I’ve always been into scripting things using random numbers based on random functions, like PHP’s “rand()” function… but I’ve never compared these types of functions to true random number generators. Then one day, I stumbled upon Random.org, which is a true random number generating service.

The difference is that most random number generating functions in programming languages/operating systems use a mathematical formula based on the system clock or physical memory which generate a pseudo random number. On the other hand, Random.org uses atmospheric noise to produce their random numbers, which is much more chaotic and true to “randomness”. This type of thing is well suited for holding lotteries, raffles, and drawings… even gambling games.

I wanted to see the difference, and found the random bitmap generator on Random.org! So I ran the thing, and here’s what it made…

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