On Sat, 20 Jan 2001, Foobulus Baracculus wrote:
Perhaps I can offer a starting point:
First tier (works that are specifically focused on cryptographic technologies):
(1) - books on future worlds and spaces: in particular, those that explore social, moral, political, technical, ethical issues (to be science fiction), or those that merely explore worlds (to be fantasy)
I see the utility in fiction to tell us what is most likely not to happen.
(2) - books on cryptography theory and systems: from the basic theory (cryptography primitives), to the high level systems (public key infrastructure).
(3) - books on privacy, ethics and social questions: defining good and bad cryptography in the various contexts (low level technical, high level social), including politics (trade barriers).
'defining good and bad'? Not possible, there are no absolute standards by which to judge. I also think it is important that there be specific identification and discussion on issues which aren't ameniable to 'technical means'. There was a problem posed on the list in it's early years. I don't remember it exactly and I'm not motivated to search, but I'll try to do it justice. Assume for a moment that you are a peasant in some country, say N. Korea. There's no food, little work, nearly non-existant medicine, no free speech/press, no right to try at the individual level to try to change things (the hallmark of any enlightened society I suspect). The US flies a plane over and drops everyone some sort of PDA widget. Now, assume in addition your child is sick and you believe she may die. How do you use the device to save her life?
Second tier (works that are more general and not specifically focused on cryptographic technologies):
- second tier to (1) - general science fiction and fantasy exploration of future worlds involving technology or otherwise, but not primarily focused on cryptography (technical, social or ethnographical)
- second tier to (2) - general mathematics, communications and computing, such as number theory, quantum computing, dna computing, internetworking systems, identity management.
- second tier to (3) - general computing and technology issues of privacy, ethics, sociology, ethology.
What I would enjoy reading:
- books on cryptoterrorism and cryptoliberation, where a major part of the plot revolves around the use of cryptography technologies in terrorism or liberation.
Not a lot, some about viruses and such. There's not a lot of glammer in it.
- books on cryptocommunities, where a major part of the plot revolves around people that are "cryptoheads" and for which cryptography and technology is a major part of their lifestyle (people who somewhat live, breathe and eat cryptography).
Ugh. The thought of a community that is so paranoid it exist through ubiquitous crypto is a bit self-contradictory I think. Who would you trust to make the technology? How would anyone have the time to make the horde of technologies this sort of society requires? This aspect is one reason I believe that the only way that the human race can survive is to get off this mudball ASAP. To that end requires a ubiquitous technology of similar scale and scope as that required for your hypothesis. I also believe that this paranoia will eventually lead (rightly so I might add) society to break into 'families' or 'arcologies'. You want have a job so much as you'll be a member in a large family business. One of the major current issues which I strongly believe is being completely overlooked is the impact of the coming life extension/cloning technology will mean to individual lifetimes. I contend that anyone is alive in 2020 will live to be at least 150 years old. I'll further predict that within that 150 years it will be further extended. The impact on human society of this will be like nothing this species has faced before. It's at most 500 years away. The society which comes out of this will also be like nothing that has ever existed before. It will represent a true revolution in society. Anarchist, Socialist, Democratist, Crypt-anarchist, whatever 'ist is your favorite are all passe, dead as the Dodo. They just don't know it yet. Technology will support the very first truely consensual society. I do believe that 'privacy' will not exist as we understand it today. Economies based on competition (ideal or real-world) will not exist either. Economies of scale will swallow them up and spit out their bleached bones. This means that in as little as a thousand years 'business' as we see them today will cease to exist. There is an alternative, inbreeding. ____________________________________________________________________ Before a larger group can see the virtue of an idea, a smaller group must first understand it. "Stranger Suns" George Zebrowski The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage@ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------