Links

Computational jewelry | More images from flickr |

About

"Random Number Generating Jewelry" was created by jennyLC Chowdhury as a final project for "Physical computing without Computers" a class at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program.

Contact

jennyLC [at] jennyLC [dot] com

Tired of generating your random numbers with computers and lava lamps?

Make yourself a Random Number Generating necklace and let your new fashion accessory generate the numbers for you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where are the numbers?

Some of you less nerdy friends are probably saying, "hey there jennyLC, I see that each of the othello pieces used to make the jewelry has two sides, a black and white, but while this produces a random pattern, how is this producing a random number?"

Well i'm glad you asked! As some of you know, computers use the binary number system to represent values. While digits in the decimal system can have values ranging between 0-9, a "bit" in binary can only have a value of 0 or 1. If you have no idea what i'm talking about, please read this article. Now, if we take the white side of the othello piece to represent binary 0 and the black side to represent binary 1, we can begin to see how othello has the potential to present binary. The two possible states in the piece allow us to toggle our bits.

Want to make your own? Here's how:

Materials:

1) Othello pieces. 2, 4, 8 or 16 your choice depending on how many "bits" long you'd like to make it, plus some extras in case you melt pieces
2) Size #60 jewelers drill bits
3) Standard base metal head pins at least 2 inches in length (you may also use other wire that has been straightened)
4) Some small decorative beads of your choice.
5) Jump rings
6) A clasp and/or earring hooks

Tools:

1) Drill press
2) Vice
3) Needle nose pliers
4) Flat nose pliers

Instructions:

1) Go to the store and buy Othello, the classic game of strategy that takes "a minute to learn, a lifetime to master".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2) Measure each othello piece and do your best to find the diameter. You can find the diameter by finding the longest length of the othello piece. Draw a light pencil line across the diameter

3) Put your #60 jewelers drill bit in the press. Using the vice to hold the piece, line up the diameter of the othello piece with the drill bit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4)VERY SLOWLY, begin to drill through the piece. Each time you drill a little further, take the bit out, turn the drill off and brush bits of plastic off the bit. If you don't go slowly, the othello piece will melt! Drill through as many pieces as you want to use

5) Place the drilled othello piece on a headpin. Flick it to make sure it spins freely. Using your needle nose pliers, bend the top of the headpin wire into a closed loop and wrap it around a few times. Do the same on the bottom end, but make sure you leave enough room for the piece to spin freely. Do this for each of your pieces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6) Take some of your decorative spacer beads and put them on headpins as you did in step 5. It's not necessary for these to spin, however.

7) Connect your pieces with jump rings. Use your flat nose pliers to open and close the jump rings. Connect 4 othello pieces at a time if you're making a necklace or bracelet. Use your decorative spacer beads in between to represent 4 bit increments, or to lengthen your piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8) Add a clasp or earring hooks to complete your piece

9) Put your piece on, shake around a bit and start generating random numbers!

What's next:

An abacus bracelet: