Oh, it doesn't have to actually work. So long as the suckers believe it will work, and will fork over money for it. Because really, the government isn't going to care what the typical conspiracy-theorist paranoid is writing to his friends about.
1. Press soft clay up to the seal to get an impression.. 2. Open envelope, read, close. 3. Fire clay. Smooth it down a little carefully. 4. Melt wax, apply clay stamp.
Envelopes for the paranoid. Made of extra-thick paper, with an aluminium foil lining. Each pack comes with very, very thin stickers bearing a pack-unique printing that can be placed over the seal, making it impossible to open the envelope without tearing.
It does seem to have hit a rut, true. But we are a long way from fundamental physical limitations still. Even four terabytes can store a lot of piracy.
I'm not saying to abandon superscalar. It works, and x86 shows it can work very well. I just want to see an 'x86 successor.' Same general design, but abandoning thirty-odd years of legacy crud resulting in a slimmed-down design that can learn from mistakes made and better reflect the design of a modern system rather than try to make modern hardware look like something that would connect up to a Z80.
Because of the dubious-at-best legality of the site, more 'respectable' advertisers refuse to do business with them. They have to take what they can get.
These issues can be solved using a very simple piece of technology: The great big drive. We're up to four terabytes now, and growing rapidly. With advances in compression, a sixteen-terabyte box could easily hold enough media in diverse enough tastes to keep anyone happy for a year. The hard part will be just finding the good stuff.
He did mention Freenet. Specifically saying that it did exactly what he wants to see done, but the level of anti-tracking anti-censoring built in comes with severe performance penalties.
Editing the hosts file on Windows also tends to result in antivirus software triggering. Understandable: Very few users these days have reason to edit the hosts file, but it's a very common target for malware (Redirect banking sites to pick up passwords, or redirect ad banner servers to those operated by the malware authors) so any editing of the file will be flagged as suspicious. A few times I've had Windows itsself revert the file to default automatically, but that was under Vista - I don't know if 7 does that or not.
But the provider could trivially intercept and spoof DNS requests. Your plan needs three revisions: 1. Support DNSSEC. 2. Scratch the two-day cache, make it respect the TTL field as normal. 3. Except that in the event of no-domain or fail to receive a response to a query, return the last valid signed record regardless of TTL.
So what you end up with is a perfectly ordinary DNSSEC-complient DNS server, except that of a provider tries to block a domain this will keep on working regardless, at least until the host next changes IP.
All this assumes that Sky's block is DNS based, of course. It probably isn't. Still, a lot of low-cost filters are, so this will at least make filter operators fork over the cash for something a bit more sophisticated.
As no country wishes to trust another to run their vital satnav, we're going to end up with at least three of them up there: GPS, the EU's Galileo system and Russia's GLONASS. I wouldn't be surprised if China wants one at some point too. At least there is some redundency.
Some of the problems were pointed out: - The device access model is still stuck in the ISA age, when peripherals were just wired up to the address and data buses. That isn't how things are done now - even the PCI-e 'bus' is actually a series of high-speed serial links. This means that all device drivers have to run in kernel memory space. Stability and security problems result.
- The 16-bit 'real' addressing mode. Another relic of the past, but still can't be abandoned without breaking the boot process. Lose that, and you could lose some complexity in silicon.
- Even the 32-bit mode could arguably go. The only upside it has over 64-bit is slightly lower memory usage when there are a lot of pointers being used, and it's a real headache at the OS level maintaining two variations on every library to support both 32-bit and 64-bit programs. Lose 32-bit, and you lose a load more complexity. Also means you could lose PAE as a bonus.
- There are opcodes for handling BCD. These are just completly pointless.
The whole x86/64 architecture is a mess when you get deep enough. It suffers severely from a commitment to backwards compatibility - your shiny new i7 is still code-compatible with an 80386, you could install DOS on it quite happily. But the only way to fix this by now is a complete start-over redesign that reflects modern hardware abilities rather than trying to pretend you are still in the era of the z80. That just isn't commercially viable: It doesn't matter how super-awesome-fast your new computer is when no-one can run their software on it. Only a few companies have the engineering ability to pull it off, and they aren't going to invest tens of millions of dollars in something doomed to fail. The history of computing is littered with products that were technologically superior but commercially non-viable - just look at how we ended up with Windows 3.11 taking over the world when OS/2 was being promoted as the alternative.
The best bet might be if China decides they need to be fully independant from the 'Capitalist West' and design their own architecture. But more likely they'll just shamelessly rip off on of ARM or AMD's designs (Easy enough to steal the masks for those - half their chips are made in China anyway) and slap a new logo on it.
Ever heard of analog computers? They existed. There were a few made using tri-state logic too, and a lot of the early ones used base ten arithmatic in hardware via dekatron tubes.
I dabble in image processing algorithms. A lot of the things I write for my own use end up being a C program to do the serious number crunching, with a perl script for the interface. Perl does all the pretty work, then just calls upon the compiled executable when serious performance is required.
What you describe exists. It's called 'content-addressible memory.' It's used in a few niche applications, most most significent being ethernet switching.
Content-addressible memory is how such a low-power device is able to keep up with the stream of incoming packets, looking up the appropriate port to to use for reaching each MAC address.
MS and Apple alike are unwilling to support any filesystem they don't have a patent on, unless it's so common they have no choice. That is why we are stuck with FAT and its variations. MS have given their support to ExFAT - but as it's a propritary format and MS holds patents on it anyway, linux can't read it. Which is probably MS's intention.
At this point, I imagine a machine could be devised to read a letter without opening the envelope at all - perhaps some form of MRI machine that detected the layout of the ink. It'd cost millions to develop, but the NSA can afford it.
They probably divert letters to a list of 'suspect' addresses to a scanning facility located hidden away at major sorting offices.
I can't find any name now, but there was an incident many years ago when police in the US charged a man with possession of child pornography after an internet investigation lead to his IP address. It turned out to be a mistake on their part - when the family were eventually able to get an independent examination of their computer (Which itsself took months, as the prosecution considered it evidence and refused to permit access) it was found to be infected with a trojan that was responsible for relaying the images around the internet. It was very embarrassing for the prosecutors - but during the investigation they noticed that the accused, while in high school, had once shown a Playboy issue to a friend. So they offered him a plea: They'd drop the possession of child pornography charge if he instead confessed to the lesser charge of 'distributing pornography to a minor' and registered as a sex offender. IIRC, he eventually got off by taking his story to the media - even had the story shown on a TV program (50-50?) about overzealous prosecutors, and all charges were drops to quell public outrage.
I can't find a name now though, because all google gives me is page after page after page of false results - a mixture of people discussing 'sexting' and news stories on unrelated events.
Russia is a good example because we know they still assassinate. Alexander Litveninko. That one wasn't even a cover-up: He was poisoned with polonium, an isotope that would be impossible for all but a few governments to obtain - it has no uses in medicine and scant few in industry, and those uses require only the tiniest amount. Presumably the Russian government used a method so obviously pointing back to them in order to intimidate anyone else who might think to leave the country and leak intelligence information to another government.
Snowden is lucky the US still at least pretends to play by the rules. If he was fleeing from Russia, he'd have turned up dead in a river by now.
Slashdot Mirror
Oh, it doesn't have to actually work. So long as the suckers believe it will work, and will fork over money for it. Because really, the government isn't going to care what the typical conspiracy-theorist paranoid is writing to his friends about.
Not at all.
1. Press soft clay up to the seal to get an impression..
2. Open envelope, read, close.
3. Fire clay. Smooth it down a little carefully.
4. Melt wax, apply clay stamp.
Actually, there's a product in there.
Envelopes for the paranoid. Made of extra-thick paper, with an aluminium foil lining. Each pack comes with very, very thin stickers bearing a pack-unique printing that can be placed over the seal, making it impossible to open the envelope without tearing.
It does seem to have hit a rut, true. But we are a long way from fundamental physical limitations still. Even four terabytes can store a lot of piracy.
A massive dataset for use in research, for one. Be that purely academic research, or statistical analysis for marketing usage.
I'm not saying to abandon superscalar. It works, and x86 shows it can work very well. I just want to see an 'x86 successor.' Same general design, but abandoning thirty-odd years of legacy crud resulting in a slimmed-down design that can learn from mistakes made and better reflect the design of a modern system rather than try to make modern hardware look like something that would connect up to a Z80.
Because of the dubious-at-best legality of the site, more 'respectable' advertisers refuse to do business with them. They have to take what they can get.
These issues can be solved using a very simple piece of technology: The great big drive. We're up to four terabytes now, and growing rapidly. With advances in compression, a sixteen-terabyte box could easily hold enough media in diverse enough tastes to keep anyone happy for a year. The hard part will be just finding the good stuff.
He did mention Freenet. Specifically saying that it did exactly what he wants to see done, but the level of anti-tracking anti-censoring built in comes with severe performance penalties.
Editing the hosts file on Windows also tends to result in antivirus software triggering. Understandable: Very few users these days have reason to edit the hosts file, but it's a very common target for malware (Redirect banking sites to pick up passwords, or redirect ad banner servers to those operated by the malware authors) so any editing of the file will be flagged as suspicious. A few times I've had Windows itsself revert the file to default automatically, but that was under Vista - I don't know if 7 does that or not.
Plus it'll do a lot more to protect children than the government's porn-blocking proposal.
But the provider could trivially intercept and spoof DNS requests. Your plan needs three revisions:
1. Support DNSSEC.
2. Scratch the two-day cache, make it respect the TTL field as normal.
3. Except that in the event of no-domain or fail to receive a response to a query, return the last valid signed record regardless of TTL.
So what you end up with is a perfectly ordinary DNSSEC-complient DNS server, except that of a provider tries to block a domain this will keep on working regardless, at least until the host next changes IP.
All this assumes that Sky's block is DNS based, of course. It probably isn't. Still, a lot of low-cost filters are, so this will at least make filter operators fork over the cash for something a bit more sophisticated.
In fifty more years, which work do you think will be best-known?
As no country wishes to trust another to run their vital satnav, we're going to end up with at least three of them up there: GPS, the EU's Galileo system and Russia's GLONASS. I wouldn't be surprised if China wants one at some point too. At least there is some redundency.
Some of the problems were pointed out:
- The device access model is still stuck in the ISA age, when peripherals were just wired up to the address and data buses. That isn't how things are done now - even the PCI-e 'bus' is actually a series of high-speed serial links. This means that all device drivers have to run in kernel memory space. Stability and security problems result.
- The 16-bit 'real' addressing mode. Another relic of the past, but still can't be abandoned without breaking the boot process. Lose that, and you could lose some complexity in silicon.
- Even the 32-bit mode could arguably go. The only upside it has over 64-bit is slightly lower memory usage when there are a lot of pointers being used, and it's a real headache at the OS level maintaining two variations on every library to support both 32-bit and 64-bit programs. Lose 32-bit, and you lose a load more complexity. Also means you could lose PAE as a bonus.
- There are opcodes for handling BCD. These are just completly pointless.
The whole x86/64 architecture is a mess when you get deep enough. It suffers severely from a commitment to backwards compatibility - your shiny new i7 is still code-compatible with an 80386, you could install DOS on it quite happily. But the only way to fix this by now is a complete start-over redesign that reflects modern hardware abilities rather than trying to pretend you are still in the era of the z80. That just isn't commercially viable: It doesn't matter how super-awesome-fast your new computer is when no-one can run their software on it. Only a few companies have the engineering ability to pull it off, and they aren't going to invest tens of millions of dollars in something doomed to fail. The history of computing is littered with products that were technologically superior but commercially non-viable - just look at how we ended up with Windows 3.11 taking over the world when OS/2 was being promoted as the alternative.
The best bet might be if China decides they need to be fully independant from the 'Capitalist West' and design their own architecture. But more likely they'll just shamelessly rip off on of ARM or AMD's designs (Easy enough to steal the masks for those - half their chips are made in China anyway) and slap a new logo on it.
Ever heard of analog computers? They existed. There were a few made using tri-state logic too, and a lot of the early ones used base ten arithmatic in hardware via dekatron tubes.
I dabble in image processing algorithms. A lot of the things I write for my own use end up being a C program to do the serious number crunching, with a perl script for the interface. Perl does all the pretty work, then just calls upon the compiled executable when serious performance is required.
I considered the classic kettle, but it runs the risk of leaving some evidence of tampering.
What you describe exists. It's called 'content-addressible memory.' It's used in a few niche applications, most most significent being ethernet switching.
Content-addressible memory is how such a low-power device is able to keep up with the stream of incoming packets, looking up the appropriate port to to use for reaching each MAC address.
Macs have NTFS read support, but not write.
MS and Apple alike are unwilling to support any filesystem they don't have a patent on, unless it's so common they have no choice. That is why we are stuck with FAT and its variations. MS have given their support to ExFAT - but as it's a propritary format and MS holds patents on it anyway, linux can't read it. Which is probably MS's intention.
At this point, I imagine a machine could be devised to read a letter without opening the envelope at all - perhaps some form of MRI machine that detected the layout of the ink. It'd cost millions to develop, but the NSA can afford it.
They probably divert letters to a list of 'suspect' addresses to a scanning facility located hidden away at major sorting offices.
Can happen, has happened.
I can't find any name now, but there was an incident many years ago when police in the US charged a man with possession of child pornography after an internet investigation lead to his IP address. It turned out to be a mistake on their part - when the family were eventually able to get an independent examination of their computer (Which itsself took months, as the prosecution considered it evidence and refused to permit access) it was found to be infected with a trojan that was responsible for relaying the images around the internet. It was very embarrassing for the prosecutors - but during the investigation they noticed that the accused, while in high school, had once shown a Playboy issue to a friend. So they offered him a plea: They'd drop the possession of child pornography charge if he instead confessed to the lesser charge of 'distributing pornography to a minor' and registered as a sex offender. IIRC, he eventually got off by taking his story to the media - even had the story shown on a TV program (50-50?) about overzealous prosecutors, and all charges were drops to quell public outrage.
I can't find a name now though, because all google gives me is page after page after page of false results - a mixture of people discussing 'sexting' and news stories on unrelated events.
One of the possible ways to kill and get away with it. The killing part isn't too hard - the getting away without starting a war is.
Russia is a good example because we know they still assassinate. Alexander Litveninko. That one wasn't even a cover-up: He was poisoned with polonium, an isotope that would be impossible for all but a few governments to obtain - it has no uses in medicine and scant few in industry, and those uses require only the tiniest amount. Presumably the Russian government used a method so obviously pointing back to them in order to intimidate anyone else who might think to leave the country and leak intelligence information to another government.
Snowden is lucky the US still at least pretends to play by the rules. If he was fleeing from Russia, he'd have turned up dead in a river by now.