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Semi-related: AIUI, in most places where you legitimately want a “random number”, what you actually want is a number that is knowably, causally unrelated to the
by SilasX 3y ago
Semi-related: AIUI, in most places where you legitimately want a “random number”, what you actually want is a number that is knowably, causally unrelated to the other figures so you know you’re screening off accidental correlations. In practice, random numbers accomplish this, but randomness isn’t quite the same thing as what you’re striving for.
So, for example, the problem with “randomly” picking 4 every time (a la xkcd) is that it introduces a spurious correlation between the places where it’s used.
- eptcyka 3y ago4 doesn't originate from XKCD, it originates from Playstation 3's firmware. Ultimately, 4 is a random number, so the developer in question could argue he was technically correct, it's the specification that's wrong.
- hcs 3y agoThe xkcd reference was a joke used in the fail0verflow CCC PS3 presentation in 2010. I don't know what the reused nonce was but it probably wasn't 4, and the xkcd comic is from 2007.
- SilasX 3y agoI appreciate the background, but I'm not aware of any usage of "X a la Y" that implies "Y is the first ever instance of X".