Random numbers are not.....

[justjeanette]

I've just found another reason to loathe computers... random numbers are not... or at least pseudo-random numbers are not. Here I am (unhappily) processing files containing up to 120 million numbers generated randomly (pseudo-) by various systems and I realised the the time difference between one run and another is not enough to change the seed

Comments

[wolf_moonshadow]

Random only exists if you program it to be random... at least that's true for DNA mutation programs. There is likely some deeper meaning to the idea of random not being really random, but my brain can't wrap itself around it at hte moment. And interesting results are a good thing, a pain in the butt, but a good thing. Kind of like that curse, 'may you live in interesting times'

Best of luck with your research and writing. Crunch time is never any fun, but turning in the damned dissertation for the final time is!