Remember, that (not) a great many days ago I posted some bits on crypto ..? There’s a new twist to it all, after the venerable Bruce noted that some agency started a new, this time ’round bit more fundamental round, on crypto algorithms. And then, some notes on the approach of quantum computing. Well, the latter is still five to ten years off (current estimates; could be three, could be twenty, as such estimates go).
But impacting. So, the following flew by:
Which explains a lot, hence I just wanted to pass it on. Bye for now.
Category: Privacy
Blown over — smart dust or where is it?
In all the news about IoT, where has the (admittedly far-flung) prediction about ‘smart dust’ gone ..? Where has the smart dust gone? Was it a wormhole glimpse into the future, was it some runaway brainstorm on steroids (or other stimulative substance) session’s result ..?
Where still, it looms in the background. Once information is created, will it remain in the universe, existing without a result (as it may or may not have a cause, the rebel against entropy that it is)? (Here I go in similar vein, not stimulated!)
Now, let’s first have actual working quantum computers. Similarly vague at inception and counter-intuitive — for which reason I believe it will turn out to have logical fallacies in its current models so will in the end not be feasible to realise ..! —, let that come first. In itself, already difficult enough to cope with, as a global society.
Afterwards, smart dust will look like a rough cut piece of cake, probably. But maybe the Problems of it, will stil be Hard (compute-complexity-wise), as here and elsewhere.
And this, for your blue pill:
[Excellent or mundane archi; but with sublime acoustics — second (to) one in Amsterdam!]
Trivial TLA Things-Tip
If you Thought This Time Things would be easier, as the universality of plug-‘n-play has spread beyond even the wildest early dreams into the realms of the unthought-of non-thinkingness, think again. Drop the again. Think. That was IBM’s motto, and they created Watson. No surprises there.
However… It may come as a surprise to some that now, an actual TLA has some actual tips, to keep you safe(r). As in this. Who would have thought… On second thought, this agency of note might have no need for the access disabled themselves anymore, as they’ve provided themselves of sufficient other access (methods) by now and just want to hinder the (foreign) others out of their easy access ..?
Oh well, never can do well, right? And this:
[Another one from the cathedral of dry feet — only after, making sticking fingers in dykes worthwhile; at Lynden, Haarlemmermeer]
Darn Drone-Downers
Another alliterating ad-lib post here. About the right (not) to take care of your own privacy behind your own front door. Seriously; here now is an item of societal structure that needs fixing and for once can be fixed ahead of time but still will very probably not be — because some of the many parties involved, will not see how their own tardiness leads (with certainty) to loss of life, of life’s full enjoyment, of the pursuit and realization of happiness. Is there a term for this sort of extreme autism denying one’s responsibilities, accountability beyond the mere received rational-only knowledge..?
OK, I get it; you want time to think. Delivered. And:
[Whatever floats your big a.. boat]
Upping crypto
Lukewarm protests against Free Crypto, and trawling the oceans completely empty for metadata if not more … Seems like a two-faced two-front ‘battle’ that may even be tiring to uphold (face): Once one is into meta because it gives so much more information (sic) than mere data (content), one would need much less access to actual data, wouldn’t one? And, if then publicly having postured to not be able to break into crypto stuff (where one can with near-certainty break into all stack levels below it, down to the BIOS if not chip level!) almost meaning that for sure one can, why would one push too hard to make it illegal ..?
The only thing one can think of, is that declaring it illegal somehow block another’s access to plausible deniability or to Fifth Amendment claims (that are fundamental for any decent human society). So… that’s what’s going on. …?
And this points to countering TLAs by working with crypto at a higher level; producing encrypted content that looks pretty darn innocuous until decrypted; not seeing scrambled info but at a higher-to-lower-to-transport-and-back-to-higher avenue, transferring Information over seemingly white noise Data signals. Clever… Stego. How’s things on that front (?) ..!?
Also:
[Relevant: Pic may not exist. …]
Let’s celebrate (with) a contest for the dumbest security
On this celebration day (for me/us), let’s instate an annual contest — over the most precise prediction of the dumbest information security breach of the upcoming year.
So, the following:
- Your prediction, storified (½ – 1 page, at most slightly formatted);
- Realistic, i.e., a combination of dumb and dumber, and stupid and worse, of (non)actions and responses, on the attack and ‘defense’ sides. Realistic, but keep it realistic…;
- Hence, do include lots of cyberhere, cyberthere, cybereverywhere and only a little bit of #ditchcyber …;
- Deadline: 1 January 2016;
- The predictive element means that no sign of the thing actually occuring yet, may be found in the (whatever medium) press already;
- Prize… ah, there you go. I’ll try to figure out a way to ship a bottle of the finest champagne to the winner;
- No discussions about my judgement.
Well, off for now. Have fun:
[Shaky ground (huh, just photographer’s lack of proper alignment due to hurry);
somewhat relevant, in the opposite (of today)]
Cyber ‘Nam
OK… As you know I wouldn’t be the war monger re ‘cyber’ warfare. And don’t have the answers — neither do you! — but have searched and asked for them; see past posts (numerous).
This one is more about how the campaigns and battles are fought. Full cyberstatefulfirewallcomplexmonitoringNOCSOC jacket style, out there in the field. (Privacy) protesters at home, safely away from the danger. Some top brass (‘generals die in bed’) ordering your data forward, hardly trained/hardened or crypto protected and blaming shoddy execution and wily counterparts. The traumatised demobilised db admin not wanting to shoot down even a deer-like referential integrity violation. Et cetera. Feel free to add to the comparison. E.g., how things will develop. Or– how thing would have to work out if, huge if, for once history is learnt from.
Oh well. @CyberTaters and @cyberXpert will have their way. And #ditchcyber. And this:
[Will be.]
Reeled in; struck out ..?
Oh…kay… There was this theme going round a couple of … years to decades ago about how the (?) Internet would make geography unimportant and hence would make possible the dethroning of all geography-based governments.
Well, that didn’t go too well… Turns out that not much happened in dethroningland. Or did it ..?
Would be interested to learn how longer-term developments (decades-to-century) could play out, scenario-wise. Maybe put a bit of blockchain versus (??) singularity in the mix…
[Somewhat relevant agency … NY HQ]
Keezel: Online freedom
(Old) New non-app
For those that see the world as coming to an end i.e. have a slight dislike for the popularity of apps and their users in particular, there’s hope of sorts in e.g., this.
As not all the world has in an instant gone from a salon socialiste ideal of ultracommunal discussion groups to hyperindividualistic eyes-glued-to-mobile-millennials (and younger…).
On the contrary, there are some signals that rebounds happen in all sorts of places. Children (can we lose the downright ugly ‘kids’, please ..!?) seem to still want to go out and play (big-if their parents aren’t ridiculously fearful, to be found out to not have an own life), and new media are made part of, not all of, their lives.
Also, the older ones, the ones that actually with their own hands built all the new gadgetry from the (scientific and artisanal) ground up, seem to adopt whatever is to their liking. Picking, cherry-picking, not losing themselves in uncritical slavery. This is what the above link demonstrates…: The Old may return, and be valued by all ages for what it stood and stands for. The feelz, that no ASI can emulate yet. Where humanity would seek refuge, calm and a sense of purpose; ‘robots‘ [oh dang HTML play nice with the ” and anchors! (sic, below)] outdoing us in the mundane.
No, no melancholy! Or so. Just positives. E.g., why would people still travel so much when the vast part of the experience can be streamed online? Including the standard holiday pics. Why would anyone care whether you’ve actually been there, and done that? Where ‘that’ was purposefully created for tourists only… And:
[“If you wanna second class, dip a ring for it”; the Yard, MD]
