math_and_stuff (u/math_and_stuff)

math_and_stuff commented on Censorship of our report on govt purchasing from Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet techinquiry.org/?about=UN... · Posted by u/cratermoon

KKKKkkkk1 · 3 years ago

I don't understand where is the censorship. Here is the relevant quote:

UNI’s demands were clear: either remove all material except the critique of Amazon or hide UNI’s funding. (It was suggested that Tech Inquiry wait six months before publishing its analysis of Microsoft and Google.)

The funders don't want to be associated with the report because they don't support it. Remove their names from the report and publish it as much as you like.

math_and_stuff · 3 years ago

The censorship was of the Microsoft and Google portions of the report. Removing 100 pages of a 150 page report for political reasons is for sure still censorship.

And if an organization funded a report, it is unethical to hide that information. It is absolutely standard to attach notices of non-endorsement after funding disclosures.

math_and_stuff commented on The U.S. Treasury is buying private app data to target and investigate people theintercept.com/2021/11/... · Posted by u/_-david-_

user3939382 · 4 years ago

Since you seem so invested in this here’s another source: https://thebaffler.com/salvos/all-effd-up-levine

“ Over the past years, EFF has taken millions in funds from Google and Facebook via straight donations and controversial court payouts that many see as under-the-radar contributions. Hell, Google co-founder Sergey Brin’s foundation gave EFF at least $1.2 million.” You can argue with that guy about his sources too. He’s also making an even bigger claim since I wasn’t limiting my assessment to those two companies.

math_and_stuff · 4 years ago

I went through every 990 from the Sergey Brin Family Foundation and see no donations to the EFF in any of them (from 2014-2019).

Happen to know of a source for Yasha's claim?

https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/472...

math_and_stuff commented on The U.S. Treasury is buying private app data to target and investigate people theintercept.com/2021/11/... · Posted by u/_-david-_

user3939382 · 4 years ago

“ Google gave the Electronic Frontier Foundation $75,000 in calendar year 2017, $15,500 in calendar year 2016, and $325,000 in calendar year 2015, according tax forms, annual reports, and interviews with the nonprofit.”

Add up all the money they’ve accepted from these types of companies over the last 10 years. They shouldn’t be accepting $1 from Google.

math_and_stuff · 4 years ago

All of the figures from said article add up to EFF receiving a total of $478K from Facebook and Google over four calendar years (2015 through 2018).

Of course I agree that these orgs shouldn't accept money from tech giants, but any critique should be done accurately with citations.

math_and_stuff commented on The U.S. Treasury is buying private app data to target and investigate people theintercept.com/2021/11/... · Posted by u/_-david-_

user3939382 · 4 years ago

I used to be a big EFF supporter until I learned they take millions in donations from the same organizations they’re supposed to be watching. Best case scenario it’s a massive conflict of interest, it’s a big problem for me that they find it to be ok.

math_and_stuff · 4 years ago

This is an irresponsible claim if not backed up with a citation.

Further, I happen to monitor corporate funding to nonprofits (including the EFF) and public reporting suggests EFF only received $7500 from Google in 2018 and $25K from Facebook.

Whereas Center for Democracy and Technology, which was founded by the former Executive Director of the EFF in 1994, received $430K and $500K, respectively.

See https://news.bloomberglaw.com/privacy-and-data-security/face...

math_and_stuff commented on The U.S. Treasury is buying private app data to target and investigate people theintercept.com/2021/11/... · Posted by u/_-david-_

mrobot · 4 years ago

Does anyone know what day Tech Inquiry provided these documents to The Intercept?

Seems kinda convenient we get our nice exciting "adversarial" article about this four days /after/ the infrastructure bill passes and we are locked in to have tons of new bank surveillance and like 80,000 new IRS agents...

math_and_stuff · 4 years ago

The article was published Nov. 4, days before the infrastructure bill passed. Not yesterday. You can easily find this in the header of the article.

math_and_stuff commented on Eric Schmidt is working to launch a university businessinsider.com/googl... · Posted by u/plumeria

zjaffee · 5 years ago

I think it's more complicated than that, all of these roles come with substantial amounts of near unilateral executive power that can impact the way the country is run for decades to come.

Even all of the existing US government tech posts like the USDS and 18F are ultimately there purely to service the needs of a bureaucratic agency and their particular management.

For a technology specific role to have the same level of prestige as someone on the federal bench or leading the FBI, they'd need to be giving them unilateral regulatory powers over the broader technology industry in the country.

math_and_stuff · 5 years ago

Sounds a lot like the Defense Innovation Board and National Security Commission on AI.

math_and_stuff commented on What Peak Hello World Looks Like h313.info/blog/cpp/2020/0... · Posted by u/wh313

mkl · 5 years ago

Oh, I think we can do better. C and bitwise operations are so 1980! Modern Hello Worlds should use modern languages, functional programming, and data science! Like so:

  import numpy as np
  
  x = np.array([0.03908342, 0.95362155, 0.95450865, 0.22260951, 0.35975305,
                0.22841515, 0.3964834, 0.01782918, 0.05798498, 0.62697582,
                0.69175475, 0.343705])
  y = np.array([0.28685259, 0.40239044, 0.43027888, 0.43027888, 0.44223108,
                0.12749004, 0.47410359, 0.44223108, 0.45418327, 0.43027888,
                0.39840637, 0.1314741])
  b = [lambda x, x0=x0: np.sqrt(.1+(x-x0)**2) for x0 in x]+[lambda x: 1., lambda x: x]
  a = np.array([[bb(xx) for bb in b] for xx in x]+[[1.]*12+[0., 0.], list(x)+[0., 0.]])
  c = np.linalg.solve(a, list(y)+[0., 0.])
  print(''.join(chr(int(c.dot(np.array([bb(xx) for bb in b]))*251.+.1)) for xx in x))

math_and_stuff · 5 years ago

Upgrade this from a linear system solve to a (perhaps Mixed Integer) Linear Program solution and then we're talking!

math_and_stuff commented on Zero-days in Cisco Discovery Protocol armis.com/cdpwn/... · Posted by u/pimterry

tptacek · 6 years ago

Documented state-level kinetic computer security attacks go back a lot further than you think they do.

math_and_stuff · 6 years ago

Is there prior art before alleged sabotage leading to pipeline explosion in 1982? [1]

Zetter's Countdown to Zero Day points to that with skepticism and also talks about Kosovo as one of earliest cases, as does Sandworm.

Do you think this is roughly correct?

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_the_Abyss

math_and_stuff commented on People Who Are Obsessed with Success and Prestige bennettnotes.com/post/obs... · Posted by u/_davebennett

hedgedoops2 · 6 years ago

Cusins. By the way, have you any religion?

Undershaft. Yes.

Cusins. Anything out of the common?

Undershaft. Only that there are two things necessary to Salvation.

Cusins [disappointed, but polite] Ah, the Church Catechism. Baptism and —

Undershaft. No. Money and gunpowder.

Cusins [surprised, but interested] That is the general opinion of our governing classes. The novelty is in hearing any man confess it.

Undershaft. Just so.

Cusins. Excuse me: is there any place in your religion for honor, justice, truth, love, mercy and so forth?

Undershaft. Yes: they are the graces and luxuries of a rich, strong, and safe life.

Cusins. Suppose one is forced to choose between them and money or gunpowder?

Undershaft. Choose money and gunpowder; for without enough of both you cannot afford the others.

Cusins. That is your religion?

Undershaft. Yes.

(https://opentextbc.ca/englishliterature/chapter/major-barbar...)

math_and_stuff · 6 years ago

Wikipedia on Shaw's admiration of Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin:

""" Shaw's admiration for Mussolini and Stalin demonstrated his growing belief that dictatorship was the only viable political arrangement. When the Nazi Party came to power in Germany in January 1933, Shaw described Hitler as "a very remarkable man, a very able man",[1] and professed himself proud to be the only writer in England who was "scrupulously polite and just to Hitler".[2] His principal admiration was for Stalin, whose regime he championed uncritically throughout the decade.[3] Shaw saw the 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact as a triumph for Stalin who, he said, now had Hitler under his thumb.[4] """

[1] https://www.jstor.org/stable/40682385 [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bernard_Shaw#CITEREFHol... [3] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theatre-and-performance... [4] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/theatre-and-performance...

math_and_stuff commented on Eigenvectors from eigenvalues terrytao.wordpress.com/20... · Posted by u/bigpumpkin

math_and_stuff · 6 years ago

The entries of a matrix are eigenvalues of 1x1 minors, and clearly eigenvectors are a function of the entries.

That the result is a function of (n-1) minors is first-order information and would help clarify the default assumption that the result computes eigenvectors from the full Hermitian matrix's eigenvalues.