2023-05-27 | [radiclock]
next: Atomic Clock
lol so random
As part of my atomic clock project I also produce random numbers (why not). Radioactive decay is a well known method to generate true randomness because no one can predict which or when an atom will decay. This technique was used for years in the famous HotBits project which is sadly shut down as of 2023. I have a radioactive sample of my own, but, there's a ways to go from a Geiger counter to a number. How does this work?
I actually have 2 sensors; one is a classic Geiger–Müller tube, and the other is PIN-diode based. I collect random numbers from each. I didn't know quite what to do with the numbers I collected, so I figured I would publish them live.
The 2 detectors are set up to generate random bits at around the same rate - about 32 bytes every 55 seconds. The full 1024 byte frames shown and linked below will update about once every half hour. Therefore, please do not spam us with requests. Also, be sure to check the ISO 8601 timestamp at the start of each file, and make sure it's somewhat close to the current time. If it isn't, the project is either broken, or you are getting a cached copy (check your browser).
Also, a most important note: the data listed here is published globally, not individually, like HotBits or random.org. In other words, it is not unique to you. I highly recommend you do not use this for security purposes as it it possible another party may have a copy of the data.
From the GM tube (hex format):
2025-09-06T17:18:08.799764+00:00 c6e65cccae85b8b694726f010b41f28920f80ab98e1fbefdd9b0983c002e4e6f f15fb7077cbde8d8c3380815894773617bab2dd460c852d19b9a3af1cd75e67e 0726d466ac143bc236e96ab49ce19e69fb552a8ebde67065eec30d3af96c01cc e8bd0b51adef677e9e48a02d5b2e3a15aa326fb27973272c231ecb49e758adcc 721e79fa9e4a91cb4aac831a486dbd00eafaf788f4c993774eb37d0aeba272f6 355dcc5f9eb7c0375babd0cdb7aadbcc44a3e70fe6507df48f1cb4fab4780641 bbcb44ea39a645421bf1df49536560122935a1967a3fc839662b1ef2b1153026 fa1ea5a6ed17384aab0e083a9796d5b65a3ff10986fd559dca9d9c4ecf4e77a9 cf4d0d561de4f75536f60055a0fbb4230c21f86c74ee190d80426860ec167aad 554721068370aa5bce59ba1cff83a1bc7a9a6e9822151b215a75a1f783362cf4 cdf51bc7b5d442f821e5593e7e2abeaeecb40ac1c0e316fe88e8c64339d5f3e0 66ad57d1abca734faa43b02847e7f9163a541175130a3f54625fe37c74f47d44 8fb72fee7e06140ec2cb27c926cefd03acefe195df2bc4421d3cabe0cfda2803 ed5aba9fe140b3ecfd8228331066a5db7605702684a1d03b008f8cc5c6525348 f4873c20d71020a28eb7ddf6222c413c6d45eb7a5bc43e3728d8f7d09ce11ebe 21bac8151b0023e3d6a3a50a9a04e5a463ce331db024636ac404e9646a5703b9 3992039bd0a5d0c0707414e0c719b518ae86490e2d05a69c00e99432b7b196cc 0b0beb4112ca39d237048132cc852208c0c4ef8febf53e67508fb7d4aa2230c8 bb13f24077fa47a98b6726b616d67b0ba4cdc0cdceab8bed5224cf24b3d33110 1e6a60bece6d25f414b35f89976b09c8b656c268fc10a9f56bf383af6b307b97 a668c76b6b6c4bf2ccc59e9bbe35f1bb6bfd50967134abe48d28160409a225f0 fb61d8b16d50a69f83321d78dfb08a824a29b16a92f32f780ee413ec4c836d7e 4101f9d091bd4f6c42195507dcaafff1e4d056aec90bdaf72d881557fbcc2998 6c0fb8d37f21a5ea5fe2f3a677e145fe8a93af368a7bcd21998e561f1ae1b32e 50f32310021d152f0f6316453662f50185d95c4f3f8dd2274e2e084a9cc7bc94 800e0c1de681323d836fd3031b7772541c5fa793666177ba3a6986240c618874 67f2bb9158c8cfa46e5c340ba907ced7fd352e440d6afb24adf1b62bc05ef0fe 2783b51c6ee75a7e98a7efe9373125e07d4d358ed56897a503547e44456426b5 28931598e829cda300e8e79360469b90d4b2afd865fb9f6600c414484266cc38 ca1c98740fb65efeb5f594e4825f09c0375f50a3ce04760f1047809aa6d21097 8d85ec1f691c8248a8fc1d616e8f880d08e72324497b9403f12c8d9626490655 84991ed0ca4e6437d537c30ebd081af5867773524b056e8f6e0f038bb2a29047
From the PIN diode (hex format):
2025-12-17T16:13:20.002241+00:00 9e6aba27c2c9cfb77b7e856097f18516f3d026a90736a6cfeb6ea95b322769cc 7faa04b5cc4092fc6fa42d7100f2ead230bb27c4577afe958d5c818d72ed0350 4a6f2f9b7177b55bedb88d79562ea2f4ab85fa75f920cd307d34c654d5dc547b fec954401a50ac40d6157c44058920d6e263c61ffe80bd991abc15383f47967e 1fb489a12d67c35499eb1a04cc5187cbcda81a4ad62c0c9aabb43af999d64965 447331f49ce4319794d25027530abd896702410dfe760cbaa5dd421519c745b4 7af0c85d5ffc43e52fa2e09fe8fd3001f1911cb698754bc38d928f78e0d475ef 4e47b2ac82e42a84dc0dbfa221f7ca7fdca654408f597fc150f2ffbaa606eadf a0f0530383fb4358ff6072ddd4caa7388e8ca636c8ea0b4d409b99496c2fda51 1522e60c772e00bd9d98242a40c25e988f41c7c37a36a78efe7def91129ab0f2 20e1fcb83ced926ed32c0240d8f890d064b4c2ce57ccd5c7ec4a3600590d7e28 9aa6c4e3d7267767d8f1bd27d338255d4756041ac0f928c87b2b8bb3299f058c 95f85fe73fdeebe7742f91336ecf8aa38b6b52203bce0e8530df455a3a140fb9 a5e3fbd5c4bc20a1e47d2d00293e58b62bc9a35c36775447f931cdd6c0a33428 f2ffd6996f41366c1d24650e674a925ee53b48a288bdebf480ce3c8d334338e5 20d957c8d7e3112bf426aabe02fc13b6c415ee2acd93dc4900cde53d4c0462a5 f82b0ebc3929601d3bbe01ea24cdc8598350bbfb0d5fd00729559b3bcb861516 4149cdf9697dab7ac470d2f7b8aa127f29fafffe42451dfa865742398e5dfd96 2efb87b3d716eba7b916729b1a9611bdf732d27eff41e32ab17b7c9d53d84fee 5ecd57e51f4c338b2353dd6c0c45d51dffbc85e5386b1eda38e6ef1163976084 3b726939eb23ef93463ac774433ed505236993234ca7f67eeef20c29023c9431 0499b121a2a6cfd047a05ea41df7c8161d6b8f4621fc335b981074f7ed5975d6 f588afabcd06bb854f7f4b2eebdeb1833f3ce4018ae310deb325d54d6d156592 040e6dd3a8cdee2e434cbeb0d273cbd2beb2aef5524deda84762a16fcb135266 f183b0616c6c46d6b02cebe17689021d6a2bf94f911450645bbd3588862b4e82 3fc2a9eccbbf23502d636198746478d6ef2c8ee0c84ce7235e2bc50cf50c78ae 59fd0986a42b830b08f73ec7002c269f10b06ca543cde7c11c1a85d7384c9319 8cc3565bc2b25f89424d8f314eebffade663672de278caa7caacf807d4bea0a9 34343906dffaaa6ee2a3723a790701405a9605c9c590c41c147c6f891b925e84 e17000ca50ad9b3d9ede32756e8547ca9dfed224c7d3eadc177efab41852be92 37547c7a8d6619170a29a78af33c7ee050125315b8161063f74aa597889b4386 23114c1dfdd22a8241683819545894d041b0539365e0edd455edcf4ca9179a7a
Ok, so you want decimal digits instead? I've come up with this technique:
To determine where to make the cut, look up the binomial distribution probability. It's already built into spreadsheets as BINOM.DIST, which is what I used.
From the GM tube (digits):
2025-09-06T17:18:08.799764+00:00 98927433848248141101116537321085423190765260004678 11958307248995560821377115972371459682555458172607 38027220599454068056580585424289120195135808018911 81730326587260459146582170501178211539443530738873 14302158744574723126720989003647197879251062145393 95588392559171837068631580254328808020066587685766 69662773830196184153615022635702433077214838306566 23567471140858515082906309348557575678781969771386 29855400856080351233081625132866049622227385713306 31127091898628316188225410523421273390176131544427 99816633896226429074801093922236986757027387711579 70677640712258841717191063849895241625684383472606 20149439380372494396662960714003908659647930405116 02651805123832615900434097988283723560321632624283 34446560096922919662554056309033862127003563651054 04649951297636990696040006870385574603556592121620 99258124743473144505665600485083775011116518575504 29503334089296436203804383703448871964197169390338 82222311649271398236367949163006969009372079953751 07098286940416690731750748235166049907070875975855 90538707805013527141402204096237977709806659315029 20763830744177064647201419763109266501458979086625 85077086741145362187415208158427336595661969384775 54382333534286312679468035160229214715992269549801 33927963413978460874569988482814122929506131110327 19148428956747029719865805343612973616038745886410 92521169075346681306367382439294393181281090265267 55493725775342045165038426686900388140472152416300 47967055447875015902009620726602562852161582948148 30950992559580630418151671285466165141333105283072
From the PIN diode (digits):
2025-12-17T16:13:20.002241+00:00 58068639948323263396513322386907546610699150390527 70048164461164451300488739968722494192294114038074 11475513198191844121864662713317324825529884842384 64268072642124680537329998312889532688215663715026 31803761450395845326048135682674441254718058537301 68154956495148803983108937030265131812866566212599 69802293956747625948014528825217759541464320177871 78723042321391623327668464438927938086660660830331 67889614675642406654117764555373084781213412194600 89575236426494945243659995225467422545185476328460 46104402644400809487997454008913264054669638190389 39563793718604269240234339794159054049956316474551 10386339078232591433486990582015856596883261254500 41628882436392541984714992635240531165540829360114 03744694597262368928604151675632871743387090021982 96214247730061760498654314885741962959900136893180 87139507418555593421226573052571229612847018274166 69293487665742935046357922678522145526501789502665 42772324578379948731765139358308126929883356073056 17995196325914055735477058991667620535054735766726 12410260484904537733626671609464292229074370335191 52161689173675710687337927754677316360013816793777 09210146041409684667769076159078748277687198611119 82023176970808707644183702290643794520800091895336 34437830639469913580459997521600204442763594439712 12207489093464433111086299004438591676086567932826 33567647254095869194789537667743497873990345206772 07906069525257067010631458210701649050059744962820 24113727469432120080735561585017103371573699232680 24829046558424224102252310416738602680188321842216
Or, perhaps you want just the raw bytes themselves. Just make sure to trim away the first 33 bytes which are the timestamp header:
Here is the python program I use to generate the reports above.