2012.04.19 - RANDOM number generator

in IT there is a lot of attention brought to PRNG. it is even more true for the cryptography and security-related issues. as Robert Coveyou said once – “The generation of random numbers is too important to be left to chance.”. it was always an issue. new C++11 standard does cover this part as well, introducing a lot of tools for easy generating good pseudo randomness. in a matter of days article, i've participated in writing, covering this topic, is going to be published in ProgramistaMag. anyway this is still pseudo randomness.

what i have learned today is that RANDOM number generator is now available online, for free use. it is random thanks to the usage of quantium effects, that state-of-the-art modern physics declares non-deterministic by it's nature – fluctuations of the vacuum.

live stream from the laboratory is available. there is also a github project with APIs for different languages. though random data is generated at 5.7Gbps, due to the bandwidth limits, it is not feasible to get large amounts of it on demand, it still can be a good idea to use it (mangled?) as a seed for local, high speed PRNG of your choice.

enjoy the pure entropy of the universe! :)