The start of any system seems to follow a pattern.

1. Start with an idea.

2. Create a spreadsheet that will put the data into a easily consumable .csv format

3. Create a Python program to do the heavy lifting.

In this particular project, step 1 has taken quite some time. It is necessary to figure out how you would approach something manually before any automation could begin.

What I learned about numbers directly... in a pick n game your next pick can be from 0 to 9, and there is no safe way to eliminate any of them, their distribution resembles a unified distribution of random numbers. I have also learned that frequency is important in the long run, but not enough for draw to draw calculation. Yet frequency distribution is the DNA of a particular game history.

I have so far pre calculated the total number of possible vectors and their values, which is 19... by the grid layout, some of these CAN be eliminated by grid constraints. In the end there are still 10 possible of 19 vectors that are in play. For some vectors there may be a one to many relationship that is not immediately obvious. Much depends on the frequency distribution and the resulting curve.

Since the vectors are already known, the spreadsheet creation process to encode this data will be a simple lookup table with 100 entries, from a 0 0 repeat to a 9 9 repeat and every combo in between. This should not take long, though I will have to update the databases as well as I have let that part go while focusing on the core idea.

The visualization aspect is also of great importance, and will continue to be developed in parallel with the rest, as that represents trying to invoke the most powerful inference engine known to mankind... the human brain.

But for the third step, the first Python program will be a rework of the follower distribution script, only done with the vectors. It will most likely not be the final target, but it will help in understanding the underlying mechanics of each position in each game.

I did have a decent run of successful coding experiments between Q4 2023 and Q1 2024, but they were ultimately not successful winning number generators. The one plus to all of the previously expended effort is that just about all of the code is able to be repurposed for future projects by following common software engineering principles. Even the spreadsheets will be easier this round, as the large lookup tables already exist and just need to be filled with vectors rather than digits.

Once there is more progress on the visualization application, then the programs can all feed from the same .csv data sources.

Maybe the end game is that I finally "get it" that I lack the mental acuity to crack this age old puzzle, which still puts me in good company... and that the last 20 year half hearted chase was a waste of time. But I am still the same old stubborn person who still gets a thrill when a script works as expected, even if the results don't deliver a win. I believe I am addicted to the journey more so than disappointed at not reaching the destination...