Schneier on Security

echo • November 30, 2018 6:37 PM

@tfb

From what I understand Enigma was never actually broken during WWII as such but messages were decrypted. It’s a nitpick. Perhaps a cryptanalysts can confirm this and definitions?

Wiki has a good write up now. The overall effort was a collaborative affair. The Poles deserve credit for their breakthrough as do the French whose obtaining of documents allowed the Poles to make their breakthrough. Poland lacked the resoruces to take efforts further which is where the British took over who were following their own path and learned from the Polish effort. The British later shared secrets with the Americans who managed to add their resources to the overall effort by creating their own Bombe programme.

After WWII the breakthroughs made by Gordon Welchman in traffic analysis were shared with America which had a larger economy and the resources to allow full exploitation of traffic analysis which led to the US-UK agreement.

As we know “Five Eyes” followed later.

echo • December 1, 2018 12:20 AM

@TdJ

There are documentaries on Youtube if you search for “Gordon Welchman”. There is the BBC documentary “Bletchley Park – Code Breaking’s Forgotten Genius”. Gordon also wrote the book “The Hut Six Story” which attracted the ire of Margaret Thatcher and ultimately ruined his health and life.

He seemed quite dashing. The thinking woman’s James Bond not the mysogynistic pap by Ian Flemming.

echo • December 2, 2018 7:41 PM

@CallMeLateForSupper

There are systemic issues with education which have squeezed out practical skills. The big ones area change in parental lifestyles and manufacturers making products with “no user servicable parts”. Another issue is paranoia over child safety when playing outside. In the past children had an environment where they were able to take things apart or make their own things and explore the world. Books of the time reflected this from encyclopaedias which had sections on how to make gunpowder and nitroglygerine to making crystal radios to making tree houses to crafts. Almost all of this has now gone or been banned.

Children still have lots of outlets. They just live in a different world compared to adults. Teaching children to read and play well and help out around the hope repairing things and having hobbies still has value.

@Clive

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blockquote>We kind of “take the mick” out of “old money” in the UK, but the “landed gentry” are not those you see on “reality TV” they are usually indistinguishable from those who work on their land in toung and attitude to the land. Where they do differ is a sense of self confidence, they generaly care not a jot about what other people think of them, and usuly they care not a jot where you’ve come from, it’s your attitude to what’s important and your conscience more than your morals they care about. It’s something that the pretentious middle classes and nouveau riche just don’t get it…

Things are a little more complex than this but yes essentially this. Over in the US a similar thing happened. I read a historical article which discussed the issue of class. Once upon a time higher class meant people with certain mindsets who generally lived a comfortable life. As time went on how much money you had and how materialistic a life you could lead began to take over as a class distinguisher.

Another thing in the US which may explain historical issues and modern consternation is during the early days of settlement the protestants seized all the best farming land leaving catholics with the worst land. As industrialisation began to take off the catholic dominated areas began to accumate more power and wealth. The previously wealthy high class protestant land owners have since been left far behind.

The UK position isn’t anywhere near as stark as the US. The UK system lacks the highs of the US but tends to distribute resources more fairly. The fact we all live closer together may make this unavoidable.

I guess few people realise when walking around London how much of the city is built like a fortress. Disparaties of income and closely living next to each other partly explains this as it does the quirky fortress like houses in the North of England built in historically contested areas with Scotland.