Steve Weis

Comment Threads

• skreidle commented on Explaining dual-key crypto with tennis-balls and padlocks
  Toastpoints: I agree--I've been trying to understand public/private key crypto for work, and that video didn't illuminate anything for me. Thezonie, Certron: That helped a lot more. :)...
• Crash commented on Explaining dual-key crypto with tennis-balls and padlocks
  Certron: I guess the easiest pop-sci metaphor for the math would be to think of a clock. A clock is circular and has twelve numbers, so 10+3 = 1 on a clock, right? You and I agree in secret on some imaginary clock that has n numbers on it. Now if you send me a message like "the secret number plus 13 is 9 on our clock," it's pretty hard for a spy to figure out what the secret number is without knowing how big the clock is, but I can get it just by subtracting, so long as your...
• Crash commented on Explaining dual-key crypto with tennis-balls and padlocks
  Oh, I should add the above describes RSA encryption, which is only one form of public-key cryptography. Other popular algorithms include Diffie-Hellman, its child ElGamal, and the Digital Signature Standard....
• Burz commented on Explaining dual-key crypto with tennis-balls and padlocks
  For a better description try this series of podcasts #30-37 from Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte....
• esbee commented on RFID Guardian, open hardware/software to firewall your RFID tags
  Do you know the USDA wants ALL privately owned livestock animals to be chipped for purpose of owners filing reports on every birth, death and off property movement those animals make? Digital Angel is in on the ground floor of this program called NAIS. The chip they chose is reprogrammable. This program is called NAIS (national animal identification system) will force everyone who owns even one livestock animal on a private level, say as pets or for their own consumption, to register their premises with the government, microchip and file reports to the govt on every birth, death and off...