Today's Rock

What it is

Today's Rock is one three-dimensional rock, generated fresh each day and shown to every visitor on Earth. Drag it around, read its specimen card, and then, at midnight UTC, it is gone for good and a new one takes its place. There is no gallery and no archive. It is the same rock for everyone, for one day only, and the site is very firm about both parts.

How to play

Open the page and drag to turn the rock over. That is the whole interaction. Underneath it a card lists the specimen number, a name, a composition, an approximate mass the site declines to verify, a temperament and a provenance, all written in the deadpan voice of a museum label. A countdown shows how long today's rock has left. Take a screenshot if you want to keep it, because the site will not.

What makes it different

The rock is not modeled by hand. Its shape, facets and color come from a formula seeded by the date, so it is unpredictable and yet identical for every visitor that day. The site calls that a small shared event, and it is right: you can point at it knowing a stranger on the other side of the world is looking at exactly the same lump. The refusal to keep an archive is what turns a 3D model into a ritual.

Why it is on Bored

Ten seconds is enough for the whole visit, and the visit is worth repeating because tomorrow's rock will be different. It is a daily thing that asks for nothing back, not even a streak: no archive to maintain, no collection to complete, just one lump that every visitor on Earth is looking at today. The deadpan specimen card gives you a reason to drag it round once more before it goes.

Tips

• Drag slowly, the facets catch the light on the way round
• Read the card, the temperament line is the best part
• Screenshot it if you like it, there is no other way to keep it
• Note the countdown, a rock can vanish while you are looking at it

FAQ