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A little. It sounds exactly like the problems in a digital cash system. Try this page, especially the section on blind signatures and double spending.

Under a system like this, it would be possible to issue a blind-signed token to everyone who wants to vote. You provide ID and a blinded token, and the government verifies the ID and signs the token. You get it back and unblind it, and you now have a provably valid token, even though nobody but you knows what you originally sent to the gov't. Then, you take it to a polling place and vote with it. Trying to vote with the same token twice is exactly the same as trying to double-spend a digital cash token - you have a 1 in 2^k (I think) chance of it working, where k is the "security parameter" discussed by Chaum in his paper.

More from Denis Leary: http://www.maths.tcd.ie/~hades/ncfc.html

Payment methods designed for the Internet Is a good site..

Well, we have to admit that software as service revolution is inevitable. This change will really revolutionize our world. The work *has* already begun since P2P "discovery" by Napster and such. It was then intensified by the invention of Java as "universal" programming language and XML as the "universal" data format. Naturally, if we have world-wide connections, universal programming language and universal data, we'd like to unify the framework, right?

Recall in the OSI network layer we have "presentation layer". You can see that this layer has never emerge as a solid standard eventhough there were some attempts. Thus, this becomes the biggest stumbling block in the unification. However, after *the* invention, this should not be problem any longer.

But, there is another problem: Control. With software as service, the service-provider company will exercise control over your data. Basically, your data is belong to us. Eventhough the provider does respect privacy, it won't let you get away without signing ToS which is basically make you agree to for a "responsible disclosure" from it. Even worse, the company seems to take the privacy pretty lightly

Now, this has a serious implication: Government agents can pin down those service providers and possibly giving them monopoly access to ease them "keeping track of malicious citizens". Is this an indication? If so, then your privacy agreement is "useless" basically. Unless...

If we agree on universal programming language, data, and protocols and decentralized P2P connection like Freenet does. This case, our privacy will remain and we can defend it to our best. Just my 2 cents, though.

And finally, China

Actually, I doubt there's much useful in there for the modern Quake spoiled player. Perhaps the monster AI, but if you look at some screenshots it's clear that the graphic engine is not up to snuff with modern game programs.

The best thing about Marathon was the story -- The background plot and how it was revealed to you really kept the game interesting. (Has any Id game since Castle Wolfenstien ever had a plot?) If all of the game content has been GPLed, I would love to see Marthon's plot and terminal text ported to a modern Quake II/III engine.

For those who are interested: The Marathon Story site has a ton of background information on the plot and various references in the game.
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Later on this week, TCD Netsoc will be putting an MP3 of the talk on our website.

Juan Flynn Netsoc PRO.

Later on this week, TCD Netsoc will be putting an MP3 of the talk on our website.

Juan Flynn Netsoc PRO.

Indeed it was enjoyable, well done NetSoc. I'm looking forward to RMS's talk... and of course Linus whenever... ;)

For more on Irish NetSocs/CompSocs check out intersocs IRELAND.

aw, diddums.


we (netsoc) have had a no. of other good interesting speakers, Peter Molyneaux springs to mind especially.


If you want OSS figureheads we are hoping to get RMS some time in the new year (still to be confirmed).

ESR was invited over by the Trinity College Internet Society and will be delivering a talk entitled 'Freedom, Power and Software' in the Walton Theatre (Arts Block), in Trinity College Dublin (Ireland).
The talk starts at 7pm on Thursday, with reception to follow in Doyle's Pub.
And the book signing is after the talk. See this page for more details.

ESR was invited over by the Trinity College Internet Society and will be delivering a talk entitled 'Freedom, Power and Software' in the Walton Theatre (Arts Block), in Trinity College Dublin (Ireland).
The talk starts at 7pm on Thursday, with reception to follow in Doyle's Pub.
And the book signing is after the talk. See this page for more details.

He's one of the guys at Trinity College who worked on this thing. His page is here. He mentions Lego Robotics at the bottom, but he has no link to anything. Maybe something will appear there eventually.