December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

PGPShell Version 3.0
by James Still 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

-------------------------------------------------------------------- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -------------------------------------------------------------------- PGPSHELL VERSION 3.0 PROGRAM RELEASE PGPShell, a front-end DOS program for use with Philip Zimmermann's Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) public-key encryption software, has just been upgraded and released as version 3.0. PGPShell incorporates easy to use, mouse-driven menus and a unique Key Management Screen to easily display all public key ring information in a flash. PGP encryption will never be the same again! Breeze through PGP UserID's, KeyID's, Fingerprints, E-mail addresses, Signature's, Trust Parameter's, and PGP's Validity ratings all in one screen, at one place, and with a single mouse-click. PGPShell is archived as pgpshe30.zip at many Internet sites including garbo.uwasa.fi:/pc/crypt and oak.oakland.edu:/pub/msdos/security and has been posted to the FidoNet Software Distribution Network (SDN) and should be on all nodes carrying SDN in a week or so. To immediately acquire version 3.0 by modem you can call the Hieroglyphic Voodoo Machine BBS at +1 303 443 2457 or the GrapeVine BBS at +1 501 791 0124. Questions or comments? Ping me at --> still(a)kailua.colorado.edu

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No Subject
by Mark Brand 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

subscribe brandm(a)acfcluster.nyu.edu

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Skepticism on the Detweiler Conspiracy Claims
by remail＠tamsun.tamu.edu 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Detweiler says we don't understand that `all that is required for the spread of evil is for good people to do nothing' Understand it? Yes. Believe it completely, or even believe that it applies here? No. May's beliefs that pseudo-spoofing can lead to monetary and governmental anarchy have little connection in reality, despite the writings of Bruce Sterling and Vernor Vinge. In that context, May's pseudo-spoofing is little more than childish play-acting. In any event, we need far more evidence to come to light before Occam's razor can even be applied. ``in other words, `entertain me some more, detweiler. I don't believe you yet, but maybe, just maybe, you will find something that convinces me. for now, I simply don't give a damn either way, and most of all I am not going to post, even though there are some things I would like to post on, because I am a sheep like the rest of humanity, and while these people could be dangerous lunatics out for revenge on anyone who posts, how could these highly respectable people be behind a conspiracy?'' Take out everything above before "I don't..." and after "...not going to post", and you're close. You're right, they could be dangerous lunatics out for revenge on anyone who posts. So could you. Are they respectable? Who knows? Who cares, given that their sphere of influence is so incredibly small? Convince me. I'm a fairly hard-core skeptic -- I don't believe *anything* until I can weigh the facts on both sides. You've told me that Geoff Dale sent you mail implying that Nick Szabo was *not* his roommate, but something tells me that you believed Szabo wasn't real long before that. Why? What led you to that conclusion. Posting the evidence would help convince other skeptics, especially if it's concrete enough. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ``Death is the ultimate form of censorship.'' (author unknown) Jim Riverman Software Engineer jr(a)netcom.com (415) 941-4782 [work] ------------------------------------------------------------------------- To find out more about this anonymous remail service, send mail to remail(a)tamsun.tamu.edu with the word "remail help" as the only words in the subject field.

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No Subject
by Ryan Snyder-Consultant 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

subscribe cypherpunks

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No Subject
by Ryan Snyder-Consultant 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

subscribe cs000rrs(a)selway.umt.edu

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Fascinated and wanting more...
by Hasan Bramwell 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Uhhh? Hello in there...? Are you a person or some persons? :> I'm trying to get my hands on some encryption algorithms, and understand that this is the place to visit. Can you (or one of you) advise me? I would very much appreciate it. TIA Hasan ~~~~~~~ Hasan Bramwell Casilla 17-17-1004 Freehand Quito, Ecuador Internet: Ecuanet hasan(a)pi.pro.ec Compuserve: 70322,2617

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Apology to Perry
by Hal 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> I think you are > wrong in thinking that tax evasion is as little practiced and as > little desired as you apparently do. > > Perry I realize upon re-reading this comment that Perry was not suggesting that I did not desire tax evasion, but rather that I did not think tax evasion was widely desired, which is entirely different. I apologize to Perry for accusing him of impugning my motives and I will try to read more carefully next time. Hal

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Crypto and Taxes
by Hal 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I appreciate the thoughtful responses in this thread. Let me just make one point now, saving a more detailed response for this evening. Perry implied that I do not wish to see people avoid taxes, and that was why I was arguing that cryptography would not make this as easy as some had suggested. That is not a reasonable inference from my posts, and I am surprised Perry would suggest it given our two years of discussions on the extropians list. My primary motivation is of course simply to test what I see as a discrepency between the world I live and work in and that proposed in the crypto-anarchy model. I also want to question speculations that I see playing into the hands of law enforcement interests by making cryptography look more threatening than it is. Another reason is to discourage complacency that cryptography will solve our political problems by automatically ushering in a libertarian/anarchist utopia. This is a follow-on to the posts I made last week on this topic. Today, Sandy still says "We've won". >From my perspective, this declaration of victory is highly premature! The postings about life in Italy did provide an interesting portrait of a society of tax evaders, but at the same time the government response was chilling. The U.S. is not Italy, and I suspect that neither the widespread tax avoidance nor the draconian government measures could happen here. But it should give pause to those who suggest that our political battles are won. Hal

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Crypto & Taxes
by Mike Ingle 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

ssandfort(a)attmail.com wrote: >Government tax policies are extremely susceptible to the "tipping >factor." Initially, non-compliance is addressed by simply hiking >up collections across the boards. When non-compliance reaches >some critical factor, however, such techniques become counter- >productive. Previously compliant taxpayers begin to chaff at >higher taxes and more aggressive collection. More and more >become non-compliant as taxes go higher and higher. Eventually, >the runaway chain reaction either causes the government to cut >back or the system undergoes a core melt-down. Non-crypto >versions of this scenario have occurred repeatedly in countries >around the world. This is true of government in general. As it gets bigger, government becomes more oppressive and hostile to the people. It also becomes more hypocritical, ignoring its own laws and violating its own ideals. The people then become less obedient, as they realize that the government is taking advantage of them, and does not care about their interests. The government becomes more and more oppressive in an effort to force the people to obey. It soon turns into a police state, and if the people can become organized enough, they will all refuse to obey, and there will be a revolution. Communism is the best example. Most people in those countries did not pick up guns and fight. They just stopped obeying the government. Computers, networks, and encryption are powerful organizing tools. The Chinese have been known to put guards in front of fax machines in government offices, because dissidents outside the country fax in political information and news. --- Mike

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Fascinated and deluged!!!
by Hasan Bramwell 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Many thanks to, Nick Szabo, Bill Stewart, Eric Hughes, &, Matthew Ghio, for detailed assistance. This stuff has really captured my imagination. I'll do the right thing and evesdrop for a while, but you seem like mighty friendly folk and I look forward to a chat. Hasan ~~~~~~~ Hasan Bramwell Casilla 17-17-1004 Freehand Quito, Ecuador Internet: Ecuanet hasan(a)pi.pro.ec Compuserve: 70322,2617

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