December 2019 - cypherpunks - lists.cpunks.org

Libgen Sci-Hub: Got any terabytes?
by grarpamp 04 Dec '19

04 Dec '19

> https://old.reddit.com/r/seedboxes/comments/e129yi/charitable_seeding_for_n… > https://old.reddit.com/r/libgen/ > https://old.reddit.com/r/scihub/ > https://the-eye.eu/ > https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/pa7jxb/archivists-are-trying-to-make-sur… > https://torrentfreak.com/sci-hub-libgen-blocked-by-austrian-isps-following-… https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21692222 https://old.reddit.com/r/datahoarder/ https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/e0sb8b/theeyeeu_we_now_host_t… Lots of data archive and distribution tools mentioned in above threads. New AMD systems, entire lineup, now flying off the shelves... https://wccftech.com/amd-ryzen-9-3950x-entire-inventory-outsold-japan-world… https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21679470 https://old.reddit.com/r/amd/

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Co-op Guerrilla Meshnets
by grarpamp 04 Dec '19

04 Dec '19

https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/the-one-traffic-light-t… Not an example of distributed DIY co-op, but a story anyway... McKee, an Appalachian town of about twelve hundred tucked into the Pigeon Roost Creek valley, is the seat of Jackson County, one of the poorest counties in the country. There’s a sit-down restaurant, Opal’s, that serves the weekday breakfast-and-lunch crowd, one traffic light, a library, a few health clinics, eight churches, a Dairy Queen, a pair of dollar stores, and some of the fastest Internet in the United States. Subscribers to Peoples Rural Telephone Cooperative (P.R.T.C.), which covers all of Jackson County and the adjacent Owsley County, can get speeds of up to one gigabit per second, and the coöperative is planning to upgrade the system to ten gigabits. (By contrast, where I live, in the mountains above Lake Champlain, we are lucky to get three megabytes.) For nearly fifteen million Americans living in sparsely populated communities, there is no broadband Internet service at all. Fibre-optic cables strung above a home in Jackson County, Kentucky, one of the poorest counties in the country. High-speed broadband has been used to bring Internet-based jobs to the region. Before Shani Hays began providing tech support for Apple from her home, in McKee, Kentucky, she worked at a prison as a corrections officer assigned to male sex offenders, making nine dollars an hour. After less than a year, she switched to working nights on an assembly line at a car-parts factory, where she felt safer. More recently, Hays, who is fifty-four, was an aide at a nursing home, putting in a full workweek in a single weekend and driving eighty-five miles to get there. Then her son-in-law, who was married to Hays’s oldest daughter, got addicted to crystal meth and became physically abusive. Hays’s daughter started using, too. The son-in-law went to jail. Their kids were placed in foster care. Then Hays’s stepmother got cancer. “There was a lot going on,” Hays told me. “I was just trying to keep it all together.” She began working from home last summer, which has allowed her to gain custody of her three grandchildren. (Her daughter has since completed treatment for her addiction.) During Hays’s half-hour lunch break, she makes supper. “I wouldn’t be able to do this without the Internet we have here,” she said.

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Facialized: US will Follow UN CN by Adopting Facials for SIM Cards and Internet
by grarpamp 04 Dec '19

04 Dec '19

https://www.technologyreview.com/f/614781/all-new-cellphone-users-in-china-… https://www.ft.com/content/c3555a3c-0d3e-11ea-b2d6-9bf4d1957a67 Your demands, coming to you since 1984... A report from MIT Technology Review: Customers in China who buy SIM cards or register new mobile-phone services must have their faces scanned under a new law that came into effect yesterday. China's government says the new rule, which was passed into law back in September, will "protect the legitimate rights and interest of citizens in cyberspace." It can be seen as part of an ongoing push by China's government to make sure that people use services on the internet under their real names, thus helping to reduce fraud and boost cybersecurity. On the other hand, it also looks like part of a drive to make sure every member of the population can be surveilled. The Financial Times reported yesterday that tech companies in China are helping to create influential United Nations standards for the facial recognition technology, which will help shape rules on how facial recognition is used around the world.

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Re: [2600-AU] Apple cannot be trusted - violation of Australian federal Data Protection/Electronic Crime Law
by Zenaan Harkness 04 Dec '19

04 Dec '19

Thank you for taking the time to write this up, appreciated. Also, to all Crapple users, "You get what you firetrucking deserve." As one might say, "dance with the devil, suffer the devil". Everyone who supports, promotes, or otherwise tacitly consents to, proprietary walled gardens such as Apple, Google, Microsoft etc, are contributing to the evident and abundant compromise of our basic human rights. The Purism Librem 5 phone is slowly rolling out, and is the only phone (or computer of any mainstream sort) today, which is designed from the ground up to separate the (proprietary, closed) baseband cpu from the user's primary cpu and RAM etc.: https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/ Create your world, On Wed, Dec 04, 2019 at 11:03:02AM +1100, admin(a)reviews.wox.org wrote: > Here is something you probably wont see in the news. > > Considering it just happened to someone close to me who is now borderline > suicidal as a result (pity lawyers are expensive..) thus as an emotive topic > it may colour my opinions here. > TLDR; Do not use any Apple device for anything important with respect to > photos or videos. They care nothing for your data integrity and will not > hesitate to delete it to punish you. > > Under certain conditions (typically if you remove and bank or credit card > payment details from your apple account because common sense) if you use Apple > products connected to their icloud service - Apple can and will randomly > delete photos and videos from your device and cloud storage. Considering > this violates Australian law with regard to unauthorised > insertion/deletion/modification of data, they probably shouldn't be doing > this. > > Here are the conditions that led to it in this case - > > 1. Device running low on storage (~ 1000 family photos and > short videos going back years including the now deceased > - sounds like a lot but most videos were under 4 seconds > except 2 or 3) > 2. Enabled icloud to move them to cloud. > 3. Cloud advises you may need more storage, demands payment > details. > 4. Payment details added > 5. cloud sync throws an error and appears to fail. > 6. end of month rolls around few weeks later, cloud still > not working but we discover Apple bills them anyway, > user rage ensues > 7. User annoyed that cloud backup didn't work, and getting > charged for this crap removes payment details, and > cancels the unused additional storage > 8. Cloud gives some unintelligible error and warning about > removing payment detail (give us payment details or else > basically) > 9. end of next month rolls around > 10. suddenly all the items that failed to be moved to cloud > (which incidentally were still in the device, and had > failed to sync leading to cancellation) start randomly > deleting themselves, as daughter of owner is watching in > horror, she was literally looking in an album she > created, and the photos started disappearing as she > watched. This was after a day with no wifi - so getting > back online triggered this. > 11. Frantically checks recently deleted items folder, and > logs into icloud website to check as well. No sign of > any of them anywhere, no explanation. Just gone. > 12. nothing in icloud but a handful of entirely random > images (~300) and videos (~60) maybe 2 gb tops. Over > 900 videos and 1000 photos vanish into thin air. The > items kept or removed seem to have no pattern and > nothing in common, ranging from old to new stuff. > > You can imagine the devastating effect this had on the morale of the ipad > users. > > > As a computer repairer I have also seen another scenario - > If you are stupid enough to enable a pin security lock screen on your Apple > device, but you don't use icloud at all, especially if your device was setup > prior to icloud - and for whatever reason (accidental pocket button pressing, > child playing with screen etc) your pin is entered several times incorrectly > you will be double screwed. > > 1. The apple device will lock itself from having the pin > entered again (often for absurd timeouts like a year or > more, or forever) - this can apparently also cause the > device to "burn/delete its data" under the assumption > the device has been stolen. There is no way to recover > the data in this scenario even if the device has an old > enough IOS the memory hasn't been "burned" (in addition > not upgrading the IOS will also punish you in several > other ways I wont go into) needless to say the data is > now gone. > 2. As an additional F-U if you don't remember the login > details of the original itunes account used when the > device was originally purchased (a very common scenario > where people only used it as an actual phone, and > sometimes a camera - like normal people would), OR if > the account is so old is has been disabled(frequently > happens if you didn't add payment details to itunes, and > had no internet or net was disabled for a year or more), > or none of the recovery info is current any more for > whatever reason (phone numbers change, and ISPs care > nothing for your old email addresses) - it will also not > be possible to ever use the device again either, it will > again revert to the assumption the device is stolen, and > demand you connect it to an "authorised" pc running > itunes, even if it has never been plugged into a PC. > Even then if you attempt a last resort "DFU" mode > recovery it will fail, as you will be unable to progress > past the "log into original icloud/itunes account to > proceed" screen once you factory restore it. > Sometimes if you had a really old IOS it will let you > in, but any recent (~2 years) IOS will for all practical > purposes brick you at the login screen. > > <begin ranty venting> > Basically I feel only an idiot, terrorist, kiddie porn scumbag or an Apple > fanboi who needs to hide their sick shit (at this point all the same thing > IMO) should use an Apple device anymore. > </end ranty venting> > > > -- > New and improved 2600... well.. > ..we drew on some flames and > polished it a bit.. > -- > Google - making sure, life is no more, than 1984... > -- > > -- > -- > ------------------------------------------------------------ > You received this message because you are subscribed to the "2600 Australia" group. > To post, send email to: 2600-australia(a)googlegroups.com > To subscribe, send email to: 2600-australia+subscribe(a)googlegroups.com > For 2600 monthly meetings, visit http://www.2600.org.au > For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/2600-australia > To unsubscribe, send email to: 2600-australia+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com > Disclaimer: Comments to this mailing list are owned by the poster > ------------------------------------------------------------ > > --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "2600 Australia" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to 2600-australia+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/2600-australia/c68781d5-3f21-660e-bd53-56….

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Re: Amazon Braket – Get Started with Quantum Computing
by Ryan Carboni 04 Dec '19

04 Dec '19

>But surely no overlap between NSA and CIA staff - the NSA are clean >skins and would have nothing to do with the CIA's orphanages for >blackmail program. What is everyone's reactions to all this? "Wow, this disinformation campaign is really detailed, they control our orphanages, they control Epstein's staff (most of them have nothing good to say about him), his house, his finances, any sex slaves in any basements of his, they control the finances of other people with their above market rate contracts..." Moral preening is no substitute for good governance. Anyway, for producing thousands of hours of videos, it doesn't have a dollar value. Hollywood movies are expensive because of scarcity over quality. What can one expect, these are the same people who couldn't predict Soviet collapse from worsening shortages. I think people familiar with an industrial economy would be capable of understanding tooling times, some things have a labor cost, and the absence of such a large number of skilled artisans would be observable. Epstein's egg shaped penis is a poorly kept secret. Dershowitz: "If a person like me can be accused, how can any decent man protect themselves?" There seems to be some confusion about orgies and restricting decisionmaking to orgy networks, and child molestation and people ordering child molesters to make decisions over the economy and society in exchange for slaves. Saying it isn't possible doesn't make it so. Pedophile is not code for orgy participant, so people should stop acting like it.

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Cryptocurrency: SEC Reconsidering ETF Rules, Open For Your Comments
by grarpamp 03 Dec '19

03 Dec '19

https://www.coindesk.com/the-sec-is-reviewing-the-bitwise-bitcoin-etf-rejec… For those seeking to trojan distributed cryptocurrencies into the traditional markets structures, and as Grayscale and others have many offerings, and as other countries have ETFs and other vehicles, and other reasons and articulable support... links to comment instructions in article above. The SEC Is Reviewing the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF Rejection Nov 18, 2019 The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is taking a second look at the rejection of a recent bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) proposal. Overturning the rejection would clear the way for potentially the first bitcoin ETF in the U.S., following years of anticipation of a mainstream-ready investment product. According to a notice published in the Federal Register over the weekend and dated Nov. 18, the SEC’s five commissioners will review the bitcoin ETF put forth by Bitwise Asset Management. Bitwise did not request the review, said Matt Hougan, the company’s global head of research. “We do, however, welcome the opportunity to submit comments and continue the dialogue with the SEC,” he said in an email. The rejection was written by the agency’s Division of Trading and Markets on Oct. 9. The Nov. 18 notice actually references a letter from the SEC’s commissioners dated Oct. 15. It is not clear what triggered the SEC’s review. Under current federal law, the commissioners can grant a review at their discretion, or following the filing of a petition. The order rejecting the proposal will remain in effect until the review has concluded, the notice said, with the commissioners either upholding the staff rejection or overturning it. As part of the review, the general public can comment on the rejection through Dec. 18, 2019. Groundhog day Unlike the SEC’s formal approval or disapproval process, there are no set deadlines for the review of a decision. The Commission has previously reviewed the rejection of a bitcoin ETF proposal filed by the family office of Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, ultimately upholding the decision after more than a year. It is possible that an SEC commissioner may have called for the Bitwise review. Famously, Commissioner Hester Peirce – dubbed “Crypto Mom” by the community – announced the review of nine rejected bitcoin ETF applications in 2018. Peirce also dissented from the SEC’s second rejection of the Winklevoss ETF. The ETF applications, filed in late 2017 and early 2018 by GraniteShares, ProShares and Direxion, were rejected in August 2018, with Peirce announcing their review the next day. However, it remains unclear what the status of this review is, or whether any of these decisions will be overturned. Neither Peirce nor an SEC spokesperson immediately responded to emailed requests for comment. ProShares declined to comment, and a request for comment to Direxion was not returned by press time. GraniteShares CEO Will Rhind told CoinDesk in a phone call that nothing had come of the SEC’s review so far, and he did not expect this to change in the near future. “I think [SEC Chairman Jay Clayton] has spoken publicly about the ETF applications and … he’s made it clear at least from the top that the market has to mature a little bit before there’ll be an approval,” he said.

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Sasha writes...
by grarpamp 03 Dec '19

03 Dec '19

http://www.lucifer.com/~sasha/org.html http://www.lucifer.com/~sasha/lists.txt

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Amazon Braket – Get Started with Quantum Computing
by coderman 03 Dec '19

03 Dec '19

https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/amazon-braket-get-started-with-quantum-com… Amazon Braket – Get Started with Quantum Computing by [Jeff Barr](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/author/jbarr/) | on 02 DEC 2019 Nearly a decade ago I wrote about the [Quantum Compute Cloud](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/introducing-qc2-the-quantum-compute… on April Fool’s Day. The future has arrived and you now have the opportunity to write quantum algorithms and to run them on actual quantum computers. Here’s what we are announcing today: [Amazon Braket](https://aws.amazon.com/braket) – A fully managed service that allows scientists, researchers, and developers to begin experimenting with computers from multiple quantum hardware providers in a single place. [Bra-ket notation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bra%E2%80%93ket_notation) is commonly used to denote quantum mechanical states, and inspired the name of the service. AWS Center for Quantum Computing – A research center adjacent to the [California Institute of Technology](https://www.caltech.edu/) (Caltech) that will bring together the world’s leading quantum computing researchers and engineers in order to accelerate development of quantum computing hardware and software. Amazon Quantum Solutions Lab – [A new program](https://aws.amazon.com/quantum-solutions-lab/) to connect AWS customers with quantum computing experts from Amazon and a very select set of consulting partners. What’s Quantum Computing Ordinary (classical) computers use collections of bits to represent their state. Each bit is definitively 0 or 1, and the number of possible states is 2n if you have n bits. 1 bit can be in either of 2 states, 2 bits can be in any one of 4 states, and so forth. A computer with 1 MiB of memory has 2(8*1048576) states, excluding CPU registers and external storage. This is a large number, but it is finite, and can be calculated. Quantum computers use a more sophisticated data representation known as a [qubit](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qubit) or quantum bit. Each qubit can exist in state 1 or 0, but also in superpositions of 1 and 0, meaning that the qubit simultaneously occupies both states. Such states can be specified by a two-dimensional vector that contains a pair of complex numbers, making for an infinite number of states. Each of the complex numbers is a probability amplitude, basically the odds that the qubit is a 0 or a 1, respectively. A classical computer can be in just one of those 2n states at a given time, but a quantum computer can occupy all of them in parallel. If you have been in IT for any length of time, you know that [Moore’s Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_law) has brought us to the point where it possible to manufacture memory chips that store 2 tebibytes (as I write this) on a thumb drive. The physical and chemical processes that make this possible are amazing, and well worth studying. Unfortunately, these processes do not apply directly to the manufacture of devices that contain qubits; as I write this, the largest quantum computers contain about 50 qubits. These computers are built on several different technologies, but seem to have two attributes in common: they are scarce, and they must be run in carefully controlled physical environments. How it Works Quantum computers work by manipulating the amplitudes of the state vector. To program a quantum computer, you figure out how many qubits you need, wire them together into a quantum circuit, and run the circuit. When you build the circuit, you set it up so that the correct answer is the most probable one, and all the rest are highly improbable. Whereas classical computers use Boolean logic and are built using NOT, OR, and AND gates, quantum computers use superposition and interference, and are built using [quantum logic gates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_logic_gate) with new and exotic names (X, Y, Z, CNOT, Hadamard, Toffoli, and so forth). This is a very young field: the model was first proposed in the early 1980s, followed shortly by the realization that a quantum computer could perform simulations of quantum mechanical systems that are impossible on a classical computer. Quantum computers have applications to machine learning, linear algebra, chemistry, cryptography, simulations of physics, search, and optimization. For example, [Shor’s Algorithm](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shor%27s_algorithm) shows how to efficiently factor integers of any size ([this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvTqbM5Dq4Q&t=160s) has a really good explanation). Looking Ahead Today’s implementations of public key cryptography are secure because factoring large integers is computationally intensive. Depending on key length, the time to factor (and therefore break) keys ranges from months to forever (more than the [projected lifetime of our universe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_fate_of_the_universe)) However, when a quantum computer with enough qubits is available, factoring large integers will become instant and trivial. Defining “enough” turns out to be far beyond what I can cover (or fully understand) in this blog post, and brings in to play the difference between logical and physical qubits, noise rates, error correction, and more! You need to keep this in mind when thinking about medium-term encryption and data protection, and you need to know about [post-quantum cryptography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-quantum_cryptography). Today, [s2n](https://github.com/awslabs/s2n) (our implementation of the TLS/SSL protocols) already includes two different key exchange mechanisms that are quantum-resistant. Given that it takes about a decade for a new encryption protocol to become widely available and safe to use, it is not too soon to look ahead to a time when large-scale quantum computers are available. Quantum computing is definitely not mainstream today, but that time is coming. It is a very powerful tool that can solve certain types of problems that are difficult or impossible to solve classically. I suspect that within 40 or 50 years, many applications will be powered in part using services that run on quantum computers. As such, it is best to think of them like a GPU or a math [coprocessor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_8087). They will not be used in isolation, but will be an important part of a hybrid classical/quantum solution. Here We Are Our goal is to make sure you know enough about quantum computing to start looking for some appropriate use cases and conducting some tests and experiments. We want to build a solid foundation that is firmly rooted in reality, and to work with you to move into a quantum-powered future. Ok, with that as an explanation, let’s get into it! Amazon Braket This new service is designed to let you get some hands-on experience with qubits and quantum circuits. You can build and test your circuits in a simulated environment and then run them on an actual quantum computer. [Amazon Braket](https://aws.amazon.com/braket) is a fully managed AWS service, with security & encryption baked in at each level. You can access [Amazon Braket](https://aws.amazon.com/braket) through a notebook-style interface: The Python code makes use of the Amazon Braket SDK. You can create a quantum circuit with a single line of code (this is, according to my colleagues, a “maximally entangled Bell state between qubit 0 and qubit 1”): bell = Circuit ( ) . h ( 0 ) . cnot ( 0 , 1 ) And run it with another: print ( device . run ( bell , s3_folder ) . result ( ) . measurement_counts ( ) ) In addition to the classically-powered simulation environment, [Amazon Braket](https://aws.amazon.com/braket) provides access to quantum computers from [D-Wave](https://www.dwavesys.com/), [IonQ](https://ionq.com/), and [Rigetti](https://www.rigetti.com/). These devices have a couple of things in common: they are leading-edge tech, they are expensive to build and run, and they generally operate in a very extreme and specialized environment (supercooled or near-vacuum) that must be kept free of electrical, thermal, and magnetic noise. Taken together, I think it is safe to say that most organizations will never own a quantum computer, and will find the cloud-based on-demand model a better fit. It may well be the case that production-scale quantum computers are the first cloud-only technology. The actual quantum computers are works of art, and I am happy to be able to share some cool pictures. Here’s the D-Wave [2000Q](https://www.dwavesys.com/d-wave-two-system): The Rigetti [16Q Aspen-4](https://www.rigetti.com/qpu): And the [IonQ linear ion trap](https://ionq.com/technology): AWS Center for Quantum Computing As I noted earlier, quantum computing is still a very young field; there’s a lot that we don’t know, and plenty of room for scientific and technological breakthroughs. I am pleased to announce that we are forming the AWS Center for Quantum Computing. Located adjacent to the Caltech campus, our goal is to bring the world’s top talent together in order to accelerate development. We will be researching technology that might one day enable quantum computers to be mass-produced, while also working to identify applications that are best solved on quantum computers. Both of these are long-term challenges, and I look forward to watching the progress over the next decade or two. Amazon Quantum Solutions Lab We understand that this is a new and intriguing technology, and we know that you want to learn, build your skills, and make some plans to put quantum computing to use. The [Amazon Quantum Solutions Lab](https://aws.amazon.com/quantum-solutions-lab/) will allow you to tap into our own expertise and that of our consulting partners. Our goal is to work with you to find those practical uses, and to help you to build up your own “bench” of qualified quantum developers. You will also be able to take advantage of research and collaboration opportunities at the [Quantum Solutions Lab](https://aws.amazon.com/quantum-solutions-lab/). Quantum Computing Resources Here are some of the reference materials that you might find useful. Some of this will make your head spin, but if I can understand even a little bit of it, then so can you: [The Quantum Computing Party Hasn’t Even Started Yet](https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-quantum-computin… – A very gentle overview of the field. [Wikipedia – Quantum Computing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_computing) – A good summary, with lots of links and diagrams. [How Quantum Computers Break Encryption | Shor’s Algorithm Explained](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvTqbM5Dq4Q&t=160s) – Helpful video. Skip ahead to [8:03](https://youtu.be/lvTqbM5Dq4Q?t=483) if you want the TL;DR. [Quantum Computation and Quantum Information](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_Computation_and_Quantum_… – The definitive (so they say) textbook on the subject. [Quantum Computing for the Determined](http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/quantum-computing-for-the-determ… – A series of 22 short explanatory videos, starting with [The Qubit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2q1PuI2RFI). [Quantum Computing for the Very Curious](https://quantum.country/qcvc) – A long-form article by the author of the preceding videos. [Quantum Computing Expert Explains One Concept in 5 Levels of Difficulty](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWJCfOvochA) – Like the title says, quantum computing explained to 5 different people. [Quantum Supremacy Using a Programmable Supercomputing Processor](https://ai.googleblog.com/2019/10/quantum-supremacy-using-progra… – An important result, and a major milestone that shows how a quantum computer can outperform a classical one for a particular type of problem. Be sure to read Scott Aaronson’s [Supreme Quantum Supremacy FAQ](https://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=4317) as well. [This is What a 50-qubit Quantum Computer Looks Like](https://www.engadget.com/2018/01/09/this-is-what-a-50-qubit-quantum-c… – A stunning photo-essay of IBM’s 50-qubit computer. [Shtetl-Optimized](https://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/) – Professor [Scott Aaronson](https://www.scottaaronson.com/) has been [researching](https://www.scottaaronson.com/papers/), [writing](https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Computing-since-Democritus-Aaronson…, and [blogging](https://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/) about quantum computing for a very long time. — [Jeff](https://twitter.com/jeffbarr);

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Virgil Griffith - Crypto Advocate and Educator Arrested at LAX from DPRK
by grarpamp 03 Dec '19

03 Dec '19

https://virgil.gr/ https://twitter.com/virgilgr #FreeVirgil Adopt Distributed Privacy Cryptocurrencies https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/manhattan-us-attorney-announces-arrest… https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/press-release/file/1222646/download https://twitter.com/SDNYnews/status/1200478952520859648 10:17 AM - 29 Nov 2019 USA Berman: As alleged, Virgil Griffith provided highly technical information to North Korea, knowing that this information could be used to help North Korea launder money and evade sanctions. "GRIFFITH was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport yesterday and will be presented in federal court in Los Angeles later today. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman stated: "As alleged, Virgil Griffith provided highly technical information to North Korea, knowing that this information could be used to help North Korea launder money and evade sanctions. In allegedly doing so, Griffith jeopardized the sanctions that both Congress and the president have enacted to place maximum pressure on North Korea's dangerous regime." Assistant Attorney General John Demers said: "Despite receiving warnings not to go, Griffith allegedly traveled to one of the United States' foremost adversaries, North Korea, where he taught his audience how to use blockchain technology to evade sanctions. By this complaint, we begin the process of seeking justice for such conduct."

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tor stinks, take #476052
by Punk-Stasi 2.0 03 Dec '19

03 Dec '19

source : surveillance valley "Within a year, the agency increased Tor’s contract to a quarter million dollars and then bumped it up again to almost a million just a few years later. The relationship also led to major contracts with other federal agencies, boosting Tor’s meager operating budget to several million dollars a year. Dingledine should have been celebrating, but something nagged at his conscience. Immediately after signing the contract, he emailed Ken Berman, his contact at the BBG, to tell him he was worried about the optics of the deal. Dingledine wanted to do everything he could to maintain Tor’s independent image, but as head of a tax-exempt nonprofit that received funding from the federal government, he was required by law to publicly disclose his funding sources and publish financial audits. He knew that whether he liked it or not, Tor’s relationship with the federal government would come out sooner or later. “We also need to think about a strategy for how to spin this move in terms of Tor’s overall direction. I would guess that we don’t want to loudly declare war on China, since this only harms our goals?” he wrote. “But we also don’t want to hide the existence of funding from [the BBG], since ‘they’re getting paid off by the feds and they didn’t tell anyone’ sounds like a bad Slashdot title for a security project. Is it sufficient just to always talk about Iran, or is that not subtle enough?” In college Dingledine had dreamed of using technology to create a better world. Now he was suddenly talking about whether or not they should declare war on China and Iran and worrying about being labeled a federal agent? What was going on? Berman emailed back, reassuring Dingledine that he and his agency were ready to do anything it took to protect Tor’s independent image. “Roger—we will do any spin you want to do to help preserve the independence of TOR,” he wrote. “We can’t (nor should we) hide it for the reasons you have outlined below, but we also don’t want to shout if from the rafters, either.”

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