random.org

There have been quite a few times that I have wished for a quick and easy way to make random selections.  I mean in everyday situations, like if I want a random ordering of people for some task.  It's surprisingly hard to just "choose randomly".  Flipping a coin is fine when the number of choices is small and a power of two, but too time-consuming with 8 or more choices.  Slips of paper in a hat is also a bit unwieldy.

I suppose I could use this, but I guess I like more diversity in my random numbers.

Today I found www.random.org.  It is not a pseudo-random number generator; it uses atmospheric noise to generate *true* random numbers.

• Here's an easy way to shuffle N items: www.random.org/lists/
• If the items are playing cards: www.random.org/playing-cards/
• Want a *really* random password?  www.random.org/passwords/  (Note: add a period to the end to get a "special" character in there.)

I know, I know ... overkill, right?  Think I'm OCD?  You're wrong.  I'm probably a bit OCPD.