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):
2026-07-15T02:26:24.543634+00:00 1eed05be625737e4d89b0c764f7a1f3c7ddafddfe3e1b3623435aca192e6034c e6d7dc6b41312712a632909dbad1a35ae2edbf1145dee7cef3b87cb27a55dc94 6179d5de4007c846f09b31cf198512730b3b8c7a4c90158d2b210e3838686829 67b2d600eabdfd80aa2548ef20bcb56c6b51a48295286e2ff4ace5d20e8bbd6a 1bab99b0c334acb1838c315dc35582b38b9c075140a13865f254c42aa69e66c4 2bbaeca80decb398ef23ac4e739e65e9195f9b68be49ea3efd2da4d0e6fe97c7 e91630b126bd5643569ec89dffdff0ad0adff6bf3cfab6951b0fa8cafcf6f882 a61ffa9ea1ec949f38610c6515c63692c9cb4f76e8bfb62e871d93492ab7fc4e 08edd7475f8370f9d9a0dd7630740d09f23c582116a5802a0577e8ac09bee37c b4737ca0e436c17f80d059120d30a53aa8191a41a671b8796daab7ecde28c194 75d276effc074fc4f6a318fc30b34cc5c63853e7c82ae26f6eded1082d6a0a95 8e7fd5d8204e38a4f6092fd451391275a751c1967cfd62c6944b6337d9ceafd4 7a1d844828c1fa65ca9df00f170dca8d195c84f8d970db2aefab5b561f9e6468 d4977e4ed5206fbfff8685f3a1e576c1f6a6207073556e87db655d8e9d4ee345 1e0c9edf48f30355b24e243016b666ae529c642e49d8a0028e352f14d24d20a3 40777e67a462ee7ef6386b8dab04565982cd2299baca7cd3b0b4dc9dd2c048dd 42cd3e98705cf3d94ce08b0b6dbf0fc42e79be4243236633afbcd6f9c1a32480 a3569e0e3e7b195bededbf7db9f8383c68dc0046265cb37eecd971d1c5838efb d92a2e26399a50839b488fb71851310324c4931eb92f2f1fda8d53cde0b99bb4 8089a373bbf9655790f30c7fdf4bffa24a28d62ab8b9a8d8ee16d295952c7811 92c23af6f38389c089d93fde8f4ba1f14228e37ff81216d9b68a5f24c584bcd0 e113edfa03ae81b5faca8b47bdaaedbf84f7c34d61b3c2e33d3271870904474d 12b50521ffa5913257adbaf6be599f68a823353e5f04ce8e7bdf6e6398a4a4e3 c2bdebc80516ce5ebbf22b0888c65f30ad6afe692c0dc2fbf2174c50d806abf1 298b0d993fd8a392b1f3ec14053a3536067761a5a23cb29c5778eeffd3a8c49e 4666fe128b9806d5de9907ed1f3019bc8e9e0bc379c10221b6598cf23fe1ca0e b704978d39d8bdf45ffa535804cc510a551689374e00299e965e4c6786cdf499 8eb87d8f1a65354eb317ca87991528824fd3b716edfcb1694bf89ad5a65b306e a7f69566adb2334050895aaf78574a7285d1d964e8e018fdea7470e386f66546 5f9aa5c2e33de4c27e35bfb53921909062106c8ff1bdc75d697fd50cb04c3432 94e82928aaa10edf8611c46bc57a85e7d3fff7e16ddaadcb3303ba143b6de794 8a20d23ff7279402f92319775eb7d658fa8d454416768b1ba3d3a149541225a7
From the PIN diode (hex format):
2026-07-15T02:14:39.537150+00:00 371fea0f8d152e3ed88ad1ce99f212fa68cdd9f338ab392ac1edac4fdfd39914 3273f4bee932f7391703c946a937d0bd2dc39a72a9dcc3272c4dc3a59e33f85e 970c836bdc662e987fa3991d7450f8ee63801fed58e0cd5b0cb2ac261fe6434f 415f7af0333efeacb5e85d75f3e8dabc40a7310c79cf91110ddb7116df1ef54e f44400a25cdeb693c07dc2bbaf1a4de4261bf74279b887191f52ec0ad681ad22 e93751725380bbefeb0ef2ce6f1198347dab0dba6f216cf29b7bdf0f74689d11 03417ea6ffca258b3f78cbb3f8d92d8ca924893c414f6e51736adde0cef3c514 4a2b3f248ca32f539b6ae5b03c99a6d60d62d4de75645310e178f19eb5211d38 dc477c753f7382745f850fcfca7cd803305efe9eed7700aa9629318a3860465d c6ae5aff3f03abf4e0dea78e51933098bf529186aa349886d6ad150bd73ee6f3 ae0164ace7f24751876a9fa89a5df7c56ad156a6db84c3760c73b3ece7f0740a 09fb194ee1413904ebe4f7fb9c8d2a44a90e6d1438cfa56359fa2a45e0896839 994948597ce0e4e705260e46fba14fbf69de7486c7086660400205d55b3172d4 c507e9e310cb0276129e27f4c9808024c1aeb42116c06ecba905889b22253d82 cc1331dba7b2ec5cea628af0a40a469a4f4ec8d7bcc1f16d7aa2713904acf73c b9df2ec74cf21e844bce66c9fbdbf76a745de163642b282a03f8693c2ff7742e c80b035cfa55bb8baf100768e9f778c85e7519a49b98a6256471ace76ce9262d 986b88266bb0a3c22c2f6d521f6e5bf2cb3fe3b1bc15ee33c48bb94d0cb58e4a 5b4ed5ce8fea9460d8542cd559eb2c233c3e3d83cc152cfd02f47d3e140743e2 9cf6d5b45790745da6f83ec526efcff85b466b703ae48a346bea4bd710f76c54 72291d9143221008137b681bbe33d79c8e82b556a739a8f10eb4a5c5f138e53c 47174e84ca902ec318d412601f4a1031cbfd85804e0513ece972cf5c8e2a3630 c9ca1073f5142f893b8bd821194b0e2bf1e17972721263a3956db1e10390239d 26c37860a10f535470daf81a23a065d22c384b1cb789b6d0594c8caf5d705686 9aab7c28969fe13282fb0885f94f29ef2e0cb4b16174ef6d132c057d3e48062d dfb21fdbecbd661384b5f0e1bacc363eb1ab703ae98595c2519f17de6af10103 e47ddd7e99a911693152b881d1578e7a462f69808e3abd77860b809ac3780d60 846b9c39960bd6600541e75f42ba7655c9044c1b0fe0905fb1c64b9cad75575b 075a3d8c5d508a342d46667b026d23479e283d57e5c7615b02fd7e5d879c0642 a8c5ff34ec900b0ffb368d852858c6bc4ea8a1be78dbfb727384bc4eefe265ee 41ea8160b1fa250b37d1354ed508559e83da4c4138bf6ef126897bdde300d8f4 7649bbcb545d3226502ab647699e6e25a09490b2ee539cfefba21d280d286e67
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):
2026-07-15T02:26:24.543634+00:00 30059098875555121879223160257998525372614603760765 49391866504457866390911769842478228548972164077055 49253318151159402276442141433314565604044103780089 28703772328881080781643049401047721439890627715376 95527277314049939585307939560781646156018496426658 02964386681379523572781558012595550490736245645199 22487738898667865857731091608249271568306631586148 59569712012198544679189182463529477342837808719531 12601848161309608833226528420519720990248015246054 93272889181348655868252665661384210970834093481718 07799663244879769798568342111008450610494227327856 64094781571817678193502498984875995575222932724093 01571523134125923212427191863158000451267832119134 33611893663212158510350193425778693012587203857878 36482282027482560046736002425347207732636419260364 98265607417104868930345386247680579272666252129276 39110991159646219066673502517588936336286386581462 23259191258556600400703892792613973142424638575480 31557243832481490336964730854747314183855580283763 15870187441227756274404284856822494944201746945831 37923763437561664027182282389536973288190374298139 71897091329577977994615013350904717718810533654550 87738690895904683553629504422310995264649489052294 87430836989548730605441394237680067141391353636346 77200558535406199765626078568720689658700218395206 53073148258842581195219302338289406314830451415789 95838804811085223755780041585094760334534284254326 01537879233553214030798322770575546691481067490273 78516480379075208774143300241612340170955465946194 26539181573344449816084389999305271276765250484140
From the PIN diode (digits):
2026-07-15T02:14:39.537150+00:00 55311541214662385318045671574293727953205015905057 23037069558945955414699539447795655851945112310702 46522763532916809928318891127872383167796595225162 72819317886467491221451713132230786800629282479225 94877526773827662184352531821029733455811483288714 11175252257113861133085523151604571703652666373963 20794540693637606579108115069720744363364063478355 06766053661398170083162058813329567124176315301695 33152403489458190070504149385696709398749063037167 42814748529182453470525234732111627401007271813506 59685493970686663295181215791610092578655704564142 68691409205665998942693704575373728924053814706179 91051634990802966402059149149707160218185839282836 93748033229210690536553437613019496778929838641070 54797888930922621357047260854699763032750206169399 00434042030560471646110392858739751607042094172564 55526637001372083845520736380776639444470982311091 63778821519639857712814274917843489684448944356062 61312144022562200767568087441693666297389170071258 38520775160884144129456734160819230427905156423081 86675768148065975660712378324446952418963174164933 28780519149242425448161520473759393325751443211414 18996349097703443557389520966115838412263560014456 75288337828976407593128634547124405059503008337941 46128077971609194405256272064578318902193281865462 77711258334994815923060103252653691705498284298742 22704705284258891934112854952013963207565750119605 65956686188504762715449577987556731787910790614093 80385245700223020935715840618799979102269335560666 68975244111554413340889888786861902014153288780165
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.