Re: New Idea to Generate Random Numbers

[dlv@bwalk.dm.com (Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM)]

"James F. Marshall" <marshall@ibm.net> writes:

> On Tue, 18 Nov 1997 16:36:08 -0500, Edupage Editors wrote:
>
> >RANDOMLY GROOVY
> >Scientists at Silicon Graphics have taken the mesmerizing flow of the lava
> >lamp to the next level of utility -- using the favorite fixtures of the '60s
> >to generate truly random numbers, something computers cannot do.  The
> >process involves using a digital camera to snap periodic shots of six oozing
> >cylinders, combining those images with electronic noise and converting it
> >into 1s and 0s, and then using the Secure Hash Algorithm from the National
> >Institute of Standards and Technologies to compress and scramble the binary
> >string to create a seed value for a standard random-number generator.
> >(Scientific American Nov 97)
>
> How do I implement this at home?  ;*)

I've got a lava lamp as well as a wave machine.  I have grave doubts that
they're very random.  I think I see recurring patterns, making the bit
stream somewhat predictable.

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<a href="mailto:dlv@bwalk.dm.com">Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM</a>
Brighton Beach Boardwalk BBS, Forest Hills, N.Y.: +1-718-261-2013, 14.4Kbps