From: Daniel Miskell <DMiskell@envirolink.org>
Date: Sun, 10 Dec 95 07:51:40 PST
To: s1113645@tesla.cc.uottawa.ca
Subject: Re: The Elevator Problem
Message-ID: <9512101551.AA02550@envirolink.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


s1113645@tesla.cc.uottawa.ca writes:
>
>
>On Sun, 10 Dec 1995, Daniel Miskell wrote:
>
>> There is an easy way to develop a secret key in front any number of eves, 
>>be  they experts or not, without the eves knowing what the key is.  Even if 
>>they  tap your phone/comm line, ect.  There was an article in Discovery 
>>Magazine a  couple of years ago, talking about how to use photons and their 
>>randomness as  the perfect, uncrackable code.  Use of the photons aside, 
>>there was a key  generation method discussed, simple, yet secure enough to 
>>work out on a tapped  phone.  Let me root around.
>
>You must mean quantum crypto, by G. Brassard and C. Crepeau of U de Montreal.
>Requires a direct fiber optic line from pt. A to B, in order to be 
>secure, if I am not mistaken. Which makes it impractical for most people, 
>as there are usually switches (or whatever they're called) and more than one 
>line in between. Lets you use OTPs with your next-door neighbor though.

I think i was misunderstood.  I was not referring to the actual use of light 
in the communications process.  I was talking about the key generation method 
suggested in that article.  Of course the use of light is impractical for most 
- the need for direct fiberoptics aside, you have to be able to test a photon 
for its polarized orientation.  In any case, i dig on.

Regards,
Munster.

---
_________________________________
*!Cheese Doctrine:!*
    Though cultured over time,
and aged to perfection, one must
not yield to produce mold.  One
must also not belittle themselves
by conforming to the "whiz", but
melt over the unprocessed ideas
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_________________________________