User: e-gold

How to make this stuff interesting.

On: On Hollywood and the Portrayal of Computers

I think Hollywood might do well to look at programming that has social
and political consequences, such as cryptography stuff, *BUT* (unlike
in every movie on the subject I've ever seen) they should hire a real
cryptographer to make them leave the bs on the cutting room floor. I
am pretty sure they won't do this, but if they did it might be fun. CME's
cryptography timeline

http://www.clark.net/pub/cme/html/timeline.html

has loads of interesting historical stuff they could use.
JMR

Re:The law is the law.

On: Woman Avoids $70,000 Online Gambling Debt

Ok, I agree. Let's imagine an online way around this silliness...
www.e-gold.com -- we don' need (or want) no steenking loans.
Back to basics for the gambling industry, which is slowly (and
evidently sometimes painfully) getting/buying a clue.
JMR

An open source wallet that actually works, now.

On: Microsoft Launches Passport

http://webfunds.org/webinstalldemo/ -- using DigiGold, a currency layered on top of a
'net currency that not only works but has worked for three years+, whether or not I've
been able to get much media coverage of that fact.

http://www.systemics.com/docs/ricardo/ has information on the underlying source, etc.

http://www.cryptix.org/ has information on strong java crypto (also open-source).

http://www.digigold.net/ (under construction) has more information on the currency.

http://www.e-gold.com a 100% metal-backed (gold, silver, platinum, or palladium)
currency.

http://www.FlyingRat.org a spam blocking service using small (or not so small) e-gold
payments.

Yes, I wish this stuff would get more notice than it has gotten. Yes, I'm sure some of
you will say this is "spam." (Get over it.)
JMR

Re:Keep guessing . . .

On: Interview: Ask the Internet Political Activists

I have been reliably informed (by Seth) that the author in question was NOT Seth (but the two would probably get along well). I don't know whether Seth has taken the quiz, or how he scored.
JMR

Re:Keep guessing . . .

On: Interview: Ask the Internet Political Activists

Hi Seth. :^) [at least, it sounds like you...]

For the rest of you, you might want to try taking the quiz at http://www.self-gov.org
There are no "right" or "wrong" answers, and it's not perfect, though it's a damn
sight better than the braindead left-right line most of the media would spoonfeed
us WRT describing people politically. The rest of you should try to avoid convincing
Seth, he's more fun as he is, anyway.
JMR

Hmph. So what?

On: Broadcasting Spam into Space

This gets coverage, yet http://www.FlyingRat.org doesn't.

Spam, like it or not, is an economic and technical problem. Treating it as if it were a political problem not only won't be a solution, it will threaten freedom of expression on the 'net.
JMR

Re:I say stick to "Hacker"

On: Ask Slashdot: Another Word for "Hacker"?

I agree. Letting the newspeak-mongers of the media get away with
a totally new definition is not good. (Of course, I've been fighting for
YEARS to get them to use the actual definition of the word "escrow"
(which requires a *trusted*, *third* *party*, thus ruling out J. Edgar
Freeh entirely) without success...

Oh well, gives me something else to rant about.
JMR