Random Number seeds, was RE: First computer with real-time clock?

[Paul Koning]

>>>>> "John" == John Lawson <jpl15 at panix.com> writes:

 John> Computer-based ramndom number seed generation:

 John> I may at some point remember the machine/manufacturer, but I
 John> *do* recall tha one (perhaps Gummint-oriented?) device used a
 John> standard radio buried in it somewhere, tuned to a local
 John> station, the output of which was digitized and the seeds
 John> extracted from that...  as I write this, IISTR that it was some
 John> kind of crypto-thingy...

That would be quite a bad idea.  I'm sure the spooks are smarter than
that.

Random number generators are built in to most crypto chips these days;
they work starting from the noise generated by some simple electronic
circuits.  Then any biases are taken out by post-processing, for
example by running the bitstream through a cryptographic hash.

	paul