[vox-tech] Which cipher to use?

[Micah Cowan]

Ryan writes:
 > > Correct, a passphrase would violate the xor sequence longer then the data
 > > rule.  Passing PID or time as a seed to random would also be a very
 > > bad idea.   Md5 checksums of random noise (transistors, radio reception
 > > of static, radioactive decay etc) is the level of randomness that is
 > > idea.
 > 
 > Hey, now there's an idea... I could use my TV tuner to gather data for the 
 > kernel entropy pool when I'm not watching tv with it.
 > 
 > Anyone know of something to do that? It'd be cool to play with.....

You'd have to make sure you don't get interference from actual signals
- but Bill's suggestion of MD5 checksums would probably minimize that,
as long as the noise-to-signal ration is quite high (never thought
I'd be recommending *that* on a public forum ;) )

I've heard of someone using a lava lamp as an entropy source, or
thermal noise in semiconductors.

Also, radioactive decay makes a good source...

  http://www.fourmilab.ch/hotbits/

And atmospheric noise (www.random.org).

-Micah