BeamIT was such a great idea, I was really upset when the legal types killed it, which didn't take too long, and I've been searching ever since for a solution that is as good.
All you had to do was put in a CD which you legally purchased, mp3.com would make a note that you owned this CD, then would let you download any songs off that CD on any other computer from anywhere in the world. I had all my music, at my fingertips from anywhere, for free, without having to manage my own server.
If anyone, knows a solution anything like this in the world today, please let me know.
I also work for a non-profit organization called Technology Access Foundation. We teach computer and job skills to high school students of color in the Seattle area.
We're always looking for teaching assistants to lend a few hours a day to help with classes. It certainly helps if they have techinical backgrounds as our classes cover HTML, VB, ASP, and Networking.
If you're in the Seattle area, and want to volunteer please check out the website.
This should give you a better general overview of the National Security Agency. If you're interested in the bibliography send me and e-mail. "Secrecy and a free, democratic government don?t mix," -- President Truman. This is obviously one man's opinion rather than a fact. Many democratic governments keep secrets from their people. In fact, the United States government controls two, very large agencies, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and National Security Agency (NSA), who deal mainly in the secrets of others. It is, therefore, ironic that President Truman would make such a quote when he was responsible for the NSA?s creation. The NSA is now the largest and most secretive, intelligence agency in the western hemisphere. The goals and activities of the National Security Agency today are as interesting as the history it has spawned. Of the NSA's two main branches, its first, INFOSEC, is of lesser importance. INFOSEC stands for INFOrmation systems SECurity. This is the division of the NSA that protects the secrets of the United States. The NSA?s INFOSEC team develops products and services that protect America?s classified and unclassified government systems from exploitation, interception, unauthorized access, or any other technical, intelligence threats (About NSA 3). The primary way in which the NSA protects American intelligence is through encryption. INFOSEC creates and employs the strongest encryption currently available. With current computer technologies increasing in performance and decreasing in price, creating unbreakable encryption is becoming more difficult. However, the NSA assures the American citizens that U.S. government security systems will remain impenetrable. The second division of the NSA, SIGINT, is what has made it infamous. SIGINT stands for foreign SIGnals INTelligence. SIGINT intercepts foreign communications; it then collects, deciphers, translates, and processes this information. James Bamford, author of The Puzzle Palace said, ?The NSA is much more high-tech. They downlink communications from satellites, pick up microwave links, etc. They do it all over the world... the NSA is at work? (Hancock 2). With these technologies, the NSA can follow a rocket?s trajectory, or intercept radio communications between two pilots in the air. The computers that process this information are also highly advanced. They can listen for a keyword in a conversation at a rate of four million characters per second. This means the NSA?s computers could read through a large novel before a person was done saying the title (Knightley 371). Both foreign and domestic communications are monitored by this equipment. The NSA publicly admits to perpetually monitoring certain individuals and organizations. Just a portion of these are oil companies, banks, newspapers, commodity dealers, civil rights leaders, radical political groups, politicians, embassies, and terrorists (370). The origins of the NSA date back to 1952 and a man named Harry S. Truman. Unlike the CIA, which was created by an act of Congress, the NSA was established by a secret, presidential signature. The seven page National Security Council Directive Six, signed by President Truman, brought about the NSA?s existence (Volkman 74). This document, which is still classified today, created a separate organization within the Department of Defense that replaced the Armed Forces Security Agency. The founding date of the NSA, November 4, 1952, was chosen deliberately. On this date the election coverage of Eisenhower defeating Truman would overshadow all other news (Andrew 197). The NSA was given unprecedented resources under President Eisenhower. In 1956, after only four years, the NSA already employed 9000 people (216). With so many resources going to the NSA during the ?50s, both the CIA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) became jealous and tried to discredit the NSA whenever possible (Wright 145). As the NSA grew, it encountered a few problems, but continued to be an important tool for the Presidents? use. Under President Kennedy the NSA began to have problems analyzing the large amount of top secret data that they were acquiring. Even with the largest and most advanced computers of the time, and more employees than any other western intelligence agency, the NSA could barely cope with the amount of information (Andrew 273). This problem can be better understood by this quote from an NSA official in 1980, ?There are three satellites over the Atlantic, each capable of transmitting on about 20,000 circuits. There are eight transatlantic cables with about 5000 circuits. We listen to them all? (Knightley 371). Knowing everything that was happening in the world made the NSA the President?s best friend. In 1986 Ronald Reagan became the first President to visit the NSA headquarters. Reagan also gave the NSA control over INFOSEC in 1984, and both operations security training missions, and the combat support agency of the Department of Defense in 1988 (About NSA 1). President George Bush heavily relied on the NSA?s ability to decrypt information before and during the Gulf War. He was so pleased with the NSA?s performance he called them, ?the unsung heroes of Desert Storm,? and said this in a press conference: My association with the NSA goes back many years. And over the years I?ve come to appreciate more and more the full value of SIGINT. As President and Commander-in-Chief, I can assure you signals intelligence is a prime factor in the decision making process by which we chart the course of this nation?s foreign affairs. (Andrew 526) The continued growth of the NSA for forty-six years has made it the extremely large and advanced organization it is today. The NSA is still headquartered in Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, where it was placed in 1957. The campus is located half-way between Washington D.C. and Baltimore. Its main building occupies 1.4-million-square-feet, and the perimeter is ringed by double-chain fences topped by barbed wire with electrical strands running through them (Knightley 372). On July 14, 1997, the NSA was estimated to employ 38,000 people. These employees include analysts, engineers, physicists, mathematicians, linguists, computer scientists, researchers, customer relations specialists, security officers, data flow experts, managers, and administrative and clerical assistants. The NSA also employs the best codemakers and codebreakers in the U.S. (About NSA 1). Many of the NSA?s true motives have come to light in the past few years; however, its mission is still built around secrets. Until approximately sixteen years ago the NSA was completely secret to the general public. Even today, the phone number to the director?s office is unlisted. Furthermore, not one decrypted message produced by the NSA has ever been declassified (Andrew 537). It is no wonder that the NSA has been jokingly called ?Never Say Anything,? or the ?No Such Agency.? Ever since its founding, the NSA?s biggest secret has been its annual budget. Its funding has always been hidden deep in the Pentagon?s total expenditures. In 1976 the budget was estimated to be $1.5 billion with a ten percent increase each year. This meant the NSA was given $3.5 billion in 1986. Over twice as much as the CIA or KGB received that year (Knightley 4). In 1995 the NSA and two other Pentagon intelligence agencies officially asked for a combined budget of 13.2 billion dollars. The NSA has an interesting, albeit secretive, past that is only fitting for an agency with such intriguing objectives and endeavors. The NSA was secretly formed in 1952 by President Harry S. Truman. It then continued to grow becoming the largest spy agency in the western hemisphere and a valuable tool for U.S. Presidents. The present NSA has two primary functions: to protect America?s secrets through INFOSEC, and to learn the secrets of others through SIGINT. The power of SIGINT and the devices used in its operations are amazing. Still, some of the NSA?s biggest secrets are about itself. The existence of the NSA shows that secrecy and a free, democratic government do mix, and they will continue to in the foreseeable future.
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BeamIT was such a great idea, I was really upset when the legal types killed it, which didn't take too long, and I've been searching ever since for a solution that is as good.
All you had to do was put in a CD which you legally purchased, mp3.com would make a note that you owned this CD, then would let you download any songs off that CD on any other computer from anywhere in the world. I had all my music, at my fingertips from anywhere, for free, without having to manage my own server.
If anyone, knows a solution anything like this in the world today, please let me know.
I also work for a non-profit organization called Technology Access Foundation. We teach computer and job skills to high school students of color in the Seattle area.
We're always looking for teaching assistants to lend a few hours a day to help with classes. It certainly helps if they have techinical backgrounds as our classes cover HTML, VB, ASP, and Networking.
If you're in the Seattle area, and want to volunteer please check out the website.
This should give you a better general overview of the National Security Agency. If you're interested in the bibliography send me and e-mail. "Secrecy and a free, democratic government don?t mix," -- President Truman. This is obviously one man's opinion rather than a fact. Many democratic governments keep secrets from their people. In fact, the United States government controls two, very large agencies, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and National Security Agency (NSA), who deal mainly in the secrets of others. It is, therefore, ironic that President Truman would make such a quote when he was responsible for the NSA?s creation. The NSA is now the largest and most secretive, intelligence agency in the western hemisphere. The goals and activities of the National Security Agency today are as interesting as the history it has spawned. Of the NSA's two main branches, its first, INFOSEC, is of lesser importance. INFOSEC stands for INFOrmation systems SECurity. This is the division of the NSA that protects the secrets of the United States. The NSA?s INFOSEC team develops products and services that protect America?s classified and unclassified government systems from exploitation, interception, unauthorized access, or any other technical, intelligence threats (About NSA 3). The primary way in which the NSA protects American intelligence is through encryption. INFOSEC creates and employs the strongest encryption currently available. With current computer technologies increasing in performance and decreasing in price, creating unbreakable encryption is becoming more difficult. However, the NSA assures the American citizens that U.S. government security systems will remain impenetrable. The second division of the NSA, SIGINT, is what has made it infamous. SIGINT stands for foreign SIGnals INTelligence. SIGINT intercepts foreign communications; it then collects, deciphers, translates, and processes this information. James Bamford, author of The Puzzle Palace said, ?The NSA is much more high-tech. They downlink communications from satellites, pick up microwave links, etc. They do it all over the world... the NSA is at work? (Hancock 2). With these technologies, the NSA can follow a rocket?s trajectory, or intercept radio communications between two pilots in the air. The computers that process this information are also highly advanced. They can listen for a keyword in a conversation at a rate of four million characters per second. This means the NSA?s computers could read through a large novel before a person was done saying the title (Knightley 371). Both foreign and domestic communications are monitored by this equipment. The NSA publicly admits to perpetually monitoring certain individuals and organizations. Just a portion of these are oil companies, banks, newspapers, commodity dealers, civil rights leaders, radical political groups, politicians, embassies, and terrorists (370). The origins of the NSA date back to 1952 and a man named Harry S. Truman. Unlike the CIA, which was created by an act of Congress, the NSA was established by a secret, presidential signature. The seven page National Security Council Directive Six, signed by President Truman, brought about the NSA?s existence (Volkman 74). This document, which is still classified today, created a separate organization within the Department of Defense that replaced the Armed Forces Security Agency. The founding date of the NSA, November 4, 1952, was chosen deliberately. On this date the election coverage of Eisenhower defeating Truman would overshadow all other news (Andrew 197). The NSA was given unprecedented resources under President Eisenhower. In 1956, after only four years, the NSA already employed 9000 people (216). With so many resources going to the NSA during the ?50s, both the CIA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) became jealous and tried to discredit the NSA whenever possible (Wright 145). As the NSA grew, it encountered a few problems, but continued to be an important tool for the Presidents? use. Under President Kennedy the NSA began to have problems analyzing the large amount of top secret data that they were acquiring. Even with the largest and most advanced computers of the time, and more employees than any other western intelligence agency, the NSA could barely cope with the amount of information (Andrew 273). This problem can be better understood by this quote from an NSA official in 1980, ?There are three satellites over the Atlantic, each capable of transmitting on about 20,000 circuits. There are eight transatlantic cables with about 5000 circuits. We listen to them all? (Knightley 371). Knowing everything that was happening in the world made the NSA the President?s best friend. In 1986 Ronald Reagan became the first President to visit the NSA headquarters. Reagan also gave the NSA control over INFOSEC in 1984, and both operations security training missions, and the combat support agency of the Department of Defense in 1988 (About NSA 1). President George Bush heavily relied on the NSA?s ability to decrypt information before and during the Gulf War. He was so pleased with the NSA?s performance he called them, ?the unsung heroes of Desert Storm,? and said this in a press conference: My association with the NSA goes back many years. And over the years I?ve come to appreciate more and more the full value of SIGINT. As President and Commander-in-Chief, I can assure you signals intelligence is a prime factor in the decision making process by which we chart the course of this nation?s foreign affairs. (Andrew 526) The continued growth of the NSA for forty-six years has made it the extremely large and advanced organization it is today. The NSA is still headquartered in Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, where it was placed in 1957. The campus is located half-way between Washington D.C. and Baltimore. Its main building occupies 1.4-million-square-feet, and the perimeter is ringed by double-chain fences topped by barbed wire with electrical strands running through them (Knightley 372). On July 14, 1997, the NSA was estimated to employ 38,000 people. These employees include analysts, engineers, physicists, mathematicians, linguists, computer scientists, researchers, customer relations specialists, security officers, data flow experts, managers, and administrative and clerical assistants. The NSA also employs the best codemakers and codebreakers in the U.S. (About NSA 1). Many of the NSA?s true motives have come to light in the past few years; however, its mission is still built around secrets. Until approximately sixteen years ago the NSA was completely secret to the general public. Even today, the phone number to the director?s office is unlisted. Furthermore, not one decrypted message produced by the NSA has ever been declassified (Andrew 537). It is no wonder that the NSA has been jokingly called ?Never Say Anything,? or the ?No Such Agency.? Ever since its founding, the NSA?s biggest secret has been its annual budget. Its funding has always been hidden deep in the Pentagon?s total expenditures. In 1976 the budget was estimated to be $1.5 billion with a ten percent increase each year. This meant the NSA was given $3.5 billion in 1986. Over twice as much as the CIA or KGB received that year (Knightley 4). In 1995 the NSA and two other Pentagon intelligence agencies officially asked for a combined budget of 13.2 billion dollars. The NSA has an interesting, albeit secretive, past that is only fitting for an agency with such intriguing objectives and endeavors. The NSA was secretly formed in 1952 by President Harry S. Truman. It then continued to grow becoming the largest spy agency in the western hemisphere and a valuable tool for U.S. Presidents. The present NSA has two primary functions: to protect America?s secrets through INFOSEC, and to learn the secrets of others through SIGINT. The power of SIGINT and the devices used in its operations are amazing. Still, some of the NSA?s biggest secrets are about itself. The existence of the NSA shows that secrecy and a free, democratic government do mix, and they will continue to in the foreseeable future.