Passing Notes

How to play Pencil Spin

Flick the pencil. One pointer reads four rings.

Don't plan the date. Play for it. You don't have to agree on a plan. Just agree to play.

Start

  1. Pick a mode: Zero Thought (schema defaults, skip edit), Make It Ours (defaults loaded, replace any slot), or Blank Slate (empty lists — does not silently refill defaults).
  2. Each category is authored with five options: food, activity, game, entertainment. You need exactly five live options in every category or you do not start.
  3. Filter: trim, drop blanks, 1–40 characters. Duplicates are case-sensitive.

The ritual

  1. Four concentric rings, one per category. Five equal 72° wedges on every ring.
  2. Start mark at 12 o'clock. Display order runs clockwise. Same wedge index on all four rings.
  3. Flick, or drag/tap the pointer. The settled angle is the only input.
  4. j = floor(angle / 72) % 5. Winner in each category is options[j].
  5. Result: Tonight: food · activity · game · entertainment.

Drag/tap is the real a11y path (reduced motion and keyboard 1–5). We never pick a winner and then animate to it. No Math.random().

Wedges (locked)

Locked angle to option map
AngleOption
0° ≤ a < 72°1
72° ≤ a < 144°2
144° ≤ a < 216°3
216° ≤ a < 288°4
288° ≤ a < 360°5

Exact 72° lands in option 2. Exact 0° lands in option 1.

Locked oracle

90° → option 2 all categories: Food Baked-potato bar / Activity Coin-laundry hang / Game Cribbage if you have it / Entertainment Two-earbud silent disco.

floor(90 / 72) = 1. Food option 2 is Baked-potato bar, not Falafel-wrap walk.

Back to play