December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Inside Currents Vol.1,No.5
by ariel＠compcurr.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

******************************************************* Inside Currents Vol 1, No. 5 August 13, 1996 Inside Currents Newsletter An electronic update from Computer Currents Interactive http://www.currents.net ******************************************************* CONTENTS: 1. Tech Support, on and off line: This week's cover story in Computer Currents Magazine http://www.currents.net/covr 2. Gigglebytes turns 10! http://www.currents.net/gigg 3. Check out our online Shopping Mall http://www.currents.net/mall 4. Computer Catalogs Online http://www.currents.net/catalogs 5. Coming soon, from Computer Currents Interactive 6. Computer Currents Interactive membership information http://www.currents.net/members ***************************************************** 1. Tech Support, on and off line: Do you need help navigating the sea of available tech support resources? Read our exclusive Computer Currents cover story for information about third party software and hardware support companies who sell phone support, plus fee and free online help you can find on the internet. Also, new in our Columns section: "Corporate PC" looks at Post-It Software Notes; "Gizmos" explores the chaotic world of videoconferencing; Net Surfer tries Offline Web Browsing. http://www.currents.net/covr 2. Gigglebytes turns 10! This month Computer Currents magazine celebrates the 10th anniversary of Gigglebytes. Join author Lincoln Spector as he revisits his favorite articles over the past decade. Gigglebytes gives readers a humorous view on computer industry events, trends and people. http://www.currents.net/gigg 3. Check out our online Shopping Mall Our new shopping mall area is still under construction, but we're already bringing together an exciting range of regionally based goods and services. Of special note: Our Net Quote service allows you to solicit price bids on computer equipment--you can let the stores come to you. http://www.currents.net/mall 4. Computer Catalogs Online If you're thinking of buying a new computer, check out the new section we've got up and running! Now our users can research computer stores in their area (or mail order), and browse available hardware listings. You can find local contact numbers with just the click of a mouse! http://www.currents.net/catalogs 5. Coming soon, from Computer Currents Interactive Discount coupons you can print out and use with local retailers; more ways to order online through CCI; our enhanced "Computer Advisor" section; stimulating chat rooms and forums; contests and surveys; more FREE stuff. 6. Computer Currents Interactive membership CCI Membership is FREE and benefits abound! Create and edit your own Gallery page, post your resume in our Talent Bank, receive special product discounts from CCI vendors, participate in contests and surveys, and much more! If you're not already a member, join CCI today. http://www.currents.net/members ***************************************************** How to subscribe to Inside Currents: To Subscribe: 1. Join CCI at https://www.currents.net/members 2. Check yes to "subscribe to Inside Currents" box. To Unsubscribe: 1. If you are NOT interested in receiving Inside Currents, cut and paste this sentence and e-mail us at caliban(a)compcurr.com. We'll remove your address from our list. Please be sure to include your user name. 2. If you need further assistance, please send e-mail to ariel(a)compcurr.com ******************************************************* Computer Currents Interactive http://www.currents.net The full-service online resource for computer users! *******************************************************

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HRW letter to Singapore government; German telecom URL
by declan＠well.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Attached is the letter Human Rights Watch/Asia sent to Singapore yesterday. Kudos to HRW for taking the lead in calling attention to the actions of the censorhappy Singaporeans. More background is at: http://www.eff.org/~declan/global/ Also, you can find an English version of the German telecommunications act at: http://www.government.de/inland/ministerien/post/tkge00.html -Declan --- August 13, 1996 BY FAX: +65-375-7765 Mr. George Yeo Minister for Information and the Arts 460 Alexandra Road, 37th Story PSA Building Singapore 119963 Dear Mr. Yeo, I am writing on behalf of Human Rights Watch/Asia to protest the recent decision by the Singapore government to establish strict controls on Internet use. The implementation of the Class License Scheme, which, according to a July 11 government news release, "will focus on content which may undermine public morals, political stability and religious harmony,"ensures a leading role for Singapore among international promoters of online censorship. This is a particularly unfortunate role for Singapore, which has been a leader in the development and promotion of Internet use in Asia. It places Singapore in the same category as countries like China, where Internet users must endure onerous restrictions. One of the most unique and valuable characteristics of the Internet is its ability to establish easy, inexpensive and practically instantaneous communication between the farthest points of the earth. By prohibiting connections between its citizens and various Web sites outside its borders, Singapore is in essence removing itself from the global Internet. If, as will surely happen, its example is followed in other countries, the Internet, which held such promise as the world's first truly global medium, will be nothing more than a set of country-specific networks where local prejudices and fears are reinforced by technology. Our specific objections concern Singapore's decision to regulate the Internet as if it were a broadcast medium. Unlike broadcast media, the Internet is the first truly mass medium. Through e-mail, it allows individuals with nothing more than a computer and a modem to express their views to an international audience. Even the World Wide Web differs significantly from a broadcast medium in that individuals are not confronted with a particular site upon connecting to the Web--they may choose whichever sites they choose to visit. As with other forms of Internet communication, anyone may put up his or her own site on the Web. The Singapore government's own use of Web pages demonstrates how the Internet can be used to propound a particular point of view. Its citizens, so long as they are not using their site to incite to violence, should have the same opportunity to express views as their government. As stated in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression: this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. We are particularly concerned that restrictions have been placed on Singaporeans who wish to discuss religious and political ideas online. It is only through unrestricted discussions of such serious topics by all members of society, no matter how unpopular their views, that these subjects become less explosive. Forbidding discussion--in effect, treating its citizens like children--will, on the other hand, ensure that dangerous topics remain just that. We are also concerned that the extraordinarily broad categories of forbidden content, as outlined by the SBA, will encourage arbitrary restrictions on communication. According to the Internet Content Guidelines, the following topics are banned. Public Security and National Defense a. Contents which jeopardize public security or national defense. b. Contents which undermine the public confidence in the administration of justice. c. Contents which present information or events in such a way that alarms or misleads all or any of the public. d. Contents which tend to bring the Government into hatred or contempt, or which excite disaffection against the Government. Racial and Religious Harmony a. Contents which denigrate or satirize any racial or religious group. b. Contents which bring any race or religion into hatred or resentment. c. Contents which promote religious deviations or occult practices such as Satanism. Public Morals a. Contents which are pornographic or otherwise obscene. b. Contents which propagate permissiveness or promiscuity. c. Contents which depict or propagate gross exploitation of violence, nudity, sex or horror. d. Contents which depict or propagate sexual perversions such as homosexuality, lesbianism, and pedophilia. By banning such subjects a chill will be sent through the online community in Singapore, and will render the Internet essentially useless in allowing any kind of serious discussion. In addition to forbidding particular content, the government has also announced that some sites will be banned. Internet service providers were given the deadline of September 14, 1996, to begin using proxy servers--devices that can prohibit connections to specified sites--to connect all their subscribers. Although the government has promised to use a light hand in regulating the Internet, its activities even at this early stage indicate otherwise. A July 12 posting in the Usenet newsgroup "soc.culture.singapore" was reportedly removed at the request of the SBA, who asked local Internet service providers for its removal because it alleged that lawyers at a local law firm were incompetent. The request came, according to the Straits Times, after the law firm complained to the government. Despite the removal from the newsgroup, the message is still widely available to Singaporeans through other Internet sources, indicating that content control will be difficult unless Internet access is restricted even further. We hope that the Singapore government will retract these repressive new regulations, and support the development of an unfettered Internet. Instead of using its power to restrict Internet use, the government could play a truly useful role by devising ways to expand its use to even the most disaffected members of its population. Sincerely, Sidney Jones Executive Director cc: Mr. Goh Liang Kwang, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Broadcasting Authority Ambassador Bilahari Kausikan, Permanent Mission of Singapore to the United Nations

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Re: Crypto Policy Variant
by Frank Stuart 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

[...] >Here is Staelin's idea: >(1) You can use any crypto you want, but you must keep a record >of the crypto keys you used. >(2) The government can ask for the crypto keys later, if they have >a court order, just as they can ask for any of your other papers >or documents. You must give the key(s) to them, just as you >must turn over your private papers in such a situation. >(There would have to be an appropriate penalty for losing the >key...) [...] >Is this workable?? [...] Here's my key, your honor. I used a one-time pad to do the encryption. As you can plainly see, the encrypted file that the prosecution made such a big deal about contains nothing but some of my favorite verses from the King James Bible. You shouldn't infer anything from the fact that another key would make the file contain the evil stuff that was alleged (even though it is a bit strange that the last verse ends in the middle of a word). | (Douglas) Hofstadter's Law: | It always takes longer than you expect, even Frank Stuart | when you take into account Hofstadter's Law.

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Re: Capital and Taxes
by Llywarch Hen 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Quotes taken from recent Tim May posts here. First we'll assume that economic benefits result in social benefits, otherwise what's the point?: >And the cloud of ideas connected with somehow forcing capital investment to >remain in the U.S....well, the best way to do this is to alter the tax laws >so that America (for example) becomes a magnet for investment. (If one is >looking to help America, that is.) Now the example of how capital gains taxes hinder investment. First we'll portray an income tax as a property tax: >something else that's terribly important: taxes must be paid on other >assets sold to raise the $100K. For example, if I own shares in Intel, >bought many years ago, I have to sell $160,000 worth of Intel stock, send a >$60,000 check to Uncle Sam and Uncle Pete . . . But this was an income tax. The capital gains are taxed at a rate less than earned wages and are free of the regressive social security and FICA taxes. Tim really doesn't want to pay his fair share, and here's the reason: >. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and then send the remaining >$100,000 to my friends. If the new investment *doubles*, my $100,000 gain >is taxed at 38% and I'm left with a gain of about $62,000. >It doesn't take a number theorist to see that I may as well have not even >bothered. So long as I just sit on the Intel stock, no taxes are owed. >Sounds like a no brainer to me. Yep, we've adopted the fuzziest-headed of liberal ideas in promoting government as an agent of change to improve things for Tim and his pals by asking wage earners to subsidize his economic activities by distributing the costs to the public so he can enjoy the profits. But this is just the result of the massive jobs program whose beneficiaries prefer to call the Cold War, MAD, and so on. The most Keynesian solution of the century combined with a not so subtle transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich and renamed 'supply-side' so its clients don't have to admit they have been on welfare for the last twelve or fifteen years. Combined with a massive twelve-year capital bull market in which it would have been difficult to lose money, we have a class of people who have confused personal wealth with personal merit and the notion that they did it on their own. Is this simple dishonesty masquerading as intellectual dishonesty or just standard innocent and dim-witted Republican-Libertarian opportunism buttressed by quotations from free-market theologians? >. . . >huge "backlog" of unrealized capital gains (aka gains on paper, but not yet >taxable) is what is being spoken of when people like Jack Kemp and Steve >Forbes speak of "unleashing" the capital gains now tied up due to the high >tax rates. >Personally, I favor open borders--but no public schooling, no tax-funded >handouts, no welfare, no child support, no public hospitals, etc. This supposes that Tim paid the workers hired to clear brush from his land enough so that they could afford private schooling and excellent health care. Two more quotes and from different sources. The aristocratic complaint is quoted in Amabel William-Ellis and F.J. Fisher, M.A., _The Story of English Life_: "The world goeth from bad to worse when shepherd and cowherd demand more for their labor than the master-bailiff was wont to take in days gone by. Laborers of old were not wont to eat of wheaten bread; their meat was of beans and coarser corn, and their drink of water alone. Cheese and milk were a feast to them; their dress was of hodden grey; then was the world ordered aright for folk of this sort. Ha! age of ours, whither turnest thou? For the poor and small folk, who should cleave to their labor, demand to be better fed than their masters." A widely published remark made by Mr. George Soros: "Economic history is a never-ending series of episodes based on falsehoods and lies, not truths. It represents the path to big money. The object is to recognize that trend whose premise is false, ride that trend, and step off before it is discredited." -- Llywarch Hen

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Re: Schlafly on crypto
by Alan Olsen 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 09:41 AM 8/14/96 -0700, Sandy Sandfort wrote: >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > SANDY SANDFORT > . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . > >C'punks, > >On Wed, 14 Aug 1996, Jim Legg wrote: > >> Beware when politicos speak! > >Good advice, but... > >> Phyllis Schlafly would think nothing of trying to ban speech on >> the internet when it is something that she doesn't agree with. > >An interesting allegation. I wonder if it is merely rhetoric or >if Jim has any evidence to backup this statement? Well, I can think of a few reasons to come to that conclusion. - Schlafly is the head of one of the more right-wing organizations in the country. - She is very closly associated with the Buchanon campaign and the Christian coalition. - Her organization, the Eagle Forum, distributes a couple of anti-porn rant tracts (http://www.eagleforum.org/users/eagle/public_html/misc/order.html) called _Pornography's Victims $4.95 (paperback) by Schlafly, ed._ and _Pornography Addict (Bundy Interview)_. (Quoting Bundy is interesting in this context, because he never collected porn, he collected cheerleading magazines. His "death bed confession" was a ploy to gain publicity and sympathy out of a gulible ant-porn zealot.) >Does Jim know who Phyllis' son is? I know that he is gay. His mother seems to have had some problems coming to terms with the implications of alot of her rhetoric involving such things... (She seems to confuse her religion with reality on this point.) I would say there are alot of reasons to assume that Schlafly would try and impose her morality on the rest of the country if given half the chance. Look at the people she chooses to associate with. --- Alan Olsen -- alano(a)teleport.com -- Contract Web Design & Instruction `finger -l alano(a)teleport.com` for PGP 2.6.2 key http://www.teleport.com/~alano/ "We had to destroy the Internet in order to save it." - Sen. Exon "Microsoft -- Nothing but NT promises."

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Re: Capital and Taxes
by tcmay＠got.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 8:27 PM 8/14/96, Greg Hopper wrote: >When you consider that capital gains tax rate schedules are not indexed for >inflation, the situation's even worse than Tim's analysis implies. Since >you pay tax on the nominal rather than the real capital gain, the effective >capital gains tax rate is really higher than the quoted rate. >---------------------------------------------------------------------- >Greg Hopper |Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are > >Research Department |my own and not necessarily those of >Federal Reserve Bank |the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia >of Philadelphia |or the Federal Reserve System. I certainly agree with Greg here, and find it too bad that his views do not actually express the views of the Federal Reserve. (Actually, they may, as I remember reading Alan Greenspan's stuff in Rand's books in the late 60s, e.g., "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal.") Not only is there inflation to consider, there is the double taxation I should've emphasized more than I did. Wages are typically corrected for inflation (for competitiveness reasons), but capital gains are not. That stock I bought for $20 in 1975 dollars and am now selling for $40 in 1996 dollars, and paying 40% in taxes on the "gain," is clearly not really a doubling. --Tim May Boycott "Big Brother Inside" software! We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, we know that that ain't allowed. ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay(a)got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Licensed Ontologist | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."

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Re: Stopped Clock. Was: Schlafly on Crypto
by jim bell 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 11:46 AM 8/14/96 -0400, Marc J. Wohler wrote: >At 07:59 AM 8/14/96 -0400, you wrote: >>Subject: Clinton Is Trying to be Big Brother -- Phyllis Schlafly Column 8/8/96 > >It makes me ill to agree with Schlafly on any issue, but 'Even a stopped >clock....... >Unrepentant Liberial It does seem really odd, doesn't it? But look at it this way: The only reason the knuckle-dragging conservatives are able to take the moral high-ground on this and other net-freedom issues is because the OTHER "unrependant liberals" have inexplicably abandoned the correct side of the argument. The fact that the conservatives are right may seem odd, but the behavior of the liberals is truly astonishing. Jim Bell jimbell(a)pacifier.com

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Re: photographed license plates
by tcmay＠got.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 7:30 PM 8/14/96, II I II I I I II I II II I I I I II I II wrote: >>I note those plastic cover for plates "to keep them clean" >>seem to be more & more popular. > >These are not allowed in California (although the chance of getting >popped must be quite slim, by the number you see). > >I remember seeing some water based spray paints in dun colors (such as >a nice mud tan) - Gee, officer, its just mud, <wipe>. If I lived closer to the nearest city I know of with "photo tickets," namely, Campbell, California (about 30 miles away, over the Hill into Silicon Valley). I would probably make sure my license plate had some real mud on it...just enough to link some letters or numbers together to make them unreadable with a low res. photo. Maybe we'll have barcoded license plates sooner than we think. Then all of those speed cameras can also track our movements. --I II II II I I II I II II I II II I I II I I I II II HOW TO MAKE A PIPE BOMB: "Buy a section of metal water pipe 1/2 by 6 inches long, threaded on both ends. Buy two metal caps to fit. These are standard items in hardware stores. Drill a 1/16th hole in the center of the pipe. This is easy with a good drill bit. Hanson is a good brand to use. Screw a metal cap tightly on one end. Fill the pipe to within 1/2 inch of the top with black powder. Do not pack the powder. Don't even tap the bottom of the pipe to make it settle. You want the powder loose. For maximum explosive effect, you need dry, fine powder sitting loose in a very rigid container." (more information at http://sdcc13.ucsd.edu/~m1lopez/pipe.html, or by using search engines)

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Re: National Socio-Economic Security Need for Encryption Technology
by Bart Croughs 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Sandy Sandfort wrote: >I've just had an insight with regard to Bart's ongoing capital debate. In response to Perry's "green pylon" post, Bart wrote: > I am saying that the fact that American workers are better paid > than workers in Third World countries, can be explained for a > large part by the fact that there is much more capital invested > in the US than in Third World countries. Bart's error lies in his confusion of the terms "captial" and "capital investment." While capital may be used to make capital investments, there are other things it can be spent for as well (wages, taxes, supplies, etc.). If Bart were to use the term "infrastructure" then it would be clear that the ebb and flow of mere capital would have relatively little to do with infrastructure influenced wages.< What does 'capital' mean? The MacMillan dictionary of modern economics (3d edition, p. 51) says: 1) A word used to refer to a factor of production produced by the economic system. Capital goods are produced goods which are used as factor INPUTS for further PRODUCTION. As such capital can be distinguished from LAND and LABOUR which are not conventionally thought of as being themselves produced by the economic system. As a consequence of its heterogenous nature, the measurement of capital has become the source of much controversy 2) The word is also used as a term for financial ASSETS. So, I fear that it's Sandy who is confused about the meaning of the word 'capital', not me. But even if it is me who is confused about the meaning of the word 'capital' (which isn't the case), this confusion wouldn't affect my argument at all. If American capital is invested in foreign countries instead of in the US, then the total amount of capital invested in the US will be lower than it would have been if the capital had been invested in the US. So the wages in the US would be lower than they would have been if the capital had been invested in the US. The argument is still the same, and my question is still not answered. Bart Croughs

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Re: Crypto Policy Variant
by tcmay＠got.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 11:17 PM 8/14/96, Frank Stuart wrote: >Here's my key, your honor. I used a one-time pad to do the encryption. As >you can plainly see, the encrypted file that the prosecution made such a big >deal about contains nothing but some of my favorite verses from the King James >Bible. You shouldn't infer anything from the fact that another key would >make the file contain the evil stuff that was alleged (even though it is a bit >strange that the last verse ends in the middle of a word). Frank presents a cogent example of how the Staelin plan is a nonstarter. That is, it's a nonstarter *if* we remove any formal evidence of which crypto method is attached to a program. Cycles are cheap (compared to prison terms or a bullet in the head). Therefore, it's cheaper to let folks either make their own guesses at the crypto involved, or try several, than it is to unambigiously narrow down the searches to one particular algorithm, which the State can then insist on a decryption key for. Let the Staelin Plan be warning for us to prepare for an era in which the particular crypto method should not be revealed. (Cryptographically, any of the various algorithms are "polynomially equivalent," but, practically, the "King James Defense" used by Frank, brilliantly, will probably work. It's hard to argue with Scripture.) --Tim May Boycott "Big Brother Inside" software! We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, we know that that ain't allowed. ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay(a)got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Licensed Ontologist | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."

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