that it makes sense to end the game when all three tracks are sold and a player has sold two at higher bids. Just note, that while one player just needs to disband their tied track to win the game, if it's the other player's turn then they have a chance to tie another caravan track or to sabotage their opponent's caravan, thus continuing the game indefinitely.

Start of Game Mechanics

The in-game rules in New Vegas state that you are not allowed to discard cards during the opening round of setting up your caravans. However, the in-game coding allows you to do this anyway. It can be accurately surmised that the developers allowed this possibility to avoid dealing with what would happen in you didn't have three number cards to play during the opening round. In any case, this is a confirmed bug. Since the only thing we have to go by when playing in real-life is that you are not allowed to discard during the opening round, if you do not have three number cards to play simply show your opponent your hand, and reshuffle the deck drawing eight new cards. This is my recommended simple solution to a problem which in practice rarely occurs.

References

Kyle Mifflin’s Version of Caravan - Fallout: New Vegas’ Caravan - Invented - Pagat

Fallout: New Vegas Official Website

[studentbyday]

Periodic table structure

arranging periodic table into blocks, we see that as you go left to right, top to bottom, it follows the increasing energies of subshells w/c occur due to increasing amounts of electron shielding (e.g. 4s → 3d)

n = row number

columns are grouped by l (b/c it indicates s, p, d, or f subshell)

s block elements have outermost electrons in s subshell

p block elements have outermost electrons in p subshell

d block elements have outermost electrons in d subshell

f block elements have outermost electrons in f subshell; f-block elements = lanthanides and actinides and they actually insert themselves here:

rows aka periods = principal quantum number n

Periodic table trends = based on Coulomb's law:

We can't calculate r exactly because of quantum mechanics, so we need to use a mean r value to calculate force of attraction between nucleus and an electron.

Core charge = change experienced by outermost electrons of an atom, assuming the inner electrons shield them 100% from the nucleus and outermost electrons don't shield each other at all.

Ignoring transition metals, core charge = group number (+1 to +8).

In reality, orbitals of outer electrons somewhat penetrate inner orbitals so effective shielding isn't 100% and electrons in the same shell can partially shield each other somewhat. So the actual amount of shielding and effective nuclear charge depends on interactions between different orbitals (e.g. s orbitals have more electron density near or on the nucleus than a p orbital with the same n, so s orbitals shield the nucleus better and is less affected by shielding from other orbitals than p). The actual amount of shielding isn't the same as the amount of shielding assumed in core charge calculations, and thus, the effective nuclear charge does not exactly equal core charge.

Atomic radii

Core charge increases as you go left to right w/c means 1 of the q's in Coulomb's law is increasing, assuming everything else is the same; core charge = one's place of group #. This means force of attraction between outer electron and nucleus increases as you go left to right because the higher the core charge, the more strongly the nucleus pulls the outer electrons towards itself. This means atomic radii decrease from left to right.

As you go down the periodic table, atomic radii increase because you increase in number of energy levels with each period (n ↑).

So largest atomic radii are at the bottom-left of the table.

Ionization energy

Ionization energy = amount of energy (ΔH) that must be absorbed to remove an electron from an atom, to turn the atom into an ion (M → M+ + e-)

We tend to measure energy in enthalpy, so energy = ΔH

The more loosely an atom holds its electrons, i.e. the more electron shielding there is, and therefore the larger the atomic radii, the lower the ionization energy because it's easier for an electron to be removed.

The more tightly an atom holds it's electrons, i.e. the less shielding their is, the smaller the atomic radii, the higher the ionization energy.

So the highest ionization energies are at the top-right of the table (except noble gases because they have full valence shells).

First ionization energy - an outermost electron is removed first

Second ionization energy - a 2nd electron is removed after the first, w/c is always higher than the first because there's greater attraction to nucleus with fewer electrons in the way

You can also have third, 4th, etc. ionization energies, it just depends how many electrons in the atom you have that you want to remove

Sometimes the difference b/t 1st and subsequent ionization energies is small, sometimes it's a really big difference. Difference is really big when you go from outer electrons to core electrons. Difference is small when you're just dealing with outer electrons

Electron affinity

Electron affinity is the amount of energy (ΔH) released when adding an electron to an atom (M + e- → M-)

All atoms have negative electron affinity except noble gases, so they all can take more electrons except for noble gases, but elements with the highest electron affinity are in the top-right of the periodic table (they tend to form anions)

Metals tend to have low ionization energy and low electron affinity, becoming cations

Non-metals tend to have high ionization energy and high electron affinity, becoming anions

So metals + non-metals → ionic compounds

Metalloids/semimetals can act metallic or non-metallic depending what they're paired with

Electronegativity

Electronegativity is how likely is an atom that shares an electron pair w/ another atom going to attract that pair to itself vs attracted away from it to the other atom and where the electrons spend most of their time? When high electron affinity elements form a covalent bond, they are more likely to hog electrons aka have high electronegativity.

Reactivity

group 1A / alkali metals → lose 1 electron, often form salts (react w/ halogens), reactivity increases as you go down the group

group 2A / alkali earth metals → lose 2 electrons, tends to react with atoms that gain 1 or 2 electrons

group 3A → tend to form 3+ ions except B b/c that would make it very unstable (instead, B forms covalent bonds)

group 4A → C and Si both form tetrahedral structures but Si can have more complex molecule geometries b/c it has d orbitals and tends to lose electrons like metals (hence, it's a metalloid), while C can lose or gain electrons

group 5A → N and P are non-metals forming 3- ions, As and Sb are metalloids so can go either way, Bi is a metal that tends to lose electrons b/c it's a large atom so low ionization energy

group 6A / chalcogens → O, S, and Se are non-metals that can form 2- anions, Te is a metalloid, Po is a metal that tends to lose electrons b/c it's a large atom so low ionization energy

group 7A / halogens → easily form 1- anions b/c they just need 1 more electron to fill their outer shell; F = the most electronegative and has the highest electron affinity of any atom in the table

group 8A / noble gases → least reactive b/c all their outer shells are filled

H can be classified as part of 1A or 7A because it can lose an electron → 1+ or gain an electron → 1-

[kiyalearning01]

How to Learn Abacus Maths at Home

Learning Abacus Maths at home is an exciting way to develop mental arithmetic skills. Abacus Maths is one of the most ancient and effective ways to perform calculations with speed and accuracy. With the right resources, dedication, and a structured approach, you can easily start learning it at home. Let’s explore the steps and tools you can use to begin your Abacus journey.

Step-by-Step Guide to Learning Abacus Maths at Home

Learning Abacus Maths can significantly enhance your mental arithmetic skills, boost concentration, and improve problem-solving abilities. By following a structured approach, you can start learning Abacus Maths at home or through online classes. Here’s a detailed, step-by-step guide to help you get started:

1. Get Familiar with the Abacus

Before jumping into calculations, you need to understand the Abacus tool itself. The Abacus is made up of a rectangular frame with rods, where beads slide up and down. The rods represent place values, and the beads represent numbers.

Identify the structure: Typically, an Abacus has two parts — the upper and lower decks, separated by a horizontal bar. The beads on the upper deck have a value of 5, while those on the lower deck have a value of 1.

Place values: Each vertical rod represents a specific place value (units, tens, hundreds, etc.). The rightmost rod is the units place, and as you move leftward, each rod represents increasing place values.

2. Learn Number Representation on the Abacus

The first step in using an Abacus is learning how to represent numbers. This process helps you understand the tool’s basic working mechanism.

One-digit numbers: On each rod, push one bead from the lower deck upward to represent numbers 1 to 4. For 5, push one bead from the upper deck down to the horizontal bar.

Multi-digit numbers: As you move to higher numbers, use additional rods for tens, hundreds, etc. For example, to represent 23, move 2 beads up in the tens column and 3 beads up in the units column.

Practice number formation: Start by practicing forming numbers from 1 to 100 on the Abacus. This will help you get comfortable with the placement of beads and place values.

3. Master Basic Arithmetic Operations

Once you understand how to form numbers on the Abacus, it’s time to move on to basic arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Start with simple operations and gradually increase the complexity.

Addition: Practice adding small numbers by moving beads upward. For example, to add 3 + 2, first move 3 beads in the units rod upward, then add 2 more beads. Once the total exceeds 5, move one bead from the upper deck to represent the sum.

Subtraction: Practice subtraction by moving beads downward. For example, to subtract 2 from 5, push 2 beads back down. You’ll also need to learn how to "borrow" when working with multi-digit numbers.

Multiplication and division: These are more advanced operations that require practice and understanding of patterns on the Abacus. Once you’re comfortable with addition and subtraction, start practicing multiplication and division.

4. Learn the Abacus Bead Movements

The most critical aspect of mastering the Abacus is learning how to manipulate the beads quickly and accurately. Here are some tips:

Use your thumb and index finger: When sliding beads, use your thumb to move the lower deck beads up and your index finger to move them down. For the upper deck, use your index finger to move the beads.

Start slow, then build speed: At first, focus on accuracy rather than speed. As you become more comfortable, you can gradually increase the speed at which you move the beads and perform calculations.

5. Develop Mental Visualization Techniques

The real power of the Abacus comes from being able to visualize the tool in your mind and perform calculations without physically using the Abacus. This is called "mental math" or "mental abacus."

Practice visualization: Start by visualizing the Abacus in your mind and mentally performing simple operations like addition and subtraction. Imagine the beads moving as you perform the calculation.

Gradually increase difficulty: As you become more comfortable with mental visualization, try performing more complex operations, like multiplication and division, without the physical Abacus.

6. Join Online Abacus Classes

For a more structured learning experience, enrolling in abacus online classes is highly recommended. Platforms like Kiya Learning offer comprehensive Abacus classes that guide learners through every stage of the process.

Expert instruction: Kiya Learning provides access to experienced instructors who can explain concepts clearly and offer personalized feedback.

Interactive tools: Many online classes offer virtual Abacus tools that simulate a real Abacus, making it easy to practice even if you don’t have a physical Abacus.

Flexibility: Online classes offer the flexibility to learn at your own pace and from the comfort of your home.

7. Practice Consistently

As with any skill, regular practice is key to mastering Abacus Maths. Set aside a specific time each day for practice.

Start with simple problems: Begin with basic addition and subtraction problems. Focus on accuracy before moving on to more complex calculations.

Increase complexity gradually: Once you’re comfortable with basic operations, start working on more challenging problems, including multi-digit multiplication and division.

Use practice worksheets: Many online platforms offer downloadable worksheets to practice different arithmetic operations. You can also create your own problems for additional practice.

8. Track Your Progress

Keep track of your progress by timing how long it takes you to complete different sets of problems. As you practice more, you’ll notice that both your speed and accuracy improve. Challenge yourself by setting time limits for completing problems.

Work on weak areas: If you notice that certain operations (like multiplication or division) are taking longer or causing mistakes, spend extra time practicing those areas.

Celebrate small wins: Recognize your improvements along the way, whether it’s completing a set of problems faster than before or being able to visualize the Abacus more clearly in your mind.

9. Challenge Yourself with Advanced Techniques

Once you have mastered the basics of Abacus Maths, you can move on to more advanced techniques, such as:

Complex multiplication and division: Practice long multiplication and division problems using the Abacus.

Mental Abacus: Try to perform more calculations mentally, without using the physical Abacus. Start with small numbers, then gradually move to larger, more complex problems.

Compete in Abacus competitions: Some platforms, like Kiya Learning, offer the opportunity to participate in Abacus competitions where you can challenge yourself and see how you compare to other learners.

10. Combine Abacus with Vedic Maths

To further enhance your mathematical abilities, you can combine Abacus Maths with Vedic Maths. Vedic Maths is a system of mental math that uses shortcuts and tricks to solve complex problems quickly. By combining both systems, you can develop exceptional calculation speed and accuracy.

Enroll in Abacus and Vedic Maths Online Classes: Platforms like Kiya Learning offer courses that cover both Abacus and Vedic Maths. These classes will teach you how to use both systems together for even faster and more efficient problem-solving.

Final Thoughts

Learning Abacus Maths is a step-by-step process that requires patience, practice, and dedication. By following this guide, you can build a strong foundation in Abacus, improve your mental math skills, and perform calculations with ease.

Whether you’re a beginner or looking to refine your skills, joining an abacus online class like the ones offered by Kiya Learning can accelerate your progress and provide expert guidance along the way. With regular practice and a focus on mental visualization, you’ll soon be able to perform complex calculations without even needing the physical Abacus.

2. Start with Basic Concepts

To get a strong foundation, begin by learning:

Place Value: Each bead in a specific column has a distinct value, such as units, tens, or hundreds.

Bead Movements: Learning how to manipulate the beads is crucial. Practice sliding beads up and down using your fingers, as this will be the core of your calculations.

Number Representation: Start by representing numbers on the Abacus and understanding how different numbers are displayed.

3. Learn Basic Arithmetic Operations

Once you are familiar with the layout of the Abacus and how numbers are represented, start practicing the basic arithmetic operations:

Addition: Learn how to add small numbers first and then gradually increase the difficulty.

Subtraction: Practice subtracting numbers by moving beads appropriately.

Multiplication & Division: Once comfortable with addition and subtraction, you can move on to multiplication and division.

At this stage, enrolling in an Abacus online class can provide structured guidance. Kiya Learning, a popular platform, offers comprehensive courses that can help learners at any stage. Their Abacus classes cover everything from the basics to advanced techniques, making it easier to understand and apply Abacus Maths.

4. Use Digital Tools and Resources

There are numerous online tools, tutorials, and apps available that can assist in learning Abacus Maths. Some of these tools provide interactive exercises, videos, and quizzes that help reinforce your learning. These resources can simulate a physical Abacus, making it easier to practice even when you don’t have a physical tool.

You can also explore abacus learning online platforms like Kiya Learning, which provide step-by-step guidance and personalized support. These platforms are ideal for beginners looking for structured lessons.

5. Practice Daily

The key to mastering Abacus Maths is consistency. Set aside time each day to practice, even if it's just for 15 to 30 minutes. Focus on speed and accuracy while performing simple calculations, and gradually increase the difficulty as you progress. You can challenge yourself by setting time limits to complete problems or by moving on to more complex operations.

Daily practice will also improve your mental math skills. Over time, you’ll begin to perform calculations without even needing the Abacus, as it trains your brain to visualize the movement of beads and perform operations mentally.

6. Join Abacus and Vedic Maths Online Classes

While self-study is important, sometimes expert guidance is needed to truly excel. Joining an abacus and vedic maths online class offers structured learning, expert instruction, and interactive sessions that enhance your understanding.

Kiya Learning offers some of the best abacus classes online for both kids and adults. Their instructors are experienced, and their course material is designed to accommodate learners at every level. In addition, Kiya Learning provides comprehensive lessons on both Abacus and Vedic Maths, which complement each other in building strong mental arithmetic skills.

7. Challenge Yourself with Mental Math Classes

Once you’ve built a strong foundation in Abacus, it’s time to level up with mental math classes. The key to mastering Abacus is to internalize the concepts to the point where you no longer need the physical tool to perform calculations. You can do this through mental math practice, which involves visualizing the Abacus in your mind and manipulating the beads mentally.

By enrolling in mental math classes near me, you can improve your ability to perform calculations without using the Abacus, thereby enhancing your mathematical ability. Kiya Learning also offers mental math classes that are designed to sharpen your calculation speed and accuracy.

Why Choose Abacus Learning Online?

The advantages of learning Abacus online are numerous. Some of the key benefits include:

1. Flexibility

One of the biggest benefits of learning Abacus online is flexibility. You can learn at your own pace, on your own schedule, from the comfort of your home. This makes it ideal for busy adults or kids who are balancing school, extracurricular activities, and other commitments.

2. Access to the Best Instructors

Online platforms often provide access to top instructors from around the world. Platforms like Kiya Learning offer access to highly qualified teachers who specialize in Abacus and Vedic Maths. You can benefit from their experience and expertise without needing to travel or attend in-person classes.

3. Interactive Learning Experience

Many online Abacus classes use a variety of tools to make learning more interactive and engaging. This can include virtual Abacuses, video tutorials, and real-time feedback. Some platforms even offer live classes, where you can interact with instructors and other students, ask questions, and get immediate assistance.

4. Affordable Learning

Compared to traditional in-person classes, abacus online classes are often more affordable. Many platforms offer subscription-based services or one-time payment options for lifetime access to course material. This makes it easier to get started without a large financial commitment.

Kiya Learning: Your Ideal Partner for Abacus Learning

When it comes to learning Abacus online, Kiya Learning is one of the leading platforms. They offer a range of courses that cater to different learning styles and levels, from beginners to advanced learners. Whether you’re looking to improve your math skills for personal development or as a stepping stone to more complex subjects, Kiya Learning has you covered.

Why Choose Kiya Learning?

Comprehensive Curriculum: Kiya Learning offers a structured curriculum that takes you from basic concepts to advanced techniques, ensuring a smooth learning experience.

Expert Instructors: Their instructors are highly experienced and specialize in teaching both Abacus and Vedic Maths. They provide personalized guidance to help you master the skills you need.

Interactive Tools: Kiya Learning’s platform is designed to be engaging and interactive, making it easier to understand and retain concepts.

Flexible Learning: You can learn at your own pace, making it convenient for busy schedules. They also offer flexible payment options, making their courses accessible to everyone.

Whether you're an adult looking to improve your mental math skills or a parent seeking a reliable platform for your child’s math education, Kiya Learning has the resources to help you succeed.

Conclusion

Learning Abacus Maths at home is a rewarding journey that enhances your calculation speed and mental agility. By starting with basic concepts, practicing regularly, and taking advantage of online resources, you can quickly develop proficiency. Abacus online classes offered by platforms like Kiya Learning provide the structure and expert guidance you need to succeed.

Their courses are designed to cater to all ages and skill levels, making them one of the best options for anyone looking to improve their math skills. Additionally, combining Abacus and Vedic Maths can take your mental arithmetic to new heights, providing a strong foundation for lifelong learning.

If you're serious about mastering Abacus, now is the time to take the plunge and enroll in one of the best abacus classes online through Kiya Learning. With dedication and the right resources, you can master Abacus Maths from the comfort of your home!

[sprocket365]

How to Customize the News Web Part in SharePoint Online?

The SharePoint modern news web part is a useful way to share announcements and updates in SharePoint Online.

With some simple customizations, you can make this web part stand out and match your site's look and feel.

In this article, we'll walk through customizing various aspects of the news web part like layout, headers, text formatting, and more.

Change the Web Part Layout

The news web part offers three layout options to choose from:

Stacked

Column left

Column right

You can select the layout that best fits your content and page design. Here's how:

Edit the page where the news web part is added and select the web part to open the property pane

Under "Appearance", find the Layout setting

Choose your preferred layout: stacked, column left, or column right

The stacked layout places news posts vertically one under the other. The left and right column layouts show posts side-by-side in columns.

Customize the Headers

By default, the news web part shows the post title, author name, and published date. You may want to change these headers.

To customize headers:

Edit the news web part properties

Navigate to "Headers"

Delete any headers you don't need

Edit existing headers by changing the display text

Add new headers as needed

Some useful headers you can add include category, feature image, summary, etc.

Change Text Formatting

Make your news posts more visually interesting by applying text formatting. Here are some formatting options:

Use Rich Text Column for Body

In list settings, change the body column type to "Multiple lines of text" with "Rich text" formatting

Posts added after this will support text formatting

You can then make words bold, italicize text, add color, and more!

Format Column Values

In the web part properties pane, go to "Posts" > "Columns"

Choose the column and edit its formatting

Columns like Title and Headers can be formatted this way.

Show Featured Images

Adding images helps draw attention to important posts. Here's how to show images in the news web part:

In list settings, add a column called "Feature Image" of type "Hyperlink or Picture"

When creating posts, add the URL of the featured image in this column

In web part properties, go to "Appearance" > Show Featured Image

Set value to "Yes"

The chosen image will now show up prominently at the top of each news post.

Customize the Post Excerpt

The post excerpt shows a short preview. Customize what shows in the excerpt:

In web part properties, go to “Posts” > “Excerpt”

Select one of the following:

None: Do not show an excerpt

Number of sentences: Specify sentences visible

Manual Excerpt: Enter custom excerpt text

Post Body: Show full post content

For a consistent preview length, set a fixed number of sentences. To highlight key points, write a custom excerpt.

Show News Posts Selectively

Show only certain news posts by applying filters:

Under “Filters”, check “Enable post filtering”

Choose either Categories or Tags

Select the specific categories/tags to show

SharePoint will only display posts belonging to the selected categories or tags.

Match Color Theme

Make your news web part blend with site theme colors:

Under “Appearance”, pick a predefined color theme

Or enter custom colors for backgrounds, text, links, borders, etc.

Choosing a lighter background color works best for readability.

Final Touches

Finally, customize these last settings:

Number of posts: Control how many posts display

Sort order: Newest first or oldest first

Info position: Show post info above or below title

Image position: Place image above or below title

Text alignment: Align post text left/center/right

Post space: Add spacing between posts

And that covers how to customize the news web part in SharePoint Online! With these steps, you can tweak the web part to match any site design.

[taxgstandyou]

Creating Professional Invoice Templates in Excel and Word

A) Invoice template Excel

An invoice template in excel is a document plan that assists the user in creating professional invoices with ease and in a short span of time. These often contain data about the customer, items and services, subtotal and total, taxes, and payment method. It can be formatted according to the requirements of the company with other options like conditional formatting, formulas, as well as data validation for purposes of enhancing the accuracy of the operations. In creating an invoice using Excel, you can produce several invoices in the shortest time possible and in the most efficient way; this way, there are little to no mistakes when typing the invoice number, date, product description, quantity, and price, yet the invoice reflects professionalism by incorporating the image of the company’s logo at the back of the invoice.

Elements of Invoice template Excel

1. Header:

The heading part of the invoice that contains information such as the name, logo, number, physical and email address of the business.

2. Invoice number:

A document number through which the invoice can be specifically identified may contain alphabets and/or numerals.

3. Date:

The specific point of time at which the invoice was prepared or sent by the invoicing company to the buyer.

4. Billing information:

The name of the customer as well as his or her address among the other detailed information.

5. Itemized list:

This is a record of products or services that are offered which may include:

●     Description:

A short description of the good.

●     Quantity:

The quantity of the products is the number of items that are to be bought.

●     Unit price:

The cost for each unit of the good.

●     Amount:

It is the total amount of money that has been spent on the item of concern, thus quantity multiplied by the unit price.

6. Subtotal:

A figure prior to Tax computation; that is a Gross figure.

7. Taxes:

The taxes that are charged on the subtotal or the total sales for instance; the sales tax, value added tax-VAT or goods and services tax-GST.

8. Total:

This is the total figure owed in sum with all the subtotals.

9. Payment terms:

Details of the acceptable modes of payment, the required amount of time for making payment, and any other point that pertains to a delayed payment.

10. Footer:

Extra information relevant to the company, for instance, the return-policies, ways which consumers can reach the company or even a simple note of thanks.

B)  Invoice Template word

An example of an invoice in Word format contains a professional heading where you may find the business logo, name, address, and phone/fax numbers/email addresses; the central region containing basic details of the sale/service, such as date, invoice number, buyer’s name and address, goods and services sold and purchased, quantities, unit prices, and totals; the last section may involve payment terms, payment options and due dates; and the footer usually consists an area to write the customer’s full name, payment receipt stamp and also for any extra remarks about the order.

Step-by-step process for creating an invoice template in Word

Step 1:  Open a new document in word.

Click on the Microsoft Word application and go to the “File” option next select “New”.

Select the templates or begin Type with a clean slate.

Name the page as landscape and most importantly arrange the margins to your desired setting.

Step 2: Company Information Booth

Include a formal table of two columns in which to place the logo and name of the company as well as the address and phone numbers.

The font style as well as the font size that one will be using should correspond to the company’s theme.

Step 3: The next step is to add Invoice Header.

To elaborate this, you need to construct a table having the columns such as invoice number, the date, and invoice details that might include Invoice, Date, Bill To, etc.

Make use of a larger font size that will be visible enough so that it can easily attract the attention of the reader.

Step 4: Get more information about the Product/Service.

To present multiple items, use a table that can help list down the products/s or services offered.

Columns can include:

Item description

Quantity

Unit price

The amount arrived at after multiplications of total quantity by unit price are summed up.

It is recommended that a consistent font style and formatting has to be included in the text.

Step 5: Total and Payment Info

Deduct quantity discount if the given parameter is set and then sum up all the extended totals to get the subtotal.

Append the tax rate (if any) and sum them to obtain the collective.

These should be written in three different headings; payment terms, payments acceptable and the due date.

If there are any specifics that need to be emphasized, then it should be done in a properly sized bold font.

Step 6: Add Footer

To the right of its partner this element should be supplemented with a footer section to place the customer’s signature and payment receipt stamp

It is also possible to described here any additional notes or comments

Step 7: Save for later and Choose options

Additional or deletion of sections may be done by the user depending on his/her needs, the user may also change the templates’ fonts and its margins.

Use a different name to save the template when creating the new invoice with an example being “Invoice Template. Docx”.

Step 8: Instead of forcing such skills on learners, educationists can endeavor to use the template.

Copy and paste the contents of the template in a new sheet or if you want to start with a new fresh document.

Make adjustments to the header section for the line item, including the new invoice number, as well as the date if you have to make the changes frequently for the items listed as products and services provided to the buyer.

[santoschristos]

Magic Square of Mars

18 Ce British Grimoire

magic square and seal

For war magic.

Associated Numbers

The numbers associated with Mars are 5, 25, 65, and 325. This is because:

Each row and column of the magic square contains five numbers.

The square contains 25 numbers total, ranging from 1 to 25.

Each row, column and diagonal adds up to 65.

All of the numbers in the square add up to 325.

Divine Names

The divine names associated with Mars all have numerological values of 5 or 65. The names of the intelligence of Mars and the spirit of Mars have a value of 325. These values are calculated by writing out the names in Hebrew and then adding up the value of each included letter, as each Hebrew letter can represent both a sound and a numerical value.

Construction of The Square

The square is constructed by arranging the numbers consecutively in a pre-arranged pattern. In general, numbering moves down and to the right. Hence, 2 is down and to the right of 1. When the down and right motion would take you off the edge of the square, it wraps around. Thus, since 2 is on the bottom edge, 3 is still to the right of 2, but it's at the top of the square instead of the bottom.

When this pattern runs up against numbers already placed, the pattern shifts two rows down. Thus, 4 is on the left, 5 is one down and one to the right of 4, and if that motion were to be repeated, it would collide with the already placed 1. Instead, 6 appears two rows down from 5, and the pattern continues.

Construction of The Seal

The seal of Mars is constructed by drawing lines that intersect every number within the magic square.

[personal-finance123]

5 Types of Current Accounts You Need to Know About

When running a business, streamlining transactions and having access to sufficient cash flow is crucial. For this reason, having the right banking services is absolutely essential — one that can support the various financial transactions and operations your business undertakes. That’s why current accounts, which focus exclusively on business needs, are essential to consider.

Designed specifically to handle the extra cash flow needs of businesses, current accounts allow a higher number of transaction limits, more frequent withdrawals, deposits, and additional exclusive features. And today, banks offer different current accounts to meet preferences of different customers — from standard current accounts for quick access to funds to premium accounts with added benefits.

Given its importance for people in business, associations, professionals, societies and trusts, here are 5 different types of current account you must be aware of.

1. Standard Current Account

Also known as a basic deposit account, it is a non-interest-bearing account with minimal requirements like a specified minimum balance or monthly average balance. With features such as an overdraft, net banking, SMS banking, chequebook facility, and free inward remittances, this type of account offers all you need for your basic banking services.

2. Premium Current Account

A premium current account is particularly useful for those who make frequent and higher-value transactions. It also provides certain exclusive options that enable you, as a premium customer, to access special benefits on banking services such as dedicated relationship manager, preferential loan rates, and round-the-clock customer support service.

3. Packaged Current Account

A packaged current account provides an ideal option for those looking for value-added services in addition to the benefits offered by a standard current account. These can range from roadside assistance and medical support to travel and accidental insurance — offering convenience and security. However, it is not as comprehensive as the premium account in terms of providing tailored solutions to suit the individual customer’s needs.

4. Foreign Currency Account

A foreign currency account can be useful if you conduct a significant share of your transactions in foreign currencies. This type of current account has all the features and functionality of a regular current account, plus it offers the ability to manage multiple transactions from one place and reduced exchange fees when dealing with different currencies. However, before deciding on such an account, compare all current accounts thoroughly to ensure that it aligns with your banking needs and expectations.

5. Single Column Cash Book

Keeping a record of the daily transactions of your business is a crucial but often time-consuming task. The single column cashbook account provides an easy solution to this problem. This type of account allows you to track your current finances in one place, with short and concise entries split into separate debit and credit columns. Although it does not provide an overdraft facility, it allows you to view and track your day-to-day transactions easily.

Final words

The different types of current account offer different advantages and services. So, carefully read all the terms and conditions before finalising an account, and do your due diligence on any bank you choose. Paying attention to charges, guidelines and maintenance plans is also essential when looking for an ideal current account provider. Remember that each business is unique, so choosing a current account that best matches your allowances and objectives is important.

[kennnnle]

InDesign Introduction

InDesign is used for text-based design like web ads, books or any other digital uses.

The rectangle shown right after we create new file represent the margin where our text should be.

We can create a text box by press T (type tool) then click, hold and drag it. Click inside the box to start typing, to exit typing mode, simple just click outside the box.

We should change the units in preferences setting in edit menu to millimeters as it is the main unit used for this project.

There are some menus that are important as they are mostly used in InDesign and needed to be toggle on through Window menu such as: Control and paragraph styles.

This tool is in the control menu on top of the screen, which is ordinarily set to one. Change the value to change amount of columns.

When selecting a text box, we can fill them with lorem ipsum (placeholder text commonly used for previewing layouts and visual mockups) inside type menu.

Paragraph Styles

A paragraph is the text between returns.

A paragraph's style can be saved to a style, and then can be applied to any paragraph in the document. It is ideal to use paragraph styles for large documents.

Paragraph styles can be accessed through window menu.

We can edit a paragraph in 2 ways: select words that needed to be edited then press + button in paragraph styles menu to create a style and double click it to set the style within the menu. Or create a style first then apply it to whatever we want.

Inside paragraph styles setting menu, we basically can adjust any aspect of the paragraph and remember to check the preview button at the bottom to be able to see changes right after any adjustment.

For example, I created a new paragraph style and call it heading , that means I can apply it to any heading in the document. After tweaking something in paragraph styles, I made space between heading and paragraph and change the size of it a little bit.

Character Styles

Same function as paragraph styles but characte styles are for changing characters, words within a paragraph. It only affect the word we apply on but not the whole paragraph like paragraph styles.

Bullet points

Can be assessed within paragraph styles. First, we need to put a return after each piece of text we want to be a bullet point then create a new paragraph style. Then we can make space between bullet point or paragraph with incident and spacing tool. It is better putting left indent and first line indent the same number but with first line indent is minus one to have good result.

Images in InDesign

To import an image into InDesign document, click Place inside file menu , then navigate to the image we want to put in. 

To move it around use selection tool, to move it within its frame, click the circle appeared in the middle and drag it around.

To scale the frame that contains the image, click the image, then Hold shift while adjusting edge points of the gizmo to change proportions. Hold Option to scale from centre.

To scale the image , hold Command while adjusting the gizmo to change proportion. Hold shift while doing so can make it more even.

To crop the image into a circle, I created a circle using ellipse tool then cut the image into that circle to crop it. Using text wrap tool ( can be opened through window menu ) to create space between the image and the paragraph.

[mykrill]

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[donovanpolytech]

Week 4, Thu: InDesign

In today's class, we focused on designing an A5 booklet, preparing for a future assignment where we'll be designing our own.

1)How we created a A5 booklet using InDesign in class & change settings before we start designing?

First, pick A5 as your new file. After that, click on InDesign at the top left corner of your screen, and hit preference and select "Units & Increments". You should see a pop up window. Lastly, change horizontal unit and vertical unit to millimetres.

Second, open Control window (You can see all control settings at the top bar)

Third, open Page window & create 11 new pages

2)How to make cover page & back cover page?

Before we started, the followings are shortcuts we should remember...

t: text box toggle

w: preview mode

Command + A: select all

Command + click outside of text box + v: escape text mode

Add text to cover page & back cover page. While making our back cover, be aware of the icon underneath font size, it represents spacing between top text and bottom text, so it's really useful when we want to make the adjustments.

3)How to make page number in A-parent?

First, you have to know where is A-parent page. The A-parent page section is right above the section where all pages are displayed. Select A-parent page & add 2 things for each page, one text box that fills the whole page & one text at the bottom of the page.

Second, we set page number to a special character. Select the number, go to 'Type', hit Markers and select current page number. However, we don't want to see page number on cover page and back cover page...

Drag '[None]' thumbnail to cover & back cover page !!!

It's actually extremely convenient.

4) Extra practise !!!

Shift click both A-parent pages, go to layout. Change the value of margin and column, so the final look should look like below !

We also put page number at the middle bottom of the page by changing align to selection to align to page, then click on align to middle icon.

5)How we filled a page with texts and boxes?

We added texts and black boxes using techniques we learnt from last class !

Second, we learnt how to place overflow text...There is normally a tiny button at the right bottom corner of the text boxes that has overflow texts. Then, go to the area where you want to paste the text, drag out a text box.

Third, we filled up our 2nd page. We also applied text wrap to it.

6) How do we add white page numbers when the whole page is in dark colour?

First, we opened a new Layer window. Then we went back to parent pages and select those page numbers boxes In layers drag them up to a new layer, drag the blue dot at the right hand side up one layer.

Second, we duplicated the A parent. The new parent page is called B parent. And changed the colour of page number to white, chuck B parent onto dark pages.

[flimbic-system]

My work and answers underneath the read more for each of the problems because I got bored. I encourage everyone to solve these themselves and to check my work and logic, and if I got something wrong, then call me out on my bullshit.

Problem 1:

I first determined E = 1 since if every letter is between 0-9 then there is no way for a carry over to be greater than 1 when adding two numbers together, even if there was carryover from the previous digit the highest number that could be gotten is 19.

From E = 1, we can get L = 0 since the resultant of the two added together is 1.

The equation looks like this now:

SH1 + 110 = 10S1, and from that, something else becomes apparent in that S = 9 and H =/ 9 (imagine that cross is going through the equal sign for a cannot equal sign) since the ending digits of the resultant are 10 so 9 + 1 = 10 and H =/ 9 because then the digit in the tens place would be 0 and it is instead S or 9.

Since S = 9, H = 8 because the digit being added to the H is 1 and the resultant is nine.

In summary, E =1, L = 0, S = 9, & H = 8 making the final equation: 981 + 110 = 1091

Problem 2:

Immediately D = 1, since the first product (fancy name for answer in multiplication) is the same as the upper row being multiplied and any number times 1 equals itself.

Another letter can be solved without knowledge of other letters, and that letter is O. O = 0 mainly because it is the only number that, when added to itself, equals itself. Every other possible combination results in a number, in the ones place, that is different from the original number.

From these numbers, the equation becomes:

10G × A1 = 10G + A100 = AG0G. (Additional zero in A100 is because that is what the blank space in the original image is meant to represent)

With the equation like this, something else can be made clear, that being 1 + 1 = G or in other words G = 2. (I should point out that most of this is easier to see when aligning the problems vertically, but doing that on a phone is a bit of a pain and generally makes the problems too tall, but maybe I am just lazy, anyway back to problem solving)

The equation then becomes:

102 × A1 = 102 + A100 = A202

Finding A is a little trickier, but it becomes clear with every other variable found. With this in mind, A = 5 since when 2 is known and the product is shown to be 10 (A100 has 10 that only results from A × 2, thus A = 5) then the other digit being multiplied must be 5.

In summary, D = 1, O = 0, G = 2, & A = 5 making the overall equation:

102 × 51 = 102 + 5100 = 5202

Problem 3:

Definitely the hardest one to start, but we can get closer to some answers and narrow them down quite a bit. Firstly, E = 5 or 6 and cannot be 0 or 1 since 5 & 6 are the only 2 of the 10 possible values that, when multiplied with themselves equal a number with themselves in the ones column, 25 for 5 and 36 for 6, while E =/ 0 or 1 because the first product is not EEE, eliminates 0, and is not RYE again, eliminates 1. Since that is the case, W = E + 1 because a 1 being carried over is the only way to change E to W in the final answer & because a 1 must be carried over, A >= 5. To add up to E, A must either be 7, with carryover for E = 5 or 8, without carryover for E = 6 since 7 + 7 + 1 = 15 and 8 + 8 = 16. In addition to this, E × R with or without carryover must be < 10 and >= 5 since there are only 3 digits in the first product and A >= 5 for W = E + 1. Since E is either 5 or 6, then R must be 1 to satisfy the above conditions.

The equation then becomes:

1YE × BE = A1E + EAT0 = WE1E

This equation shows how T must be 0 since no carryover can occur on the last digit in the answer and the only way for 1 to be in the final answer besides T = 0 is for carryover to occur. Since T = 0, no digit is carried over to the hundreds place, meaning that A =/ 7, making A = 8. With A = 8, E must be 6 and W must be 7.

The new equation is:

1Y6 × B6 = 816 + 6800 = 7616.

This new equation shows how B × 6 must have a zero in the ones place, and the only number that satisfies that requirement is 5, thus B = 5.

The new equation is:

1Y6 × 56 = 816 + 6800 = 7616

The final letter can be found by dividing 7616 by 56 and setting Y equal to the number in the tens place in the final result, so 7616 ÷ 56 = 136 and Y = 3.

In summary, R = 1, Y = 3, E = 6, B = 5, A =8, & W = 7 with the final equation being:

136 × 56 = 816 + 6800 = 7616

I just remembered that the Wayside School books had a pair of spinoff books that were a mix of math and cryptograms, which I think I was kind of obsessed with.