From: tcmay@got.net (Timothy C. May)
Date: Thu, 17 Aug 95 12:04:05 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: The Official Cypherpunks Screen Saver?
Message-ID: <ac58dab7120210048eb3@[205.199.118.202]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 5:11 PM 8/17/95, Jim Gillogly wrote:

>I would hazard a guess that 90% of the compute cycles in the world are used
>running screen savers... this gives a <lot> of slack for people who would
>like to harness them to perform productive work like making points about
>the strength of security.

It would really be cool to have a screen saver that did useful work while
displaying pretty pictures.

Imagine a screen saver, maybe with code modules running in "After Dark,"
that updates the screen with keys tried...could be a nice demonstration of
bignums in crypto, etc. Every now and then the user would get lucky and
alarms would go off...

(Details: getting the modules to automatically divvy-up keyspace...or maybe
just let user pick his own key, or from a list, or whatever. A la the
"Chinese lottery" keycracking scheme, where set-top cable boxes (containing
computers) crunch on keys and try to match to signals sent over the
air...Schneier may have something on this in his book.)

Just a thought. The "Official Cypherpunks Screen Saver"? I'd rather have
this running on my Mac than have a t-shirt.

--Tim May

(Berkeley Systems, makers of "After Dark" for Macs and Windows, supports
third-party modules. Maybe the "Flying Toasters" could swoop down, pick up
a "key" laying on the "ground" and proceed to munch on it...the mind
boggles.)

---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May            | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
tcmay@got.net (Got net?)  | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
408-728-0152              | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Corralitos, CA            | black markets, collapse of governments.
Higher Power: 2^756839    | Public Key: PGP and MailSafe available.
"National borders are just speed bumps on the information superhighway."