{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Rainbow Dash Network","provider_url":"http:\/\/rainbowdash.net\/","type":"link","title":"Cerulean Spark (ceruleanspark)'s status on Friday, 23-May-14 15:23:10 UTC","author_name":"Cerulean Spark (ceruleanspark)","author_url":"http:\/\/rainbowdash.net\/ceruleanspark","url":"http:\/\/rainbowdash.net\/notice\/3430224","html":"@mushi<\/span><\/a><\/span> Computers actually can't do things randomly on their own. Modern systems tend to use either: a "psuedorandom" number generator, which produces not truly random, but still highly difficult to reproduce values, or they build up what they call an "Entropy Cache", by sampling user mouse and keyboard entries, and in some cases, sampling user created files (Usually things like temporary internet files are used as "seeds"). The third method, used by organisations with a requirement for reliable "true" randomness involves the installation of a "hardware randomness generator" or "Entropy card". Most use radioactive decay to generate random noise, but some use radio receivers to tap into universal background radiation to achieve the same."}