December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Any code for getting noise from PC & Mac sound card?
by baldwin 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I am looking for an example of software that extracts unpredictable bits from the sound cards of PCs and MACs. Has anyone written software like this? Can someone send me a URL to it? Thanks, --Bob Baldwin

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Re: True Names and Webs of Trust
by Rich Salz 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> This has relevance to the thread Michael Froomkin raised, as well. To wit, > none of the people I've met has been "certified." And yet it doesn't bother > me. Just because you haven't been able to easily do it yet, nor found it useful, is no reason not to let new technology provide this service to you. /r$

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Get your house in order or we bulldoze it
by Damaged Justice 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

[1]CNN logo [2][ISMAP]-[3]Navigation [4]Infoseek/Big Yellow [5]Pathfinder/Warner Bros Tech banner [6]IBM RS/6000 Technology. From Deep Blue. To Deep Space. rule Internet groups seek consensus on domain name flap July 29, 1997 Web posted at: 9:24 p.m. EDT (0124 GMT) WASHINGTON (Reuter) - A diverse array of Internet groups will meet Wednesday to try to hash out a consensus on the contentious issue of expanding Internet addresses. The online community has largely avoided government regulation on issues like privacy and indecency by forging broad agreements relying on private-sector solutions. But a red-hot feud has broken out over the seemingly mundane question of how best to expand the number of network addresses, like "cnn.com" or "whitehouse.gov," that direct e-mail, Web surfing and all other Internet activity. The mess is already drawing substantial attention from the government. The Clinton administration has formed an inter-agency task force to examine the address issue, and in June the Commerce Department asked for suggestions on how the system could be fixed. Earlier this month, the Justice Department confirmed it was conducting an antitrust probe into address registrations. The Commerce Department's comment period ends next month, so with further government involvement imminent, several Internet groups outside of the dispute arranged two days of meetings this week at a Washington hotel to bring together the warring factions. "If we can lower some of the divisiveness and get people talking in a constructive way, we'll feel we've accomplished something," said Harris Miller, president of the Information technology Association of America, which is co-sponsoring the meeting. "We hope at the end of the conference that there is a constructive dialogue under way," Miller said, noting that his group has no official position on the Internet address question. Currently, all Internet addresses end with two or three letter designation known as a "top-level domain." Although each country has its own top-level domain, many addresses are registered in a handful of generic domains including ".com" for commercial sites, ".edu" for schools and ".org" for non-profit groups. Network Solutions Inc. of Herndon, Virginia, has an exclusive contract from the National Science Foundation to register addresses in the most popular generic top-level domains. But the agreement expires in March 1998, and the science agency has said the contract will not be renewed. Available addresses in the popular domains are shrinking fast, leading to bidding wars over desirable names and, in some cases, lawsuits by trademark holders claiming infringement. Network Solutions has also been criticized for charging $100 for a two-year registration, and a recent computer error by the firm scrambled the 'Net for hours and highlighted the vulnerability of the current system. In February, a group of traditional Internet standards-setting bodies agreed on a plan to add seven new top-level domains and add up to 28 competing registries. The plan gained the support of some major players, including MCI Communications Corp, but failed to garner the backing of online services such as America Online Inc. The plan is still expected to form the basis of an eventual compromise, but Network Solutions has its own plan, as does a group of small Internet Service providers known as the Enhanced Domain Name Service. Copyright 1997 [7]Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. References 1. http://cnn.com/index.html 2. http://cnn.com/MAPS/9707/navs/basic.map 3. LYNXIMGMAP:http://cnn.com/TECH/9707/29/internet.addresses.reut/index.html#m… 4. http://cnn.com/MAPS/9704/explore.map 5. http://cnn.com/MAPS/9704/spotlight.map 6. http://www-cgi.cnn.com/cgi-bin/redir?SpaceID=61&AdID=1974&URL=http://www.rs… 7. http://cnn.com/interactive_legal.html#Reuters

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Returned mail: unknown mailer error 126
by Mail Delivery Subsystem 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

The original message was received at Tue, 22 Aug 1995 12:45:26 -0400 from localhost [127.0.0.1] ----- The following addresses had delivery problems ----- "|/home/gheap/\+\ \+\ \# -vo /home/gheap/.elm/gheapfilter.log" (unrecoverable error) (expanded from: gheap) ----- Transcript of session follows ----- sh: /home/gheap/+: No such file or directory 554 "|/home/gheap/\+\ \+\ \# -vo /home/gheap/.elm/gheapfilter.log"... unknown mailer error 126 ----- Original message follows ----- To: cypherpunks(a)toad.com From: cypherpunks(a)toad.com Date: Tue, 22 Aug 1995 12:45:26 -0400 blah

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Rep. White introduces Internet Protection Act
by Declan McCullagh 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I admit I'm jaded after spending too much time -- which in my case, is about three years -- in Washington. I've seen too much special interest lobbying, too many soft money favors, and (of course) a veritable slew of unconstitutional legislation. But sometimes a bill comes along that warms my heart. It happened today, when Rep. Rick White (R-Wash) introduced the Internet Protection Act to block the FCC from regulating the Net. (Though I recall it's been watered-down from the one he tried to pass last year: http://www.hotwired.com/netizen/96/40/index1a.html ) Joining White in introducing the bill was the chair of the House Telecom Subcommittee, Billy Tauzin (R-LA). It stresses that industry, not government, should grow the Net. Besides barring the FCC from regulating Internet providers, the bill also amends the Telecommunications Act to let the agency back away from offline regulation if a comparable service exists online. This is important. After all, the FCC's charter gives it jurisdiction over all electronic communications -- though the commission has opted not to exercise its authority in cyberspace. A 1980 FCC directive dubbed "Computer II" said the commission would regulate only "basic" telephone services, not providers of "enhanced services." That marked a reprieve for the Net, for the "enhanced service provider" category includes everything from voice mail service to alarm monitoring firms to Internet providers. (That's why we don't pay per-minute charges to log on today, much to the chagrin of Bell Atlantic's lobbyists -- who tried in 1983 and 1996 to pass such a rule and met with a crushing defeat each time.) Still, White's bill is crucial since future commissioners may not display this laudable regulatory forbearance. Bob Corn-Revere, former FCC chief counsel, echoes this in his recent book called "Rationales & Rationalizations." He says: "The culture of regulation already is marshaling its forces for a multi-faceted assault on Internet freedom." After all, key legislators like Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich) and Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass) have opposed legislation that would exempt the Net from FCC content regulation. Markey has said the Net should be regulated the same way as other media, and Dingell wants to protect the FCC's ability to "apply local [cable television] franchising requirements to the Internet." Let's not even talk about what the religious right would like to do... "Regardless of ideological differences between liberals and conservatives, however, there really is only one wish -- to control the medium," Corn-Revere concludes. And he's right. -Declan An excerpt from the Internet Protection Act: "LIMITATIONS ON COMMISSION AUTHORITY -- Except as expressly provided in this section, noting in this Act shall be construed to grant authority to the Commission with respect to -- (A) the rates, charges, practices, classifications, facilities, or services for or in connection with the provision of Internet information services to customers; (B) technical specifications or standards for the provision of Internet information services; or (C) any other regulation of the provision of Internet information services" ------------------------- Declan McCullagh Time Inc. The Netly News Network Washington Correspondent http://netlynews.com/

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Re: e$: The Book-Entry/Certificate Distinction
by tcmay＠got.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 4:01 PM 8/22/95, Robert Hettinga wrote: >Obviously, we aren't talking about the end of bookeeping as we know it >(BAWKI? ;-), but it does mean that days of book-entry as a means of social >control are numbered. A good essay. Too long for me to quote and discuss, though. I worry about our--or at least my, speaking for myself--terminology. Consider these variations on the same theme: cash <--> immediate clearing <--> tokens <--> certificates vs. checks <--> delayed clearing <--> account-based systems (I'm using "<-->" as my own symbol to mean "related to.") Chaum has been harping on this exact distinction in public talks. I at first thought he was beating a dead horse, but I now see that most people just don't get it. (I don't mean people on our list, I mean journalists and writers about "digital money.") Marvin Minsky once said the history of AI is the history of grad students and researchers giving new names to old ideas. (Ironically, Minsky did this in spades when he took the ideas of "object-oriented programming" and invented the term "frame-based systems" to cover the same ground!) One hope I have for the "class library" approach, whether implemented in C++, Java, Smalltalk, etc., is that these terms and concepts will be reified in code, with browsable definitions and examples. The "financial instruments" people have been working on this "ontology of money" for a long time. I have long been surprised that the crypto and financial communities have little overlap. No, I don't mean you folks are not bridging both worlds. And I don't mean the banking and finance industry is not working on incorporating more crypto. I mean that the "Crypto" conferences have very little stuff being published on finance and money, save for the Chaum stuff. The interesting stuff for me lies in the intersection of: Crypto + Game Theory + Economics --Tim May ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay(a)got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Higher Power: 2^756839 | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders are just speed bumps on the information superhighway."

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Re: True Names and Webs of Trust
by tcmay＠got.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 4:38 PM 8/22/95, Rich Salz wrote: >> This has relevance to the thread Michael Froomkin raised, as well. To wit, >> none of the people I've met has been "certified." And yet it doesn't bother >> me. > >Just because you haven't been able to easily do it yet, nor found it useful, >is no reason not to let new technology provide this service to you. I wasn't saying I wouldn't let new technology provide this service for me. I was just saying that lack of it has not been a problem, so far. In very few of my dealings, even in the economic world, have I needed to have any kind of certification. (Buying a new house recently is where I needed certification of inspectors, escrow agents, title companies, etc.) --Tim May ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay(a)got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Higher Power: 2^756839 | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders are just speed bumps on the information superhighway."

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Re: Yet another self-labeling system
by Kurt Starsinic 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I'm in favor of a ratings system; not one which indicates for whom a given page is suitable, but rather one which identifies the subject matter. The Dewey Decimal System is a primitive example of such a system. It seems to me that, if the USG is in the business of encouraging or endorsing morally normative ratings systems (which, of course, they've done for years), they're discouraging free discourse regarding child-rearing. It's important that parents can protect their children from content which _they_ believe to be inappropriate, but providing boilerplate (such as "adult"/"non-adult") turns parents into sheeple. I could write a book, but I think I've made my point. Peace, *---- Kurt Starsinic (kstar(a)isinet.com) ------ Senior Programmer/Analyst ---* | Institute for Scientific Information (215) 386-0100 x1108 | | "It seems every politician in the country wants to enact a minute for | | school prayer these days. I'd be happy if somebody could just | | legislate a minute of science in school." -- Dennis Miller | *------------------------ http://www.isinet.com ------------------------*

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Re: Partial Key Escrow
by liberty＠gate.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- - -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Lyle Seaman <lws+(a)transarc.com> wrote: <snip> >The domestic TLA can't afford to embark on massive, wholesale fixing >expeditions this way, even _with_ the escrowed part. The point is to >fix the unescrowed part at such a size that they can afford to crack a >limited number of keys in a reasonable interval. Say, at a cost of >about $10000 / key. That's peanuts for an OKBomb or WTC bomb case, >but it gets to be expensive (hard to hide the expense) if you're >fishing for dirt on members of the opposition party,... The problem for THIS member of an opposition party is that the percentage of the U.S. budget comprising "Black" (secret, "off the books" usually mil./intelligence) programs grows yearly, like inflation. At the same time, the speed of chips increases like the national debt and their cost goes down steadily, (see Robert Hettinga's post titled, "e$: The Book-Entry/Certificate Distinction" describing Moore's law). These trends, (IMO) bode ill for my long-term personal (and political!) privacy, unless the freedom of those of you able to "write code"(tm) implement- ing my privacy is unfettered. Anything that reacts as slowly to the marketplace as the government does will constantly be play- ing catch-up. Others may disagree, depending on your individual level of trust in the present government. <snip> ... On a different, and sad, note...Phil Zimmermann's mom recently passed away. I encourage all of you to make a donation in her name to his legal defense fund, and (if religious) to include her in your prayers. Peace. JMR - -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 Comment: Freedom isn't Freeh iQCVAwUBMDofYm1lp8bpvW01AQEoPQP+JiQHUke0Q/nDdXgt9NIMPbePp5T8dqyn YL5TdWchPCqZ+aaBfbO20/dLADz/C8L7zq88bLLsUaVWr8tArlZPh2keQvOVUWvd PD+/Ky4HsRn7BJaBuc5187gvAtqyvWGAHpYJQ/QilC7cUqDmbCiuBHCD2rsSyj1E XX2Cl1tBnd8= =L5O9 - -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- Regards, Jim Ray "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structures of reality. It is enough if one merely tries to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity." -- Albert Einstein - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PGP key Fingerprint 51 5D A2 C3 92 2C 56 BE 53 2D 9C A1 B3 50 C9 C8 Key id. # E9BD6D35 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Support the Phil Zimmermann (Author of PGP) Legal Defense Fund! email: zldf(a)clark.net or visit http://www.netresponse.com/zldf ________________________________________________________________________ - --- [This message has been signed by an auto-signing service. A valid signature means only that it has been received at the address corresponding to the signature and forwarded.] -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 Comment: Gratis auto-signing service iQBFAwUBMDof2SoZzwIn1bdtAQGacwGAmM50nkIDJvU6i8PApdwtZ5oG1vIN7Nv0 zLZloPP4+6FR3R9vkYun5Ptq7yEARTqU =UuAX -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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C$ prize for bruting Hal's next challenge?
by aba＠dcs.exeter.ac.uk 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

It has been suggested to me that we might like to add a fun incentive to the bruting of Hal's 2nd SSL challenge as posted to cypherpunks on Aug 19th. To this end we need some c$ for the pot! I'll be collecting donations for the pot and vouch that every c$ cent handed over will be handed to the person who hits the key. The only reciever of the jackpot for hitting the key, will be encouraged to cash it in on the ecm mailing list / ecash market WWW ecm(a)ai.mit.edu, http://www.c2.org/~mark/ecash/ecash.html so that currency is not taken out of circulation, and to help boost the flow of c$ for the ecash market, as there appears to be a shortage of e$ sellers. For info on joining in the lottery for a chance to win your c$ back and then some, or just to win other peoples c$, take a look at: http://www.brute.cl.cam.ac.uk/brute/ The challenge has not started yet, that will probably not be for a day or two yet, so you've got time to get the software, check that it works etc. Then stand by... for "the ready, steady, go!". The reason for the start line affair is that for demonstrational reasons this attempt is designed to show how quickly a Netscape SSL session can be cracked. There is a WWW interface to getting key space for those behind firewalls or without direct IP. I hereby donate c$ 50 to the pot, mail me your c$. (It won't be a good idea if you post your c$ to the lists, as the first person to cash it gets it, you need to do it in private email, PGP it even). To generate your payment either save it to a file, or email directly to me via the digicash client, click on the icon which looks like a note (is that what it's supposed to be? the one next to the bank symbol), then choose to send via file / email toggle make payment, enter the amount (leave the shop account ID blank, give a payment description if you like). Adam [btw is there still something wrong with toad.com? traffic seems exceptionally light...]

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