January 2002 - cypherpunks-legacy

Red Flag Linux beats out Windows in Beijing
by Steve Schear 07 Jan '02

07 Jan '02

Red Flag Linux beats out Windows in Beijing Research outfit Gartner has noted an ominous development for Microsoft and other non-indigenous firms operating in China. On 28th December 2001 the Beijing municipal government awarded contracts to six local software vendors, and rejected the seventh bidder - Microsoft. The contract covers office automation, antivirus and operating software, one of the winners being Linux OS vendor Red Flag. The move is particularly important because it may signify a trend. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/23548.html

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Re: Cpunks Lauded
by Michael Motyka 07 Jan '02

07 Jan '02

georgemw(a)speakeasy.net wrote : > >On 5 Jan 2002, at 7:58, John Young wrote: > >> This crypto demonization may well intensify as investigations >> proceed into the government, military and intelligence failure to >> prevent 911. Whether crypto actually played any role in the >> attack may be seen as unimportant so long as a convincing >> story can be promoted that it must have been. >> >I don't think anyone claims that it "must have been". Rather, >the idea that it might have been, or might be useful for future >terrorists, is sufficient to demonize it. Similarly, the 9/11 >terrorists didn't use guns, but everyone knows terrorists use guns, >The idea of cryptography as munitions isn't just metaphor or, >if it is, it's a really really good metaphor. > >[chop] > >George > I think "might have been" and "might be" are close enough for government work. Have we reached the point where a local fibbie can state "uses encryption" as probable cause or whatever deficient standard they use these days before inserting a tap? Mike

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Re: Hackers Targeting Home Computers (fwd)
by Eugene Leitl 07 Jan '02

07 Jan '02

-- Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> ______________________________________________________________ ICBMTO: N48 04'14.8'' E11 36'41.2'' http://www.leitl.org 57F9CFD3: ED90 0433 EB74 E4A9 537F CFF5 86E7 629B 57F9 CFD3 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 07 Jan 2002 11:15:48 -0800 From: Hack Hawk <hh(a)hackhawk.net> To: Kent Borg <kentborg(a)borg.org>, Eugene Leitl <Eugene.Leitl(a)lrz.uni-muenchen.de>, cryptography(a)wasabisystems.com Cc: Hadmut Danisch <hadmut(a)danisch.de>, dcsb(a)ai.mit.edu Subject: Re: Hackers Targeting Home Computers Although I originally used the word filter to describe a possible ISP action to address certain problems, the following statement from KB was more what I meant to suggest. And also Lynn Wheeler's statement about Dynamic IP addresses not being allowed to host HTTP services because it's not in the consumer/client agreement anyway. At 09:02 AM 1/7/02 -0500, KB wrote: >Once word gets out that letting your computer be breached can get your >internet account suspended, people might start applying patches, Linux >might start making some inroads, and Micro$oft might quit shipping so >many new bugs every week. Now, since the suggestion/idea prompted several responses, I'd like to offer one other opinion to see what some of you think about it. I know that it's possibly been discussed here before, but hopefully I won't get flamed too bad. :) Sorry, I'm kind of new to this particular list. When I performed my experiment a few months back, I had the idea to create a Code Green worm (like somebody actually did) that would go out and forcefully patch those vulnerable systems. I even went as far as developing a small tftp daemon that could serve up the CG virus to other infected systems for a short period of time. In light of all the discussion I've previously read on such matters, I decided against implementing the CG counter Virus. However, I'm starting to think that such counter viruses aren't such a bad idea, and here's the primary reason *why* I believe that. Currently, our government (people like Ashcroft) are slowly taking away our freedoms in an effort to gain control over the problem. Personally, I have a real hard time with this. I don't like Ashcroft and others like him having the ability to come into my home and phone lines and monitor everything I do. If they just happen to label me as a potential terrorist, then I'm basically f*#$ed and loose all my rights. I fully appreciate the dangers of our world, and why somebody like Ashcroft may want to sacrifice our liberties to gain control of worldly problems. However, there is *another* way. We can either sit back, and let people like Ashcroft take control of the cyber situation, or we can step up to the plate, and take control of the problem ourselves. My non-technical mailing list was my first non-intrusive step up to the plate. Perhaps in the future, stepping up should be a little more intrusive. If the freedoms I value so much are at stake, then maybe the rewards outweigh the risk of damaging someone's ego by patching their systems for them. IMHO. - hawk --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cryptography Mailing List Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe cryptography" to majordomo(a)wasabisystems.com

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Seveso near St Louis.Professor Rat "concerned."
by mattd 07 Jan '02

07 Jan '02

YOUNG MALE RATS ARE 'DEMASCULINIZED' AND 'FEMINIZED' BY LOW DOSES OF DIOXIN Three new studies by researchers at University of Wisconsin reveal that very low doses of dioxin alter the sexual development of young male rats, causing demasculinization and feminization. [1,2,3] Dr. Linda S. Birnbaum, a scientist with U.S. EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] calls the new studies "highly significant."[4] Birnbaum is one of the chief scientists conducting the EPA's formal reassessment of the toxicity of dioxin (see RHWN #269, #270, #275). As we reported earlier (RHWN #279), many scientists, including Birnbaum, now consider dioxin an "environmental hormone." The new Wisconsin studies support that view. The Wisconsin researchers, led by Dr. Richard E. Peterson, showed that dioxin interferes with the sexual development of male rats exposed to dioxin before, and shortly after, birth. Pregnant female rats were given a single oral dose of dioxin on the 15th day of pregnancy; their male offspring showed reduced levels of male hormones in their blood and a variety of sexual aberrations that stayed with them as they matured. The young males are demasculinized and feminized by doses of dioxin too low to cause any measurable toxicity in the mother rat. The sexual changes in the young males are both physiological and behavioral, and last into adulthood. Dioxin passes through the placenta and enters the fetus, so the rat fetuses received part of the mother's dose almost immediately. After birth, the baby rats continued to receive a small dose of dioxin through their mother's milk. Peterson says the baby rats received the bulk of their dose through milk. In rats and humans both, females rid their bodies of dioxin chiefly by excreting it in their milk. Dioxin is soluble in fats and oils, and milk is high in fat. Dioxin is the common name for a family of 75 toxins, the most potent of which is TCDD [2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-P-dioxin]. The Wisconsin researchers used TCDD in their experiments. More on this shocking story inc.Terror in times beach at http://www.ejnet.org/rachel/rhwn290.htm part of http://www.ejnet.org/dioxin/index.html

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by stressfreeuc 07 Jan '02

07 Jan '02

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WTFO
by Anonymous 07 Jan '02

07 Jan '02

Trigger, trigger, on the wall Who's the Detwiler-ist of them all? -- Alive contains a lie...

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Japanese banking system 'about to collapse'
by Steve Schear 07 Jan '02

07 Jan '02

[Now this could be very interesting...] http://www.iol.co.za/general/news/newsprint.php?art_id=ct20020105195512751J… Japanese banking system 'about to collapse' TOKYO: Japan's financial system is headed toward collapse and will require a government bailout of one trillion dollars, a US think tank said. "Japan appears poised to follow the passive route of outright default," resident scholar John H. Makin wrote in the monthly Economic Outlook report put out by the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research on Wednesday. "The negative net worth of the Japanese banking system is somewhere above the yen-equivalent of one trillion dollars," Makin wrote. "When the banking system collapses... the Bank of Japan will need to inject at least one trillion into the banks to protect depositors from losses." He said such a procedure would need to be financed by the Japanese government, resulting in total public debt jumping by 15 percent, and causing a surge in liquidity that would cause Japan's currency and bonds to collapse. 'It amounts to beating harder a dead horse'"Japan's deflation and debt crisis now constitute systemic risk to the global economy," he wrote. The report harshly criticises Japan for failing to stop rampant deflation, which increases the burden of paying off debts. "Efforts by the Bank of Japan to boost economic activity and to reflate by increasing reserves in the banking system and cutting short-term interest rates virtually to zero amount to beating harder a dead horse," Makin wrote. "The dead horse is the Japanese banking system, which by virtue of its insolvency is unable to act as a financial intermediary borrowing short from the central bank and lending to Japan's private sector." Makin also criticised moves to postpone past next March the government's plan to cap its guarantee on bank deposits to 10 million yen (about R900 000), saying; "that step will only delay the outright collapse of the banking system." - Sapa-AFP Published on the Web by IOL on 2002-01-05 19:55:26 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ © Independent Online 1999. All rights reserved. IOL publishes this article in good faith but is not liable for any loss or damage caused by reliance on the information it contains.

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Re: Fear and Trembling
by Anonymous 07 Jan '02

07 Jan '02

>Beheading the centers of information warfare would be the end >of Western culture. I had to read the whole thing to find the actual prediction. So you assume a simultaneous or at least closely-spaced annihilation of CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, BBC buildings ? With moles that have been planted there years ago, with penile implants, I assume. And then targeted execution of remaining key employees to the point where appearing on TV becomes really, really unattractive proposition ? Maybe. What would american sheeple do in the morning without TV ? I mean, you wake up, turn on the tube and there is just a station logo there, because even the weatherman was found shot in the back of his head. What do you do next ? There is NO TV in he evening. You must stare at your ugly family or even talk with morons. US would disintegrate within 48 hours.

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None
by 3D Holdings / FT~Direct 07 Jan '02

07 Jan '02

Development Announcement --- LEXMARK T520/522 SOLUTION FT-Direct (sa) Development Announcement LEXMARK T520/522 CHIP SOLUTIONS ARE HERE! FT LABS has successfully developed a lockout chip solution for the Lexmark T520 and T522 printers. It is expected that these will be ready for shipping at January month end. FT-PRS w/ FT-52X Daughter board T520/522 CHIP REPLACEMENTS @ $ 17,95c FOB South Africa Place your orders now Errors and Omissions Excepted All brand names, trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners and holders and are used for descriptive purposes only - where possible. None of the OEM's contained on this site endorse or sponsor our products howsoever

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Decent Orwell Article.
by Michael Motyka 07 Jan '02

07 Jan '02

An interesting read in which the author delves into some details of Orwell's life and possible origins and targets of his satire. Includes some neat stuff regarding the dates 1984 and 2000. Time to go read Iron Heel by Jack London. http://www.insightmag.com/main.cfm/include/detail/storyid/158445.html Mike

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