December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

What can we do in the next few days?
by tcmay＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Lots of flames lately about "lunatic ravings" and what Cypherpunks can or can't do to help in the next few days. Here's my take on the situation: * Keep current, read all the various groups covering this. * Add articles and comments whenever you have something to say. Your argument might help one of the lawyers make his case. (One of "our" lawyers, one hopes.) Hal Finney's article this morning falls squarely into this category. We may have few lawyers amongst us, but we can contribute comments and background items that the lawyers may find useful. Not much time left before the grand jury convenes on Wednesday, but time to help after that. I agree of course with the sentiment that "Cypherpunks write code," or at least write text on semi-technical topics, and agree with the current focus of our group on stuff like remailers, digital cash, data havens, and the like. The EFF, CPSR, and ACLU are already focussed on issues of legal cases, privacy laws, etc., and are staffed with mostly lawyers and legal-background folks. We fill a niche they cannot fill. * Phil Karn and others have written about DES implementations that are already described, published, etc., both inside and outside the U.S. This may help with the precedent issue, namely, establishing that DES is already widely available (in case this is an important issue). In particular, see the messages a few days back about compiling a list of published DES (and IDEA, too) codings. Add to the list if you can. Cypherpunks can help on this, if they have some experience with DES, IDEA, and the like. Perhaps after the indictment (I'm guessing there'll be one) we can find out from the lawyers if our backgrounds in hacking and crypto can be tapped to help in the defense. --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: 2^756839 | Public Key: PGP and MailSafe available. Note: I put time and money into writing this posting. I hope you enjoy it.

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GOPHER: misc
by Karl Lui Barrus 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Thanks for the feedback about links - I didn't read that far in the server.doc! It looks like I could point to the EFF gopher for legislation and stuff, if they wouldn't mind...? But, stuff I link to has to be available from another gopher, right? I mean, I just can't point to a directory on some machine and have gopher retrieve the file for viewing? Or can I? Because I definitely would like to have the RFC's and message digest stuff viewable, or pointed to. Also, will gopher uncompress a file before displaying? I think I should read the gopher FAQ :-) And look at WWW when I have some time. Also, where is the "Digital Silk Road" paper? I'd like to put the text version in the "Digital Cash" section. I'd also like to put the two reports at cwi up, but those are postscript... gopher.wustl.edu has a TANTALIZING menu item for the ftp site, but I got a connection refused message. I need to talk to Chael to see exactly what kind of disk space we have to work with - it looks like to me an ftp option retrieves files to the gopher site (chaos). I put up some more stuff, including remailer public keys, but not much more on anonymous mail and still nothing on clipper. -- Karl L. Barrus: klbarrus(a)owlnet.rice.edu keyID: 5AD633 hash: D1 59 9D 48 72 E9 19 D5 3D F3 93 7E 81 B5 CC 32 "One man's mnemonic is another man's cryptography" - my compilers prof discussing file naming in public directories

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Re: more deranged lunatic ravings -- just delete 'em!
by doug＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

erc(a)apple.com said: >Nope. That's not the point, and you know it. The point being (and I'm not >even sure why I'm bothering to explain this to you - you're intelligent) >this case has the potential to affect ALL of us, not just the participants >in the case. True. But the question is, specifically what are you suggesting "all of us" do right now? When I say specifically, I mean for instance not just "find out information about XYZ" like you said before, I mean the "and then what?" part as well. Most of us will probably do our best to learn whatever we can rather than ignoring the situation. But *then* what? What's your suggestion? >Well, scratching my crotch and looking important HAD crossed my mind. :) Besides that, I mean. :-) Doug

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Cypherbusts, etc.
by Alan E. Mason 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I just heard about the grand jury BS going down around PGP, etc, via the EFF forum on the Well and would like to do whatever I can to support the defense effort (when it comes) etc. I am a writer with some small access to local media and a big interest in the outcome of this test of our 1st amendment rights. I would also like to get on your "mailing list" if you have one. Mail should be sent to vznquest(a)netcom.com Thanks, and keep up the good work! Alan Mason

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(fwd) New Intel Slogan
by erc＠wetware.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Path: khijol!wetware!iggy.GW.Vitalink.COM!pacbell.com!ames!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!uunet!uunet.ca!wildcan!news2.uunet.ca!xenitec!looking!funny-request Message-ID: <S5d6.528(a)clarinet.com> Date: Sat, 18 Sep 93 19:30:02 EDT Newsgroups: rec.humor.funny Subject: New Intel Slogan From: shah(a)santur.nuo.dec.com (Amitabh Shah) Keywords: topical, smirk, original Approved: funny(a)clarinet.com Lines: 17 [This is original.] In view of the recent burglaries at computer warehouses in the Silicon Valley, where the burglars have stolen Intel's x86 processor chips, Intel has decided to use a new corporate slogan. The idea for this slogan is based on the theft-resistant stickers seen on the windows of cars in NYC. All stores carrying/manufacturing PCs made with Intel's processors, as well as the PCs themselves will now bear a sticker that says: "No Intel Inside". -- Selected by Maddi Hausmann. MAIL your joke (jokes ONLY) to funny(a)clarinet.com. Please! No copyrighted stuff. Also no "mouse balls," dyslexic agnostics, Iraqi driver's ed, Administratium, strings in bar or bell-ringer jokes. -- Ed Carp, N7EKG erc(a)apple.com 510/659-9560 anon-0001(a)khijol.uucp If you want magic, let go of your armor. Magic is so much stronger than steel! -- Richard Bach, "The Bridge Across Forever"

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re: more deranged lunatic ravings ...
by Tiffany Lee Brown 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

The recent flood of rantmail between Perry Metzger, E. Carp, etc., started as an interesting and relevant argument but has degenerated to the point of annoyance. The former suggested calming down and writing some code - perhaps he could go off and do just that, rather than wasting his time (and ours) trying to keep folx from encouraging others to engage in personal investigation of an issue which concerns them. If you think writing code's the only thing to do - go do it. If you think getting people riled up about the situation is important - go do it. Yammering at each other ain't gonna make the world a safer and more private place. -magdalen

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Re: Definition of "Zero Knowledge"
by doug＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: khijol!erc(a)apple.com (Ed Carp) >Thanks for the definition (but I knew that, anyway). Sorru I wasn't clear - >what I was looking for was examples of how zero-knowledge proof techniques >could make source code impenetrable. An arbitrary algorithm can be translated into a zero proof theory model that is intractable to functionally analyze. Its operations on inputs and outputs can take place within the realm of the intractable model, with the inputs and outputs being transformed from the encoding of the outside realm into an encoding useful to the realm of the model. The inputs and outputs are the queries and answers of zero proof theory. With such a thing, knowing every detail of the registers and instructions being executed at all times still wouldn't tell you what you really wanted to know. I'm unsure whether this has been published, let alone implemented; I just thought it was an obvious corollary back when ZPT itself was first published. It might have been discussed in the literature at the time, but if so, I've forgotten. I'm also not claiming this is necessarily a useful approach in practice, because the obvious ways of implementing such a thing would be more than a little slow. I suspect that it could be done efficiently with a little algorithmic cleverness, but I don't have evidence of that this instant. I'm currently designing something with very much the same flavor, but with somewhat different goals, and computational expense of the operators in the model is precisely the difficulty with that, too, so far. Doug -- Doug Merritt doug(a)netcom.com Professional Wild-eyed Visionary Member, Crusaders for a Better Tomorrow Unicode Novis Cypherpunks Gutenberg Wavelets Conlang Logli Alife HC_III Computational linguistics Fundamental physics Cogsci SF GA VR CASE TLAs

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Re: reporter seeking interview subjects
by remailer＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 11:35 AM 9/19/93 -0400, Stanton McCandlish wrote: >> > looking for interesting "case studies" that I can use to horrify >> > my listeners out of their complacency. My most immediate need is >> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >> >> Just what I love from the media, using sensationalism to convey a >> preconceived idea instead of looking at the facts and reporting it. >> Does it matter that he is reporting on our side and not the other >> side? > >Why of course it does. No wishing and praying will make the media suddely >become pure and holy. This is a propaganda war, and there's no reason >for both sides not to get in on the act. Otherwise, it's like fighting >guns with slingshots. No horror, no story. Who wants to hear a story about how they're perfectly safe letting the world look at their medical history? If that was true, no one would want to hear about it on the radio.

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Crypto crackdown - this i
by Duncan Frissell 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

F >Unless you are judgement proof. Since I have received 4 pieces of E-mail asking for a definition, I will beg the indulgance of the list... Being 'judgement proof' means that even if a civil judgement is obtained against you, it cannot be satisfied. It means that you have no attachable property. The property can be in the name of another person or entity or in another jurisdiction. It is a very relaxing feeling. In the mid '80s for example when Roy Cohn (of the Army-McCarthy Hearings) was dying of AIDS, he had outstanding judgments of almost $1.5 million against him from the IRS and private parties. Meanwhile, he lived in a brownstone on the upper east side of Manhattan, used a house in the Hamptons, and regularly flew Concorde to Europe. The judgements were never executed against him, however because he had no money. He was judgment proof. The houses and other perks were supplied to him by the law firm of which he was an obviously valuble employee. Judgement proofing yourself is a powerfull concept. Duncan Frissell Who has remained judgment proof for years by employing the oldest trick in the book -- transferring all of his assets to the brains of his children (via various educational institutions) where they are immune to siezure. --- WinQwk 2.0b#0

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Re: Does this seem illegal to you?
by George A. Gleason 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Sprint TeleMap: You've been after this woman who gives you the ultimate hard-on, but she won't play. Every night you write her another letter, pouring out your heart, begging for her hand, telling her all the lucious things you'll do with her once she comes to her senses and lets you into her life. Lately you've been getting your letters back,"return to sender, no such addressee" in purple Post Office ink. But no matter, you call her number, and get the recording with her new number. You've been getting angrier lately, as she's changed her number three times now. If only she would let you into her life, you'd make wonderful music together by the moonlight- but No!, she just won't play. The anger has been building, and lately you've been taking to leaving more and more desperate messages on her answering machine. She's really getting to you now, you want to teach her a lesson, a lesson she'll never forget. You've been trying to follow her car home from work, but for some reason she's not driving the same car or taking the same route; she might even have changed jobs. Boy oh boy, you'll teach *her* a lesson, teach *her* to say No to you! You feel inside your jacket, where your .38 is carefully tucked. Yeah, teach her a lesson for sure! And lo, a Sprint payphone! You dial the 1-800 number and ask for directions... give them her last known phone number... the seconds tick by, your head whirling with the things you're going to tell her and make her plead with you.... a second or two later, the operator comes back on the line. Go right at Harbor... left at Main... two blocks down to Third, second house on the left. Aha, there we go. Thank you, operator. A warm bulge rises in your pants as you contemplate your next move. Boy are you going to teach her a lesson! This special moment brought to you by Sprint TeleMap. ,

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