Where magic lives: Analysis of HSBC Vulnerability

http://da.vidnicholson.com/2006/08/analysis-of-hsbc-vulnerability.html

Very nice article... simple, easy to read and understand.

Most crypt-analyses is very mathematical in nature, and I can hardly understand the individual words in it, let alone whole sentences :-(

As a result, I've always had trouble explaining to people how proper analysis can break a system, because to the untrained mind, even XOR would seem unbreakable!

For me, therefore, the real value of this article is that I can probably use it to give ordinary people exactly such an insight.

One more for the fan club :-)

U.S. may be left behind in open-source technology, Red Hat's Szulik warns - Computerworld

"Why is it that I can meet with the president of India, who spent an hour with me talking about how he was going to use open-source software ... to move his educational system to the 21st century, yet I struggle in my town just to get an appointment with the local school committee to introduce them to this thing called ... Linux?" Szulik asked.

I wonder what's the more important news: the US being left behind because of their policies, or the Indian president having the vision to recognise what open source can do?

Both are "old news" to me, but perhaps one or two of the three or four readers I have may find something new here ;-)

(FOSS) free download does NOT mean free software!

New Zealand News - Technology - Beware: They're watching you

"The programs also slurp up system resources, leaving your PC sluggish. Often, that's the only way you discover they're there."