Randomness

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An essential element of 10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1));: GOTO 10 is randomness; the program could not have anything like the same effect without it. The program uses randomness that is built in to the Commodore 64's BASIC programming language via the RND function. And the RND function is not special to the Commodore 64; it was present in the original Dartmouth BASIC. Furthermore, it's not just Commodore 64 BASIC that supplies random numbers. There are capabilities for generating random numbers that are provided by the built-in operating system, the KERNAL (the source of randomness that is used by BASIC) and by the sound chip, the SID. It's randomness all the way down. Producing randomness is a standard capability of the Commodore 64, provided by several different techniques. Randomness is just as important to other forms of modern computing.

+

An essential element of 10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1));: GOTO 10 is randomness; the program could not produce its mesmerizing visual effect without it. Randomness is built into the Commodore 64's BASIC programming language via the RND function. The RND function is not unique to the Commodore 64; it was present in the original Dartmouth BASIC, and similar random commands in computing can be traced back to the 1950s. In the case of the Commodore 64, it's not only BASIC that can supply random numbers. In the computer's ROM is its operating system, the intentionally misspelled KERNAL, which can be poked and prodded into generating random numbers, and the C64's sound chip, the SID, can also be harnessed to generate random numbers. It's randomness all the way down.

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This chapter explains what random numbers are, explaining certain different types of randomness. Then, it looks at the historical inception of functions for generating random numbers and some of the ways these random numbers have been used. The chapter considers how and why randomness is used in the arts. Through a nuanced discussion of randomness, the chapter argues that the maze pattern which 10 PRINT produces is entwined with a history of aesthetic and utilitarian coin flips and random processes.

+

This chapter explores the nature of randomness, both in and outside of computing. The role of randomness in literature and the arts is considered, as well as the origins of random number generation in modern mathematics, engineering, and computer science. Through a nuanced discussion of randomness, the chapter argues that the maze pattern which 10 PRINT produces is entwined with a history of aesthetic and utilitarian coin flips and random processes.

−

Since chance is happenstance, hap, the root of happy, it would seem likely that randomness, a type of chance, might have a happy etymology. But this is not so. In centuries past, before the philosophers and mathematicians in the Age of Enlightenment sought to rationalize even chance, randomness was a nightmare. Likely ancestors of the word "random" are found in Anglo-Norman, Old French, and Middle French and include ''randoun, raundun, raundoun, randon, randun,'' and ''rendon'' -- words signifying speed, impulsiveness, and violence. These predecessor words are found beginning around the 12th century and probably derive from ''randir,'' to run fast or gallop. Bumper stickers implore drivers to "practice random acts of kindness," but only because people in our culture fear random acts of violence so much that another phrase has become so ingrained that it can be punned upon -- and at a deeper level, perhaps, because the speed and violence of other vehicles are to be feared. While today it might be harmless for us to encounter "a random" (a person unknown to us, according to the Jargon File) sitting in the computer lab exploring a system at random, a "random encounter" centuries ago was much more likely to resemble a violent random encounter in ''Dungeons & Dragons.'' For instance, it could have been a figure on horseback hurtling through a village, trampling and slaughtering whoever he can reach.

+

Since chance is happenstance, hap, the root of happy, it would seem likely that randomness, a type of chance, might have a happy etymology. But this is not so. In centuries past, before the philosophers and mathematicians in the Age of Enlightenment sought to rationalize even chance, randomness was a nightmare. Likely ancestors of the word "random" are found in Anglo-Norman, Old French, and Middle French and include ''randoun, raundun, raundoun, randon, randun,'' and ''rendon'' -- words signifying speed, impulsiveness, and violence. These predecessor words are found beginning around the 12th century and probably derive from ''randir,'' to run fast or gallop. Bumper stickers implore drivers to "practice random acts of kindness," but only because people in our culture fear random acts of violence so much that another phrase has become so ingrained that it can be punned upon -- and at a deeper level, perhaps, because the speed and violence of other vehicles are to be feared. While today it might be harmless to encounter "a random" sitting in the computer lab exploring a system at random, a "random encounter" centuries ago was more likely to resemble a random encounter in ''Dungeons & Dragons,'' a figure on horseback hurtling through a village, intent on death and destruction.

Only recently have the meanings of the word "random" coalesced around science and statistics. Its history is littered with obsolete meanings. The degree of elevation of a gun that maximizes its range. The direction of a metallic vein in a mine. The sloping board on the top of a compositor's frame where newly arranged pages are stored before printing. These particular randoms kill opponents, create wealth, or incubate books. The RND found in 10 PRINT recalls the latter meaning of random, a structure integral to textual composition. RND selects one of two graphical characters. Flip or flop, a slash forward or a slash backward. Each random slash splayed across the screen with the PRINT command, an echo of the early days of BASIC, when PRINT meant putting ink on paper. The connections of RND on the Commodore 64 to the origins of the word -- to speed, violence, devastation, and yes, printing -- are inescapable.

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 === ===
-An essential element of 10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1));: GOTO 10 is randomness; the program could not have anything like the same effect without it. The program uses randomness that is built in to the Commodore 64's BASIC programming language via the RND function. And the RND function is not special to the Commodore 64; it was present in the original Dartmouth BASIC. Furthermore, it's not just Commodore 64 BASIC that supplies random numbers. There are capabilities for generating random numbers that are provided by the built-in operating system, the KERNAL (the source of randomness that is used by BASIC) and by the sound chip, the SID. It's randomness all the way down. Producing randomness is a standard capability of the Commodore 64, provided by several different techniques. Randomness is just as important to other forms of modern computing.
+An essential element of 10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1));: GOTO 10 is randomness; the program could not produce its mesmerizing visual effect without it. Randomness is built into the Commodore 64's BASIC programming language via the RND function. The RND function is not unique to the Commodore 64; it was present in the original Dartmouth BASIC, and similar random commands in computing can be traced back to the 1950s. In the case of the Commodore 64, it's not only BASIC that can supply random numbers. In the computer's ROM is its operating system, the intentionally misspelled KERNAL, which can be poked and prodded into generating random numbers, and the C64's sound chip, the SID, can also be harnessed to generate random numbers. It's randomness all the way down.
-This chapter explains what random numbers are, explaining certain different types of randomness.  Then, it looks at the historical inception of functions for generating random numbers and some of the ways these random numbers have been used. The chapter considers how and why randomness is used in the arts. Through a nuanced discussion of randomness, the chapter argues that the maze pattern which 10 PRINT produces is entwined with a history of aesthetic and utilitarian coin flips and random processes.
+This chapter explores the nature of randomness, both in and outside of computing. The role of randomness in literature and the arts is considered, as well as the origins of random number generation in modern mathematics, engineering, and computer science. Through a nuanced discussion of randomness, the chapter argues that the maze pattern which 10 PRINT produces is entwined with a history of aesthetic and utilitarian coin flips and random processes.
-Since chance is happenstance, hap, the root of happy, it would seem likely that randomness, a type of chance, might have a happy etymology. But this is not so. In centuries past, before the philosophers and mathematicians in the Age of Enlightenment sought to rationalize even chance, randomness was a nightmare. Likely ancestors of the word "random" are found in Anglo-Norman, Old French, and Middle French and include ''randoun, raundun, raundoun, randon, randun,'' and ''rendon'' -- words signifying speed, impulsiveness, and violence. These predecessor words are found beginning around the 12th century and probably derive from ''randir,'' to run fast or gallop. Bumper stickers implore drivers to "practice random acts of kindness," but only because people in our culture fear random acts of violence so much that another phrase has become so ingrained that it can be punned upon -- and at a deeper level, perhaps, because the speed and violence of other vehicles are to be feared. While today it might be harmless for us to encounter "a random" (a person unknown to us, according to the Jargon File) sitting in the computer lab exploring a system at random, a "random encounter" centuries ago was much more likely to resemble a violent random encounter in ''Dungeons & Dragons.'' For instance, it could have been a figure on horseback hurtling through a village, trampling and slaughtering whoever he can reach.
+Since chance is happenstance, hap, the root of happy, it would seem likely that randomness, a type of chance, might have a happy etymology. But this is not so. In centuries past, before the philosophers and mathematicians in the Age of Enlightenment sought to rationalize even chance, randomness was a nightmare. Likely ancestors of the word "random" are found in Anglo-Norman, Old French, and Middle French and include ''randoun, raundun, raundoun, randon, randun,'' and ''rendon'' -- words signifying speed, impulsiveness, and violence. These predecessor words are found beginning around the 12th century and probably derive from ''randir,'' to run fast or gallop. Bumper stickers implore drivers to "practice random acts of kindness," but only because people in our culture fear random acts of violence so much that another phrase has become so ingrained that it can be punned upon -- and at a deeper level, perhaps, because the speed and violence of other vehicles are to be feared. While today it might be harmless to encounter "a random" sitting in the computer lab exploring a system at random, a "random encounter" centuries ago was more likely to resemble a random encounter in ''Dungeons & Dragons,'' a figure on horseback hurtling through a village, intent on death and destruction.
 Only recently have the meanings of the word "random" coalesced around science and statistics. Its history is littered with obsolete meanings. The degree of elevation of a gun that maximizes its range. The direction of a metallic vein in a mine. The sloping board on the top of a compositor's frame where newly arranged pages are stored before printing. These particular randoms kill opponents, create wealth, or incubate books. The RND found in 10 PRINT recalls the latter meaning of random, a structure integral to textual composition. RND selects one of two graphical characters. Flip or flop, a slash forward or a slash backward. Each random slash splayed across the screen with the PRINT command, an echo of the early days of BASIC, when PRINT meant putting ink on paper. The connections of RND on the Commodore 64 to the origins of the word -- to speed, violence, devastation, and yes, printing -- are inescapable.