All you have to do to get the public to understand what encryption really does, is compare it to something they understand. Like guns. (Yes, they are nothing alike, but think conceptually for a sec)
The US has long resisted any sort of gun control for many reasons (among them, that they're "part of America"), but the one I'm focusing on is that the problem isn't with the law-abiding citizens, it's the law-breakers. Why should the law-abiding citizens be limited in their armament if a mugger wouldn't be? Ask the majority of Americans, and they disfavor more gun control. Convince the American people encryption control is equivalent to gun control, and I bet you'll see a sudden change in those statistics.
Guess what? Except for a very unfortunate few (I mean this with respect) the world did not end yesterday. I'm actually half way welling up in tears right now, but I am willing to get on with my life to prove that these terror attacks did not get to me. Thank you Slashdot for leading the way. I'm seeing reports on CNN of other world markets opening down today, and that's exactly the point of these attacts: to cripple Capitalism and America. All of you who want to wage war perhaps should consider a show of resolve rather than a show of agression. And I'm an American, born & raised.
Allow me to poke some holes real quick like...
Who are you "going to war" with?
Since it's likely a terrorist organization, who are going to attack? OBL has been the FBI's PE#1 for a ton of years, you don't think they've been trying to kill him in that time?
What good has come from war? Have you ever talked with anyone who's fough in one?
Now for the reasons to just sit tight (and I'm an American who has always lived here, I just don't own a gun)
This is retaliation, I'm sure you've heard it from other posters, so i won't get into it.
Retaliation lowers us to their level.
No other country messes with (spies on) us nearly as much as we mess with (spy on) other countries. You'd be pretty pissed if some other country took out Bush and his cabinet because the election didn't come out in their favor
And then there are the conspiracy theories, which make a sick sort of sense, even if they are only coincidences; why would you possibly give your support to such efforts?
My monologue...
Certainly it is more a testament to the greatness of our nation that we are as angry and upset by this as we are purely through the rarity of such a tradgedy than anything else I can think of. Of all the civilized nations of the world (read: the ones who didn't celebrate the disaster), I would say none is as prominent as ours on the world stage. I would also say that the US security and defense is certainly the best in the world, particularly in light of the freedom we are allowed (blame this freedom if you need something to blame for the attacks) and the physical expanse and variety of the people of the US. No, I feel the best way for us to "strike back" is to show our compassion for all man, and that our love for our nation is too strong to be broken by such fear tactics. Okay, that was sappy, but you get the idea.
And about that Roosevelt quote... it made sense because Japan was bent on destroying us, not scaring us. Do you like to watch scary movies?
First off, I completely agree with the article, and am one of the biggest proponents of "beautiful software" I know, but...
Not all software needs this much care Certainly if it's for you and your friends it can have all sorts of caveats, such as you can't have more than 3 windows open, and doesn't support adding and removing something at the same time, because the audience isn't big enough to justify the time. Sort of like how a lot of college kids build their own furniture out of 2x4s and cinder blocks. Which is sort of along the lines of:
Some software is temporary Software with limited lifespan (especially those stopgap solutions) is often valued more if it is realeased sooner, so in my opinion it's acceptable for it to have rough edges. I think of it like those metal plates they put down to cover holes in the road while they lay pipes or whatever: they suck right now, but they'll be gone soon. Even for continuing projects a lot of features are faddish, in vogue while they are being designed, but by the time they get implemented, a new way is catching on. It's the pace of the industry that leads for so much corner-cutting.
The complexity of large software projects is unprecedented I've often explained software to my (non-technical) friends as similar to building a car out of watch parts. And those are only for the smallish projects I've worked on. Software is virtually always a one-of-a-kind creation, so defects don't get "ironed out" over the production span. Actually, try taking 200 (or more) professionals from any discipline and see if they can work for a year on a project and see if they can produce something cohesive. Artists? They'd be too concerned about their individuality. Prototype car engineers? Ok, but what if they had to do everything by hand? That engine sure wouldn't be so smooth now would it?
Point: Software creation is unique, in no other industry is there so little refinement of existing features, because there is such a high pace of invention. Only the Space Station seems (to me) to match software development in terms of scope, collaboration, and uniqueness; and it seems to have all the same problems as software development does.
One last thing, these are excuses, but you should mostly listen to the article.
A lot of stupid people can't remember complex things such as someone's phone number and cell number, so this would certainly make it easier for them to contact you. Of course, you can also set it up so only certain people can contact you, so can have your own intelligence test to get on your allowed list.
However, what about numbers like 911? That's certainly not standard across countries, it's not even standard everywhere in the US. And with all the IP system problems we have, why would we limit it to only 11 digits? I might want a different number for business contacts than I do for my friends to reach me at, I certainly wouldn't want business associates hearing the message I have on my answering machine now.
However, one last point, this really could bring about true convergence of communication, and might even pave the way for video phones, because presumably this connection would be more high-bandwith if it's used as an email address, I have certainly received some rather large downloads that would have taken hours over a regular phone line.
So what about the iPaq? I can't afford it, but I've heard great things about it. Will it be killed off in the name of corporate politics? Hopefully HP is smart enough to recognize a good thing when they see one, but they never really consult the engineers, do they?
Kids don't play like they used to, Lego has realized they want a story.
My personal opinion on why Lego has gone into decline this decade: Specialized Bricks. I'm 22, but I bought Lego sets up high school, and still request them as gifts. But not in the past few years. When a whole model hinges around one super-brick, it's hard to get that piece into something else that doesn't evoke the original model.
The other problem is lowered brick count. I loved the castle series, for many years I had one of every set, although I quickly stopped when they dropped the piece count by using those mountain plates so they didn't have to provide wall pieces. You really couldn't build anything more than what the set gave you, except maybe move the tower around. And that really is where creativity starts: you build a model, but decide it would be cooler with another tower, or a bigger tower, or the blacksmith shop built into the wall. I haven't seen these Bionicle sets, but they sound like they're getting back to old-school Lego. Cool.
I know a bit about my friends; I have a blue car and a number of them do too. I get a couple of hundred e-mails from them daily. They have time, energy and particular physical and mental skills for gaming, developing software and working on cars. They are smart, creative, and know the inner workings of their cars and engines better than anyone else I know. They do, in fact, have access to unprecedentel amounts of information. Few parents, slashdotters or anyone else have any clear idea of what my friends are doing with their cars, or really care at all.
Something tells me now would be a good time to stop....
I took an AI class this year where we had a challenge to use PERL to design a Stratego-playing AI. One of the professors quickly wrote a script that moved a random piece a random direction (verifying the move was legal), and had a surprisingly high win %.
After reading the story I sent it to my dad, because I know his passwords are rather unsecure. (Coincidentally, he also holds the record at his old company for having the most files infected by an email worm when he opened one before heading to a meeting) He emailed me back to tell me he felt he was in the cryptic category because he used capitals and numbers at work. Turns our his "capitals" are capatalizing his name and the number was a '1' appended to what otherwise was his login.
Did anyone else notice for the "Van Gogh" images, it only did horizontal brush strokes. I'm not any kind of art buff, but I don't think artists would only use horizontal brush strokes. Although maybe it's a problem with the training data.
Also, the "image enhancing" stuff wasn't too impressive, yet. Maybe with more examples it might do better. Of course, the thing to remember is it's not programmed for any particular filter, but it still had a problem ignoring small details, like the black borders for the rugs.
What I really dislike about law is that it all gets down to whether something is really breaking the rules or not. I don't agree with all the laws, but the spirit of the laws is to protect people. Protecting people is generally good (although making moral judgements for them is bad).
It would be a whole lot simpler and less tedious if judges and lawyers followed the spirit of the law more than the words of the law. Even with exacting legal parlance, words and sentances are slippery and can be manipulated. I wish people would use their brains more, but that too often seems too much to ask.
I think this has to go in the same category as genertaing power by putting solar panels in front of your TV and driving 10 miles away so you can recycle $5 of cans to save the environment. It's just not worth it (and I know I'm not alone here).
Besides, how long before you figure out the transfer rate and make all of Marketing's lights blink on and off every second by transfering them large files of 0's followed by large files of 1's? Oh wait, that could be a good thing.
Actually think about it for a second:
- A technology nobody will actually buy
- It is somewhat practical (you have to admit that)
- It looks almost exactly like a regular old CD.
This could be the ultimate encrypted storage! Since they're sure to only sell about 100 of these drives, it would be pretty easy to figure out who stole your sensitive information (or Divx movies), and useless to everyone else!
Anyone else notice that they are promoting their "open-source" efforts to business flunkies? Not to the Engineers, who would know better, but the to the business majors who will be making the buying decisions. If you didn't already realize it, it's a little insight into their business model: FUD.
Exactly what I was going to say. They're just jumping on the bandwagon of bashing Napster so they can get in good with the record companies. A smart move for them, they must really be grasping at straws to find work if it has to come down to this.
Of course, we could think of them as a public service. By eliminating all distinctive rings from phones you'd have to be intelligent enough to distinquish a ring coming from your body from the one coming from the person across the table from you in order to get a phone. Sort of a built-in natural selection thing.
I guess the phrase "burning bridges" doesn't mean much to you.
I guess there are also some people out there who would rather get what they have to work than to scrap it and go with something entirely new. Be it a job, car, or OS. However, I do agree with you in that you have to realize when something is so broken it's not worth fixing (can you say "DOS"?). It's a fine line to walk, and you have to decide if the costs of moving to the new [whatever] are worth more than the costs of staying with the current [whatever].
Sorry, but honestly, I can't wait to see a commercial app out of these. Newspaper companies could use fleets of them to deliver papers (particularly to remote houses). Fast Food companies could one-up drive throughs. It could even solve some of the US Postal Service's troubles
Of course that begs the question: aren't we lazy enough already?
Slashdot Mirror
All you have to do to get the public to understand what encryption really does, is compare it to something they understand. Like guns. (Yes, they are nothing alike, but think conceptually for a sec)
The US has long resisted any sort of gun control for many reasons (among them, that they're "part of America"), but the one I'm focusing on is that the problem isn't with the law-abiding citizens, it's the law-breakers. Why should the law-abiding citizens be limited in their armament if a mugger wouldn't be? Ask the majority of Americans, and they disfavor more gun control. Convince the American people encryption control is equivalent to gun control, and I bet you'll see a sudden change in those statistics.
Guess what? Except for a very unfortunate few (I mean this with respect) the world did not end yesterday. I'm actually half way welling up in tears right now, but I am willing to get on with my life to prove that these terror attacks did not get to me. Thank you Slashdot for leading the way. I'm seeing reports on CNN of other world markets opening down today, and that's exactly the point of these attacts: to cripple Capitalism and America. All of you who want to wage war perhaps should consider a show of resolve rather than a show of agression. And I'm an American, born & raised.
Allow me to poke some holes real quick like...
Who are you "going to war" with?
Since it's likely a terrorist organization, who are going to attack? OBL has been the FBI's PE#1 for a ton of years, you don't think they've been trying to kill him in that time?
What good has come from war? Have you ever talked with anyone who's fough in one?
Now for the reasons to just sit tight (and I'm an American who has always lived here, I just don't own a gun)
This is retaliation, I'm sure you've heard it from other posters, so i won't get into it.
Retaliation lowers us to their level.
No other country messes with (spies on) us nearly as much as we mess with (spy on) other countries. You'd be pretty pissed if some other country took out Bush and his cabinet because the election didn't come out in their favor
And then there are the conspiracy theories, which make a sick sort of sense, even if they are only coincidences; why would you possibly give your support to such efforts?
My monologue...
Certainly it is more a testament to the greatness of our nation that we are as angry and upset by this as we are purely through the rarity of such a tradgedy than anything else I can think of. Of all the civilized nations of the world (read: the ones who didn't celebrate the disaster), I would say none is as prominent as ours on the world stage. I would also say that the US security and defense is certainly the best in the world, particularly in light of the freedom we are allowed (blame this freedom if you need something to blame for the attacks) and the physical expanse and variety of the people of the US. No, I feel the best way for us to "strike back" is to show our compassion for all man, and that our love for our nation is too strong to be broken by such fear tactics. Okay, that was sappy, but you get the idea.
And about that Roosevelt quote... it made sense because Japan was bent on destroying us, not scaring us. Do you like to watch scary movies?
First off, I completely agree with the article, and am one of the biggest proponents of "beautiful software" I know, but...
Not all software needs this much care Certainly if it's for you and your friends it can have all sorts of caveats, such as you can't have more than 3 windows open, and doesn't support adding and removing something at the same time, because the audience isn't big enough to justify the time. Sort of like how a lot of college kids build their own furniture out of 2x4s and cinder blocks. Which is sort of along the lines of:
Some software is temporary Software with limited lifespan (especially those stopgap solutions) is often valued more if it is realeased sooner, so in my opinion it's acceptable for it to have rough edges. I think of it like those metal plates they put down to cover holes in the road while they lay pipes or whatever: they suck right now, but they'll be gone soon. Even for continuing projects a lot of features are faddish, in vogue while they are being designed, but by the time they get implemented, a new way is catching on. It's the pace of the industry that leads for so much corner-cutting.
The complexity of large software projects is unprecedented I've often explained software to my (non-technical) friends as similar to building a car out of watch parts. And those are only for the smallish projects I've worked on. Software is virtually always a one-of-a-kind creation, so defects don't get "ironed out" over the production span. Actually, try taking 200 (or more) professionals from any discipline and see if they can work for a year on a project and see if they can produce something cohesive. Artists? They'd be too concerned about their individuality. Prototype car engineers? Ok, but what if they had to do everything by hand? That engine sure wouldn't be so smooth now would it?
Point: Software creation is unique, in no other industry is there so little refinement of existing features, because there is such a high pace of invention. Only the Space Station seems (to me) to match software development in terms of scope, collaboration, and uniqueness; and it seems to have all the same problems as software development does.
One last thing, these are excuses, but you should mostly listen to the article.
A lot of stupid people can't remember complex things such as someone's phone number and cell number, so this would certainly make it easier for them to contact you. Of course, you can also set it up so only certain people can contact you, so can have your own intelligence test to get on your allowed list.
However, what about numbers like 911? That's certainly not standard across countries, it's not even standard everywhere in the US. And with all the IP system problems we have, why would we limit it to only 11 digits? I might want a different number for business contacts than I do for my friends to reach me at, I certainly wouldn't want business associates hearing the message I have on my answering machine now.
However, one last point, this really could bring about true convergence of communication, and might even pave the way for video phones, because presumably this connection would be more high-bandwith if it's used as an email address, I have certainly received some rather large downloads that would have taken hours over a regular phone line.
So what about the iPaq? I can't afford it, but I've heard great things about it. Will it be killed off in the name of corporate politics? Hopefully HP is smart enough to recognize a good thing when they see one, but they never really consult the engineers, do they?
Aug. 31 ? I?m a little disappointed in the 21st century. By now, everything was supposed to come in sleek shades of silver, especially the flying cars confidently whooshing overhead. We should be speaking Esperanto, perhaps even communicating telepathically. MOST OF ALL, where are the robots? With those earnest bundles of wires doing our hard work, we could have more time to plan vacations in space and reserve spots for our bodies in cryogenics labs. So the chance to make my own robot at home with the new version 2.0 of the Lego Mindstorms Robotics Invention System sounded awfully appealing. Mindstorms, recommended for ages 12 and up, uses the familiar Lego interlocking plastic blocks that have entertained generations of children (and budding architects). But this kit has some important extras: touch and light sensors, for example, and a battery-powered computer ?brain? that can be programmed to make wheels spin and arms move. The commands are made with a few mouse clicks on a PC, thanks to software that comes on a CD and is downloaded into the Lego robot?s brain via an infrared transmitter. Lego, based in Billund, Denmark, introduced the Mindstorms line in 1998, and watched it become a huge hit not only with children but also with tech-savvy adults. Some tinkerers even hacked the Mindstorms code and made robots far more complex than those suggested in the Lego manual. Version 2.0 has the same pieces as its predecessor but promises much simpler programming. Instead of having to program motors individually, users can now simply tell their robots to move forward, zigzag or whatever. Another advance is that the infrared transmitter now plugs into a computer?s USB port rather than a serial port ? to improve speed. Due to hit stores in late September, Mindstorms 2.0 will retail for $200; people who own the original version can upgrade for $20. A programming tutorial that comes with the CD is very useful ? detailed enough for people not overly familiar with the linear logic of computer programs, yet quick enough so as to not insult your intelligence. The beauty of the system is that users can design robots themselves from scratch or build suggested models and animate them with programs that come with the CD. Though I really wanted to build something that would fetch the newspaper or drive me to work, my girlfriend was much more realistic. She quickly assembled an 8-inch-tall robot suggested in the manual. Since I have no engineering ability and limited patience, I decided to load into our new friend a program that came on the CD, though I did make some adjustments of my own. And so now our apartment is protected by a robotic security guard made out of Lego. When it detects a bright light ? an intruder?s flashlight, perhaps ? it starts beeping. If we squeeze its hand, it will stop beeping and shake from side to side, as if to express utter relief that we?re home. But if you?re a thief who fails to apply the reassuring squeeze, it will throw a little ball at you and beep some more. Take that, criminal. You?ve just stepped into a real 21st century apartment. © 2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Kids don't play like they used to, Lego has realized they want a story.
My personal opinion on why Lego has gone into decline this decade: Specialized Bricks. I'm 22, but I bought Lego sets up high school, and still request them as gifts. But not in the past few years. When a whole model hinges around one super-brick, it's hard to get that piece into something else that doesn't evoke the original model.
The other problem is lowered brick count. I loved the castle series, for many years I had one of every set, although I quickly stopped when they dropped the piece count by using those mountain plates so they didn't have to provide wall pieces. You really couldn't build anything more than what the set gave you, except maybe move the tower around. And that really is where creativity starts: you build a model, but decide it would be cooler with another tower, or a bigger tower, or the blacksmith shop built into the wall. I haven't seen these Bionicle sets, but they sound like they're getting back to old-school Lego. Cool.
For instance, this could open up a whole new category in Battlebots! It would give new meaning to "feather"-weight.
So would data about Metadata be... "Gitadata"?
I know, but I just had to.
I know a bit about my friends; I have a blue car and a number of them do too. I get a couple of hundred e-mails from them daily. They have time, energy and particular physical and mental skills for gaming, developing software and working on cars. They are smart, creative, and know the inner workings of their cars and engines better than anyone else I know. They do, in fact, have access to unprecedentel amounts of information. Few parents, slashdotters or anyone else have any clear idea of what my friends are doing with their cars, or really care at all.
Something tells me now would be a good time to stop....
I took an AI class this year where we had a challenge to use PERL to design a Stratego-playing AI. One of the professors quickly wrote a script that moved a random piece a random direction (verifying the move was legal), and had a surprisingly high win %.
Listen to this:
After reading the story I sent it to my dad, because I know his passwords are rather unsecure. (Coincidentally, he also holds the record at his old company for having the most files infected by an email worm when he opened one before heading to a meeting) He emailed me back to tell me he felt he was in the cryptic category because he used capitals and numbers at work. Turns our his "capitals" are capatalizing his name and the number was a '1' appended to what otherwise was his login.
I haven't told him yet.
Kurdt
Did anyone else notice for the "Van Gogh" images, it only did horizontal brush strokes. I'm not any kind of art buff, but I don't think artists would only use horizontal brush strokes. Although maybe it's a problem with the training data.
Also, the "image enhancing" stuff wasn't too impressive, yet. Maybe with more examples it might do better. Of course, the thing to remember is it's not programmed for any particular filter, but it still had a problem ignoring small details, like the black borders for the rugs.
Kurdt
Uh yeah, I'm a... uh... professional kite flier. I'd explain it, but it's... uh... pretty technical and stuff.
Kurdt
I thought PVC was a type of plastic! ;P
Kurdt
What I really dislike about law is that it all gets down to whether something is really breaking the rules or not. I don't agree with all the laws, but the spirit of the laws is to protect people. Protecting people is generally good (although making moral judgements for them is bad).
It would be a whole lot simpler and less tedious if judges and lawyers followed the spirit of the law more than the words of the law. Even with exacting legal parlance, words and sentances are slippery and can be manipulated. I wish people would use their brains more, but that too often seems too much to ask.
Kurdt
I think this has to go in the same category as genertaing power by putting solar panels in front of your TV and driving 10 miles away so you can recycle $5 of cans to save the environment. It's just not worth it (and I know I'm not alone here).
Besides, how long before you figure out the transfer rate and make all of Marketing's lights blink on and off every second by transfering them large files of 0's followed by large files of 1's? Oh wait, that could be a good thing.
Kurdt
Wow, Microsoft seems to transition pretty smoothly to hardware.
Kurdt
Well, I guess some people just need to find things out the hard way.
Duh, don't they realize that Slashdot is always right?
Kurdt
Actually think about it for a second:
- A technology nobody will actually buy
- It is somewhat practical (you have to admit that)
- It looks almost exactly like a regular old CD.
This could be the ultimate encrypted storage! Since they're sure to only sell about 100 of these drives, it would be pretty easy to figure out who stole your sensitive information (or Divx movies), and useless to everyone else!
Kurdt
Anyone else notice that they are promoting their "open-source" efforts to business flunkies? Not to the Engineers, who would know better, but the to the business majors who will be making the buying decisions. If you didn't already realize it, it's a little insight into their business model: FUD.
Kurdt
Exactly what I was going to say. They're just jumping on the bandwagon of bashing Napster so they can get in good with the record companies. A smart move for them, they must really be grasping at straws to find work if it has to come down to this.
Of course, we could think of them as a public service. By eliminating all distinctive rings from phones you'd have to be intelligent enough to distinquish a ring coming from your body from the one coming from the person across the table from you in order to get a phone. Sort of a built-in natural selection thing.
Kurdt
I guess the phrase "burning bridges" doesn't mean much to you.
I guess there are also some people out there who would rather get what they have to work than to scrap it and go with something entirely new. Be it a job, car, or OS. However, I do agree with you in that you have to realize when something is so broken it's not worth fixing (can you say "DOS"?). It's a fine line to walk, and you have to decide if the costs of moving to the new [whatever] are worth more than the costs of staying with the current [whatever].
Kurdt
Sorry, but honestly, I can't wait to see a commercial app out of these. Newspaper companies could use fleets of them to deliver papers (particularly to remote houses). Fast Food companies could one-up drive throughs. It could even solve some of the US Postal Service's troubles
Of course that begs the question: aren't we lazy enough already?
Kurdt