Is Dr Fred Cohen a Loon???

[Ed Carp [khijol SysAdmin]]

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> 
> The following comment has zero crypto relevance and should not be construed
> as an attack on and/or a defense of any particular net.personality:
> 
> "Ed Carp [khijol SysAdmin]" <erc at dal1820.computek.net> writes:
> > OK, I'll do it.  Fred, sometimes your pontifications make as little sense
> > as you arrogantly signing "Dr. Fred Cohen" in your name field.
> 
> Without commenting on the quality of anyone's contributions to this mailing
> list, let me remind you that Dr. Fred Cohen received his Ph.D. after writing a
> very innovative thesis on computer viruses, a classic in his field. He has
> every right to call himself "Dr." if he wants to.
> 
> In my experience, people who get so hysterical when a Ph.D. calls himself or
> herself Dr. are invariably Ph.D. dropouts who wasted many years of their lives
> trying and failing to attain a Ph.D. and are bitterly envious of those who have
> succeeded.

Not at all -- but it's been *my* experience that people who rely on 
titles and degrees and such have very little else to recommend them.

I am as unenvious of Mr. Cohen as I am of Bruce Schneier - and Bruce has a
lot more of my respect.  Just because someone writes a "very innovative
thesis" on viruses doesn't mean they know diddly about anything else,
especially cryptography.  Where is Fred's paper?  I've got Bruce's book on
my shelf that I can read for myself and *that's* a classic in the field. 
When "I can read Fred's paper for myself, then I can judge the merits of
his degree.  Until then, I consider him no different than any other PhD
whose gotten themselves a degree and become convinced that the doctorate
entitles them to pontificate upon any and every subject under the sun as
though they knew absolutely everything about any subject that happens to
catch their fancy. 

Just remember - PhD means 'piled higher and deeper'.
- --
Ed Carp, N7EKG    			Ed.Carp at linux.org, ecarp at netcom.com
					214/993-3935 voicemail/digital pager
					800/558-3408 SkyPager
Finger ecarp at netcom.com for PGP 2.5 public key		an88744 at anon.penet.fi

"Past the wounds of childhood, past the fallen dreams and the broken families,
through the hurt and the loss and the agony only the night ever hears, is a
waiting soul.  Patient, permanent, abundant, it opens its infinite heart and
asks only one thing of you ... 'Remember who it is you really are.'"

                    -- "Losing Your Mind", Karen Alexander and Rick Boyes

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