[stavros]

This looks interesting, but there are much better (higher bitrate) sources of pure randomness, and I'm not sure what advantage this has over those. If I don't trust the machine that's generating the randomness, that doesn't only apply to the randomness component, I similarly mistrust this machine's code, the hardware, etc.

I'm not sure what this would add over, for example, entropy derived from a hash of the image of a camera's thermal noise profile.

[pvg]

I'm not sure what advantage this has over those.

Those usually don't look and sound like they were made by Doc Brown.

[beng-nl]

Well said. I find the creator did a delightful job in his presentation. So much pride in the craftsmanship visible in his presentation as well as the finished product. I subscribed and hope for more videos..

[tylervigen]

I think the advantage of this one is that it's funny. :)

[stavros]

I didn't watch the video because I didn't have sound, if it's meant to be funny, then I applaud it.

[jjk7]

It's a very serious video, which adds to the comedy of it.

[AJTSheppard]

The Satoshi9000 makes only one claim as a value proposition.

Value proposition: The key value proposition of the machine is that it generates analog randomness in the physical world and converts it into digital (1’s and 0’s) randomness. Especially noteworthy is that it can do so in a visibly, and to a lesser extent audibly (the sound of an agitated coin or die), way that is easily recognized and understood by humans. Other ways of generating digital randomness do not have this characteristic and in some ways have to be considered opaque to the public at large in their method of generating randomness. It comes down to whether people trust their eyes more than a black-box and whether people want this characteristic when generating randomness they are going to use.

I venture to say that anyone, from 5 years old and upwards who saw the machine in operation would understand how it is generating randomness. Dice from prehistory have been used by humans to generate random outcomes, and from the first millennium BC, when coins arose, the same can be said of coins.

Consider a randomized clinical trial. You may have patients that are not technically sophisticated, but must be convinced that the randomized aspects of the trial are done in a way they understand and are willing to give their consent. The same can be said for lawyers.

"I'm not sure what this would add over, for example, entropy derived from a hash of the image of a camera's thermal noise profile." Do you think a 95 year old grandmother will understand the principles by which this type of randomness is created?

Mistrust the machine? Then simply don't use it. ("Don't trust them lying eyes!") What I can say in its favor is it's connected to nothing (air-gapped), you fully control every important aspect of the randomness (fully programmable). Don't like the coins you have? Simply take a quarter from your own pocket and put it in the shaker. Don't like the microcontroller provided, buy (for $4) your own and plug it in. Ditto for the other components. All sensors, motor etc. are commodity parts; replace them. I think this machine is more provably back-door free than any cryptographic machine out there. As I point out in the video, all they important parts used in the generation of randomness walk-away in the palm of your hand -- what I call "walk-away randomness" in the video -- and all that's left is a motor and some wires.

As to the bitrate. Yes, it is not a high bitrate machine, the bit rate of the machine is around 4-bits per minute (time length of tossing/shaking and vigorousness of shaking is wholly under the control of the user - can be longer per shake, faster or slower, or variable during the shake), so for a 256 bit key it takes around an hour. But remember, Bitcoin keys are forever (or the remaining lifetime of the Universe, whichever is shorter), so taking an hour to generate it is short in comparison to its useful lifetime.

I hope the detail, and some background, helps.

[qqqult]

it's simple