Rick

Cryptosmith

This is a brief explanation of the weird acronyms on the cover sheets that appeared in the photo of classified the FBI seized at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. They identify different types of classified information that might – or might not – reside beneath such a cover sheet. The traditional classification ... Read More

I’ve avoided commenting on the FBI’s discovery of classified documents at the Mar-a-Lago Club, the home of former President Donald Trump, before this. Numerous pundits have shared their opinions about Trump’s legal jeopardy, if any. I’ve been waiting for things to clarify. I’m now almost convinced that Trump is toast, ... Read More

Peter Gutmann of the University of Aukland recently published a parable “On the Heffalump Threat.” He pokes fun at the R&D cottage industry trying to achieve a practical quantum computer and at related efforts at “post quantum cryptography.” Security People always like to be prepared, even if the rest of ... Read More

**** Recommend itHighly recommend if you are a Bill Bryson fan. Highly recommend if you are considering a trip to Australia. Recommend if you are interested in Australia. I have read a number of Bryson books over the years. My wife and I started many years ago by jointly reading ... Read More

*** Liked itRecommend if you like historical battles.Recommend if you have no clue about the War of 1812.Recommend if you don't know much about President Andrew Jackson. I picked up this book because I really couldn’t remember a damn thing about the War of 1812. I knew that we got ... Read More

I hate the the KKK. I know, saying that out loud is not that brave. How can anybody disagree with the notion that, according to the Equal Justice Initiative, this American domestic terrorist organization was either directly or indirectly responsible for the murder of over 4,400 American citizens between the ... Read More

**** Recommend itWhen it first came out in 2013, this book took a lot of heat from religious scholars that did not agree with Reza Aslan’s point of view. I think there were some sour greats too because it shot to the top of the NYTs best seller's list and ... Read More

Executive SummaryWhen Satoshi Nakamoto published his seminal paper called Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System in October 2008, he started what is arguably the first viable cryptocurrency. Bitcoins have steadily increased in value from its inception to today where one bitcoin is worth some $6,500 and its success has encouraged ... Read More

Executive SummaryNew Jersey and Virginia are holding state elections on 7 November. Some of my friends, family and colleagues tell me they don’t vote. They have lots of reasons. They say that their vote does not count. They say that the system is, at best, a poorly designed system and, ... Read More

1,500 US Army soldiers stood on the misty parade field at Fort Meyer waiting for the sun to rise. The leadership had scheduled another morale building yet mandated "fun run" where once a quarter, the entire unit comes together to do PT (Physical Training) in a show of Esprit de ... Read More