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> So that idea got abandoned, and I don’t think it has ever reappeared. I have no idea how old your story is... but in any case, there has been an update: Clou

> So that idea got abandoned, and I don’t think it has ever reappeared. I have no idea how old your story is... but in any case, there has been an update: Cloudflare is now using lava lamps as "random numbers as a service", and the idea isn't new either, SGI ran it in the late 90s [2]. [1] https://blog.cloudflare.com/randomness-101-lavarand-in-production https://blog.cloudflare.com/randomness-101-lavarand-in-produ... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavarand https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavarand

eesmith 3y ago
"HotBits: Genuine random numbers, generated by radioactive decay", since 1996. https://www.fourmilab.ch/hotbits/ https://www.fourmilab.ch/hotbits/
- defrost 3y ago
  Sadly: Consequently, the radioactively-generated HotBits server has been retired as of the end of 2022 (more precisely, at 00:00 UTC on 2023-01-01). https://www.fourmilab.ch/hotbits/retired.html https://www.fourmilab.ch/hotbits/retired.html The OG John Walker merch is still available though ... https://www.fourmilab.ch/evilempire/ https://www.fourmilab.ch/evilempire/
  - eesmith 3y ago
    D'oh! Missed that when I was looking for the page. Thanks! Still, it shows the idea did reappear. :)