December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Re: Why I Don't Read SF Much Anymore
by Alan Olsen 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 12:14 AM 11/21/96 -0800, Timothy C. May wrote: > >On the issue of why many of us don't read as much SF as we once did... > >Speaking for myself, [Reasons snipped] I have found my reasons for not reading as much Science Fiction are: 1) Time. 2) The huge pile of technical manuals/books that I need to read. (I have been measuring them, not in number of books, but in linear feet.) 3) Many of the bookstores locally (especially the chains) have a HUGE percentage of their books being "franchise SF". It is hard to find something good when you have to wade through the Star Trek, Star Wars, Doom, Myst, Story set in the world of <famous name> by written by <unknown>, and assorted Pern-ography. (The last chain bookstore I went to had *NOTHING* that I had not read or was willing to read.) I guess that is what i get for going to malls... ObCrypto: It is ironic that the 2nd edition of The Codebreakers is out. I had just done a book search on it and was going to get a local bookstore to order me a copy. (The prices on the used market ran anywhere from $20 to $80! That is copied that actually sold, not just asking price.) I guess I will have to do a book search on _The Puzzle Palace_ and maybe it will get released. (In kind of a strange quantum bookbuying action at a distance sort of thing...) --- | "Remember: You can't have BSDM without BSD." - alan(a)ctrl-alt-del.com | |"The moral PGP Diffie taught Zimmermann unites all| Disclaimer: | | mankind free in one-key-steganography-privacy!" | Ignore the man | |`finger -l alano(a)teleport.com` for PGP 2.6.2 key | behind the keyboard.| | http://www.teleport.com/~alano/ | alano(a)teleport.com |

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RE: Mass-market crypto phones
by Mullen Patrick 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

_______________________________________________________________________________ From: Adam Shostack on Fri, Nov 22, 1996 1:21 > > I'd just like to second what Lucky wrote at the end of his >very nice summation of the crypto phone hardware issues. Eric's phones >have damn good voice quality in secure mode. I should probably make it more clear that my comment referred to price, NOT quality. I'm sure it is a wonderful product (I haven't tried it myself), but I believe the price tag was at or around $1000. My comments on the hardware used was for demostration purposes, not for saying anything was wrong with the design strategy. In fact, I thought it was a perfectly fine strategy, and easy(ish) to implement. Basically, it took the dedicated computer you would need for phone encryption and put it in a cheaper box. To be honest, I thought he had a good idea. I just wouldn't want to pay $1000 for phone encryption. But, it's rare I have conversations where I need that much security. I'm sure the product is worth it; it's just out of my price range. And probably out of the price range of the average user. PM USER ERROR: REPLACE AND STRIKE ANY KEY WHEN READY

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for people from .CZ domain
by Kamil Golombek 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Hi to all! i'd like to meet or know people, who read this list and are from Czech republic. Some kind of cooperation is possible. Conversation even in Czech (but i prefer English) . Could you send me an e-mail? Maybe we live several km far from each other and we aren't able to comunicate. i also apologize to all, who are from different state and must read this letter. Sorry! Thanks ZERO

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RE: Word List
by Mullen, Patrick 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Note: I changed the list to Cypherpunks, since this is more relative to that list. Crack, the UN*X /etc/passwd cracker comes with a very large dictionary. I assume you want one for the same purpose (maybe not...). I can't remember for sure, but I believe it is a plain ASCII file. Go to webcrawler and request "crack and unix" (w/out quotes) and you'll find a listing. A site named /.hAcKiNg./ or something like that will show up. It has Crack in pkzip format. BTW, this is a DOS application, *not* UN*X... ~ Patrick >---------- >From: kb4vwa@juno.com[SMTP:kb4vwa@juno.com] > >I'm looking for a Large Word List. > >Anyone have any idea where to find one, or how to convert a dictionary >formatted file to a wordlist file? > >Ed >

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Word Lists
by kb4vwa＠juno.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I'm looking for a Large Word List, for a pkcrack program. Anyone have any idea where to find one, or how to convert a dictionary formated file to a wordlist file? Ed

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Patent Fight Could Add to Cost of Inter
by Alan Pugh 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

By KATHLEEN SAMPEY Associated Press Writer NEW YORK (AP) _ A little-known patent could raise the cost of doing business over the Internet for companies selling software, video or other digital products delivered online. E-Data Corp. of Secaucus, N.J., is suing 17 companies, including McGraw-Hill and CompuServe, to collect licensing fees on the patent, which protects downloading of encrypted digital information. A court hearing is scheduled Dec. 6 in New York on the company's claims. Analysts said the patent will not significantly restrain Internet commerce, but would raise the cost of doing business on the Internet and cause headaches for small start-up companies. Some companies, including Adobe Systems and VocalTec, have grudgingly paid the licensing fee. Others intend to fight it. ``We believe it's important to draw a line in the sand and make them prove infringement,'' said CompuServe spokeswoman Gail Whitcomb. ``We think their claim is way too broad.'' Arnold Freilich, E-Data's president, said the company bought rights to the patent in 1994. He won't disclose how much the company has made from it, but said it covers digital products such as text, software, images, music and video transmitted through phone lines to customers. Companies that take orders for products over the Internet, then ship them by mail would not be affected. The patent was first issued in 1985 to Charles Freeny Jr. Freeny, an electrical engineer, held the digital encryption patent until 1989. Unable to make money on it, he sold it for about $100,000 to a company called Avedas Corp. ``I didn't foresee the Internet,'' he said. Avedas couldn't make money from it either and has since gone out of business. By 1994, when E-Data bought the patent for $290,000, the World Wide Web had come of age, and so had the possibility of enforcing the patent, which expires in 2003. Peter Tracy remembers making the acquaintance of U.S. Patent No. 4,528,643. His East Haven, Conn.-based company, MicroPatent, operates a Web site where users can search and download patent and trademark information for 25 cents a page. On March 22, he received a packet from E-Data saying his company might be infringing on the patent. He could either pay a fee based on the percentage of his Web site profits, or be sued. ``I felt like I had been sucked into (a) bottomless pit,'' he said. MicroPatent agreed to pay the licensing fee, which Tracy will not disclose. The cost of the annual fees range from 1 percent to 5 percent of sales under $1 million, according to David Fink, E-Data's attorney. For sales over $1 million, the rate is determined on an individual basis, he said. Several cases already have been dismissed because either defendants paid the fees or they were found not to be in violation, he said. Cases against Dun & Bradstreet, Decision Support and Meca Software were dismissed. Company representatives either could not be reached or refused comment. IBM spokesman Fred McNeese declined comment on questions about E-Data or the licensing fees. But companies such as McGraw-Hill are anticipating the December court hearing. ``We fail to see anything that we do in our businesses that infringes on this patent,'' said McGraw-Hill spokesman Steven Weiss. ``We've asked them continually what we've been doing, and E-Data has not told us _ aside from accusing us. ``We have no plans to pay them anything,'' he said. But Freilich said the patent is specific in its description of encrypted digital data, which is how many companies have sold such information since 1994. For example, a customer orders a digital product over the Internet, and pays for it through the Internet with a credit card. These types of transactions are not all that new, as in CompuServe's case. But once the product has been downloaded to the customer's terminal, an encryption code is provided by the seller to unlock the encryption, thereby allowing the customer to use the product. It is this added step that Freilich said the patent describes. Today's network organization also makes the patent enforceable, he said. In 1985 when the patent was granted, there was no such thing as an addressable computer or the Web. ``The technology has brought us to the point where anyone's computer terminal is addressable, where encryption is commonplace and that has led to the enforcement of this patent,'' Freilich said. Scott Smith, analyst at Jupiter Communications, predicted the case would not dampen Web commerce. ``I think it's a blip on the radar,'' he said. ``It may hurt some of the start ups. But larger companies face this kind of thing all the time. They'll be able to shake it off.'' While some may accuse E-Data of trying to stifle Internet commerce, Fink sees his client's efforts merely as a means to cash in on a legitimate, far-sighted investment. ``Besides,'' he said, ``3 cents on the dollar will not put any company out of business.'' AP-DS-11-19-96 2327EST * * * END OF DELIVERY * * *

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No Subject
by nobody＠cypherpunks.ca 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

On Thu, 21 Nov 1996, aga <aga(a)dhp.com> wrote: From: aga <aga(a)dhp.com> To: Rabid Wombat <wombat(a)mcfeely.bsfs.org> cc: FREEDOM-KNIGHTS(a)JETCAFE.ORG, Black Unicorn <unicorn(a)schloss.li>, cypherpunks(a)toad.com Subject: Re: Does John Gilmore EAT Asshole? |FUCK YOU COCKSUCKER -- as long as you keep writing to be, |I will continue to rip a new asshole in the Faggot John Gilmore |who promotes PUNKs like you. [snip] |A 'punk' is a faggot pussy who is really NOT a man! |The faggot Gilmore does take it up the ass and also eat assholes, so |he should be added to the net.scum list at once. I should'a kill-filed this sicko long ago. Like the raving individuals one passes on the sidewalk, he is best ignored. Leave him for professional care. >From whence does such trash arise? Oh me!!

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Digital Footprints (Article in UK Guardian)
by Martin Minow 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

The online edition of the UK Guardian newspaper has a long article on the way that "Internet users leave traces and records of every online action, from sending e-mail or posting to newsgroups to visiting Web sites." ... "At the moment unwanted e-mail is about the limit of the intrusion, but this could change. Internet commentator Dominique Paul Noth points out: "You have no guarantee that the information is intelligently or even accurately employed to your benefit." As more information is collected, it is more useful to those collecting it - and less easily controlled." ... One alternative is making yourself anonymous by deleting cookie files and using mail programs that disguise your identity." "However, making yourself anonymous online means that you cannot personalise Web pages, ask for information via e-mail, or join mailing lists. The issue, as Noth and other commentators recognise, is more to do with how this information is used. Credit card companies know what we are buying, and there is a legal framework to control their use of this information. There is no such framework in force for online information. "It seems that the very lack of "real world" controls over online activity which many Internet users favour has created the environment in which marketing companies can thrive. As long as the Internet is seen as somehow outside the reach of the law, then there will be those who abuse its freedom. So as you surf for Christmas presents, look out for surprises in your mailbox as a result" The full article is at: http://go2.guardian.co.uk/internet/961121wwonDigitlafootprint.html (Note that newspaper articles on the Web are often only visible for a short time.) Martin Minow minow(a)apple.com

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Re: Word List
by aga 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

On Thu, 21 Nov 1996, Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM wrote: > Date: Thu, 21 Nov 96 22:34:38 EST > From: "Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM" <dlv(a)bwalk.dm.com> > Reply-To: freedom-knights(a)jetcafe.org > To: freedom-knights(a)jetcafe.org > Subject: Re: Word List > > >From coderpunks-errors(a)toad.com Thu Nov 21 21:47:48 1996 > Received: by bwalk.dm.com (1.65/waf) > via UUCP; Thu, 21 Nov 96 22:21:56 EST > for dlv > Received: from toad.com by uu.psi.com (5.65b/4.0.061193-PSI/PSINet) via SMTP; > id AA29836 for cypherpunks; Thu, 21 Nov 96 21:47:48 -0500 > Received: (from majordom@localhost) by toad.com (8.7.5/8.7.3) id RAA03669 for coderpunks-outgoing; Thu, 21 Nov 1996 17:24:43 -0800 (PST) > Received: from Eden.mindport.net (eden.mindport.net [205.219.167.4]) by toad.com (8.7.5/8.7.3) with SMTP id RAA03664 for <coderpunks(a)toad.com>; Thu, 21 Nov 1996 17:24:39 -0800 (PST) > Received: from polaris (polaris.mindport.net [205.219.167.2]) by Eden.mindport.net (8.6.12/8.6.12) with SMTP id UAA29275; Thu, 21 Nov 1996 20:21:36 -0500 > Posted-Date: Thu, 21 Nov 1996 20:21:36 -0500 > Date: Thu, 21 Nov 1996 20:23:17 -0500 (EST) > From: Black Unicorn <unicorn(a)schloss.li> > X-Sender: unicorn@polaris > To: Johnny Waters - Staff <waters(a)posh.internext.com> > Cc: coderpunks(a)toad.com, jimg(a)mentat.com > Subject: Re: Word List > In-Reply-To: <199611212150.QAA16115(a)posh.internext.com> > Message-Id: <Pine.SUN.3.94.961121202302.21331A-100000@polaris> > Mime-Version: 1.0 > Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII > Sender: owner-coderpunks(a)toad.com > Precedence: bulk > > On Thu, 21 Nov 1996, Johnny Waters - Staff wrote: > > > Date: Thu, 21 Nov 1996 16:50:24 -0500 (EST) > > From: Johnny Waters - Staff <waters(a)posh.internext.com> > > To: coderpunks(a)toad.com, jimg(a)mentat.com > > Subject: Re: Word List > > > > I have a great 190 meg list I could post to the list (har har) > > johnny > > Post it to the "freedom-knights" list instead. > If you do that, the cypherpunks mailing list will be ELIMINATED! I have about 6 different addresses to mailbomb from, and about a dozen men to mailbomb with. > -- > Forward complaints to : European Association of Envelope Manufactures > Finger for Public Key Gutenbergstrasse 21;Postfach;CH-3001;Bern > Vote Monarchist Switzerland > The cypherpunks are faggot PUNKS! The Freedom Knights are REAL MEN. go ahead, try and send a 190 meg mailbomb to the F-K list. It will be the last you will ever see of cypherpunks. That is your last warning, you fucking PUNK! (a PUNK is a wimp with NO BALLS!) -aga

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Re: Word Lists
by camcc＠abraxis.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 01:40 PM 11/21/96, you wrote: :I'm looking for a Large Word List, for a pkcrack program. : :Anyone have any idea where to find one, or how to convert a dictionary :formated file to a wordlist file? : :Ed : http://world.std.com/~reinhold/diceware.wordlist.asc This is the wordlist for Diceware, and I quote, "7776 short English words, abbreviations and easy to remember character strings. The average length of each word is about 4.2 characters. The biggest words are six characters long. The list is based a longer word list posted to the Internet news group sci.crypt by Peter Kwangjun Suk." This may not be long enough for your needs. The address of the Diceware page is http://world.std.com/~reinhold/diceware.page.html Good luck. Cordially, Alec PGP Fingerprint: Type bits/keyID Date User ID pub 1024/41207EE5 1996/04/08 Alec McCrackin <camcc(a)abraxis.com> Key fingerprint = 09 13 E1 CB B3 0C 88 D9 D7 D4 10 F0 06 7D DF 31

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