7 Tools to Generate Your Random Mega Millions Numbers

7 Tools to Generate Your Random Mega Millions Numbers

By Matt Petronzio On Mashable

Here’s a hypothetical situation: You’re offered a lot of money — say, $640 million, give or take — and you can do anything with it. Buy a mansion. Invest in Apple. Donate to charity (that’s first on your list, right?). Everything’s at your fingertips. There’s just one catch — you have to pick the six perfect numbers first.

People in the U.S. are buzzing about the record-high Mega Millions lottery jackpot. Maybe you’ve bought countless tickets, coaxed your coworkers into getting in on the action, or tried to lessen the competition by convincing people that the lottery was cancelled altogether. You’ve even imagined headlines in your honor (“Mashable Intern Wins Mega Millions [EXCLUSIVE]).” Hey, I can dream too.

The most important aspect of getting your hands on all that dough, of course, is picking the winning numbers. But how do you choose? What if your lucky numbers just aren’t working, or what if you’re buying so many tickets that you just want the numbers chosen for you? And what if you don’t trust those lotto machines?

We’ve found seven random number generators that could help you select lotto combinations. Because we care about our readers at Mashable, we’ll tell it straight: You’re not going to win. These numbers are random. They will not increase your odds of winning. But hey, in case you do, remember to give us a cut of the winnings. *It’s only fair.

*Not really.

1. Random.org (Web)

Built in 1998 by Mads Haahr of the School of Computer Science and Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin, Random.org touts that your numbers will be chosen by "true randomness" from atmospheric noise.

---

2. Mega Millions Lottery Results (Apple)

This iPhone/iPad app will not only generate numbers for you while you're on the go, but it will also give you updates after each drawing.

---

3. Random Numbers Generator (Android)

Android users can be mega millionaires, too.

---

4. Research Randomizer (Web)

Similar to Random.org, Research Randomizer is a free service meant for students and researchers to provide numbers for random sampling and assignment.

---

5. Lotto Machine (Apple)

If you're looking for a virtual version of the traditional lottery experience to generate your numbers, this app is for you. All you have to do is spin the drum.

---

6. Random Number Generator Pro (Windows)

This generator software has a 30-day free trial — plenty of time to get the winning numbers.

---

7. Spreadsheet Generation (Microsoft Excel, iWork Numbers)

If you have a simple spreadsheet program on your computer like Microsoft Excel or iWork Numbers, just click anywhere within the table and type =RANDBETWEEN(1, 56) and press enter. A number between one and 56 will generate.

---

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, davidf.

8 Crazy Gadgets to Buy If You Win Mega Millions

8 Crazy Gadgets to Buy If You Win Mega Millions

By Brian Anthony Hernandez On Mashable

1. Personal Killer Whale Submarine

Price: $100,000

What does it do?: If you won the lottery, why not jump into a 17-foot watercraft that resembles a killer whale? The submarine can travel underwater at 25 miles per hour or hydroplane on the water's surface at 50 mph. The watercraft fits two people who can enjoy the watery view through the glass top or by watching an LCD screen that captures the rear view.

---

2. Magnetic Floating Bed

Price: $1.6 million

What does it do?: After a long day of spending your jackpot winnings, rest your head on this levitating bed. A magnetic force propels the bed 16 inches off the ground. Cables keep the bed from maneuvering away from the magnet. 2001: A Space Odyssey reportedly inspired a Dutch architect to create the "flying bed."

---

3. Dinosaur Bone-Infused iPad

Price: $8 million

What does it do?: The iPad 2 Gold History Edition features a 24-carat gold Apple logo and backing, 53 gems and "sections of a 65 million year old T-REX Dinosaur’s thigh bone," among other pricey attributes.

---

4. Super-Luxurious Toilet

Price: $6,400

What does it do?: The Kohler Numi is no stinker. The elaborate toilet warms your feet, plays music and cleans your behind with an adjustable spray and subsequent drying function. A touchscreen controls the settings.

---

5. Fastest Street Legal Car

Price: $2.4 million

What does it do?: The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is dubbed as the fastest street legal car in the world, reaching speeds as fast as 268 miles per hour.

---

6. Jetpack

Price: $99,500

What does it do?: The JetLev Jetpack can lift you 30 feet into the air at 25 miles per hour for four hours, according to the company's website.

---

7. 24-Carat Grill

Price: $165,000

What does it do?: Say what? BeefEater Barbecues's bedazzled grill is covered in 24-carat gold except for the cooking surfaces. The company says the cooking tool is for people who "have money to burn."

---

8. Batmobile Replica

Price: $190,836

What does it do?: This "officially licensed replica" of the 1966 Batmobile costs $150,000 and isdecked out with a Batphone, "Detect-a-Scope" radar screen and rocket exhaust flamethrower.

---

What would you buy if you won Friday’s world-record $640 million Mega Millions jackpot? That’s this week’s thought-provoking question being thrown around online and offline across the U.S.

You can purchase plenty of things with the half a billion dollar prize, including the eight gems we rounded up in the gallery above. “Mega Millions” is currently number one on Google’s hourly updated list of top 20 trending topics, so you’re not alone in wanting to get in on all the action.

Lottery tickets cost $1 per play. To win, a player must match all of his or her six numbers on a ticket to the numbers picked during the drawing. The jackpot is paid in 26 annual payments or in a smaller cash option. The cash option this go-around is $389 million.

How many tickets did you buy? Would you snag any of the gadgets in the gallery?