If you ask an ordinary person to pick a random number, they will usually blur a number. But if you ask a math-intelligent person for a random number, you will probably get a lecture on how difficult it is to pick a real random number. But when asked [Valerio Nappi]You can just get a banana.
His post, which is in two parts, describes in detail how computers actually create pseudo-random numbers. You can easily make sure that each number has the same probability of selection as any other number. The problem is that you have to start with something – usually called a seed. For gameplay purposes, for example, you can capture some sources of entropy, such as how many microseconds a hardware timer last turned on, how many input pulses you received from a mouse lately, or how long you had to wait. After pressing the user, press Enter key. But if you know the seeds and the algorithm, you can predict exactly what number the computer will create next, so it’s not really random.
The best random number generators use things like heat resistant sound or radioactive decay. Ah, maybe you can see where it is going. Bananas contain potassium and a small percentage of potassium is radioactive. The hardware for this project appears to be on Hackaday.io but blog posts have recently been translated into English. If you go to that page, you will see how a banana can even count pies! With a little help, of course.
It’s amazing how much of the things around you are radioactive if you look at it. Just be careful that the shadow agents hanging around you don’t find your banana bombs.