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On this topic, I recall reading earlier computers (of the 80s) used radio tuners tuned into nothing to generate random numbers. Of course, you need some way to randomly choose the frequency but then what comes out should be pretty unpredictable.

I believe Random.org uses an approach similar to this. What is so special about this approach that we couldn't install it as a card in a desktop for example?

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Modern desktops have had RNGs built into their chips since Ivy Bridge. Beyond that, they have plenty of decent sources for random numbers such as network traffic. Similarly, mobile devices can use sensor noise to create random numbers pretty well.

The devices people are concerned with are things like embedded devices and sometimes virtual devices.

A zener diode costs $0.01 and gives pretty good randomness. You mix network traffic, user input, other sensors when available and you are gold.

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