- cypherpunks-legacy - lists.cpunks.org

the theory of split currency
by Robert Hettinga 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Austrian-econ is an academic economists' list focused on so-called "austrian" economics, like Hayek, Von Mises, etc... Notice the last little bit about Patrick Leahy... Cheers, Bob Hettinga --- begin forwarded text Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1996 20:13:48 -0700 (PDT) From: Fred Foldvary <ffoldvar(a)jfku.jfku.edu> To: Austrian Economics <AustrianEcon(a)agoric.com> Subject: the theory of split currency Organization: JFK University Mime-Version: 1.0 Sender: owner-austrianecon(a)agoric.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: AustrianECON(a)agoric.com Is there a name for a dual or split currency, in which there is one currency for domestic use and another, different appearing, currency for foreign usage? Does anyone know of any country which has had such a split currency? Is there any literature on such split currency? Here some thoughts on how it could function in the U.S.: 1) Domestic currency would not be legal tender outside the U.S. 2) Foreign US dollars would not be legal tender in the U.S. It would be illegal to hold foreign dollars in the U.S. Travelers would be required to convert them at customs. 3) The export of domestic currency would be illegal. 4) All exchanges between domestic and foreign currency would be required to be made in official exchanges, with the amounts recorded and reported to the government. 5) All previous currency would be declared of no value after a certain date. All conversions to new currency would be reported. What would be the implications for banking, international trade, and the market process? Would it affect the measurement of the money supply, and monetary policy? A motive for the government would be to control the underground economy, tax evasion, and the trade in illegal substances. This scenario is not entirely hypothetical. I have read that Senator Patrick Leahy introduced Senate Bill #307 to create such a split currency. The Bill failed to pass the Senate, but this shows the concept is out there. Is this worth investigation and theoretical examination? Fred Foldvary --- end forwarded text ----------------- Robert Hettinga (rah(a)shipwright.com) e$, 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "'Bart Bucks' are not legal tender." -- Punishment, 100 times on a chalkboard, for Bart Simpson The e$ Home Page: http://www.vmeng.com/rah/

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the theory of split currency
by James A. Donald 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Fred Foldvary <ffoldvar(a)jfku.jfku.edu> wrote: > Is there a name for a dual or split currency, in which > there is one currency for domestic use and another, different > appearing, currency for foreign usage? > > Does anyone know of any country which has had such a > split currency? Many third world nations employed this system, one currency for internal use only, and one currency for international transactions. The international currency was sometimes denominated in hard currency, and reasonably convertible into it. This strategy was frequently associated with police state tactics, lawless imprisonment, and swift execution, for vaguely defined economic crimes. It has become substantially less common in the nineties. The external currency tended to spread into the internal economy, despite police state measures to prevent this from happening, and the internal currency tended to become worthless and could only be spent while holding a gun to the head of the person accepting it. In countries employing this system, women, and often children of both sexes, are often cheaply available for sexual purposes if you have foreign currency. I speculate that this is because people find that they *must* obtain foreign currency, the internal currency being unspendable, and any method available to them for obtaining foreign currency is a criminal offense. A retreat from this system, usually by allowing the international currency to freely penetrate the internal economy, tends to be associated with a substantial reduction in the availability of young girls, as for example in Cuba recently. > This scenario is not entirely hypothetical. I have read that > Senator Patrick Leahy introduced Senate Bill #307 to create > such a split currency. Why am I not surprised that it was Senator Patrick Leahy of crypto bill fame? --------------------------------------------------------------------- | We have the right to defend ourselves | http://www.jim.com/jamesd/ and our property, because of the kind | of animals that we are. True law | James A. Donald derives from this right, not from the | arbitrary power of the state. | jamesd(a)echeque.com

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Re: Public Schools
by snow 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> On Sat, 28 Sep 1996, Adamsc wrote: > able to learn from their experiences, and will probably find working for > them less frustrating than working for a "Dilbert Zone" manager. Sooner > or later, though, you will encounter Dilbert's boss in the workplace, and > not everyone can leave to become a famous cartoonist. You may need to Well, there is always AP. > become (eeek!) a technical manager. You won't fare well if you've > completely neglected those non-technical skills. You'll be forced to > communicate with mundanes ... > Work to succeed in that creative writing course. Someday you will have a > Great Idea, and no matter how well you know you can implement the Great > Idea, you will need to convince others to believe, too. You will need > funding, or staffing, or equipment, and you will need to make others > understand the Great Idea, even if they do not have the technical > background to do so. You will be a sad and frustrated individual if you > cannot convince them. You get hold of a technical writer, explain it to them (they are use to translating geek to mundane). > Pack in all the math and comp sci you can, but take a real English course > or two, and not "pocket protector comp. 101", either. Dabble in eastern > philosophy, art history, or whatever catches your fancy, and see a bit of > the world outside the computer lab. Your technical skills will take you > much farther if you can understand their impact on the world. Good luck. While this is all true, most of it could be aquired in a competent High School. Petro, Christopher C. petro(a)suba.com <prefered for any non-list stuff> snow(a)smoke.suba.com

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Minor wording error in Snake Oil FAQ
by rjasonc＠pobox.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>Date: Mon, 30 Sep 96 11:05 EST >From: "Robert S. Powers" <@mcimail.com> >To: rjasonc <rjasonc(a)pobox.com> >Subject: Wording error in your email > >Minor wording error. Your paragraph: > > random session This is a temporary key that is generated specifically for > key one message. Typically, in public key cryptosystems, the > message to be sent is encrypted with a symmetric key that > was specifically generated for that message. The encrypted > version of that message, as well as the associated session Wording error here > < > key can then be encrypted with the recipient's public key. > When the recipient decrypts the message, then, the system > will actually decrypt the message it gets (which is the > ciphertext message and the symmetric key to decrypt it), > and then use the symmetric key to decrypt the ciphertext. > The result is the plaintext message. This is often done > because of the tremendous difference in the speed of > symmetric vs. asymmetric ciphers. > > >...says that BOTH the message and the secret key are encrypted >using the public key system. I'm sure it's just a wording error; >but clearly the public key system is NOT generally used to encrypt >the full message. That would take too long, as you point out; >and that's why the secret key is used at all! > >bp

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[NEWS] Crypto-relevant wire clippings
by dlv＠bwalk.dm.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Money Daily: Tuesday, September 24, 1996 IBM, Bank Alliance May Speed Acceptance of Online Banking By Lloyd Chrein If one muscle-bound company is what it will take to turn online banking into a household word, then the recently- formed Integrion Financial Network, a conglomeration of IBM and 15 heavy-hitting U.S. and Canadian banks, may have the right formula, say analysts. In many ways Integrion appears a natural fit: the meeting of a major data-processing player -- IBM -- and institutions that will potentially need a lot of online data processed -- banks. The new company, a separate entity with its own CEO and board of directors, will offer the means for consumers to connect to their banks (via the IBM Global Network, the Internet or commercial online services) and will partner with developers of the necessary online banking software. It is expected to begin operating in early 1997. "If they can use the clout of all these big banks, plus IBM, to decrease the cost of providing online banking and ultimately lower costs and improve service for consumers, then they're going to coax more consumers into online banking," says Karen Epper, an analyst with Forrester Research. "The question is whether this big ship can move quickly enough to keep up with the changes in the online world and stay in the race." As things stand now, it seems like there is a lot of ground to be made up. A recent study by the San Francisco-based Odyssey L.P. found that just a handful of American households use the 'Net for banking -- just 1% of the 14% of U.S. households with access to an online service. "Online banking is confined to a small minority of a small minority," said Nicholas Donatiello president of Odyssey. "But I think it has the potential to be bigger." Members of Integrion, however, took issue with the Odyssey report. "Those numbers don't seem right," said David Fortney, in charge of access and payment strategies for the Charlotte based NationsBank. "But we do agree that there are not a lot of people banking online. We see that as a huge opportunity. We think there is a lot of pent-up demand." A Barnett Bank spokeswoman said that 25% of the bank's current customers use the telephone for home banking, an indicator that online banking through Integrion -- which should be more convenient -- will also be a hit. "We will see an explosion in this area," she predicted. The problem with online banking as it exists now, say Integrion members, is that each bank offers different levels of service, uses different software, and has to bear the full cost of designing and managing its online system. With Integrion, they note, banks will be able to take advantage of economies of scale, ultimately offering consumers a wider choice of software programs and means of accessing their accounts than if they went it alone. "What we hope to do is speed the pace at which electronic banking services will reach the consumer," says Chuck Hieronymi, senior vice president of marketing at NationsBank. "We also hope to speed the rate at which banks will adopt online banking. We hope to attract as many banks to join as possible." The company intends to eventually allow consumers to use most of the major personal finance software, including Microsoft Money and Intuit's Quicken, as well as Internet browsers like Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Explorer and online services Prodigy, America Online and CompuServe. While Integrion hasn't formed any alliances with developers or online services so far, potential partners are warm to the concept. "We fully expect our products and technology will be a part of this," says Matt Cone, business development manager for Microsoft, who notes that there are also potential uses for Windows NT and BackOffice. To attract all the major players under one roof, Integrion needs to be big. And it is: the 15 member banks comprise over half the retail banking population in North America -- more than 60 million households. Member banks are: ABN AMRO, BANC ONE, Bank of America, Barnett Bank, Comerica, First Bank Systems, First Chicago NBD, Fleet Financial Group, KeyCorp , Mellon Bank, Michigan National Bank, NationsBank, PNC Bank, Royal Bank of Canada, and Washington Mutual, Inc. Of course, there is competition, mainly from data processing companies such as CheckFree and Visa Interactive -- IBM will perform their functions for Integrion member banks. Yet according to Epper, even the competitors are potential partners in cyberspace. "CheckFree will compete for the same bill payment system contracts as Integrion, but it will also work with Integrion to support bill payment systems," says Epper. "In the online world, companies that are competitors are also working together. That has been the paradigm for a long time." To have any effect on improving online banking's numbers, Integrion will have to stay on the cutting edge, reacting quickly to rapid changes in security, authentication and other technological advancements. Hieronymi claims that the company will be able to make quick decisions and won't be weighed down by the girth of its many members. But Epper has her doubts. "This company has been speculated about for two years and in serious discussion for the past year," she says. "At the rate at which online banking is moving, if they take that long to make decisions they are likely to lose a real advantage. As it is, they're already a little late to the party." For more Web-formation, visit: http://www.checkfree.comfor CheckFree http://www.forrester.com for Forrester Research http://www.ibm.com for IBM http://www.intuit.com for Intuit http://www.nationsbank.com for NationsBank Computerworld: September 23, 1996 Can Banks Survive the Online Onslaught? By Ralph Soucie Recently, Hugh McColl, chairman of NationsBank, admitted to The Wall Street Journal that he is scared of what technology might do to his business. That isn't something you'd expect from the architect of a $ 192 billion banking powerhouse. Clearly, though, trouble lies ahead for banks. The endgame of the recent bank merger wave looks pretty bleak. Eventually, some eight to 12 banking behemoths will blanket the country. These giants will look, act and smell the same to consumers. Absent some sort of blockbuster development, the entire industry seems headed for the same fate suffered recently by the large retailers. But that blockbuster development is inevitable, and it surely will be driven by information technology. Technology at least the leading-edge stuff that creates monster opportunities isn't most banking executives' major stock-in-trade, so they don't even know where their future competitors are going to come from. To be sure, banks are trying some new tricks as they scrounge for growth. Some, for instance, are using automated teller machines to dispense coupons and sell event tickets. Not a bad idea, but it still doesn't solve the core problem. Electronic home banking software seems a better fit, but so far, it has generated me-too products and little profit. Meanwhile, bankers' favorite retail customers cash-rich individuals with low transaction activity are a threatened species. Taking money from these customers and lending it to free-spending Baby Boomers is really the heart of retail banking nowadays. But families who inherit such liquid assets from their parents are likely to apply much of this loot to debt reduction. The problem is that consumers don't perceive high value in generic banking services, and with good reason. As surely as you're reading this, within a generation we'll be carrying our financial assets around on some form of smart card. You'll deal with your depository bank much as you interact with the bank that issues your credit card. But the irony is that all this doesn't have to be the death knell for the banking industry. Banking executives simply need to worry less about high-tech rivals and more about the value they add to customer services. Take the lowly bank statement, for example. What if a bank offered small businesses the option of receiving their bank statements in electronic form, say, as an Excel spreadsheet file? Why not provide a listing of canceled checks for the entire fiscal year? The owner could then take this disk file, along with his check register, to his accountant. The accountant would then add data such as payee name and the date the check was written. For a small business that writes 100 checks per month, this could save a few hundred dollars in fees. That's a bank service that packs a punch, yet the incremental cost to the bank of providing the service would be very small. Numerous variations are possible. For instance, nonbusiness bank customers might find it useful to flag tax-deductible payments by putting an X in a box when they write the check. The bank can then provide a year-end listing of tax deductions a great headache-buster at tax time. It doesn't take advanced technology to deliver services such as these. What it takes is customer-oriented thinking, combined with simple awareness of how technology can support a new value proposition. So, while bankers should heed Andy Grove's "paranoia is good" message, they should worry less about technology threats and more about an industry culture that's rooted in an assumption of entitlement. Money Daily: Thursday, September 19, 1996 Privacy Storm Shows the Best and Worst of the 'Net By Michael Brush The flap over a new service from Lexis-Nexis is probably misguided, but raises interesting questions about privacy and the power of online communication. An online brouhaha that broke out this week over alleged privacy breaches caused by a new Lexis-Nexis product has put both the best and worst of the 'Net community in high profile. The Dayton, Ohio-based online database company has been swamped with phone calls and faxes this week because of a flurry of e-mails and news-group postings warning readers of the allegedly dire consequences of its new product called P- TRAK. Many of the warnings falsely claim that P-TRAK provides a wide range of potentially sensitive personal information ranging from social security numbers to medical and credit histories. On the bright side, the controversy shows the huge power of the 'Net when used by public-spirited advocates to mobilize a response to a perceived danger -- in this case, a threat to privacy. On the dark side, the fact that many of the allegations in the electronic correspondence are plain wrong shows how easy it is to spread misinformation and, potentially, raise what could amount to an online lynch mob. At issue is a product launched last June which provides Nexis-Lexis clients with basic public information about anyone in a 300 million-name database. The information available is culled from credit bureau records. It is limited to your name, your maiden name or alias (if any), your current and two most recent past addresses, the month and year of your birth, and your phone number -- though not all of that information is available on every person. For nine days after the product was released last June 2, P- TRAK also included your social security number. But the SSNs were pulled on June 11 because of complaints, says Lexis- Nexis spokesman Steve Edwards. If you already know someone's social security number, though, you can search for him or her using that number. P-TRAK is meant to help attorneys track down witnesses, heirs or parents who have stopped paying child support, says Edwards. While the scope of P-TRAK is relatively limited compared to, say, credit reports, which carry news of your payment history, bankruptcies and other such sensitive material, it nonetheless sparked the ire of many 'Net users. For example, one posting that was later widely circulated this week claimed that your social security number, "mother's maiden name, birth date and other personal information are now available to anyone with a credit card." It postulated that the information could allow someone to commit credit card fraud or use your identity. The truth is somewhat tamer. The SSN and mother's maiden name are not included, for example, and the database is available only to clients like law firms and news organizations that can afford Lexis-Nexis's relatively hefty fees. Furthermore, Money Daily's spot check shows that the information available is spotty at best. A search of P-TRAK run on our behalf by the Time Inc. Research Center turned up the right addresses but no phone or birth date for this author. It got the addresses and birth year correct for Money Daily editor Kevin McKean, but had an obsolete phone number. And when confronted with relatively more common names of two other Money Online staffers -- tech director Wilson Smith and reporter Joseph "Tripp" Reynolds -- turned up dozens of people, none of whom proved to be the correct ones. Those limitations notwithstanding, the roar on the 'Net was heard at Lexis-Nexis headquarters. "We have been deluged with people calling, writing and faxing," says Edwards. "People are asking us: 'Why are you putting my medical records, my mother's maiden name, and my credit card history out there?' This has been testing the limits of our customer service." In response, Lexis-Nexis posted a statement on its home page to correct false information about the product and also a form you can use to remove your name from the list, something the company says people could have done all along by calling. By next Monday, Edwards says the firm will also have an 800 number that callers can use. People who phone the company's current 800 number are told to fax name-removal requests to 513-865-1930. The company has stopped short of posting responses in news groups or bulletin boards, though. "There are different schools of thought on that," says Edwards. "One says that you should never respond to news groups from a company standpoint because that increases the amount of flaming. But at this point, I don't know how much worse it could get." In the company's place, other news group participants have stepped in to set the record straight. "I think you owe a post to correct this error," one such correspondent scolded in a reply that pointed out several errors in the message quoted above. Ironically, the information available in P-TRAK is mild compared to what is available elsewhere in the vast Lexis- Nexis database. A related product, called P-FIND, for example, offers additional household information like the appraised value of a home in many states and the number of dependents (both of which are public information). The main Nexis database digs up information from news stories -- often from local papers -- published around the world and in several different languages. Many of those stories, of course, contain information of arrests and charges that may later prove groundless, as well as a volume of personal information about the people cited in the articles. And the legal Lexis service contains not only details from civil and criminal court cases around the nation, but also other potentially sensitive information, such as tax liens and judgments against individuals. Before you get your hackles up over invasion of privacy, though, consider that all of the above is public information -- and, of course, much of it is potentially more sensitive than your previous address. For more Web-formation, visit: Lexis-Nexis (http://www.lexis-nexis.com ) Lexis-Nexis statement ( http://www.lexis-nexis.com/lncc/p-trak/index.html) Form to remove your name from the Lexis-Nexus database (http://www.lexis-nexis.com/lncc/about/ptrak.html) Reuters: Friday, September 20, 1996 Summers: Electronic Cash Won't Affect Economy Much The advent of electronic money is not expected to have any major macroeconomic effect in the medium term, U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers said on Friday. "I do not anticipate in the near and medium term significant macro-economic effects," Summers told reporters following a speech to a conference on electronic money sponsored by the Treasury Department. Some analysts have speculated that the Federal Reserve's ability to conduct monetary policy may be undermined by the issuance of electronic money over the Internet or elsewhere. Others have suggested that the Fed and Treasury could lose profits from seigniorage -- the income earned by currency issuers because currency pays no interest to holders. Summers though played down both those concerns. He noted that much U.S. currency is held abroad and said electronic money is unlikely to substitute for that anytime soon. As for monetary policy, it already works indirectly through open market operations, he noted. "As we move from credit cards to debit cards to stored value cards, I think the Fed will continue to have the ability, by operating in the government securities market, to have a substantial influence on the level of interest rates," Summers said. He saw macroeconomic benefits to be gained from the advent of electronic money and stored value. If, like credit cards, they make it easier for consumers to purchase goods during economic downturns, then they can act as a stabilizing force on consumption. "To the extent that these technologies and the Internet make markets more competitive, they will tend to ... be a force against inflation," he added. Reuters: Wednesday, September 18, 1996 Germany to Let Only Banks Issue E-Cash By Catherine O'Mahony Bundesbank council member Franz-Christoph Zeitler on Wednesday welcomed government plans to give only banks the right to issue pre-paid cards or so-called electronic purses. Stressing the German central bank's concern about electronic money, he said banks were the safest guardians of electronic cash systems since they had to meet legally-imposed liquidity restrictions and had long experience of cashless payments. Zeitler said in a statement that electronic money innovations were fundamentally positive as a way to speed up transfers. But "it is also important that the security of payment transfers and currency stability do not get left behind," he added. Electronic purses are plastic cards with an inbuilt micro-chip which stores the electronic cash value of users' accounts and can be reloaded at special machines. The proposal to restrict such projects to banks is part of a new German banking law which is still under preparation but which is expected to be enforced in 1997. Zeitler said issuers of electronic cash had to be extremely reliable because a sudden collapse of an electronic cash system, due to forgery or technical failure, could have "significant negative" consequences for the economy. While electronic purses, also known as smart cards, are not yet available in cash-dominated Germany, tests are being run on several projects. Current projects being tested in the Munich region include a card to pay for telephone calls and local train tickets and another with broader application, which can be used for small purchases up to 50 marks ($ 33.03). Worldwide, the most prominent electronic purse project is Mondex which was developed in Britain by National Westminster Bank and is on trial in the town of Swindon. Zeitler said it was likely that Bonn would also restrict the rights to create and maintain of Internet-based electronic cash systems to the banking industry. Internet banking is slowly gaining credence in Germany. Bavaria's Bayerische Hypotheken und Wechsel Bank recently launched a securities account accessible via the Internet. ($ 1=1.5138 Mark) American Banker: Thursday, September 19, 1996 Seeking Security, Banks Turn to Internet Certification By DREW CLARK On the Internet, no one can tell if you're a dog. This line, from a New Yorker cartoon, belies a serious problem for banks and merchants setting up sites on the World Wide Web: There is no widely accepted method for authenticating the claims -- or the identity -- of those conducting business on-line. To help solve this problem, two companies have begun certifying businesses by granting them "seals of approval" on the Web. "There needs to be some way that consumers can easily recognize when a site is secure and when it is not secure," said Michael S. Karlin, president of the Security First Network Bank. "Consumers are afraid, even in an FDIC-approved banking situation, and they want the feeling that it is secure." One of the first systems to offer authentication for commercial sites on the World Wide Web is TrueSite, developed by Application Programming and Development Inc. of Camp Springs, Md. BankAmerica Corp., Mellon Bank Corp., and First Bank System Inc. are among 30 financial institutions and 2,000 businesses whose Web sites have been certified. Though the Web provides businesses with a flexible, highly visible medium for presenting their message, on-line business has its drawbacks. A Web site user can download the entire contents of a Web page, alter it, and establish a dummy site at a new location. TrueSite guards against such occurrences by letting certified banks and businesses put a blue check mark symbol on their home pages for an annual fee of $495, which has been waived for six months. Users clicking on the logo will be warned if it has been fraudulently copied. "A user won't have to ask, 'Did I get to the correct site in the first place?,'" said Mark Burnett, president of Application Programming, which has annual revenues of $2 million. "Whether consumers feel comfortable engaging in transactions on the Internet is a function of how they feel," added Jack Rogers, president of the Fairfax, Va.-based American Finance & Investment Corp. "Their perception is as important as reality." Another certification was launched in July by the National Computer Security Association in Carlisle, Pa. The association requires that certified companies protect their Web sites against Internet attacks by using data encryption, by maintaining detailed logs, and by establishing firewalls within the computers that host Web sites. "You better have some confidence that a hacker doesn't have access to checking accounts," said Kevin J. Stevens, a product manager at the for- profit association, which has annual revenues of $5 million. "If banks don't take the steps to be certified and give their market some indication that they have instituted a security program, no public relations is going to resolve only one slip-up." So far six companies have each paid upwards of $8,500 for a detailed on- site audit before getting the association's stamp of approval. Mr. Stevens declined to identify them, but said they include one of the big three auto companies. "This is a great first step. What the NCSA has done is to put the bar up," said Security First's Mr. Karlin. He anticipates that the virtual bank will be certified within two months and hopes that the association will eventually introduce a system with several passing grades. America Online Inc. and the Better Business Bureau are also getting into the certification business. In conjunction with America Online's move to the New York Stock Exchange from Nasdaq, its top officials reemphasized the features of the largest on-line service and announced 10 new criteria that merchants will be required to meet. The standards include processing orders and responding to E-mails within one day of receipt and giving on-line customers equal priority with telephone customers. "AOL members will come to know and have confidence in people who display the seal of approval," said Michael J. Minigan, the service's vice president of interactive marketing. "It is our hope that at some point, merchants doing business on the Web would want to have the AOL seal on their Web sites." Officials at the Better Business Bureau promote self-regulation and full disclosure of company complaints to fill cues missing from on-line commerce. "For $30 a month, a business can design a fabulous Web page that can lead a consumer to think they are a Fortune 500 company," said spokeswoman Holly Cheriko. "The consumer is left without the cues in the traditional marketplace like being able to visit, talk to the sales clerk, and view the quality of the marketplace. They need a trusted means to determine which businesses are reliable and what commitment they have made to the consumer." --- Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM Brighton Beach Boardwalk BBS, Forest Hills, N.Y.: +1-718-261-2013, 14.4Kbps

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Re: GPS
by P. J. Ponder 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

The National [US] Academy of Sciences has a new web spot called 'Beyond Discovery' and one of the articles posted is about the Global Positioning System. You may observe same at: http://www2.nas.edu/bsi/20fe.html Oops: I just learned the name 'John Anonymous MacDonald' gets stuck on mail that goes through a certain remailer, no matter who sends it. And I thought it was one particular idiot. Turns out, it's any number of people, plus one particular idiot. -- to unsubscribe write to majordomo(a)toad.com with the words unsubscribe cypherpunks in the body (not the subject) of the message.

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Re: The Nature of the Cypherpunks List
by Bill Stewart 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 03:11 PM 9/30/96 -0500, Travis Hassloch x231 <travis(a)evtech.com> wrote: >here here. 400 messages in less than a week, with no digest, no moderated >equivalent and no explanation for the "-ratings" list? >who has time for that? i'm interested in crypto but >i have a hard time believing any serious researcher could sift through all >the messages and still have time left to eat & breathe, much less code! ... >i am interested in any alternatives, cypherpunks readers... >other mailing lists that are serious about crypto, security, etc. >wasn't there talk at one time of a list for coders? Cypherpunks-announce(a)toad.com has one or two postings a month, mainly Bay Area cypherpunks meetings. cypherpunks-announce-request for info. You can read cypherpunks with a newsreader at nntp.hks.net ; use all your favorite newsreading tools to filter and organize it. You can get 5-10% of the volume from filtered lists from Ray Arachelian or Eric Blossom. (Ray's FCPUNX list is at either sunder(a)dorsai.org or sunder(a)brainlink.com if he's moved it. Send mail with Subject: help fcpunx There's a digested form of the list. It's free. Eric's at eb(a)comsec.com ; cypherpunks-light costs @20/year.) Coderpunks(a)toad.com is a lower-volume code-related-discussion-only list. Send mail to coderpunks-request(a)toad.com for help. # Thanks; Bill # Bill Stewart, +1-415-442-2215 stewarts(a)ix.netcom.com # <A HREF="http://idiom.com/~wcs"> # You can get PGP software outside the US at ftp.ox.ac.uk/pub/crypto

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Inflation-index bonds and private e-currency
by E. Allen Smith 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

One of the attractions of privately-produced currencies is as a hedge against inflation; this development may be a competitor to this idea. On the other hand, this setup does have an unavailability in _time_ of the money (more so than other, equal-security bonds of the same duration), which may offset its greater spendability. -Allen > BARRON'S Online - Market Surveillance for the Financial Elite > _________________________________________________________________ > Barron's > _________________________________________________________________ > CLINTON UNVEILING NEW GOVERNMENT BOND WITH INFLATION PROTECTION > __________________________________________________________________________ > Copyright &copy 1996 Nando.net > Copyright &copy 1996 The Associated Press > WASHINGTON (Sep 25, 1996 11:12 a.m. EDT) -- President Clinton, in his > latest election-year appeal to the middle class, is unveiling details > of a new type of government bond that will offer investors protection > against inflation. [...] > As the program was explained, the securities will protect the > principal against inflation, as measured by the consumer price index. > As an example, the official said, if inflation increases 3 percent in > a given year, a $1,000 bond would be adjusted upward to $1,030 at the > end of that year. > By offering this protection, interest rates on the bonds will be lower > than on regular 10-year notes that do not provide inflation > protection. [...] > The notion of tying government securities to inflation has not been > tried in the United States, but other countries have been offering > such investments for some time. > Such bonds have been available in Britain since 1981 and are also > offered in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Israel and Sweden. > Copyright &copy 1996 Nando.net

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Key signing at Miami Convention
by Michael Taht 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I am giving an internet security seminar at the "The Internet and World Wide Web" Conference at the Miami Hyatt Regency, tomorrow, tuesday, Sept 26, all day. I'll be armed with a laptop if there are folk attending that want to sign and exchange PGP keys. ________________ Michael -- Michael Taht | "You got me hummin" - B. Joel VP, Technical Stuff | "Ain't nobody's bizness" - Taj Mahal mike(a)icanect.net | "I'm from the government, http://www.icanect.net | I'm here to help" - Anon

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JAV_jiv
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

9-25-95. NYPaper: "Making the PC Come Alive. A Software Language That Puts You in the Picture." By John Markoff A new computer language known as Java is an emerging technology that many industry experts expect to be the next big thing in computing. Just as popular World Wide Web "browser" software like Netscape has transformed the Web from a scientist's research tool into a consumer medium over the last two years, many computer industry researchers and executives predict that the Java programming language will transport the Web to the next level. JAV_jiv (17 kb)

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