Wiretapping the Internet
- Here’s the article from the New York Times I mentioned today: “U.S. Tries to Make It Easier to Wiretap the Internet.“
- Bruce Schneier is a leading expert on computer security. He weighed in on the proposed bill on his blog, arguing quite strongly that it’s a bad idea.
- Max mentioned another bill, one that would give the government the ability to shut down parts of the Internet in case of attack. This has been dubbed, somewhat misleadingly, as an “Internet kill switch.” Here’s a short update on this bill from the Huffington Post.
Breaking the Vigenere
- Below you’ll find my Prezi from today illustrating the cryptanalysis of the Vigenere.
Math 115: Breaking the Vigenere on Prezi
- Here’s the Excel file I used in class today: Vigenere Cryptanalysis (4 Letter).
- And here’s a version that uses five-letter keyword: Vigenere Cryptanalysis (5 Letter).
- Between the two of these files, you have what you need to extrapolate and handle other keyword lengths. However, if you have any Excel questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
Prezi
As I mentioned today, Prezi is a great presentation tool, one I find myself using more and more frequently. I like the ability to arrange the ideas in my presentation in any configuration I like. PowerPoint only gives me one configuration: strictly linear. Prezi lets me go in different directions, group related ideas on the canvas, and zoom in and out to see things at different scales. You can sign up for a free account. (Use your .edu email address for bonus features.) The free account lets you design Prezis online, share your Prezis online, and download your Prezis. The paid version gives you an offline editor and more online storage space, but I’ve found the free version works well for my needs.
Cryptography in the Movies
- Several of the movies featuring cryptography I mentioned today were listed in an earlier blog post. Movies mentioned today not in that earlier post were Rendezvous (1935) with William Powell (from The Thin Man) and Sebastian (1968).
- Also, here’s the trailer for Pi (1998) I showed today:
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