Re: random number generator oddity

[Adam Glauser <adamglauser@xxxxxxxxx>]

ChadB@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> I also remember reading somewhere about some online pages that offer seed
> numbers generated by measing room noise by an open window near a busy
> street or something random like that.

The classic example is to use radioactive decay, though this is probably 
not a good candidate for DIY.

There are quite a few creative ways people have come up with to build 
more accessible HWRNGs. Lava lamps(1) and electrical noise from a webcam 
in the dark(2) are some of the coolest that I've come across.

There is also a service(3) provided by a prof at Trinity College in 
Dublin which uses atmospheric noise.  This also has some really 
interesting articles regarding the topic of randomness.

- Adam

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavarand
(2) http://www.lavarnd.org/what/can-details.html (beware, the site 
navigation is nothing but horrible IMHO)
(3) http://www.random.org/