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• Random.org provides random data generated by radio noise. You can get as much random data as you'd like. Gaming websites download their random data in 5MB chunks to use for card shuffles and dice rolls.
• HotBits is a similar idea, but uses radioactive decay instead of radio waves
• If you want to do it in house, you can do so with a smoke detector and a webcam. This was submitted to slashdot in 2006
• Finally, if you need a ton of random numbers, and they must be random, you can buy RNG hardware

What do i do? if I don't really care if it's random, I use the RPG from the programming language I'm using, or /dev/random. If I really, really care that it's random, I download a chunk of data off random.org, and either use that for the numbers, or use it to seed my RNG. For the most part, anything more than that is overkill.

Interestingly, my first reaction also was RNG on the question. Mainly because slashdot featured it as a story a few years ago. Obviously, once that happens, the instructions are out there. I always wanted to try it. Smoke detectors are easy to get, webcams are easy to get... I see no problems.

If you can do it simply with air can you do it with liquids?

There are instructions here for a small 100$ farm. Am I missing something?

It is not at all hard to get true pure randomness into your computer.

Despite the fact calculating all of the ranges you claim would make it 'easy' would in fact take computers a few million *ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE* more powerful than what exists today to even finish before you die, but there are simple cheap easy ways (Or if you prefer, expensive) to generate true randomness.

http://inventgeek.com/Projects/alpharad/overview.aspx
^- Based on alpha particle decay using materials found in a home smoke detector and a ccd camera

http://www.uelectronics.info/true-random-number-generator
^- Based off using white noise in an area from a specific angle

http://home.comcast.net/~orb/details.html
^- A built it yourself on a PIC version that uses the outside tolerance levels of capacitor charging.

http://www.lavarnd.org/
^- Uses a lava lamp and snapshots to essentially capture the current state of a highly complex chaotic system that would need to be duplicated down to the molecular level to 'run' and get anywhere near the same output (aka, not possible until star trek is no longer fiction)

Do you mean to say you still aren't using a true hardware random number generator at home?!

-- Dissy

http://inventgeek.com/Projects/IonCooler/Overview.aspx

.. using ionic winds to cool the CPU isn't a new idea:

    http://inventgeek.com/Projects/IonCooler3/overview.aspx

Inventgeek also has a nice tutorial on how to make your own alpha-decay RNG (for somewhere around US$90). The project you're thinking of is probably the Global Consciousness Project.

http://inventgeek.com/Projects/IonCooler/Overview. aspx

Same guy??

This dude is using a modified ionic breeze to pump air at 325 CFM through his machine. (or so he claims). http://www.inventgeek.com/Projects/IonCooler/Overv iew.aspx

The ion cooler fan casemod is linked to in comments hanging off the article.
version 1
version 2

The ion cooler fan casemod is linked to in comments hanging off the article.
version 1
version 2

http://inventgeek.com/Projects/IonCooler/Overview. aspx

Corona discharge is the underlying principle behind ionisers. As far as I know, Jared Bouck came up with ionic cooling for a PC first, as reported on here a while ago. Perhaps the fact that it's the processor being cooled rather than the case that makes the difference, but Jared deserves a bit of credit if KAT, Intel and UW are claiming a "new type of cooling," because it looks more like natural evolution of an existing idea to me.

http://inventgeek.com/Projects/IonCooler2/Overview .aspx

so there is no point with that rig?

Sounds a lot like this: http://inventgeek.com/Projects/IonCooler2/Overview .aspx

HAH! You'd think I'd know to preview by now(unclosed < w/o the code ate the comment).

Add another grand onto that for a decent budget projector like an Optoma HD70, and you have a 120" 720p display for < $1400 shipped.

As long as you have controlled lighting, it's great.

Or, if you don't mind being hackish, you can do a DIY projector.
Overhead Projector: $35
LCD Overlay/TFT Display: $110

Quality isn't as good as a premade one, but you can't beat the price.

Instructions are here.

Ah yes... but can it be ion cooled? http://inventgeek.com/Projects/IonCooler/Overview. aspx

http://inventgeek.com/Projects/IonCooler/Images/24 .jpg
That's one HUGE heatsink!

How about this: http://inventgeek.com/Projects/projectsilver/ A server, harddrive and router stuffed in a UPS. A handy way to hide your data, though of course that won't stop a fire from destroying it.

640x480, up to 30fps, works with Linux.

As seen last Sunday in ./, some guy has even used one of these as an alpha-particle detector and visualizer. It is not one of the cheapest cameras ($60 @ Newegg), but as the guy says: "the quality of this camera I have to point out is very high."

You could borrow some ideas from the original article. Please, just don't attach radioactive objects to your body.

For syncing the streams from the cameras, perhaps you could use some sort of electronic light control (are one of you into electronics?), to quickly flicker the lights, or slightly change the color. You could detect changes in lighting to sync the video streams.

640x480, up to 30fps, works with Linux.

As seen last Sunday in ./, some guy has even used one of these as an alpha-particle detector and visualizer. It is not one of the cheapest cameras ($60 @ Newegg), but as the guy says: "the quality of this camera I have to point out is very high."

You could borrow some ideas from the original article. Please, just don't attach radioactive objects to your body.

For syncing the streams from the cameras, perhaps you could use some sort of electronic light control (are one of you into electronics?), to quickly flicker the lights, or slightly change the color. You could detect changes in lighting to sync the video streams.

The Poor Man's Raid Array...
Gregd submitted by Gregd 5 days ago (via http://www.inventgeek.com/Proj...)
"For about 250.00 we have made a true 0.5 terabyte RAID 5 array."

Actual link to the project: http://www.inventgeek.com/Projects/PoorMansRaid/Po orMansRaid.aspx

The Poor Man's Raid Array...
Gregd submitted by Gregd 5 days ago (via http://www.inventgeek.com/Proj...)
"For about 250.00 we have made a true 0.5 terabyte RAID 5 array."

Actual link to the project: http://www.inventgeek.com/Projects/PoorMansRaid/Po orMansRaid.aspx

On http://rootprompt.org/ (one of my other home tabs) was this article posted on Saturday (1/14/06) which showed how to build a high performance, 0.5 TB, SCSI RAID array for less than $300. Here's the link, so go take a look, get out your tools, & have at it. http://www.inventgeek.com/Projects/PoorMansRaid/Po orMansRaid.aspx

From Inventgeek. Seems like it would do the trick.

What self-respecting geek doesn't get the warm fuzzies at the mere mention of the RAID. With the rising GB to Dollar ratio, we felt it was a good time to feature a project that takes Pure Geekieness(TM) and mixes in a good helping of do it your self. Where else are you going to store all those MP3s (legally obtained, of course)? On a single 200 GB Drive? Or a RAID 5 Array? Take you pick, I know where I will be storing mine.

What self-respecting geek doesn't get the warm fuzzies at the mere mention of the RAID. With the rising GB to Dollar ratio, we felt it was a good time to feature a project that takes Pure Geekieness(TM) and mixes in a good helping of do it your self. Where else are you going to store all those MP3s (legally obtained, of course)? On a single 200 GB Drive? Or a RAID 5 Array? Take you pick, I know where I will be storing mine.

What self-respecting geek doesn't get the warm fuzzies at the mere mention of the RAID. With the rising GB to Dollar ratio, we felt it was a good time to feature a project that takes Pure Geekieness(TM) and mixes in a good helping of do it your self. Where else are you going to store all those MP3s (legally obtained, of course)? On a single 200 GB Drive? Or a RAID 5 Array? Take you pick, I know where I will be storing mine.

What self-respecting geek doesn't get the warm fuzzies at the mere mention of the RAID. With the rising GB to Dollar ratio, we felt it was a good time to feature a project that takes Pure Geekieness(TM) and mixes in a good helping of do it your self. Where else are you going to store all those MP3s (legally obtained, of course)? On a single 200 GB Drive? Or a RAID 5 Array? Take you pick, I know where I will be storing mine.

My set-up looks a lot like this, but without the housing. Mine wasn't this cheap, but as I say it's not as easy to get a good choice of LCD panels here in the UK.

Yah I know I am a bit of a geek niche, but this months stats on inventgeek.com ( my site ) look to be at about 23% IE users and 56% Firefox users!

I think IE is dieing in the geek market

Not sure why the release of this particular set of plans is news, really. There are a ton of guides for DIY projectors, that go from simple fresnel based systems, through LCD + overhead projector, all the way to building the whole thing yourself.

FYI, see:

• Building a Home Theater (a guide and study of my own experience)
• Operation: Big Screen, using an OHP
• Inventgeek's guide
• Building an LCD projector from the ground up

Yes that's totally normal, the screen will end up completely dead at one point. All LCDs, to this date, will do that. The cold cathode will not last for ever. But if your of the DIY type it is fixable (see LCD Backlight Quick Fix as featured on hackaday.com). Although this is a large LCD, dunno if part would be available for the much thinner laptop screens, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are.

I like some of the other projects on the site a bit more, like the LCD Window casemod. I could see real potential for that with a touch screen and IR as a dual-head media PC. Information about what you're viewing in the actual case (along with browsable directories while you're watching something else) while the video displays on your TV.

How about RTFA again.
He explains that he uses a proxima ovation lcd panel for this project which light can pass through
Here's a pic of it

1. principals : principles
2. cheep : cheap
3. cellulous : celluloid?
4. threw : through
5. LCD's : LCDs
6. Simi-gloss : semi-gloss
7. portal : portable
8. Walmount : wall-mount
9. theroy : theory
10. togeather : together
11. its : it's
12. . : ?

    I anxiously await the first person to point out a spelling or usage error in my post--it's traditional.

I wish they could use real images instead of obvious fake ones

This site was recently featured here on /. for another mod. Now he has come up with the Poor Man's RAID Array. I would check this out for a cheap RAID 5 option.

This site was recently featured here on /. for another mod. Now he has come up with the Poor Man's RAID Array. I would check this out for a cheap RAID 5 option.

Well given this recent slashdot article
http://www.inventgeek.com/Projects/poormansraid/po ormansraid.aspx
It seems that upgrading your server shouldn't be too prohibitive.
If you've got a friend or relative with high speed internet, perhaps you could both build a backup server and come to a mirroring agreement?

Obviously don't mirror the initial 200GB over the internet, but after that it might be feesible if you're new data rate isn't too high.

... the other mod at the site, the LCD Window Kit mixed with the Transparent Screen Backgrounds... could be kinda cool eh?

Look at http://www.inventgeek.com/Projects/p4mac/Page3.asp x its title is Untitled Document. He must be useing a html editor...

What a loser!

And put the insides of a x86 in a mac case... Why?

I hope this is unintentional, but you just know who I thought of when I saw this picture of the Apple with MS logo.