In the sense that RF noise can be a source of entropy: Sorta*. But one doesn't need the whole thrift-store television set to do that; the visual aspect of a CRT displaying analog video snow just adds style points**.
*: Sorta, because if someone discovers that the entropy is derived from an analog TV tuned to channel 3, then they also know how to influence it from outside.
**: Style points can have value; it's OK to have fun with work. But that's a secondary function.
The noise probably makes the lava lamp wall just as effective as pointing the camera at the Mona Lisa - the lamps themselves are not that unpredictable frame-to-frame.
For the record, the lamps and camera are present in their lobby afaik, so you can actually go there, stand in front of them, and slightly affect the entropy.
Speaking of ants, Fourmilab (i.e. John Walker, of Autodesk fame) used to provide a random number generator powered by background radiation: https://www.fourmilab.ch/hotbits/
I once read that noise of camera in total darkness is apparently a good source.
You can already have a good entropy source from a single resistor.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson%E2%80%93Nyquist_noise
Would a CRT TV tuned to channel 3 and no RF input be a good source?
In the sense that RF noise can be a source of entropy: Sorta*. But one doesn't need the whole thrift-store television set to do that; the visual aspect of a CRT displaying analog video snow just adds style points**.
*: Sorta, because if someone discovers that the entropy is derived from an analog TV tuned to channel 3, then they also know how to influence it from outside.
**: Style points can have value; it's OK to have fun with work. But that's a secondary function.
The noise probably makes the lava lamp wall just as effective as pointing the camera at the Mona Lisa - the lamps themselves are not that unpredictable frame-to-frame.
For the record, the lamps and camera are present in their lobby afaik, so you can actually go there, stand in front of them, and slightly affect the entropy.
A cool parlor trick, certainly.
Speaking of ants, Fourmilab (i.e. John Walker, of Autodesk fame) used to provide a random number generator powered by background radiation: https://www.fourmilab.ch/hotbits/
https://www.random.org/ Uses atmospheric noise. These dudes use dice? https://youtube.com/shorts/ncoDq5EcPFg?si=lI6f9cw8dWcaDZ4Y
https://www.idquantique.com/random-number-generation/product...