Every 7 kittens born, 6 are normal size and 1 special size!

[Ivy Norsk]

Talk about repeating annual threads. Last year, probably nearly to the day, I posted very much the same thing as jwenting.
About algorithms and what data could possibly be used by KC HQ for size. At the end of that thread, it had pretty much been established that KC uses a simple randomizer and does not track extra factors like avatar, box history etc., which would be vastly more complicated for them.

The issue persists though, and I have often wondered if the gap between "NO, there is nothing but random!" and "YES, I'm seeing special size boxes on a more than random basis" could be closed by something like number theory. I am not a mathematician.

But reading up (on wikipedia - yes, I know, not the most learned or technical source) does suggest that simple randomizers can and do fall into local patterns. Discussions on the subject often distinguish between global randomization and local randomization, noting that randomization theory often talks about "global" randomization (and this is what Tad has generally presented), that is to say what perfect true random is, and "local" randomization, which deals with what happens with smaller sample sizes, such as KittyCats.

A few possibly relevant quotes:

wikipedia Random Number Generation Wrote:The second method uses computational algorithms that can produce long sequences of apparently random results, which are in fact completely determined by a shorter initial value, known as a seed or key. The latter type are often called pseudorandom number generators. These types of generators do not typically rely on sources of naturally occurring entropy, though they may be periodically seeded by natural sources, they are non-blocking i.e. not rate-limited by an external event.

A "random number generator" based solely on deterministic computation cannot be regarded as a "true" random number generator in the purest sense of the word, since their output is inherently predictable if all seed values are known. In practice however they are sufficient for most tasks.

Wikipedia Pseudorandom number generator Wrote:A pseudorandom number generator (PRNG), also known as a deterministic random bit generator (DRBG),[1] is an algorithm for generating a sequence of numbers whose properties approximate the properties of sequences of random numbers. The PRNG-generated sequence is not truly random, because it is completely determined by a relatively small set of initial values, called the PRNG's seed (which may include truly random values). Although sequences that are closer to truly random can be generated using hardware random number generators, pseudorandom number generators are important in practice for their speed in number generation and their reproducibility.

PRNGs are central in applications such as simulations (e.g. for the Monte Carlo method), electronic games (e.g. for procedural generation), and cryptography. Cryptographic applications require the output not to be predictable from earlier outputs, and more elaborate algorithms, which do not inherit the linearity of simpler PRNGs, are needed.

Good statistical properties are a central requirement for the output of a PRNG. In general, careful mathematical analysis is required to have any confidence that a PRNG generates numbers that are sufficiently close to random to suit the intended use. John von Neumann cautioned about the misinterpretation of a PRNG as a truly random generator, and joked that "Anyone who considers arithmetical methods of producing random digits is, of course, in a state of sin."

Both of those articles are worth reading. The subject is highly technical and over my mathematical ability. But I do think that the implication Could Be that whatever generator KittyCats HQ uses, could possibly fall into patterns.