Public Address | Cafe | Hard News: Thinking Digital

BenWilson

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 01:35:23 +1300

They also pose distribution security challenges which, if surmounted adequately, indicate the existence of a distribution channel of sufficient security to make the use of the pads redundant. When you can send a one-time pad with perfect certainty that it cannot be compromised, you don’t need the pad :P

Not…

Rich of Observationz

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 21:45:55 +1300

Depends on your use case.

You have a file X and a one-time pad Y. You need X+Y to extract the information, so a laptop *and* a mobile phone.

Or Bill gives Loretta the pad, Bill travels to a distant place and later Bill sends Loretta a secure message over…

Matthew Poole

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 18:01:41 +1300

One time pads are ironically one of the oldest forms of encryption, and also the only kind that could never, ever be cracked. So long as you one-time the pad, of course.

They also pose distribution security challenges which, if surmounted adequately, indicate the existence of a distribution channel of…

merc

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:52:33 +1300

I am flounce awed. The connections are great.

Ian Dalziel

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:08:29 +1300

The Hollow Men…. and other brash writers
No shame: Eliot’s The Waste Land and Joyce’s Ulysses were contemporaneous (1922) classics of modernist literature – both championed by that renowned narcissistic quisling poet – Ezra Pound

Metaphorlock tugging… an illuminating aside
Interestingly Pound also corresponded with another poet who liked…

Steve Barnes

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:59:49 +1300

Oh dear, T.S. Elliot, my bad, thanks for not shaming me…

A simple mistake...
"The Waste Land" is notable for its seemingly disjointed structure, indicative of the Modernist style of James Joyce's Ulysses (which Eliot cited as an influence and which he read the same year that he was writing…

Steve Barnes

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:40:06 +1300

Curran asked Joyce directly “do you believe in convergence?”
“I fear those big words' Stephen said 'which make us so unhappy. I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day.”
Joyce criticised Curran’s push for another look…

BenWilson

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:30:32 +1300

One time pads are ironically one of the oldest forms of encryption, and also the only kind that could never, ever be cracked. So long as you one-time the pad, of course.

merc

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:25:12 +1300

Richard:
Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this son of York;
And all the clouds that low'r'd upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.
Richard The Third Act 1, scene 1, 1–4

Rich Lock

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:21:24 +1300

Coulda been Yeats, though:

Surely the Second Coming is at hand.

Well, there is an election soon...

A shape with lion body and the head of a man,

Joyce? Franks? Key?

A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun

Ah, Paula Bennett

The darkness drops again but now I know…

merc

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:12:06 +1300

Oh dear, T.S. Elliot, my bad, thanks for not shaming me.../door slams/

Rich of Observationz

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:06:54 +1300

it's actually not likely they will crack public key encryption after all

With passwords on files, it's typically conventional encryption.

In current practice, it's feasible that future machines will be able to brute-force whatever p455w[]rD you've used. The key length is limited by memory and typing time. People might however…

Ian Dalziel

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:05:21 +1300

Steven Daedalus*?
Not James Joyce then?
More useless than Ulysses…

[snap: Lilith]

* (cunning worker)

Lilith __

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:51:34 +1300

Not James Joyce then?

e-Ulysses.

merc

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:26:08 +1300

Heh, the e-Wasteland.

Steve Barnes

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:16:41 +1300

Phew, Joyce’s vision thing.

Not James Joyce then?
;-)

merc

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:39:16 +1300

http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/sparks-fly-at-internetnz-election-debate
Phew, Joyce's vision thing.
Approached after the discussion, Joyce referred to the “five-point plan” enunciated in his speech to the Telecommunications Day conference (Computerworld May 19). Government’s priorities are still with “e-health” and “e-education”, he says, but also embraces e-government, e-business and an “e-development” component he acknowledges is hard…

BenWilson

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:36:28 +1300

Who knows we may be the computer by then!

In which case being win95 would be like serving hard time?

Wizard needs food badly!

Such a brilliant idea. Also the first time that I seriously thought computer games could be evil.

Ian Dalziel

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:15:25 +1300

move over IBM here's DNA & E-Coli...
...do you really want to boot up a 100 year old operating system
Who knows we may be the computer by then!

Rich Lock

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:12:29 +1300

It's one of those things we have to accept – every moment of our lives, we forget 99.9% of our sensory input stream. Does it really matter?

That philopsophy degree showing it's practical uses again...

the whole credits and lives thing is just gone

Wizard needs food badly!

BenWilson

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:31:20 +1300

Seems like Quantum computing has matured since I last cared to puzzle with it. Interestingly from the wiki article:

There is a common misconception that quantum computers can solve NP-complete problems in polynomial time. That is not known to be true, and is generally suspected to be false

That suggests…

BenWilson

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:20:18 +1300

And both my published Spectrum games work on emulators that can be downloaded from a range of sites.

My old VIC20 games that I wrote are all sitting on an audiotape in a box, somewhere. I think they're better off there, really. If the tape has turned to spaghetti, it's…

BenWilson

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:18:18 +1300

Virtual machines would be more straightforward, surely? Leo's current project is putting MAME — and with it, every arcade machine ever — on an old Xbox. I am quite excited about this.

Heh, yes, MAME is fun. I had it on my last PDA, an iPAQ, along with every arcade…

Rich of Observationz

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:12:33 +1300

And both my published Spectrum games work on emulators that can be downloaded from a range of sites.

BenWilson

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:58:54 +1300

. Most breaks into encryption systems result from incorrect "packaging" rather than frontal assault on the algorithm.

Indeed, although with a massive breakthrough in computing power, frontal assault becomes feasible. I don't know if the solution to that, if quantum computing becomes practical, is to just use longer keys. Seems…

Russell Brown

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:48:38 +1300

if historians want to read word95 docs 100 years from now they will need to have working machines that run win95 and word95.

Well, they need something that can convert the files, anyway.

Virtual machines would be more straightforward, surely? Leo's current project is putting MAME — and with it,…

Rich of Observationz

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:43:58 +1300

Encryption will always be an arms race, no matter what technological breakthroughs are made

Current technologies provide a huge disparity between the work factor of encryption and cryptanalysis. (this assumes the algorithm doesn't have a bug or backdoor known to one or more TLAs). Most breaks into encryption systems result…

Sacha

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:33:22 +1300

Encryption will always be an arms race, no matter what technological breakthroughs are made. It's a great pity that such a thing occupies so many of the world's CPU cycles, to be honest – the arms races even eats our processing power.

It's trying to use blunt technology to solve…

BenWilson

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:27:23 +1300

when do we hit peak data storage overload?

Tricky question. At a technological level, storage has been growing at similar rates to computing power, ie exponentially. Which makes the storage of old data not particularly problematic in terms of capacity – every couple of years we make more storage than…

Lucy Stewart

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:21:25 +1300

Well, we’ll all have quantum computing devices by then, so today’s strongest password will be effortlessly cracked in microseconds.

Hey, if it's for historians – i.e. there's no great time pressure – modern supercomputers could go through and crack pretty much any password your average civil servant uses in a…

Ian Dalziel

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:19:23 +1300

caught in our devices...
Luckily Blackberries work across the solar system even when they don't!

Rich of Observationz

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 09:23:46 +1300

Pretty much all document formats (including ODT) allow encryption. I think it's a job for Archives NZ to ensure that key public records are held in unencrypted form on a secure, redundant and maintained database.

If one is concerned with the preservation of all the cruft, notes and ephemera that…

Rich Lock

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 09:18:11 +1300

do you think people will remember the passwords 100 years from now?

Well, we'll all have quantum computing devices by then, so today's strongest password will be effortlessly cracked in microseconds.

So I am assured by this white-coated gentleman holding a copy of New Scientist.

Paul Campbell

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 07:09:05 +1300

Yeah I'm in 2 minds about PDFs – however PDFs do allow embedded encryption – do you think people will remember the passwords 100 years from now?

Ian Dalziel

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 07:03:56 +1300

the oral data attrition…
The data storage medium is reasonably irrelevant if the data is being copied/backed up. If it isn’t, it won’t last 100 years.
I have several redundant ‘state-of-the-art’ back-up systems from the past 20 years, which should mean not only regular re-backing up and transferring to the…

BenWilson

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:49:48 +1300

if historians want to read word95 docs 100 years from now they will need to have working machines that run win95 and word95.

Well, they need something that can convert the files, anyway. The data storage medium is reasonably irrelevant if the data is being copied/backed up. If it isn't,…

George Darroch

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:04:22 +1300

I should probably make clear (in the interests of transparency) that I'm the Green Party campaign coordinator for Mangere, Manukau East, and Manurewa. I've said it elsewhere on the internet, but I don't think I've said it here. My opinions don't represent anyone other than myself, but they certainly aren't…

Sacha

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:19:48 +1300

Ta. I could see more potential for engagement if it's packaged well like the party's original OwnOurFuture material was. Some good content but I take George's point about policy having different characteristics/pupose. Too susceptible to being framed by others if it's just posted in raw form.

Appreciated Clare's expressed willingness…

Paul Campbell

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:16:16 +1300

One thing I do like in Labour's policy is the desire to make all government software open source. That's a vision.

Yup – a great idea – but far more important is to make sure that all government DATA is in open formats – not proprietary formats like word or…

JordanTCarter

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:06:13 +1300

I think the reason we kept it all quite close is amply demonstrated by what happened with the extremely limited circulation there was.

JordanTCarter

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:02:38 +1300

I think it's fair enough to point out that that miscommunication is our fault.

3410

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:17:55 +1300

NetVision 2011 election debate

Curran needs to dial back the snark.

Paul Williams

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:00:09 +1300

Can I just observe that despite Curran being guilty of the occassional slip of the tongue/keyboard, she's been part of opening up the Labour policy development process and for that, if nothing else, she's to be warmly congratulated.

BenWilson

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:31:12 +1300

But it's not a cure-all and it is prescriptive. A stronger argument needs to be made in its favour.

In each case, I'd hope. But I do like the forward thinking aspect of it.

George Darroch

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:24:34 +1300

Can't disagree with either of those points. Messy.

Russell Brown

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:16:19 +1300

I might be naive, so this is a genuine question, but how would an opposition political party have such a conversation with a government body?

NZ On Screen is a trust, so there wouldn't seem to be an impediment to an MP talking to them.

The UFB proposals seem to…

George Darroch

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:48:56 +1300

the somewhat confusing new role proposed for NZ On Screen in the Labour document is not the result of any discussion whatsoever with NZ On Screen itself (or, I think NZ On Air). That’s pretty messy.

I might be naive, so this is a genuine question, but how would an…

merc

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:42:01 +1300

That's pollie S.O.P.

Russell Brown

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:38:21 +1300

I've been talking to Brenda Leeuwenberg, the manager of NZ On Screen, who's currently having trouble logging in here, but noted that the somewhat confusing new role proposed for NZ On Screen in the Labour document is not the result of any discussion whatsoever with NZ On Screen itself (or,…

Russell Brown

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:34:59 +1300

One thing I do like in Labour’s policy is the desire to make all government software open source. That’s a vision.

But it's not a cure-all and it is prescriptive. A stronger argument needs to be made in its favour.

Russell Brown

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:33:15 +1300

I should say that I’m very impressed with the roundness of thinking shown by Labour in their policy proposals.

So am I. I just wish it was more clearly and coherently expressed.

DCBCauchi

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:29:45 +1300

Policy and message should align certainly. And policy should be defensible against a range of ideological attacks. But the test of a policy should always be how well it grounds against reality. Anything else is theatrics and game-playing.

Nice. I'd just suggest 'and' rather than 'or'. Test against reality and…

George Darroch

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:24:52 +1300

You could be a National cabinet minister with that line :)

Policy and message should align certainly. And policy should be defensible against a range of ideological attacks. But the test of a policy should always be how well it grounds against reality. Anything else is theatrics and game-playing.

I…

BenWilson

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:18:38 +1300

One thing I do like in Labour's policy is the desire to make all government software open source. That's a vision.

I don't know how realistic it is, for quite a lot of apps there just isn't an open source version. But it's a very progressive mandate, that everyone should…

Russell Brown

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:11:32 +1300

Mikaere, I think that the spirited defense of the right to connection put up by Gareth Hughes and the party in the last 12 months speaks most strongly to that issue. The policy itself probably needs an update to reflect that reality.

To be clear, I wasn't criticising the Greens…

Sacha

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:06:25 +1300

I refuse to accept that

You could be a National cabinet minister with that line :)

George Darroch

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:05:28 +1300

I might be an unrealistic idealist, but I refuse to accept that.

(I don't want to derail a thread though, so I'm not going to push the matter...)

Sacha

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:58:42 +1300

That Labour's policy is vulnerable to attack reflects the absolute weakness of policy debate in NZ. Once again, I blame the media.

The debate is weak, sure. However, the media did not force Labour to frame the communication of their policy in a way that makes it easy for Farrar…

George Darroch

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:52:42 +1300

And be fair , the Greens IT policy was largely developed before Judith Tizard had signalled she intended to cut off people’s internet access on the say-so of apparent copyright holders. I was certainly working on in at the policy conference back in 2006.

Mikaere, I think that the spirited…

3410

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:50:18 +1300

Just in the sense that "Labour's internet tax" is precisely the kind of coinage that will catch on, and spook the leadership, whether it's accurate or not.

To be fair, it's not exactly entirely inaccurate.

Mikaere Curtis

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:46:05 +1300

Rather surprisingly, no such statement appears in the Greens' relatively prosaic IT policy. But only the Greens are thinking about e-waste.
Its a pity Labour couldn't think the issue through when they were drafting the legislation, isn't it ? It would certainly save on flip-flopping.

And be fair , the…

Russell Brown

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:31:42 +1300

Is this some new constitutional change, possibly passed under secret urgency? Farrar gets a veto over Labour policy? Great.

Heh. Just in the sense that "Labour's internet tax" is precisely the kind of coinage that will catch on, and spook the leadership, whether it's accurate or not.

My suggestion would…

Rich of Observationz

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:24:16 +1300

David Farrar was able to basically kill it

Is this some new constitutional change, possibly passed under secret urgency? Farrar gets a veto over Labour policy? Great.

My suggestion would be an opt-out levy with an indemnity from legal action for non-commercial file-sharing as a quid-pro-quo. $10 a month, and…

Public Address

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:24:16 +1300

Discussion from blog post.