January 2001 - cypherpunks-legacy

Alien hunters devise world's smallest microphone
by sunder 03 Jan '01

03 Jan '01

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/2/15755.html Alien hunters devise world's smallest microphone By: Lucy Sherriff Posted: 02/01/2001 at 15:51 GMT Researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory claim to have devised the most sensitive listening device ever. Designed to enable robot explorers to listen out for life on other planets, the tiny microphone could theoretically detect the sound of a single cell growing. <SNIP> -- ----------------------Kaos-Keraunos-Kybernetos--------------------------- + ^ + :Surveillance cameras|Passwords are like underwear. You don't /|\ \|/ :aren't security. A |share them, you don't hang them on your/\|/\ <--*-->:camera won't stop a |monitor, or under your keyboard, you \/|\/ /|\ :masked killer, but |don't email them, or put them on a web \|/ + v + :will violate privacy|site, and you must change them very often. --------_sunder_(a)_sunder_._net_------- http://www.sunder.net ------------

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"...A Heaping dose of FUD..."
by sunder 03 Jan '01

03 Jan '01

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/15731.html Clinton Admin goes out in a blaze of cyber-terror By: Thomas C Greene in Washington Posted: 30/12/2000 at 20:06 GMT No Clinton Administration swan song would be complete without a heaping dose of cyber-crime FUD. We have not been disappointed. National Security Advisor Richard Clark and National Infrastructure Protection Centre (NIPC) Director Michael Vatis are clanging the cymbals again, warning that this year's New Year's cyber attacks might be even more devastating than last year's New Year's cyber attacks. You remember last year's New Year's cyber attacks, right? Right. Neither do we. But this time the sky really is falling, we are assured. Apparently, a vast number of personal computers have been turned into "zombies" (clients) for the Mother of all DDoS attacks, expected to commence New Year's Eve. We think the only real "zombies" plugged into the Net are the living dead who would believe this drivel. <SNIP> $30.5 million for Digital Storm, an FBI programme upgrading old-fashioned analogue signals collection gear with slick new digital stuff; $100 million for an overall FBI technology upgrade called the Information Sharing Initiative; -- ----------------------Kaos-Keraunos-Kybernetos--------------------------- + ^ + :Surveillance cameras|Passwords are like underwear. You don't /|\ \|/ :aren't security. A |share them, you don't hang them on your/\|/\ <--*-->:camera won't stop a |monitor, or under your keyboard, you \/|\/ /|\ :masked killer, but |don't email them, or put them on a web \|/ + v + :will violate privacy|site, and you must change them very often. --------_sunder_(a)_sunder_._net_------- http://www.sunder.net ------------

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Digital Cash with dynamic range
by Ray Dillinger 02 Jan '01

02 Jan '01

Most of the protocols I'm finding for digital cash don't have much in the way of dynamic range. Generally, there is a range of values that they are designed for (rarely more than a factor of a thousand or so from smallest to largest) and smaller payments become impossible and larger payments become impractical. The problem is particularly severe for offline protocols, where you can't get the bank online to make change or issue arbitrary-valued coins. Does anyone know any happy exceptions to this rule, where payments ranging from a millionth of a token up through several million tokens could all be practical? (ie, dynamic range of the twelfth or higher order?) Anyway, the "practical in arbitrary amounts" assumption is pretty fundamental to useful money. We achieve it through bank drafts, checks, transfer orders, etc. But these instruments are not as clear how to do in a digital world where anonymity is preserved. In particular, I haven't found low-level details of how the "Mojo" tokens in use by the new MojoNation stuff work. Are they just an implementation of a well-documented protocol, or did they do something new? Bear

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soul catcher
by nadia em 02 Jan '01

02 Jan '01

Sir, I read your article about the soul catcher and I would like to let you know that this device exists in my head since 2ed January 1988 after I had a car accident after quitting work for some government relative who harassed me both sexually and verbally and then had this thing inserted in my head so he could harass me endlessly, I am an engineer and I've been looking for evidence since the accident and at last in last mars I found the articles about the s.c. , I've been sending letters to influential people since the accident, I smell strange odors, my eyes glow in the dark when I open them but I don't see that in a mirror, the sound of radio waves transmitting I keep hearing in my left ear endlessly since the accident, I can't describe how horrid it is to be in this situation, there are more details than you can imagine and all horrid, I would like to forget about the whole thing but that thing doesn't let me with the audio visual effects I keep getting ,not to mention what have my life become, to put it in a few words I'm ruined and if I sound paranoid don't believe it cause I'm not , I'm just made to seem this way and this device is more than just a lethal weapon it doesn't just kill it mutilates one's being in every since of the word and with the unbelievable amount of corruption in this country it is very easy to get away with mass murder if you know the "wrong" people like this very high ranked government relative , dont know what to do more than to commit suicide and I don't want this thing that is supposed to be man and human get away with such a deed because if he does then this world has come to an end, rich people won't just kill poor people or use them but they will be their cyber slaves, and I'm not poor at all actually I'm considered rich I'm just not a billionaire like he is, endless torture for honest loving people who won't sell their souls, ethics and loved ones for money, the end of humanity. This is not a story or some kind of wise crack this is real and happening and I want to end it but unless I find some one to help me it won't, much more painful details. S.O.S. Engineer/ nadia el mofty 1-b, messaha st. dokki, giza, egypt _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.

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Re: The Cost of Natural Gas [was Re: The Cost of California Liberalism]
by auto58194＠hushmail.com 02 Jan '01

02 Jan '01

"James A. Donald" wrote: > > He describes the california system as "deregulated", but the fact that it > takes many years to get permission to build a power plant -- that it takes > longer to get permits than to actually build one, is undoubtedly a > contributing factor to the crisis. > Of course it is. With plenty of excuses to hand out, a deregulated industry will act more boldly. If it's so hard to build power plants in California, what is the obsession with building them in California? Looking at the queue of plant requests within California they also seem to be obsessed with building them in highly populated areas. I suppose one has to consider the plight of the capitalist here. Given that the ROI on a plant closer to demand is higher (less additional infrastructure such as transmission lines and substations) than one far away, it becomes a no-brainer which to build from a profit standpoint. Considering power plants were competing with dot-coms for investment capital, it's no surprise that ROI on a plant needed to be made as high as possible to have any chance of being funded. Thinking about it that way, it shouldn't be too surprising the result is high-ROI plants get built where people don't want them but eventually accept them after a year or two's delay. The capital for the plant is just invested elsewhere during the delay, so the delay doesn't harm the capitalist. If anything, it helps as the delay just serves to let shortage warnings and emergency notices go out, lets prices go up, makes people worry about blackouts, and then the next plant can be built with an even higher ROI. So in a perverse sort of way, the system works just fine. For the capitalist anyways.

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Philippines - Public Announcement - December 31, 2000 (fwd)
by Jim Choate 02 Jan '01

02 Jan '01

____________________________________________________________________ Before a larger group can see the virtue of an idea, a smaller group must first understand it. "Stranger Suns" George Zebrowski The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage(a)ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- -------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 2 Jan 2001 08:10:06 -0500 From: PA List Manager <statelists(a)STATE.GOV> To: DOSTRAVEL(a)LISTS.STATE.GOV Subject: Philippines - Public Announcement - December 31, 2000 Philippines - Public Announcement December 31, 2000 On December 30, 2000, the American Embassy in Manila, Philippines made the following announcement to the local American community in the Philippines. There were several explosions in the Metro Manila area on December 30, 2000. The first one occurred at approximately 12 PM and the latest at about 2PM. The devices went off at the LRT station at Blumentritt; Plaza Ferguson, which is near the Embassy compound; Pasay Road near the Dusit Hotel in Makati; the cargo terminal at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA); and on a bus in Cubao, Quezon City. Unconfirmed reports of casualties indicate more than 12 dead and 50 injured. No American citizens are reported among the casualties and there has been no damage to U.S. Government facilities. The following is very important guidance for American citizens: --The Embassy strongly encourages all Americans to remain at their residences for the remainder of December 30 unless it is absolutely necessary to do otherwise. Please direct any further questions to the Embassy's Marine Security Guard at 523-1001, extension 2311 or 2688. --If you are in the vicinity when such an incident occurs, leave the area immediately. Do not approach the scene of a bombing or simply stand by during the initial investigative phase. --If you see a suspicious object or package, do not disturb it. Immediately notify an appropriate official, such as a police officer or building guard, and then depart the premises. --If you are involved in any of the above, immediately notify the Embassy with details. All Americans should continue to review their personal security, remain vigilant in their personal surroundings and exercise caution. Please remain particularly alert when out in a public setting. For further general information on travel to the Philippines, consult the Department's latest Consular Information Sheet for the Philippines and the Public Announcement for the Philippines dated September 1, 2000 which this Announcement supplements. This Public Announcement expires on March 30, 2001. *********************************************************** See http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html for State Department Travel Warnings ************************************************************ To change your subscription, go to http://www.state.gov/www/listservs.html

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Q@L[E ONQKEDMHE OPNCP@LL[ AEQOK@RMN
by owner-cypherpunks＠toad.com 02 Jan '01

02 Jan '01

QNTR AEQOK@RMN www.soft2001.nm.ru

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EnenKio
by enenkio＠webtv.net 02 Jan '01

02 Jan '01

: : Allan P Stayman Will he hang for Lies,Fraud and Disinformation About EnenKio or will Akaka,Inouye,State Dept. X Pres. Bush or Gore : From: Robert Moore -- www.enenkio.org : Contact: Steve Hansen ( Steve.Hansen(a)mail.house.gov) (202) 225-7749 or Arturo Silva ( Arturo.Silva(a)mail.house.gov) (202) 225-4063 To: National Desk/Environmental Reporter July 12, 2000 Inspector General Testifies About Illegal Political & Lobbying Activity At Department Of Interior "Most Egregious Example I've Seen" In 30 Years Of Law Enforcement Washington, D.C. - The Inspector General for the U.S. Department of the Interior today outlined numerous examples of illegal political and lobbying activity at the Department which led him to refer the matter for possible criminal prosecution against an agency employee. Earl E. Devaney, Inspector General for the Department of the Interior, testified before the U.S. House Committee on Resources that former Interior official David North's political activities were "the most egregious example I've seen" in 30 years of law enforcement. North "retired" last year immediately after the Resources Committee began an investigation into North's political activities. Devaney testified that North conducted political activity from his federal office during work hours against Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX), Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-TX), and U.S. Reps. Phil English (R-PA), Brian Bilbray (R-CA) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA). In addition, Devaney testified that North sought to assist Democrat Congressional candidates and had contact with the Democrat National Committee and the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee. Clinton's Department Of Justice Refuses To Prosecute Case Inspector General Devaney also stated that he was disappointed that the Department of Justice declined to prosecute North for criminal actions. U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), the Chairman of the Committee, responded that he wasn't surprised "considering the Clinton-Gore Administration's well-documented manipulation of the Justice Department to protect illegal activity by its political appointees." "This is the most partisan and politically-motivated Justice Department in the history of the nation," Young said. Another Clinton Political Appointee Is Under Investigation By Government Devaney also explained to the Committee that Allen Stayman, the former Director of the Office of Insular Affairs, was under investigation by the Office of Special Counsel for possible illegal political and lobbying activities. Devaney said his investigation uncovered evidence that Stayman was aware of some of North's political and lobbying activities. The Resources Committee is also investigating actions by Ferdinand "Danny" Aranza, the current Director of the Office of Insular Affairs. Both Aranza and Stayman testified under oath at today's hearing under subpoena. "I've never high-ranking officials suffer such convenient memory lapses in my 27 years in Congress," Young said. "Despite the denials and all of the 'I-can't-recalls', we will continue to pursue to this issue." Inspector General Devaney also testified that North assisted organizations like the Global Survival Network and helped prepare a "report" that questioned connections between Members of Congress and garment executives. The organization later submitted the report to Congress. Devaney also testified that North provided confidential information about private individuals to a reporter. Chairman Young's Opening Statement "After a year-long oversight review, this Committee has unearthed overwhelming documentation of numerous highly unethical and improper actions by federal employees of the Office of Insular Affairs, or OIA. "We have been able to substantiate multiple acts of partisan political activity, lobbying with appropriated funds, producing materials and collecting information under false pretenses, and violations of the privacy of individuals and businesses - all courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer. "In short, we have found massive waste, fraud, and abuse at the Office of Insular Affairs. This is what Congressional oversight is supposed to be all about. "OIA's highly questionable activities, at taxpayer expense, include: researching and writing political campaign press releases and candidate position papers for candidates to present as campaign materials; researching and drafting partisan memos and press releases for Democratic party offices, including the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic National Congressional Committee, The House Democratic Caucus, and state party organizations, to present as their own campaign materials; editing, researching and writing reports, position papers, and press releases for lobbying organizations to use to influence the outcome of legislation before Congress; hiring private investigators to nose around Saipan and even Hong Kong to dig up information on the garment industry; digging up private, sensitive information about private citizens they don't like, and then releasing that information - full names, Social Security numbers, Alien registration information - to investigative journalists. The Committee has subpoenaed and reviewed the contents of hundreds of thousands of documents, as well as the contents of six agency computers and dozens of computer diskettes. At the same time as these materials were being provided to the Committee, the Department was also providing them to the Interior Department Inspector General, Earl Devaney. Interior's own documents show that one purpose of this referral was the hope that an ongoing IG investigation might be a successful excuse to stop producing materials to the Committee. In fact, this excuse was attempted. It did not work then, and it will not work now. This Committee must not - and will not - turn its back on its duty to oversee that activities of officials at the Interior Department - particularly when there are specific and credible allegations they are using the resources authorized by this Committee, for partisan and inappropriate purposes. Nevertheless, I'm sure you will hear the same old song and dance from the Democrat minority: this has been a witch-hunt, this is partisan, there is an active criminal investigation, so we should just drop it. We've seen this defense tactic used so many times from the Minority in this Administration, and in this Committee, that it amazes even me. But let me remind the Democrats that if it weren't for the inquiry being conducted by this Committee, there would be no criminal investigation anywhere. It was only after - and as a direct result of - the opening of this inquiry and the issuance of the initial subpoenas, that the Interior Department forwarded the information to the Office of Special Counsel and the Inspector General. At each step of the inquiry, as this Committee has gathered more information from the Administration, they have had to forward it also to the Inspector General and the OSC. That is how Mr. Devaney learned about the abuses going on at OIA. So now we will hear from the Inspector General, a career law enforcement professional, and a Clinton Appointee. Mr. Devaney delivered a copy of his final report to the Committee on Monday, and appears to have found the same level of waste, fraud, and abuse at OIA that the Committee has found. So, unless you believe in a grand conspiracy involving the Congress and the entire office of the IG appointed by Clinton, this is not a partisan witch hunt. This is about doing our job: protecting the taxpayer, protecting privacy, protecting against waste, fraud, and abuse. You'll also hear from my friends in the Democrat minority that the improper activities were only carried out by one rogue operator, David North, and that he's now off the payroll, so let's just drop it. But Mr. North's "retirement" doesn't absolve this Committee of its duty to get to the bottom of things, and to find out who else may have been involved. That's why we're here today, and that's why we have subpoenaed Mr. North's two superiors, former OIA Director Allen Stayman, and former Deputy Director Danny Aranza, the current Director. They had the duty to monitor what Mr. North was up to. Lastly - and most loudly - you'll hear from the Democrats that what was going on in the garment industry in the CNMI1 was so bad that it justified what North and others were up to. Let me be clear: This hearing is NOT about allegations of worker abuse on the CNMI. We have had a CODEL2 to the CNMI, and we have held a hearing on the CNMI, but THIS hearing is about abuses in the OIA, which this Committee has a duty to oversee. And we will NOT be de-railed. If federal officials are allowed to break any laws they want, to violate people's rights, just because they believe their cause is just, then Katie bar the door. The message to all federal employees would be that constitutional and statutory rights don't matter, as long as big brother in the government thinks the cause is just. If the Democrat minority gets its way, then who gets to draw the line? What would my colleagues say if it was a Republican Administration abusing people's privacy and conducting partisan political activity, because they thought the cause was just? If the Minority thinks what went on here was OK, and that we should just ignore the partisan activity and the lobbying and the privacy violations, then they should go on the record and say so. Then the next Administration, and the American people, will know where they stand." 1. CNMI - Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands. 2. CODEL - Congressional Delegation. For more information, please check the House Committee on Resources Home Page at http://resourcescommittee.house.gov : AMERCIA REMOVE IT OR PROVE IT ! www.enenkio.org - Robert Moore, Minister Plenipotentiary, Kingdom of EnenKio Foreign Trade Mission DO-MO-CO Manager, Remios Hermios Eleemosynary Trust, Majuro, Marshall Islands http://www.enenkio.org

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New attack on digital piracy
by anonymous＠openpgp.net 02 Jan '01

02 Jan '01

Coalition pushes storage-based copy-prevention BY DAWN C. CHMIELEWSKI Mercury News Hollywood has teamed up with some of the biggest players in computer storage technology to build a copy-prevention scheme into every hard drive and memory card -- opening a new front in the war against online piracy. If widely adopted, the technology would make it more difficult for consumers to duplicate copyrighted files such as music and movies without the permission of the companies that own the rights. Hard drives and memory cards are used to store information on everything from personal computers and MP3 music players to digital cameras and palm-size organizers. Hollywood and the companies designing the anti-copying technology bill it as a revolutionary way to combat piracy. The entertainment industry has been fighting on many fronts, asking the courts to shut down online music-swapping services such as Napster and halt the distribution of software that allows bootleggers to make pristine copies of DVD movies. But critics say this latest effort, led by an IBM researcher at the company's Almaden Valley campus in San Jose, will prevent users from making even routine copies, such as backups, of files they legally have a right to copy. ``I think it's disgraceful,'' said Richard M. Stallman, a leader in the free software movement and author of ``The Hackers Dictionary.'' ``Everyone's rights are being trampled for the sake of these companies.'' The brainchild of `4C' The technology is the brainchild of IBM, Intel, Toshiba and Matsushita -- a group of leading hardware makers collectively known as the ``4C.'' The rights-protection technology, dubbed Content Protection for Recordable Media (CPRM), uses a combination of encryption and scrambling to prevent unauthorized copying. It is currently awaiting approval from a national standards body that sets rules for new features offered on storage devices like hard drives. CPRM is one of a series of copy-protection technologies designed to thwart the wholesale duplication of copyrighted materials that file-swapping services like Napster make possible. Watermarking is another approach being developed by other firms. That technology places hidden bits of digital code on a song, so labels and artists can track illicit copies. IBM researcher Jeffrey Lotspiech, who developed the latest copy-protection technology, said each piece of blank media -- say, a flash memory card or an IBM Microdrive -- comes with a unique serial number. When a consumer buys the rights to make an authorized copy of, for example, the Barenaked Ladies' latest CD, the rights-protection software uses the serial number on the blank media to create a unique ``key'' that only an authorized player can unlock. ``It uses the media -- the dumb media -- as the source of the key information that allows the two of them to come up with a common key -- the recorder to make the recording and the player to play it in the future,'' said Lotspiech. It's resistant to hacking because of the sheer number of key combinations that could be created -- ``greater than the number of protons in the universe,'' Lotspiech said in an IBM research publication describing the the technology. CPRM would do nothing to stop Napster's 37 million users from giving away music to any stranger who asks. But new tracks released with this protection would be worthless. Microdrives Lotspiech said IBM plans to use the technology in its popular Microdrives -- stamp-sized hard drives now used to store photographs in digital cameras and music on digital players. And SanDisk has also expressed interest in using it for its flash memory, commonly used to store information in MP3 players and digital cameras. The first products could begin appearing by next summer. It's one of several copy-protection schemes designed to meet the criteria set by the recording industry-sponsored Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI), a group established to create a standard for online music distribution. ``So far, content companies have been reluctant to deliver their content in digital form out of fear that piracy would further increase,'' said Leonardo Chiariglione, SDMI's executive director. ``But if there is a way of protecting their content, then content companies will put all of their content out. And that would benefit all consumers.'' The Motion Picture Association of America sees broader applications for the technology. If it's effective at thwarting piracy, it could speed direct digital distribution of movies -- either over the Internet or through digital TV set-top boxes. The movie industry has been reluctant to widely distribute its work because of the fear of Napsterization of films. ``What we have with copy-once content protection technology is the ability to go beyond just a pay-per-view business model to go to a pay-per-copy business model,'' said Brad Hunt, the MPAA's chief technical officer. In order for Internet delivery to occur, Hunt said the copy-protection technology would have to extend to the computer hard drive -- a proposal that other technologists find chilling. ``We've been keeping an eye on technologies that are designed to remove capabilities from the people who buy the machines -- particularly when it's removing a capability not for the benefit of the buyer .Ê.Ê.Ê but for the benefit of some third party, like a movie company,'' said John Gilmore, co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based organization that advocates free speech online. Gilmore said copyright laws were never meant to extend a movie studio's reach into a consumer's hard drive. Contact Dawn Chmielewski at dchmielewski(a)sjmercury.com or (714) 669-9913.

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Re: YOUR MORTGAGE LEADS!!
by mortgagepro55＠yahoo.com 02 Jan '01

02 Jan '01

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