RE: True random numbers wanted

From: Sondre Bjellås (sondre@brain.no)
Date: Wed Sep 04 2002 - 03:24:27 MDT


I just joined the extropian list and don't have the complete thread on this, but as I can read from the subject someone is looking for "true random numbers". In theory it should be impossible to get truly random numbers, nomatter how many digits each number contains it will always be possible for the same number to occur twice, in theory. In practice it's fairly simple to create a "true" random number generator. For anyone not familiar with the internal workings of the generator they would predict the generator to be 100% random.

/Sondre

-----Original Message-----
From: Eugen Leitl [mailto:eugen@leitl.org]
Sent: 4. september 2002 01:40
To: extropians@extropy.org
Subject: RE: True random numbers wanted

On Tue, 3 Sep 2002, gts wrote:

> If the system you are proposing amplifies quantum noise (i.e. from
> photons from Sirius) then it is no different in principle from John
> Walker's hotbits.

In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice, there is.
 
> You may prefer one over the other but both produce genuine randomness.
> And John's system is available here and now, while yours appears to be
> only a figment of your imagination.

I notice I consistently fail to connect to you, despite trying hard.
Since this appears to make you pissed (sorry for the style), I will no longer try to.



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