Cold Storage Question before I jump in!

[Abdussamad]

There are a few places and threads here:

1. using dice
2. using camera pointed at the sky
3. using random input from keyboard

As for the camera part, just use a brand new memory card, and take videos and pictures as you walk all over town of anything in any angle.

By the end of the day, you have thousands. Pick a few dozen as input, then hash the entire file to get your new "random" number.

I know how to calculate the sha256 hash of my files, but how am I going to get my private key and bitcoin address from it?

bitaddress.org -> wallet details tab -> paste in sha256 hex.

[Dabs]

Someone made a dice2key app, (with source code) and also a paperwallet app (I think it was Deep Celeron)

Here are a few I found after some quick googling:

https://raw2.github.com/swansontec/dice2key/master/dice2key.sh

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=297077.25

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=297077.msg3197393#msg3197393 (This is my post in the same thread.)

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=361092 (Paper wallet app)

Or you could always use vanitygen (make sure to use compressed keys) so you have your custom cold storage that begins with 1COLDSTORAGExyxyzxyxyxyzxy or whatever you prefer.

The camera thing and files, and sound recording .... just for fun I guess.

[Dabs]

I suppose that any sort of media file hashed would be a relatively good source of random bits, but I'm not an expert in this topic.  If it were me, I'd be sure to either use a whole file or some portion of it which is definitely not a header (first bytes of many filetypes are going to be the same for every file of that type).

Don't use a picture that is already posted on the internet, and don't use a song from the top charts. (actually, don't use any song unless you are sure you are the only person who recorded it.)

Definitely don't use a recent movie even if it never won a grammy award.

But just in case you do, make sure your equipment goes through an analog portion. So there is some noise introduced.

I tell you what I will do when I get my new DSLR, is I'm going to go around town and take pictures until the memory card is full. Copy those files to an offline computer. Then hash each one of them.

To be hard core, use the RAW format of your camera, if it is available, or the highest resolution.

Good luck with anyone figuring out 24 megapixels of data.

[tspacepilot]

I suppose that any sort of media file hashed would be a relatively good source of random bits, but I'm not an expert in this topic.  If it were me, I'd be sure to either use a whole file or some portion of it which is definitely not a header (first bytes of many filetypes are going to be the same for every file of that type).

Don't use a picture that is already posted on the internet, and don't use a song from the top charts. (actually, don't use any song unless you are sure you are the only person who recorded it.)

Definitely don't use a recent movie even if it never won a grammy award.

But just in case you do, make sure your equipment goes through an analog portion. So there is some noise introduced.

I tell you what I will do when I get my new DSLR, is I'm going to go around town and take pictures until the memory card is full. Copy those files to an offline computer. Then hash each one of them.

To be hard core, use the RAW format of your camera, if it is available, or the highest resolution.

Good luck with anyone figuring out 24 megapixels of data.

Right, well I guess that is one way to be "hardcore"  but I think the point here i just to provide an initial random seed to an otherwise and deterministic procedure.  It seeems to me that if you are taking hashes of random media (or, IMHO, just sampling from /dev/urandom) you should be fine.  Am I missing anything crucial?

[boumalo]

Why not use a paper wallet?

https://www.bitaddress.org is supposed to be safe

I agree, for cold storage learn to use paper wallets, make multiple copies and hide at different locations.

You can make paper wallets with blockchain has well or with electrum

I like the idea of having my bitcoins on 2 or 3 different addresses, it is easier if you want to spend/sell some

[Dabs]

Right, well I guess that is one way to be "hardcore"  but I think the point here i just to provide an initial random seed to an otherwise and deterministic procedure.  It seeems to me that if you are taking hashes of random media (or, IMHO, just sampling from /dev/urandom) you should be fine.  Am I missing anything crucial?

Well, you want as many different sources as possible since any amount of good or decent randomness gets mixed in to the final private key. Your camera, your picture, your file, is about as good as it gets.

It's actually overkill, as you can use any of the apps or scripts I have mentioned above, as well as bitaddress.org

[Abdussamad]

I agree, for cold storage learn to use paper wallets, make multiple copies and hide at different locations.

For instance under your mattress. Maybe in the freezer cause it's called cold storage, right?

[Abdussamad]

Right, well I guess that is one way to be "hardcore"  but I think the point here i just to provide an initial random seed to an otherwise and deterministic procedure.  It seeems to me that if you are taking hashes of random media (or, IMHO, just sampling from /dev/urandom) you should be fine.  Am I missing anything crucial?

Well, you want as many different sources as possible since any amount of good or decent randomness gets mixed in to the final private key. Your camera, your picture, your file, is about as good as it gets.

It's actually overkill, as you can use any of the apps or scripts I have mentioned above, as well as bitaddress.org

I suggest taking a picture of your turds and using those. Turds tend to be very random.