On Sep 24, 2004, at 12:39 PM, Jamis Buck wrote:

> Ruby Quiz wrote:
>
>> 6.  Find the output letter.  Convert the top card to it's value and 
>> count down
>> that many cards from the top of the deck, with the top card itself 
>> being card
>> number one.  Look at the card immediately after your count and 
>> convert it to a
>> letter.  This is the next letter in the keystream.  If the output 
>> card is a
>> joker, no letter is generated this sequence.  This step does not 
>> alter the deck.
>>  For our example, the output letter is:
>> 	D  (the 2 tells us to count down to the 4, which is a D)
>
> Step six says that the "top card itself [is] card number one". That 
> said, if I count 2 from the top, with the top card being #1, shouldn't 
> that have given me a 3 (per the listing in step 5), instead of a 4? 
> Which means the first output letter would be "C"...
>
> Am I missing something? Did I misread the instructions, or is there an 
> error there?

The top card is number one, yes, and you do count down two cards.  The 
instructions for step 6 say, immediately after that, "Look at the card 
immediately after your count and...".  So card 2 is number 1, card 3 is 
number 2 and the card immediately after that count is card 4.

I apologize if it isn't clear.  I was disappointed with how long and 
complex I made that quiz look, it's actually a super simple procedure.

James Edward Gray II