Making true random numbers with radioactive decay (2021)

I love it! Stuff like reminds me of the wall of lava lamps that Silicon Graphics used to generate random numbers.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Lavarand" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Lavarand</a><p>In my first job out of uni, one of the questions the interviewer asked me was how I would design an impromptu RNG system. It caught me by surprise, so I answered that I would stare unblinking for as long as possible, alternatingly chanting &quot;0&quot; and &quot;1&quot; until I blinked. It was an absurd answer, but I was a young kid, and it was the first thing I thought of. I got the job, but I doubt it contributed substantially.<p>To this day, if I sense that a prospective applicant is someone who seems to embody an innate sense of curiosity about the world around them, I&#x27;ll toss this one out as a fun thought exercise.

&quot;If the length of the first gap is bigger than the length of the second, you emit a 1. Otherwise, you emit a 0.&quot;<p>Doesn&#x27;t radioactive decay slow over time? That would mean, in the (possibly very) long run, 0 would be slightly more likely than 1.

@vunderba, love the lavarand post - take a look at this - www.realrandom.co