Two Reviews: TV Spy Shows and "A Beautiful Mind"

[mattd]

 >>A recent episode used "anonymous remailers" as a plot device, with spies
using them to communicate.<<

Memo to jya.Couple of years to APster,tops.

 >>This show has been remarkably prescient (though not to folks like us)
about public events. Episodes already in the can before 911 dealt with
the Al Quaida terrorists, anthrax, and suitcase nukes. Some were deemed
so close to real world events that they were delayed, sometimes more
than once.<<

Tims delay on commenting on the FBI anthrax investigation freeze; Senility 
or treachery or BOTH!?

 >> The only exciting scenes
were of a woman killing someone on a jet and then rigging explosives to
detonate the escape door (she had a chute).<<

Sandline,the UK mercenary outfit have a couple of Boeings,presumably for 
sale/hire.Mundane reality.Anarcho-capitalist army of the future?

 >> Less related to spy themes, "UC: Undercover." A good series about an FBI
undercover infiltration team.<<

They spy on the Soprano's pretty good.Directly related to spy themes anyone 
with a normal mind on this list might notice,Tims slipping.

 >>Now, on to "A Beautiful Mind." I'll try to forget Bob Hettinga's
gratuitous, but oh-so-typical, negative comparison of me to the John
Nash character.<<

Nash had some nasty *nazi* strands.Not like our Timmy.Oh no,never.Stop it!

 >>There are several themes in this movie of interest to (some) Cypherpunks
list subscribers: 1. Nash's role in game theory. Especially the theory of 
Nash equilibria,
which relates closely to Schelling points, which relates closely to
notions of where "rights" come from.<<

That relates to Tims fascination with technical sounding 
obscurantist,dehumanizing jargon.Tim has a right to enjoy scientologist 
style crap.

 >>2. Codes and code-breaking. This is somewhat fanciful, for reasons which
become clear a bit later in the movie. <<

Language as communication not code is something Tim disapproves of.

 >>3. Paranoia and schizophrenia. Nash would have done well on the
Cypherpunks list, had it existed back in the 1950s.<<

Not Tims list.See archive for Pope Tim's excommunication of jim bell,early 
96.plus many more recent papal Bulls.

 >>(edit)...However, anybody who doesn't know the basics of
game theory--payoff matrices, games of chicken, prisoner's dilemma,
etc.--is not likely to understand the "who gets the blonde" very brief
scene. Too bad, as the game theory part is what was most interesting to
me.<<

You lost a game of chicken with me last week and dont seem understand 
prisoners dilemma,also you keep going on about digital swiss banks.Are you 
nuts?

 >>(* Nash Equilibria. Imagine India and Pakistan both competing for the
ultimate prize, Kashmir. Nash showed that the "best is the enemy of the
good" by showing that a good-enough equilibrium exists when, say, both
nations accept less than their first choice. The movie portrays this as
a bunch of guys competing for a gorgeous blonde, but winning by
accepting the lesser women around the blonde. As with many things in
game theory, it works better in theory in practice.<<

Anarcho-capitalism anyone?

  >>In practice,
_someone_ competes for the blonde and gets her, something the abstract
model skips. But the notion of Nash equilibria is important because it
leads directly to Schelling points, an extension of the idea. The
borders between India and Pakistan are largely a series of Nash
equilibrium points. Borders are "arrived at without explicit
negotiation" for information-theoretic reasons.)<<

I think we might be safer in jim bells anarchy.

 >>The film is worth seeing for several reasons. Russell Crowe does a fine
acting job.<<

You might enjoy "The sum of us" then Timmy.

 >> The theme is interesting. Members of this list will likely
find several points of resonance, though nothing explicity about
politics in the film.<<

Not much politics on this list since we found that "yes,we have no 
libertarians."

 >>I'm concerned, though, about elevating John Nash to superhero cult
status. His "great idea" was interesting (more than anything I have
done, of course),<<

False modesty,Tim,You are shitloads more interesting.(or were once.)

 >>but was done when he was very young and can almost be
seen as a pretty obvious extension of minimax and Von
Neumann/Morgenstern payoff matrices..<<

The Hungarians are the real trailblazers,Whit Diffie should have his own 
movie.Tim still loves his jargon.

 >> We all know that people don't
compete mindlessly for the "best," that they routinely accept
second-best. This is part of the cost-benefit calculus of life. Nash did
more than just hand-wave about this, of course...his sets of curves have
mathematical rigor. So he deserves a role in the pantheon of game
theorists, but we shouldn't let his nuttiness give him more credit than
he would be due if he had just evolved into a Rand Corp. talking head as
so many of them did.<<

Admiring johns curves,carefull Tim,you'll out yourself.Shouldn't let your 
fascist nuttiness give you more credit than as a Cypherpunk windsock.Any 
thoughts on the stupidity of peter Trei? RSA for hiring him? Say something 
definite for once.

 >>A fellow nutcase in Princeton (*) during the same period was Kurt Godel
(umlaut over the single "o"). His achievement was the greater one, and
he remained a member of the IAS until his death.  His story would be
just as interesting, though maybe not as sympathetic as Nash's.<<

Whats his diagnosis oh Shrinkus Maximus?

 >>All in all, recommended. I thought the film started briskly but then
slowed to a crawl in the third reel. It picked up again in the final
reel.<<

Probably how the cypherpunk movie will go.Who to play you Tim? Ronnie Cox 
or ned beatty? Thanks for the free reviews

 >>--Tim May
"The State is the great fiction by which everyone seeks to live at the
expense of everyone else." --Frederic Bastiat<<

Moving to Montana soon?