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Quantum Random Numbers
tqft writes "What the world needs is more truly random sources of numbers. Researchers from Australian National University have found a brilliant way to make one: 'We do this by splitting a beam of light into two beams and then measuring the power in each beam. Because light is quantised, the light intensity in each beam fluctuates about the mean. Those fluctuations, due ultimately to the quantum vacuum, can be converted into a source of random numbers. Every number is randomly generated in real time and cannot be predicted beforehand.' So if you need some really random numbers, just use their generator service."
The generation of random numbers is too important to be left to chance.
- Robert R. Coveyou, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
I tell my dog to go get a toy. I've preassigned a numerical value between 1 & 10 to each of her toys. Whichever one she brings me, I cube the resulting number, and then divide by today's date (1 thru 31), and then floor the result. I get my yellow pages and turn to this page. I take the time of day as a percentage of 24-hour time (so 0700 would be 29.2%) and go that percentage down either the left or right column on that page, depending on the phase of the moon (left column for waxing, right column for waning.) Whichever phone number is there, I call. I then ask whoever picks up to think of a number.