The thing is, we now know that randomness is real, baked into the very fabric of the universe in the form of quantum mechanics. Given a choice of two paths, a quantum entity – like an electron or a photon of light – will take one entirely at random: there is no predictable cause behind a quantum effect. The Colorado University Randomness Beacon, affectionately nicknamed CURBy, takes advantage of this phenomenon. It came online this year as the world’s first publicly accessible source of traceable, verifiable, truly random numbers.