December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Newsletter
by actn＠artnet.com.br 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Please don't hit reply, send all inquiries to a7(a)mary-world.com http://www.mary-world.com/ans Are you interested in receiving our monthly free newsletter on the latest Computer technologies and the internet. Please send an email requesting to be added to our database, or check our web site for the latest news. If you have signed up already, please disregard this request. Download our catalog from our Internet Website http://www.mary-world.com/ans HARDWARE TRENDS BREAKING SPEED LIMITS Early benchmark tests on a prototype 300-MHz system are promising This fall will mark the arrival of a class of machines based on Intel's 300-MHz Pentium II processors, and early benchmark tests on some of the prototypes show healthy-- if not astounding-- performance gains over previous-generation Pentium systems. At NEC's invitation, PC Magazine had the chance to run tests on the company's new 300-MHz PowerMate Professional, due to ship in September. Although the configuration we tested was preliminary, the machine posted some impressive numbers. On the ZD High-End Winstone 97 test, the PowerMate earned a score of 34.8. This test runs a set of applications that heavily exercise the CPU and graphics subsystem, but purely CPU-intensive tests were really where the machine did well. On our CPUMark32 test, it posted a score of 735; on CPUMark 16, the system earned a speedy score of 556. To put these results in perspective, note that our recent test of the 266-MHz Dell Dimension XPS H266, resulted in a CPUMark32 score of 719, as opposed to the NEC system's 735, and the Dimension was the fastest by a wide margin in a group of systems based on Intel's 266-MHz Pentium II processor. The Dimension did, however, post a slightly higher score on High-End Winstone 97 than the PowerMate--36 rather than 34.8-- thanks to its advanced graphics subsystem. Most of the other 266-MHz system in our roundup posted speed scores well behind the PowerMates. Again, the configuration is still preliminary. More Adrenaline This Fall In the fall, Intel plans to ship its 440LX chip set, which supports Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) technology and will work with a new dedicated bus for graphics. The speeds posted by 300-MHz machines-- especially on graphics tasks--are likely to benefit greatly from these technologies, as bus bottlenecks currently undermine high-speed processors. Although tests show 300-MHz system to be marginally faster than 266-MHz Pentium units, the new chip set should provide a healthy shot of adrenaline. Many customers will want to time their purchases of 300-MHz machines to correspond with the chip set's arrival, but NEC's $4000 PowerMate is likely to ship in advance of the chip set. Also note that Intel has been speeding up price drops on its high-end chips in recent years, and 300-MHz systems should be substantially cheaper than $4000 by 1998. They promise to be an important step for Intel as it faces increased competition in high-end chips from AMD and Cyrix. ***************** MEMORY************************** HIGHEST QUALITY. LIFETIME WARRANTY Call for any type ofMemory not listed.Memory for Laptops and Desktops, All AppleMAC or any POWERBOOKS. EDO/ or fast page Simms 72pin Memory 2k, 60ns 8MB $35 16MB $65 32MB $119 168pin Dimms, 60ns 16MB DIMM $75 32MB DIMM $135 64MB DIMM $265 *************** COMPUTERS *************** Pentium 200MMX 16/3GB 20xCD, 15" Color Monitor, 33.6 Fax/Modem $1499/$54mo. Compaq Laptop, P120, 16/1GB, 10.4 Active Mtx, 8xCD ROM $1645 Compaq Laptop Presario P150MMx, 16/2GB, 10xCD, fax/mod $2495 Toshiba Tecra Laptop 730CDT, P150Mhz, 16/2GBCD TFT $3995 Apple Powerbook 1400/cs 16/750CD/Color/FM $1795 Apple 9600/233, 32/4GB 12xCD, $3399 Apple 8500/120Mhz 16/1GB CD $1695 Apple 6200/75Mhz, 14" Monitor,8/1GB, CD, 14.4 Fax/Mod $799 1- WE CAN E-MAIL YOU A COMPLETE CATALOG. 2- WHOLESALE PRICES ON PENTIUM LAPTOPS & DESKTOP. APPLE POWER MACS, MEMORY AND ACCESSORIES. 3- REPAIR ANY TYPE OF CPU, MONITOR, DRIVE,PRINTER FREE PICK UP & DELIVER FOR LOCALS, BEST RATES. 4- WE SHIP WORLDWIDE, OVER 11 YEARS EXPERIENCE SINCE 1985 CALL FOR OTHER CONFIGURATIONS- We carry Full line of Toshiba, Texas instruments, IBM, Radius, Daystar, Umax,Seagate, Quantum Samsung, or many other computer Printers,Scanners, Monitors, Modems Software, and peripherals.We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express,Diners,Cash, Cashier's Checks, Money Orders, COD. Active Network Solutions Inc. , 1611 Crenshaw Blvd #224, Torrance CA 9501 U.S.A Tel. (310)764-4357 Please send all inquiries to: a7(a)mary-world.com Internet Website http://www.mary-world.com/ans IF YOU LIKE TO BE REMOVED PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL AND WRITE (REMOVE) IN SUBJECT AREA. 10

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Encryption Test
by FearMonger 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I have attached a file that contains the sysadmin password for the main computer at Visa's head office. In order to prevent the information being abused, I have encrypted it with Pkzip so as not to have to fear running afoul of vague and indeterminate crypto legislation. I am doing this in the hope that by showing my willingness to support the government promotion of weak encryption I will thus be trusted with even more highly sensitive information in the future. I also used a short and easily-guessed password to show my support for government access to keys in the hope that it will lead to wider recognition of my value as a team player in government projects. If I am ever in a position to be hired for a job that involves access to the secret codes for launching nuclear missles, I hope that I can count on letters of reference from cypherpunks list members declaring my suitability for working in an area that requires one to show proper fear of and submission to authority. FearMonger

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Re: [EFGA] WE won our court case!! (fwd)
by Bill Stewart 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>From: "Robert A. Costner" <pooh(a)efga.org> >To: action(a)efga.org >Subject: [EFGA] WE won our court case!! > >EFGA was granted a preliminary injunction in our court case >against the state of Georgia. Details and press release to follow. Yee-hah! If you ignore CONgress, we've had a good week, between this court and the New York CDA courts doing the right thing and the DES crack finishing. >Let's meet somewhere tonight to celebrate! Obviously y'all should meet in the Atlanta Underground, wearing masks :-) (though I won't be there, since it's a bit far from the West Coast...) # Thanks; Bill # Bill Stewart, +1-415-442-2215 stewarts(a)ix.netcom.com # You can get PGP outside the US at ftp.ox.ac.uk/pub/crypto/pgp # (If this is a mailing list or news, please Cc: me on replies. Thanks.)

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Mail server down :(
by William H. Geiger III 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hi, My ISP is in the process of switching backbone providers and as a consenquence all my mail is bouncing. This more than likely will not be fixed until Monday. Thanks, - -- - --------------------------------------------------------------- William H. Geiger III http://www.amaranth.com/~whgiii Geiger Consulting Cooking With Warp 4.0 Author of E-Secure - PGP Front End for MR/2 Ice PGP & MR/2 the only way for secure e-mail. OS/2 PGP 2.6.3a at: http://www.amaranth.com/~whgiii/pgpmr2.html - --------------------------------------------------------------- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.3a Charset: cp850 Comment: Registered_User_E-Secure_v1.1b1_ES000000 iQCVAwUBM6q7SY9Co1n+aLhhAQFWNwP+Mg19u/wKUBH/CkO2VimaIurS8AI5GR7J G7EU4dysnq3+yx5BU6vtGpkMVNLRjv8t5Q5BuT1jMfkXn5NKdt1XbUQATVsQz1X0 N3p1ojP+4DXekn4DO02N3s/5hxHT/jYX5k9EPUSgpwbp8KzG2y9DttVhz+pUeXZC O0kOCo6XJyg= =OD5S -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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It's not over
by nobody＠REPLAY.COM 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Let's cut all the doom and gloom here. The bill isn't passed yet. It's got to go through at least one and possibly two more committees before it reaches the senate floor, where we'll have another chance to defeat it. Even then the house has to pass similar legislation. That will be yet another chance. When Clipper was proposed, a wave of anger and opposition swept forth. The same thing needs to happen now. This fatalism is self defeating. Either you're part of the solution or you're part of the problem. People who say there's no use fighting, who give up, who oppose the efforts of the crypto lobbying groups in the name of ideological purity, are not part of the solution. They have no right to complain if this law passes. By sitting aside and carping at the efforts of those who are trying to stop this kind of legislation, they are only helping to bring it about. There is no reason this new bill should be any more acceptable or more successful than Clipper was. We only have to fight it.

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Re: [EFGA] WE won our court case!! (fwd)
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Forwarded message: > From: "Robert A. Costner" <pooh(a)efga.org> > Subject: Re: [EFGA] WE won our court case!! (fwd) > Reasonable men adapt to match the world around them. Unreasonable men try to > adapt the world to themselves. Therefore, only unreasonable men bring about > change in the world. I may be unreasonable, but I'm not pathetic. This is an interesting insight into the underpinnings of a democracy or republic. The secret to success and ultimate limitation of government authority is people standing up and saying "Hell NO!, I won't take it any more." In short, for democracy (any democracy I suspect) to work it REQUIRES people being unwilling to compromise. So many people labor under the impression that compromise is how they get to where they want to be. Very successful indoctrination I suspect... ____________________________________________________________________ | | | _____ The Armadillo Group | | ,::////;::-. Austin, Tx. USA | | /:'///// ``::>/|/ http:// www.ssz.com/ | | .', |||| `/( e\ | | -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- Jim Choate | | ravage(a)ssz.com | | 512-451-7087 | |____________________________________________________________________|

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New Laws in Oregon - "Land of the Legal betatest"
by Alan 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I sometimes think that Oregon is being used as a beta test for some of the more draconian laws due for the rest of the country. An example is the new law waiting to be signed by the Govenor. It would expand the reasons a cop can use to detain and search you. Currently they need to have probable cause that you committed a crime. The new law expands that to probible cause that you are about to commit a crime and a whole host of things they can detain and question you on. (The TV coverage has been less than good. The TV anchor they had covering it was pushing it as a good idea. Only until later did they bring up any reasons of protest.) Yet another tool to keep the masses down. alano(a)teleport.com | "Those who are without history are doomed to retype it."

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Feinstein Amendment Text
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Senator Feinstein's office has provided a copy of her S.936 amendment which passed yersterday 94 to 0 "to prohibit the distribution of certain information relating to explosives, destructive devices, and weapons of mass destruction." http://jya.com/fein-sp419.htm (5K) Via links in the file, the amendment may be compared to earlier draft versions and debate as well as for the effect of the recent Justice Department report on its language.

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[Noise] Random thought...
by Alan 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

With all of the "punish the evildoers amongst us" and the "Improving Security by making it illegal" raving in congress, this came to mind... "The Congressional Definition of the Strength of a Firewall is how many times you can march the citizenry in front of it for summary execution before it crumbles." You may now go back to the regularly scheduled panic. alano(a)teleport.com | "Those who are without history are doomed to retype it."

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Garbled in transmission.
by ET 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I caught the Headline News mention of the DES crack and it unfortunately put the wrong spin on things. I can't remember it word for word, but it went like this: "If you're going to decrypt financial transactions you'd better be prepared to get 1000 computers and spend 3 months on the project." The report was delivered with a hint of a smile, as if to suggest that the time and resources might have been better spent. *Sigh*

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