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Netbook-Run Dice Robot Can Rack Up 1.3 Million Rolls a Day

Posted by timothy on from the internet-worth-something-after-all dept.

stevel writes "The owner of games site GamesByEmail.com created Dice-O-Matic, 'a machine that can belch a continuous river of dice down a spiraling ramp, then elevate, photograph, process and upload almost a million and a half rolls to the server a day. ... The Dice-O-Matic is 7 feet tall, 18 inches wide and 18 inches deep. It has an aluminum frame covered with Plexiglas panels. A 6x4 inch square Plexiglas tube runs vertically up the middle almost the entire height. Inside this tube a bucket elevator carries dice from a hopper at the bottom, past a camera, and tosses them onto a ramp at the top. The ramp spirals down between the tube and the outer walls. The camera and synchronizing disk are near the top, the computer, relay board, elevator motor and power supplies are at the bottom.' While not called out in the article, the pictures clearly show a Dell Mini 9 running the show (and performing the optical recognition of the dice values.) No, it's not running Linux."

22 of 280 comments (clear)

  1. Excellent... by ben0207 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Finally a sensible way to play a 3000 pt Imperial Guard list!

    --
    cmd-q.co.uk - some sort of stupid fucking internet bullshit
  2. Need more stats by Junior+J.+Junior+III · · Score: 3, Funny

    What's its AC and THAC0? :)

    --
    You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
    1. Re:Need more stats by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      This is the 21st century sir.

      Your roll of Wis vs Fort is a failure. You suffer 50pts of Necrotic damage; save ends.

    2. Re:Need more stats by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's a gazebo Eric! A gazebo!

    3. Re:Need more stats by the+unbeliever · · Score: 3, Funny

      THAC0 is deprecated as of the latest release. Please upgrade your packages.

  3. A good first step by Drakkenmensch · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now that we've built a dice-rolling gambling robot, we just need to create a leg-breaking loanshark bookie-bot and we'll be all set to fully automize Vegas!

    1. Re:A good first step by SQLGuru · · Score: 2, Funny

      Are you sure it wasn't the two girls one cup game?

    2. Re:A good first step by sheetsda · · Score: 4, Funny

      fully automize Vegas!

      Someone already tried this. The machine took your debit card number, and generated a random number: if (N <= 45) { card->cash *= 2; } else { card->cash *= 0.5; }. The end result was the same, but for some reason it just didn't have the same appeal. My theory is it has something to do with the tangible dice.

    3. Re:A good first step by clintp · · Score: 2, Funny

      Ahhh, forget the casino!

      --
      Get off my lawn.
  4. Jumping to conclusions by Dan+East · · Score: 4, Funny

    "No, it's not running Linux"

    I hate it when people to conclusions. Obviously, it is running linux, just with an XP-themed window manager.

    --
    Better known as 318230.
    1. Re:Jumping to conclusions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Impossible! He said he was using a USB camera!

  5. What a waste, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    it can only roll D6s.

    1. Re:What a waste, by goodmanj · · Score: 5, Funny


      it can only roll D6s.

      No problem. You can generate any die roll you like from D6's, just do a little math.

      For a D8, just roll two D6's, add them together, and then take the result modulo 8 and add 1. Poof! A random number between 1 and 8!
      .
      .
      .
      .
      (If you're furious with nerd rage right now: I'm kidding. If you're not furious: don't try this at home.)

    2. Re:What a waste, by oldspewey · · Score: 4, Funny

      You know, I never thought there would be a story on /. that could earn the "1500000d6" tag, and then this came along.

      --
      If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
    3. Re:What a waste, by shliddle · · Score: 2, Funny

      I got so furious with nerd rage, I didn't even read the last line of your post! :-)

  6. Re:Not running Linux? by ratbag · · Score: 2, Funny

    A Linux user might also completely fail to read the article and discover that some of his users weren't happy with the results of various electronic and noise-based generators that he's used in the past.

    Rob (a not-PC user, in a snarky mood for some reason)

  7. Re:Why? by aurb · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...neither is anything else. (random), ...an actual random event..

    It's a good thing I have my paradox absorbing crumple zones installed...

  8. No random, no paradox by iYk6 · · Score: 1, Funny

    Nothing is random, but you can still imagine the results of a random event. There is no paradox here.

    1. Re:No random, no paradox by JustOK · · Score: 3, Funny

      I have random thoughts like that all the time.

      --
      rewriting history since 2109
  9. 1.3 million rolls a day! ... by tbi · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...Imagine a beowulf cluster of those...

  10. Re:Practical randomness by drinkypoo · · Score: 2, Funny

    Or alternatively just grab that Brownian motion detector.

    If only it would just hold still for a sec...

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  11. Who wants to bet by Bruiser80 · · Score: 2, Funny

    that the programming required to make this machine worked required at least one random function :-)

    --
    Arguing with an engineer is like wrestling a pig in the mud. After a while, you realize the engineer enjoys it.