December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Sound card as a random number source ??
by Pavel Korensky 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Hello, when I read about hardware random number generators in this mailing list, I got one idea. Maybe it sounds crazy, but is it possible to use soundcard (SoundBlaster for example) as a source for really random numbers ? What if I connect the input line of the soundcard with some external source of noise, like FM receiver or Dolby Surround decoder (with built-in white noise generator) or tape recorder with blank (erased) tape. It is possible to sample the sound (noise) and use the sampled values as a random numbers ? And how much random is this source ? I tried to find some mentions about this method with altavista, but I didn't found anything. Bye PavelK -- **************************************************************************** * Pavel Korensky (pavelk(a)dator3.anet.cz) * * DATOR3 Ltd., Modranska 1895/17, 143 00 Prague 4, Czech Republic * * PGP key fingerprint: 00 65 5A B3 70 20 F1 54 D3 B3 E4 3E F8 A3 5E 7C * ****************************************************************************

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IQ and age
by Phillip M. Hallam-Baker 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>Contrary to popular armchair psychology, there is no significant evidence >that IQ and age are inversely related. In general, however, the older we >get, the less we use our brain, and it becomes like a muscle that we no >longer use. Contrary to popular belief there is no sound evidence for believing many of the claims made for IQ tests. IQ measures ones ability to do IQ tests and little else. They were originally invented as a means of measuring the response of mentally defective patients so that their progress under different treatment regimes could be compared. There is no evidence to support the many claims made that IQ measures "innate" intelligence. If you practice IQ tests your score will increase. When I was 10 I used to spend each Friday afternoon practicing IQ tests for the entry examination to the upper school. My "IQ" increased by 30 points over that time, an most of the people in the class managed to improve their score by at least 10. >The point: Yes, you can improve your brain, and you can take proactive >steps to increase your IQ. Absolutely, it may not be the best idea if you want to be able to fit in socially however. You will then have to leave in a world where everyone you meet has a lower IQ. Phill

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re:PGP263UI
by Steve Crompton 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Adam Back posted re PGP 2.63ui >I was under the impression that with the Legal_Kludge option for >pgp263i, that it already was compatible with old versions of pgp using >the version byte of 2. We kept the control structure of the original ui version by "Matthew". But the compatibility of 2.63ui has been expanded to allow it to Export public keys generated with Version=3 (Legal_Kludge=on) to old versions (2.3a) of PGP. >What else does pgp263ui offer? The GNU license? What about pgp3? >Some people aren't going to be very happy if you do a GNU version of >that, as GNU doesn't preclude selling commercially provided that >source is provided. See the original announcement for the numerous fixes & enhancements not currently available in 2.6.2 or 2.6.3ia including Added CONFIG.TXT parameters/functions LabelEncrypt and PrePendSigV Expanded disk write error checking Ability to edit other people's keys's UserID's. We have no current plans re PGP 3.0. Probably a GNU version of it is not legally possible. But if source is released independent enhancements would be, depending on the license. It also remains to be seen if or how fast PGP 3.0, if it ever comes, will supplant previous versions of PGP in public acceptance. >PS Steve and friends: I've got some stealth code close to usable in >the form of a patch to pgp263 if you want it :-) Yes. Please send me a copy and we'll take a look at it. But the external stealth utility currently available is quite adequate in my view. Steve Crompton <sunray(a)globalnet.co.uk> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2i Comment: Requires PGP version 2.6 or later. iQEVAwUBMp11UxRHWQsRmI2RAQE/EggAwtnT312Wmi7dWn4sYK/GxVJDqbKpuGuh yVekVPRsrBRQlhcQqm1ICzucGMOd+uDNTNqoxx82tBzjAphN2adANayin3I7FpW1 mkvdCj77pzkEwqc60OcPjqRg5q9xKsPCczAmaHBVmuyKjCDJemEzLMUQsrllohha c3v4WcRgB+epnDpF0hpdDYH7aiIo/FmN59ItcMEvrytkt5Hv7GjZq974UC/1ALik sFsML7QWp6bpVNzDeE8H7FmrT7kKVBddQwQcwFP2dPHOaFdqMRPjVcIxxjiOs5/o I3sCaH8L5VAF/WivcRCvYOBV+kklbTQsJIdt/eTrCGtTpoWtjVhyyw== =VPSl -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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Re:PGP263UI
by Steve Crompton 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Mark M. (markm(a)voicenet.com) wrote on Sat, 23 Nov 1996 22:24:41 -0500 (EST) >... >> Note that I personally have not done very much of the actual coding on >> this version. However if bugs are reported or constructive >> suggestions for improvements made I will pass them on to the >> individual(s) who have done the bulk of the work to make this release >> possible. I am assured that continuing support will be provided. >I found two bugs so far: > >This version doesn't recognize either .pgprc or pgp.ini as valid >config file names. It is very minor, but this functionality is >stated in the manual. I couldn't find any mention of either filename in -our- docs. Please point out the reference if I missed it. I think this was an MIT "feature". I don't plan to copy it. >One of my favorite options, +makerandom, isn't supported in this >version. This is an undocumented option, but it is useful in >many situations. Not as useful as you might think. A bug has been reported in the MIT version that +makerandom produces -weak- pseudo-random output, as (I am told) can be verified by just generating a large "random" file and viewing it with a hex viewer, looking for regular patterns. I don't know if this was ever fixed in Stale's version. This bug does not produce a weakness in the normal functions of MIT or Stale's PGP. MIT heavily rewrote the random number functions for their versions of PGP and the +makerandom feature depends on this rewrite. I did not want to try to import "mass quantities" of code from MIT both to respect their copyright and to maintain to some degree the independence of the MIT-derived and 2.3a-derived versions to that a bug in one might not be reproduced in the other. For Random numbers up to 24 bytes (192 bits), just use a -copy- of RANDSEED.BIN. For a longer random file, just encrypt (either RSA or conventional IDEA) a file a little longer than the file desired. Throw away a few hundred bytes from the start and end. The result will be just as strongly random as +makerandom even without the current bug. >This version uses +version_byte instead of +Legal_Kludge, but I >consider that a feature. I haven't had time to experiment with >the "Charset:" header. One other minor problem is that >ClearSig doesn't default to "on". This could cause some >frustration with new users. I haven't tried to imlpement the "Charset" header and probably won't. If this feature is important to you, use Stale's version. I will look into this for the next version, but no promises. Clearsig is working correctly as we document it. Another MIT change. It would be more work to change the documentation than the code, but I will consider this for the next release. >Other then that, it's just fine. Thanks for your constructive criticism and comments. Steve Crompton 100645.1716(a)compuserve.com (preferred) -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2i Comment: Requires PGP version 2.6 or later. iQEVAwUBMp14FhRHWQsRmI2RAQHndggAgNdcOqya2NPX+8KOkoj1qoYnGBRprREK t0l3sK2HHqUQwTwKSkW5ugD898kG26HjCVlMsqfgQVcw+3nAhZgU/t7MCU9/orD8 yUc9vtXr/C4lLJHTtDGVpjPfRAJpV0m0myDwoqXZo4gTrkoQG43mKaE4eLv9qcl4 zGv4fMv/lh7hUwfUsZ6c7ULGPfKeYtknO1Hh3gKYX6HJPz5Qki2toIdH8qxpw51v CC/Q/MLxLQUGYH/jdHqvUSSD0G1QIu/D/LlL9VaUtPJemqPOuBGmk+ywvE7AAfNG uEnO/AumU3j1yPnFXqv5pUKGxP1gKbMyKR8lrEwWcrDapaiC6mW4oQ== =qk2B -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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Eudora/PGP Plug-in--Free
by nobody＠huge.cajones.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Eudora/PGP Plug-In Download version 0.20 from the Web: * http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt6525c/eppi/epp16_02.zip (for 16-bit version of Eudora 3.0 for Windows 3.1) * http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gt6525c/eppi/epp32_02.zip (for 32-bit version of Eudora 3.0 for Windows NT/95) If you don't have Web access, but have FTP access, try the following sites. Note that if the version you are trying to get was released today or just a few days ago, it may not have shown up at the sites below yet, so give it a few days: papa.indstate.edu: /pub/winsock-l/mail/epp16_02.zip /pub/winsock-l/Windows95/mail/epp32_02.zip /pub/winsock-l/WindowsNT/mail/epp32_02.zip ftp.winsite.com: /pub/pc/win3/winsock/epp16_02.zip /pub/pc/win95/winsock/epp32_02.zip If you want to be automatically notified of new versions, send e-mail to gt6525c(a)prism.gatech.edu with the subject of "eppi news", and the following message body: join stop

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TV/Radio: Crypto Policy on NPR
by Ernest Hua 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

McNeil & Lehear (sp?) (ok, I know, one of them is gone, but I forgot which) News Hour had a segment on crypto policy. Generally a balanced non-technical report, except that there is no mention of the free speech issue. If there is a repeat near you, it's worth listening to, to hear (or see) what the informed non-technical public hears (sees). Ern

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More anonymous hate mail from John Gilmore, Timmy May, and friends
by dlv＠bwalk.dm.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I've received the following e-mail from an anonymous coward. It didn't have any carriage returns (I added them). >Date: Thu, 28 Nov 1996 09:23:00 -0700 >Message-Id: <199611281623.JAA03709(a)zifi.genetics.utah.edu> >To: dlv(a)bwalk.dm.com >From: nobody(a)zifi.genetics.utah.edu (Anonymous) >Comments: Please report misuse of this automated remailing service to <complaints(a)zifi.genetics.utah.edu> >Subject: Yo, Kook! Read this. > >... > >>"Phillip M. Hallam-Baker" <hallam(a)ai.mit.edu> writes: >>> Actually the opposite is the case, he is a notorious womanizer. >> >>Are _you gay, Phil? > >Look, Kook. Can you at least wait 24 hours after complaining about eliptic >curves being somehow off-topic (as I recall, it was 50k rants about Armenian >genocide that got your dumb ass booted) before posting your own off-topic >sewage? Who gives a flying fuck who is or isn't gay or perverted or whatever >in their private lives? What does it have to do with crypto, or proficiency >in programming, or anything that matters to most of the list? It seems to me >that you should try casting your "pearls" before the much more "noble" >animals of the freedom-knights, who (as opposed to me) _DO_ care who is or >isn't homosexual. Get back on your meds, it'll do you (and the list) good. > >me One of the meanings of "punk" is "young homosexual". There are a lot of them on the "cypherpunks" mailing list, trying to be social and to make friends. They think that the "cypher" part is "kewl" and even rant about it, without understanding the meanings of the technical terms they use (like the recurrent rant about brute-force attacks on one-time pads). But they don't know much about cryptography, so when someone, e.g., tries to talk about elliptic curves, the "punk" crowd screams that it's "off-topic". Today is Thanksgiving, so I hope you choke on your turkey (or whatever else ends up in your mouth :-). I'm thankful that I wasn't born in this country, because Americans are so stupid.

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TIA Invites
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

A rep of the Telecommunications Industry Association telephoned to say that TIA has invited authority to investigate disclosure of TIA's TR45.3 to the unworthy.

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RE: Re: wealth and property rights
by William H. Geiger III 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

In <199611281157.DAA12088(a)infomatch.com>, on 11/28/96 at 04:53 AM, "Murray Hayes" <mhayes(a)infomatch.com> said: >On Wed, 27 Nov 96 10:16:20 -0500, William H. Geiger III wrote: >>In <009ABBF7.ACB06A80.64(a)SPRUCE.HSU.EDU>, on 11/22/96 >> at 12:18 PM, jc105558(a)spruce.hsu.edu said: >> >> >>socialism uses FORCE to take what it wants while the capitilism you have a >>free & volintary exchange. >> >>why is this so hard to understand?? >> >Don't be an idiot. Socialism has nothing to do with force. It is an >economic system not a military stance. >Communisist belive: >>From each according to there abilities >To each according to there needs. >Socialist belive: >>From each according to there abilities >To each accoring to there contirbution. >They are very similar, BUT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH FORCE!!! >Some countries have very socialized systems with democracy. Those people >want socalized everything. The US is socialized to a very small degree. >The UK is socialized to a further degree. <sigh> socialism has EVERTHING to do with force. Socialism is based on the TAKING from one to give to another. Without FORCE or the threat of FORCE most people will not allow their hard earned property to be taken away from them. You look at any socialist program in the "democracies". Every one is a) Manditory b) Backed by FORCE. No socialist program has ever been implemented on a large scale without the use of FORCE. It just can't work without it. I do not wish to be part of the socialist programs in the U.S. Medicare, Medicaide, Welfaire, SS, WIC, FoodStamps, ...ect. It is only because of the threat of the use of FORCE against me that I continue to pay for such programs AGAINST MY WILL. This is the same everywhere. If these were programs that the majority were willing to participate volentary then why are they Manditory?? Why use the FORCE of government to implement them?? Because socialism is THEIFT and people naturally resist the theift of their property. -- ----------------------------------------------------------- "William H. Geiger III" <whgiii(a)amaranth.com> -----------------------------------------------------------

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Whitehouse Releases Blueprint...
by null＠void.gov 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Notably, the emphasis is on the needs of business, not "people." We are in an excellent position to observe and document the process whereby "business" -- that is, organizations motivated primarily, if not exclusively, by the desire for short-term profits accruing to vested interests -- comes to dominate and control a technology. The auto and television industries come to mind as two prior examples. We are about to see the net go the same way. Take notes. "I have to praise the administration and Ira for reaching out to the private sector for comments," Computers and Communication Industry Association President Ed Black said. "There's a great emphasis on the needs of business here." Even so, privacy activists remained disappointed with many of the document's features. "This isn't anything new," said David Banisar, counsel to the Electronic Privacy and Information Center. "The privacy stuff is terrible. They say it's market driven, but markets don't work with privacy. It's like what happened with P-Trak."

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