[Cryptography] Are there random sources?

[Ray Dillinger]

On 12/25/2016 06:13 PM, Jerry Leichter wrote:

> It does suggest, however, that attempts to *define* randomness are misdirected. The more you try to pin it down, the more you drive yourself into a realm of mathematical theorizing that doesn't correspond to anything in physical reality.

This has been my contention for a long time.

We cannot measure randomness because it's an ill-defined idea. More to
the point, it is a concept that exists only in the abstract.  We should
not expect to measure randomness, any more than we can count angels.  It
is a word that fools us into thinking that it's a definite, concrete
thing. But we are using the term only to make statements about our (or
our opponents') ability to anticipate or understand a thing, not about
the thing itself.

> Treat random number generation as an *engineering* problem - to 
> which a great deal of physical and engineering theory, as well
> as recent computer science theory - can be applied to good effect, 
> and useful solutions exist.

    Eggs Ackley.
                   Bear




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