I have an interesting perspective on spread spectrum encryption, because one of the inventors of this interesting technology was my father. My father,George Antheil,was an avant garde composer living in Hollywood in the late 30's and early 40's. One of his best friends was Hedy Lamarr, the movie actress.One of the facts about Ms. Lamarr that many people were unaware of,was that she was also very intelligent.(She had also just been married and divorced from a Czeck arms magnate,and had spent much time listening to her ex-husbands and friends 'shop talk'.) Anyway, she and my father were very concerned about the Nazi's rise to power,and their U-boat harassment of international shipping.My father, a composer who was fascinated by machines (his composition,"Ballet Mechanique" was one of the very first uses of machines in music.) was working on a composition for several player pianos at the time...This led them to the idea of using two rolls of randomly punched tape to synchronize a receiver and transmitter in a radio controlled torpedo.Using this technology (frequency hopping) their torpedo would be able to be remotely controlled,with virtually no risk of enemy jamming or detection.And there you have it.I have the patent drawings..which were done by both of them.. Theyre simply marvelous.. Several years ago, a guy who was writing a book on the history of encryption called my half-brother to ask him about this story..Correct me if I'm wrong,but I think this was the absolutely first use of spread spectrum encryption... The patent was issued in 1940, and expired in 1957. In 1960 Sylvania, (I think) started manufacturing a radio controlled torpedo ... Hedy Lamarr is still alive and living in Florida, my father died in early 1959. Neither of them ever saw a penny from their pioneering patent. Chris Beaumont (Nutrient Cafe wholesale) - Chris Beaumont ccat@netcom.com ccat@casa.stanford.edu public key available via finger