As a hardware type, I'd prefer a diode noise generator over a radioactivity detector. I'd hate for the Fort to be tempted to fudge the latter's output by flooding my house from a black helicopter... But lacking same.... Can you take the time between two effectively async events, and use the low order bits of same? For example, time between a netverk pack arriving and the next tick of the TOD clock? And/or the system's disk IO or such? Or: Choose a site at random. Ping it. Use low order bits of that time with something above. I'm sure most such schemes are not usable. But all it takes is one... -- A host is a host from coast to coast.................wb8foz@nrk.com & no one will talk to a host that's close........[v].(301) 56-LINUX Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433 is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433