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):
2026-09-24T10:27:57.919965+00:00 e81ada37eb187203e889dcd85ebf9c3989a3e51ea993056a9783ce339b1c68f1 a433f22f1130ea8ef1baed3cd2cff929480511f1a3cd4043f7001baf73c5a8c5 022e454ddbae6b9d79628f53ce63b55864fc36eb5a87716bd7007ec3da5bbb42 9e0627960f97eb702e3e94911547f19ca2d7e6c6bf4531ac65187eb7be38d81a 664387655cc906db91190181b4c5cd20498aca92960a134ec0da37288ee2ea19 9924e1a2e3531243503d25e862ddf7e9ae7dc2a9831361053c00aff60d136352 f0e1c4a6a3cff0b592ea5f08d865f41b282c002dd90ece1373b1a0b10d899279 49c4e90eea5d45e9e897f8fc1d44cdcb9ba2daa682d47f08576810d344518736 be585619c27570866bfbff7e6333c6697fbf74684f272e49eead14378c5442c0 75d5b4a94366df96e1b7e57a835b46e6986da11fc87953486f6118abff0324f7 3f484038905a4224f21a3ee6883760e8852922f53ec717787fa531e7c413b33f bd2dc7e4bc346d3d14a2043ea64719547f8f68a2ccdd7cff7802c2c0bd57b8c1 536572095473539992dcc30fe31370d7988541fbccccedd8abaccd07c2b55ed0 cabfe148fc4f97d32f534af8bfea9ed07118ebf07cc14498a5651a941e2c0ab7 989a7962788c5db0f7d26c3af91b8fb277e92a1a453ab5bfd33f0a4d964f25b1 7b8c3ec8583d1582dea526e108136e7fea1cffbf5b0d6646e4c62e2de260f098 30446371d33eb547475c8f59c9f08afb530ed82cf4cc29016a244c4964c11561 6601eb9b6ab3b9164b2e9f0c325e3876385483b85e7de45e1b83cc83cf95c7ad eb25809bbad3c2275d8f422d8aae5932798a051fe47d34b7f88e3db3ed64328a 1dda57bc3852314ae880e578c209ae23d17320fd6dc22ff71d329b30882ec6c2 b1552b9c9cd36254103d2d349a1caffc490392f970178bda7e5e78258e33f896 9078a04288cf02d2488ab08fa90930bb8c7dba3d419039e23b02c8289d54c516 ec295f92227eea39ccbd2f13aa5d400ae714995da2305c6e6c4b8ff3e17e37be 73c8badb9b752af43d61854b981db2830eaf7312dbf4e157c73a8914760d1e86 5e597a1ccd4a1c5886087dbd14b6035d0a59161571753f7bde263b143b371167 bf623f2c6f5e6327f8bd1c54d05f11cceba46c825f9b3e3cc494da7b622c43ad 07bf5729848143e32663a5a4d0339713ef6f515a74fc1256c99cdb1df931c59e 939e6906ffb927239a9aa88ef1622e4cdda706e25825ee02d62e33c5a53cb428 c067ac85bfd8c56dd6e7cb54d1a76a02a1e12a46fd542a777158859617eaa5c3 dfcd21a943753bf6253f93f6f13e5e1f2b68e5987c3ed0ebb72e844330be5f97 be55d7380544e376935f286733ff06c7bdf55a101a8d8922a85f6a00e4022fdd 09910d19b2544875b97c4d95cc1fd5a3677b71533625c8eb97d7d59119f0376a
From the PIN diode (hex format):
2026-09-24T10:21:42.318998+00:00 2c6c97ccd6c590f203b710e863fe43d651bb7910a3cf36b45478ec495fdcdb06 0d6a673e6b1d50ce00c5868a70b424b16ef90bf7efd90cd42f7c8efccae581ec a0b7ab19f3593fce4bbfe2dd26372f0c1fea90d08dca440e468a2fb64a56f27e acc088ae07f6cb178d90acfc46479f446d22dce83202de7a2a8fa2fb0ac52ddc 402d7ea02bd624c783c3c7c2341f08a9f1e8d32916048c49150b47773aeeb636 febd726b9ca76605d77870c2459850491aa57f138a6988759e9dc199d3033812 56ee886766c2cd143579a0bf5148005b4e623f415e8d40270961ee2039d28fcc f9b34e8ebe00cf886b9f091bfeb8042d771c8896241dc5f23c8f11636dafd8df 8c891d2f3c30e48e60ad49dd3444a17152726588462f5dab774062d65d5f1374 2ced05bca905917e64683c7508f81f500a88cc07594536294e6f3ca8ffa50601 68b19b45ee5d5d9004a9d36ff11a3f4b5a21bf9fd451f6bc29e9ed8674f2d2a3 f1e429268f23b8c0588d3ca3e100a5f3ca217fbd0e210b9d1beb698f904319f0 bda2dc20715b30f3fabc881ea07a6f857fe3cc8f0d18e4a548f86cfa2fab769e f2091e528ec547c1146291cbddc8393bdcce8f7ef60783a2a5ba7b62ed6f78e6 005fb1b90a105ff6970094b0c040193436088318921e13bd04f36101b370c0b6 5a7588e7eaa366b2f6d37f5a0b65c2e68bf5ecf9de0b6ef22ea5f0328bc3fa87 d826109e3e2118b164e45c7032e67d75fb8194a229e45af094d159116076c4fe b64f0d08d47c75fafa65f6faebdb4b8c7374f99b2b0a17501a2162e17fcdcbcc 19d7b5303d7b8913dbdfaec3b4517248549d362c11e754e3ebaf5ce856f54705 c7e6a91a3f4d4c1e1b749f48e1d6cf53fc5a2f2457eb26907a8cbd8d65facb88 4eef5ee8046eed46152f43b36e8aa1db9c7bf72ce575d09175297288eb002af5 4e578d461f714f510360a0956af6471bc61ca15b05224a28625ef5c7acd3ee58 1d52006c907da104f78c009160603ed506dd069b06bb6f8f826ca5304fa94d65 a9bc54eefcfdd82d3b17d32cfeabdc0a8d0feb624dd300913c4b66b1431fa935 9e64064a2ea2356d7bf9bcb65171f531274bc2ab6a230658284a539e4cf28969 b8d17862f01b4f5681eca19f5740671dd6c07a0327415b1763ee1d50ac0c0b89 1af43a7bafb4e0a09ec6477f421c98f0a052bf61e3da5c7d2f1a8135a57f740c da42e823ec8c697e43caebb662abd0bcc6347f11d8311e85063c615280f06cc6 73097b798f4770446760ecebc630855863417c30b73fdee30678001b3fd28a8e 001e9daed44e6bea0318031fcd0a7c065ab82ab1df982ef32fab8f2e95582450 0a8b92849d9b2139abfe53bc37e0a8f21f1d293dd73ff33a5456a5731f8ba0b2 e948edba47a747d6611d47d110ff143e4f88861e16ca248b23440d921bc0f102
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):
2026-09-24T10:27:57.919965+00:00 26552414033794915657376330694705065131515528046451 47174842866041720517636467002775159768970246697774 07572198438399818800549035130700269591876658063950 15511246624845217156629891694972012426839056260267 35019206452501298097327338465010197892554042255336 62831867806137987425946931199705600075131999829666 63814695080127404400451419157760771337462173961493 69512968556266302708870416688135549088862594171234 07269951980527911604793946737320554084669217806967 02508322319170520961312183721197247103366372645644 90663626623655963341346299232027654996197963894599 88520961206204626671258427430462242002949289878493 83011409841583534695151912523365717207948194917279 51478374915813242493685265012648304410835254219820 40937608582743781942266958819163107750793777234062 88612130653808191027289191130270984645965248689913 62817171924389388314444101063676730093219702015506 79852275465912509456185684318494259427313149997337 28558694399343664538748950213805312552834261790050 38298788568249742820940974351532099447295055483646 98947785435656988416614552542875730346122339269420 37425150442060663602723876436909488740258661654457 59024057849722419546342657894719709364102053936248 92100875432655901586551742619733755229783114751518 87995837201813303494892228742888340825892082039310 89222113176323385920595517039198634411949939892884 95176408309555626096482398446773079187413229673899 65645151191181901618865629499758475805068539355454 68429846766706883702465197656080409203723391970984 67060261427084421913883350236595336967175937634762
From the PIN diode (digits):
2026-09-24T10:21:42.318998+00:00 44085197440383169967818721166354808420739506130603 62072980009734381280367710111247244229608371258963 75913855471231444168147038478274862672923674072341 44727071596809345002224243621097456445266043369931 95999452310869412204407321117119588254891407566702 05201294695280732665271938053617585793530356188636 03029420532160918172009178986365944164390997325743 79784290003607590927840445192836503629976043179909 75403729476048429673735268611382140136704793711964 98939519164405886905452600046017083180103607896954 41781160686506010477556993934404691126637590339159 81884134166341384335849288416063006533278914331157 27054344672589623213914888363060221133274313246572 08477118580930824297719320984557594326073162658623 98112000957785101695510048769264255254083124463019 89049701791292829017366302782790110194391110466550 39953538165862332477009212502517294862419048891796 18968279130824170175401516554310238026339827258148 61233719749580811472845754441784759286710599692663 77763027165972839047368738442240894101367894041070 21476779103861562344174517411436004278874170311379 81039660490671279828619105347440989499728829820008 44256104400045969662060655068711433008654879697701 69888445592344711041159877004560750277673169535800 06744662530923888281134939759471063506884074835876 37058420982779862961598764032992220339659123992980 72121137265823758060589871276628526082919792254726 29536527161266354005266782987188985227174930330660 97822808981509232143711268039698483388996524488363 06200027633842003057747807032403311024069084427752
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.