Re: Truelly Random Numbers

[Mark Allyn 206-860-9454 <allyn@allyn.com>]

Here is a good idea for random numbers:

Take a piece of non conducting board, say about six by six
feet. Put electrodes on it; say a pair of electrodes every
quarter inch or so across and down. 

Each pair of electrodes would be connected to logic so that
it generates a unique number. When the electrodes are shorted,
the number would be generated.

Put this contraption out in the rain. 

As raindrops fall on the board with electrodes, the water would
conduct and short the electrodes. 

Rain falls in a totally random manner. As raindrops hit the 
electrodes, they would momentarily short and cause a number
to be generated. 

Yout would get a random series of numbers. 

Now, as it does not rain in the same place all the time, a
network of these rain random generators could be set up troughout
the land and be hooked up on the Internet. Each one would be
sort of a rain random number server. These servers would cooperate.
They would notify each other when one has rain raining on it and 
another one would not.

We could have a series of master servers, or dispatcher. The dispatchers
would work cooperatively and collectively know which rain random 
generator has rain raining on it and is generating random numbers.
It would be up to the client, who is needing random numbers to access
the rain random generators that are operating. 

All of this could be done in real time using current client server
technology. 

In fact, since it is allways raining in more than one part of the 
world at any given time, many rain random generator servers would
be available at any time. The master servers, or dispatchers, would
have a constant running list of active generators.

What do you all think?

Mark Allyn
allyn@allyn.com
http://mark.allyn.com
http://clearplastic.com