"Cryptography for Human Senses"

From the research paper "Cryptography for Human Senses" by Kimmo Halunen and Outi-Marja Latvala:

One argument that might go against the idea of cryptography for human senses is that one might envision a future of enhanced humans that have abilities to interact with cryptographic protocols in a native way. Such ideas are currently more mainstream in science fiction, but it might be that at some point this could be possible in reality. One example of such future is presented in Hannu Rajaniemi’s novel The Quantum Thief [58]. 

In the book, the Martian society has developed a very elaborate system called gevulot (Hebrew for ”limits”), which is essentially a PKI system that allows the people to achieve various levels of privacy and even choose what parts of conversations and interactions can be ”remembered” by the parties involved. The citizens of Mars have developed skills and an etiquette on how to use this system in their daily lives. Of course, the people living in the society have vastly transcended our current human capabilities. 

On the other hand, it might be possible to realise a system much like gevulot with current cryptographic methods such as attribute-based encryption, homomorphic encryption and other advanced cryptographic primitives. Thus, it would be great to have these systems work in a way that would be accessible to ordinary humans. This then would be an argument in favour of researching cryptography for human senses.

Hannu Rajaniemi’s new science fiction novel The Quantum Thief. http://bit.ly/dmV10t

— Stephen Gordon (@ironnoir) November 10, 2010

"The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India's New Gilded Age"

"The Billionaire Raj"
Source: Amazon.com

James Crabtree, the former Mumbai bureau chief for the Financial Times, wrote a book about India’s colorful economic and political scene.

With over 1 billion people, the country ranks as the sixth largest global economy based on nominal GDP. According to a New World Wealth report India is the home to over 330,000 high net-worth individuals, 20,000 plus multimillionaires, and over 100 billionaires. Still the country has incredible inequality; the country’s top 1 percent now own nearly 60 percent of its wealth.

The Gilded Age analogy paints the picture of the country's rapid economic growth and the increasing wealth of the few people who dominate India's industrial economy, equivalent to the Rockefeller’s of America’s late 19th and early 20th century. Mr Crabtree reveals an intimate story of some of the country's tycoons and political power brokers and believes the country will benefit from its own version of a progressive era. From a review in “The Economist”:

The analysis really sings when Mr Crabtree finds new ways to capture the collision of profits, politics and public opinion. His account of India’s cut-throat network-TV industry, through the eyes of a star presenter, is thrilling. And he explores the paradox of India’s “southern belt” of states, most notably Tamil Nadu, which have their share of charismatic politicians and graft, but are also relatively rich. They have developed an efficient kind of populism, he concludes, in contrast to the purely venal politics farther north.

The book’s main flaw is that it gives a narrow view of the business world. Like Russia and other parts of Asia, India has its politically connected moguls. But it also has what may be the world’s most vibrant tech scene after America and China, a large stock of investment by multinational companies and a cohort of professionally run firms that compete in global markets.

Amazon reviews.

My recent conversation with @jamescrabtree on his book "The Billionaire Raj" and the India #business ecosystem via @AnalyseAsia #podcast https://t.co/eklcJiW5JC

— Bernard Leong (@bernardleong) September 9, 2018

15 Upcoming Books to Be Excited About

15 Upcoming or Recently Released Books to Be Excited About, In No Particular Order:

Shaping the Future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
by Klaus Schwab (Author), Satya Nadella (Foreword)
November 6, 2018

Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin's Most Dangerous Hackers
by Andy Greenberg
May 7, 2019

Exploding Data: Reclaiming Our Cyber Security in the Digital Age
by Michael Chertoff
Jul 10, 2018

Click Here to Kill Everybody: Security and Survival in a Hyper-connected World
by Bruce Schneier
Sep 4, 2018

AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate All-in-One Exam Guide (Exam SAA-C01)
by Joyjeet Banerjee
Aug 10, 2018

Book: "Web Development & Design Foundations with HTML5"

This is the start of a great friendship, not that I have many friends. However, it is Sunday, and so far, I have spent several hours pouring over the questions at the end of chapter one. They are great questions, well, exercises really. Little challenges. Puzzles. Creative experiments, critical inquiries. They require thought, organization, research, analysis, evaluation, discovery.

The book is "Web Development & Design Foundations with HTML5" It is authored by a brilliant Terry Felke-Morris, though I don't even know yet who that brilliant person is. It's just that their craftsmanship is excellent. Just with the first chapter, I am seduced. There is so much. There is the IETF, ARPAnet, accessibility, programming languages, clients and servers, protocols, and this is just the start!