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Probably pretty much everyone who has ever developed their own hardware beyond a certain status, has sooner or later become aware of the following challenge: Randomness - or a Random Number Generator, RNG for short.

Since computers have an inherently deterministic disposition, they cannot do anything, that is not deterministic. And randomness - at least real randomness - is not deterministic.

So how do you build a generator for random numbers on a deterministic machine?

Basically, you have two options. The first is a PRNG, or Pseudo Random Number Generator. This is an algorithm, that spits out random looking results, but is deterministic in the end. If you know the seed and the state of the system, you can predict the resulting number sequences.

If you want true random numbers, you need analog help. So some form of device that generates true random values based on the unfathomable mysteries of quantum chromodynamics. And now guess what:

Your C64 has such a device. Crazy, isn't it?

Michael Doornbos has taken up the subject, and I don't want to break the suspense here. In his article he goes into the use of the C64 RNG, and links to the actual background captured by 8-Bit Show And Tell to be found here on YouTube.

Curious. Hop over.