December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

key servers
by lear35!mdbomber＠nebula.acs.uci.edu 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Could someone tell me where to find a list of PGP keyservers and how to use them? I haven't been able to find such a thing on soda.berkeley.edu or on toxicwaste.mit.edu (the 2 relevant sites I can remember). -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.3a iQBVAgUBLOUvDTSSmvXojb+5AQGt0gH/T1ikHaWU/W7GR2VAGcx5fncjw9bDbmn3 CPfzPu28j4ejq3OlUJKRt3yz3wYryhYM/xT+OftOFfONpgqPjIS+TA== =U7Q0 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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Re: Should we oppose the Data Superhighway/NII?
by doug＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

"Perry E. Metzger" <pmetzger(a)lehman.com> said: >Just one question, Doug -- in what sort of "Long Term" do you envision >individuals needing to be able to send MORE than several thousand >video signals worth of data simultaneously? Even if you put a camera >facing every corner of every nook of your house, [...] >you couldn't exhaust the potential bandwidth of a single fiber. This is highly misleading. Consider this. The Nyquist limit puts a fundamental limit on bandwidth; you cannot transmit more information over a channel than (roughly) the cycles-per-second rate of the carrier. If a fiber uses optical wavelengths, then that fiber cannot carry more than a single fully quality analog optical *pixel*. We get a lot more out of them than that by reducing the quality of the image being sent, e.g. by sending only 60 frame-samples per second, where each frame-sample is itself carved up into X * Y discrete pixels, and each pixel has a reduced dynamic range etc. My point in saying this is that you're speaking as if current day video standards are some kind of ultimate load on information transmission, whereas actually it's just something we've settled for. HDTV will vastly improve the quality of what we transmit without increasing bandwidth much, but it is still a far cry from what can be desirable. 60 frames per second makes it impossible to transmit adequate information about objects moving quickly across the frame of view that are easy to perceive in person. 1000 frames per second is desirable. 2D images are less desirable than 3D images. A minimum of about 300 horizontal views by perhaps 100 vertical views is desirable for 3D viewing. Assume compression of that 300 * 100 down to a simple factor of 300. Now notice that depth of field information is desirable for realism (without this everything is always in focus, good for some things, bad for others). Let's give that a simple factor of 10. I'll leave out arguments for increasing e.g. the dynamic range of contrast and color information, even though they are currently several orders of magnitude worse than the human eye can perceive. That all gives us roughly 10 * 300 * 10 = 30,000 times more information in a single *really* high quality "video" signal than we are currently accustomed to. Ultra high quality image transmission like this won't begin to become significantly widely used for quite a while. But it will happen eventually, because we'll be able to, and will perceive differences, etc. > What applications do you envision >that would require more bandwidth than this, even in twenty or thirty >years? Truly high quality video is one answer, even without taking into account the problems carriers would have in supporting the full bandwidth of a single fiber in switched networks (combinatorial explosion means that they can never support every possible connection simultaneously, therefore switching and multiplexing is here to stay). The more general answer is to just keep in mind that demand for uses of technology *always* outstrips the capacity of technology, if it is affordable. Demand is limited only because of economic issues. Doug

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"Applied Cryptography" at Cody's
by jel＠sutro.SFSU.EDU 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

As of 14:30 today, Cody's in Berkeley has 4-1=3 copys of "Applied Cryptography" by Schneier.

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Re: Bandwidth limitations
by doug＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>Clark Reynard <clark(a)metal.psu.edu> said: >Perry writes: > >[Elegant refutation of all examples I give in original article.] > >Perhaps some true bandwidth stretchers: > >Complete maps of all the known universe, with spectrographic assays, It occurs to me that Perry will refute my attempted refutation of his refutation by pointing out that even a factor of 30,000 in video won't saturate theoretical fiber limits, and that he may consider your examples too fanciful. But part of what we're talking about is just timing, even Perry said so. We cannot yet modulate fiber at its theoretical limits. To do that we'll need optical frequency sub-band frequency modulation, and that hasn't even been achieved in the lab yet. (FM tuneable dye can't be modulated at optical rates. Semiconductor "variable frequency" modulated lasers can only switch between discrete frequencies.) Some think it will take twenty years to achieve this. But I'm optimistic and hoping for 5 to 10 years. (Unsure about commercial deployment, but let's say it is fast and can use existing fibers, if not trunk equipment.) So if you're "realistic" about when we'll be able to achieve fiber saturation modulation, we're also far enough into the future that it gets easier to see that we may have completely novel demands on information transmission by then, and that existing demands will continue to cause problems for existing fiber technology. Conversely if one is optimistic about achieving theoretical limits on fiber, then the fine points of the argument begin to be relevant. That factor of 30,000 for video won't be enough to fill the fiber. Receiving every global TV and Internet (ultra high quality) video transmission simultaneously (to record and allow later channel switching) might do it, but I have to admit that it seems chancy. So it all comes down to the time frame in which the theoretical limits are achieved. Unless one gets speculative...for instance, nanotechonology scan-transmit- and-rebuild could easily more than saturate even a large number of fibers. Or slightly less blue sky: if your computer is an array of 10,000 optical computers each operating at 100 gigahertz, and doing a distributed computation with other systems over the net. (In this case networks are *always* the bottleneck.) Anyway the whole subject seems debatable and a matter of which numbers one cares to predict for which future year. But we all agree that it's merely a question of *when* fiber runs out of steam, not whether. Doug

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CIA admits Timothy May Surveillance: PHOTOS!
by nobody＠pmantis.berkeley.edu 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

*********************************************************************** ________________ / \ / / \ \ \ | | / / | ___\ \| | / / | / | | | __ | / | \ | | | \ | "HEH HEH HEH !!!!!" | | __ | L. Detweiler can eat my | __\ (_o) | shorts! Am I Beavis | | | / or am I tcmay? \ || \ / PSEUDOSPOOF THIS! | |__ \ | | (*___\ | | _ | | | //_______| | / |_|_|_|___/\ \| \ - | | _----_______/ | / |_____/ ***********************************************************************

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The Contortions of Cypherpunks
by L. Detweiler 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

N.Szabo <szabo(a)netcom.com> in RISKS >I'd like to assure the readers of RISKS that I am in fact a unique person, >distinct from the other names L. Detweiler listed. Of the people on his list >I know from personal contact, all are distinct people in Real Life(tm). Give specific evidence to support your claim or retract it. Who do you know from personal contact? What do you mean that you are `distinct from other names'? >Well >before his post to RISKS, L. Detweiler was provided means of personally >verifying that many of the names he listed are distinct True Names (eg phone >numbers he can call), but it doesn't seem to help. You appear to be referring to my private mail among many different people. Please elaborate on your claim, or retract it.

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the Zen of Cyberspace
by an12070＠anon.penet.fi 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Yang said to Yin, ``why are you so weird? why can't you be more like me?'' ``because you are Yang, and I am Yin,'' said Yin. * * * I was walking along a path in a foreign city, and came upon a group of men carrying their king on their shoulders on a massive platform and weighty throne. They were struggling and sweating from the oppressive weight in the hot sun. ``Long live the Royal King'' they called out to me as I was about to pass. The king had haughty expression, and looked down on me sullenly and, I thought, somewhat belligerently. ``What do you think of my kingdom, traveller?'' he called out. I answered, ``Kind sir, I have been treated most generously by your gracious citizens. They have offered kind hospitality to a weary traveller. Truly, it is an oasis in the desert.'' ``Long live the Holy King!'' they called out. The king waved me away, and I bowed. But I was curious and followed the procession. The king made many strange contacts along the way, but that is another story. After a time he became bored, yawned, and fell asleep. The carriers continued to struggle with the sheer weight of his burden. ``How long have you been carrying the king?'' I whispered to one. ``Many years, traveller. Many years the people of this country have beared the weight of this tyrant.'' Of course, I was shocked at this. But other men echoed out upon hearing us, but whispered and were careful not to wake the slumbering king, who now had a steady stream of drool running down his chin and was snoring quite noisily. They told me horrible tales of his tyranny and crimes against the people. But they also told me of their great fear in challenging him. I was quite surprised -- It seems that each of the carriers shared a common vice with the king, and they were bound by the chain of their depravity. They were all greedy, and thirsted after the gold that he taunted them with every night in secret meetings in the palace chamber halls. Much of the populace saw many signs of the corruption but ``looked the other way''. Some had been executed for their dark discoveries. Many years later, I passed through the country again. I came upon the same sight -- the weary and toiling men carrying the heavy king upon their backs. By this time His Highness was quite fat and ugly from his vice and excess, and the carriers had great despair, desperation, and resignation etched in their faces. But they trudged on. That time, the king was apparently asleep when I found them. This time, he was quite inert and lifeless. ``How long have you been carrying the king?'' I said. ``Many years. Too numerous to remember. You get used to it after awhile.'' I talked to the men quietly. They still beared their great burden, prodded by their intense hunger for the gold of the king, which he had teased them with for many years. The king had tremendous power over people. Nevertheless, they began to laugh loudly at their king's stupidity and ignorance of their embezzlements. I wondered if the king was in turn embezzling from them. Suddenly, I realized the whole royalty was corrupt. The men laughed some more, oblivious to my epiphany, and one man jabbed the king accidentally with his flailing arms in the midst of his ridicule and mockery. The man was horrified. But the king did not stir. The other carriers were puzzled. They apparently had not looked at the king for some time, and suddenly realized that their highness had a pale pallor. The carrier who had jabbed him thought his body felt rather stiff. Suddenly, the night grew utterly cold. The king was dead. They were flabbergasted. ``How long has the king been dead?'' I asked. They did not know. With this, they suddenly dropped the massive platform in terror, and it broke and shattered with an ugly, ear-splitting noise. The king was lost within the rubble. I was injured by some fragments. Some of the carriers were crushed. Some cursed me. Some claimed that I was an evil omen that triggered the death of the king! Others fled. Many headed for the Castle, to steal whatever was left of the unguarded gold. They were astonished to find it was all counterfeited, and worthless. After many weeks, the entire populace finally realized they had been sustaining a black lie, and the country plunged into chaos. I was lucky to escape alive. * * * Yin said to Yang, ``why are you so weird? why can't you be more like me?'' ``because you are Yin, and I am Yang,'' said Yang. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- To find out more about the anon service, send mail to help(a)anon.penet.fi. Due to the double-blind, any mail replies to this message will be anonymized, and an anonymous id will be allocated automatically. You have been warned. Please report any problems, inappropriate use etc. to admin(a)anon.penet.fi.

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K. Mitnick
by L. Detweiler 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Thanks for all the info on K.Mitnick, the `dark side hacker'. Some have mailed me saying he changed his name and is living, got a job in security consulting or something like that (!), and is living in `2.5 kids land' Another few questions. I heard that the judge barred him from using a modem for life, or something like that. What was the sentence? How is it being enforced? Also, I assume that Mr. Mitnick changed his name legally (hee, hee). Anyway, I would like to email him, if anyone knows his address.

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Black Market in Russia
by tcmay＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

The MacNeil-Lehrer Newshour, a PBS television show (for you non-U.S. residents), has a good report tonight on the black market in Russia. Mostly an emphasis on the "shuttle traders" who take chartered flights down to Dubai and stock up on massive amounts of stuff to sell back in Moscow. (An inefficient system, compared to the systems of shippping and mega-malls we have, but encouraging to see.) The traders then pay off customs inspectors, etc. Apparently Russians are doing better than official stats would indicate, similar to the way Italians are much wealthier than tax stats would suggest. I was heartened to see this report. All Cypherpunks, of course, are encouraged to see thriving black markets (or markets of color, to be politically correct about it). --Tim May -- .......................................................................... Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay(a)netcom.com | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero 408-688-5409 | knowledge, reputations, information markets, W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA | black markets, collapse of governments. Higher Power: 2^859433 | Public Key: PGP and MailSafe available. "National borders are just speed bumps on the information superhighway."

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Key Servers
by L. Detweiler 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I wonder if anyone would want to start a PGP key server dedicated only to *real* identities. Obviously, there is no such demand with the current ones. And please don't start with the `that would be impossible' arguments. A key server that had the official policy `if you register here, on your honor your legal name is what you give, under penalty of public exposure if you are caught' would be enough for me.

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