Is the seed word selection random?

[pat]

I can't find the thread but a while back someone commented on the frequency of letters such as Q and X in the daily games and I remember commenting that I thought the seed word selection was completely random. Being someone who doesn't like puzzles containing those letters I've been struck by the number of times they've occurred since then (unless it's my imagination). So I'm wondering if the word selection is random after all although I guess it must be - if Alan chose the words each day he wouldn't be able to play the games,

[ridethetalk]

Pat,
I'm positive it is random as it would be too much of an imposition upon Alan to get up at 2 o'clock in the morning to set the Challenge puzzle happening apart from the fact it would detract from his enjoyment... 

[Alan W]

Well, it is possible that I might have some multiple personality condition, whereby my Mr Hyde persona could choose the seed words and my Dr Jeckyll persona would subsequently struggle to guess them.

But in fact it is an automated process, with each puzzle's letters independent of every other one. We have had three daily puzzles with an X so far this month and three with a Q, and the month is barely half way over. This is certainly above average. Last year we had 43 Q and X puzzles in total, less than 4 per month. But if every month had exactly the average number of such puzzles, it would be a sure sign of a non-random mechanism.

[pat]

A 'Q' in the 7-by-many two days running? The randomizer seems to have lost its randomness 

[ridethetalk]

Qanon...