Ask it something
Think of a question that can be answered yes or no. Press SHAKE, or tap the ball itself, and the answer floats up in the window – one of twenty, the same twenty the toy has given since 1950.
Eight of them mean yes, four are non-committal, and the rest are a no. That mix is why the ball feels like it is thinking: ask it twice and it will often disagree with itself.
What people ask it
- Should I text them back?
- Will it rain on Saturday?
- Is this haircut a mistake?
- Should we order the same thing again?
- The questions where you already know the answer and want to be told.
How it decides
Your browser picks an answer at random the moment you shake, and the shake shows a result that has already been decided. Every answer has exactly the same chance, and the ball knows nothing about you, your question or what you asked it last time.
The answers are kept
Everything it has told you is in Past winners, newest first, so you can go back and see whether it has changed its mind. Nothing leaves your device.
A shorter or longer shake
How long it takes makes the shake longer for a bit of suspense, or turns the animation off completely for an answer the moment you press.