I have decided to begin re-watching the entire original (seasons 1-9) run of The X-Files.
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“Killswitch” (S5E11) makes another cryptography reference with a mention of 64-bit encryption. Taking place in 1998, this would be referring to DES, and that same year, the EFF built Deep Crack that could break DES in 56 hours. #TheXFiles
This episode also features a hacker working on a clearly self-maintained and repaired laptop held together with duct tape.
This guy obviously adheres to #permacomputing principles and more than likely runs #Plan9.
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This episode also features a hacker working on a clearly self-maintained and repaired laptop held together with duct tape.
This guy obviously adheres to #permacomputing principles and more than likely runs #Plan9.
@occult I mean… given where the hardware market is going, I think a lot more people will discover permacomputing soon (if not entirely on their own volition…)
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A reference to the Clipper Chip (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipper_chip) in “Memento Mori" (S4E14) from 1997.
The history of the Clipper Chip project is a fascinating story about the politics and history around strong #cryptography, #surveillance, and #privacy in the early 90s.
See the writing on this topic by @mattblaze (https://www.mattblaze.org/papers/escrow-acsac11.pdf) and @matthew_d_green (https://blog.cryptographyengineering.com/2015/07/20/a-history-of-backdoors/).
It is worth studying and for those who did not live through it.
@occult @mattblaze @matthew_d_green wow (ok didnt really read this post nor hear the audio but) my eyes can .. i can feel the tearing in that CRT's refresh rate ... and it's oddly comforting
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In an alternate universe, deep in a datacenter, Scully takes control of the situation and orders Mulder to kill the AI.
“Ghost in the Machine” (S1E7).
@occult the third person in the room (no idea what their name is), at one point, looks from right to left and then a few seconds later, looks back in a robotic way that almost seems like the tape was reversed. Having never seen this episode, my guess is that he's the actual AI and not the CRT TV with all the words on it.
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This episode also features a hacker working on a clearly self-maintained and repaired laptop held together with duct tape.
This guy obviously adheres to #permacomputing principles and more than likely runs #Plan9.
I guess I missed that time The X-Files had an episode in Vegas where the Lone Gunmen attended a conference called DEFCON.
@thedarktangent, did you know about this at the time? The funny thing is in the episode (S6E20), it was a defense contractor conference and they were not playing “spot the Fed”.
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I guess I missed that time The X-Files had an episode in Vegas where the Lone Gunmen attended a conference called DEFCON.
@thedarktangent, did you know about this at the time? The funny thing is in the episode (S6E20), it was a defense contractor conference and they were not playing “spot the Fed”.
@occult One of the tables they stop at was modeled after Uncle Ira’s Fun Farm of Death (MECO) so it was really cool to see.
The latest incarnation was the last Bourne movie held in Vegas with a lot of familiar imagery.
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I guess I missed that time The X-Files had an episode in Vegas where the Lone Gunmen attended a conference called DEFCON.
@thedarktangent, did you know about this at the time? The funny thing is in the episode (S6E20), it was a defense contractor conference and they were not playing “spot the Fed”.
@occult @thedarktangent DEF-CON 99
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