If we assume it was a kilobyte, the difference in processing power required is a factor of 2^2048/2^1024 = 2^1024 ~= 1.8x10^308.
I can't check it right now (the website is/.-ed), but the 2048 suggests we're talking about an asymmetric key in which case you're wrong. For an RSA key, about 10 additional bits double the strength of the encryption (instead of 1 bit for a symmetric key).
I think you made the same mistake than this other poster:
If the RSA crack took x^56 time, this one will need approx. x^2048.
RSA != RC5
RSA is asymmetric, RC5 is symmetric.
Of course, it's still some 5*10^30 harder than a 1024 key...
how could the EU enforce a rule that the price of anything sold has to be the same across the EU states
The main problem is not that the prices were different, but the tools Nintendo used to preserve this difference: "Nintendo, maker of the popular handheld video game console Game Boy, plus the Donkey Kong and Pokemon video games, was accused in 2000 of collaborating with distributors to limit cross-border flow of its products in an effort to hike wholesale prices." zdnet
Nintendo boycotted those distributors which wanted to sell the box in countries where the price was higher than in the distributor's country, that's why it was fined.
In France, there was a wave of this kind of "pink SMS" in May 2002. The Commission of Computers and Freedom (CNIL, which is in charge of the enforcement of human rights in computer-related issues) started a legal action in July against the companies which sent the SMSs. This initiative is pretty rare: the CNIL used it only 18 times since 1978.
I think there is no judgement yet. For more information (in French): zdnet.fr
the First law of Thermodynamics (conservation of energy) that would be violated if you could electrolyze water with less energy than you get from burning the hydrogen
The article says "electricity", not "energy" and is not very precise about the technology used. For instance, there are quite a few interesting projects trying to catalyse water only with light in which case one can end up with a positive electric balance (even if the [useful] energy balance remains negative).
Slashdot Mirror
I can't check it right now (the website is /.-ed), but the 2048 suggests we're talking about an asymmetric key in which case you're wrong. For an RSA key, about 10 additional bits double the strength of the encryption (instead of 1 bit for a symmetric key).
I think you made the same mistake than this other poster:
RSA != RC5
RSA is asymmetric, RC5 is symmetric.
Of course, it's still some 5*10^30 harder than a 1024 key...
The main problem is not that the prices were different, but the tools Nintendo used to preserve this difference: "Nintendo, maker of the popular handheld video game console Game Boy, plus the Donkey Kong and Pokemon video games, was accused in 2000 of collaborating with distributors to limit cross-border flow of its products in an effort to hike wholesale prices." zdnet
Nintendo boycotted those distributors which wanted to sell the box in countries where the price was higher than in the distributor's country, that's why it was fined.
I think there is no judgement yet. For more information (in French): zdnet.fr
The article says "electricity", not "energy" and is not very precise about the technology used. For instance, there are quite a few interesting projects trying to catalyse water only with light in which case one can end up with a positive electric balance (even if the [useful] energy balance remains negative).