>    I am interested to know what application you are doing that requires
>    'real' random noise. I have stated previously on this list a lengthly
>    objection to anything but pseudo-random numbers, but I could be wrong.
>
>Security applications require unpredicable random numbers rather than
>statistically random numbers.  They're quite different (a pseudo-random
>number is completely predicable, after all), and there's an (Internet) RFC
>available describing appropriate characteristics and some techniques for
>getting random numbers suitable for security applications:
>

Gaming machines are another instance...

They have rigorous legal requirements for randomness, I don't
know exactly what they are, but I was told by a friend in that
industry that their random number algorithms have to under go
a very rigorous certification process.

And, the algorithms are closely guarded secrets
for obvious reasons!..   :-)


Ray Gardiner Techinical Director DSP Systems ray@dsp-systems.com
private email to:- ray@netspace.net.au  http://www.dsp-systems.com