Category: General

  • DEFCON Voting Village 23 Panel

    DEFCON Voting Village 23 Panel

    There was a DEFCON Voting Village panel «If I can shop online, why can’t I vote online?» which I found extremely important to read or listen to. Not just for me, in fact, for anyone talking about electronic voting. Here is a transcript for those who prefer reading (or searching for keywords).

  • SMTP Smuggling Status

    SMTP Smuggling Status

    «SMTP Smuggling» is a vulnerability that allows to circumvent some mail checks at the receiver and therefore will allow additional spam and/or phishing messages through. Here is the list of what we currently know.

  • The year in review

    The year in review

    This is the time to catch up on what you missed during the year. For some, it is meeting the family. For others, doing snowsports. For even others, it is cuddling up and reading. This is an article for the latter.

  • Inefficiency is bliss (sometimes)

    Inefficiency is bliss (sometimes)

    Bureaucracy and inefficiency are frowned upon, often rightly so. But they also have their good sides: Properly applied, they ensure reliability and legal certainty. Blockchain disciples want to “improve” bureaucracy-ridden processes, but achieve the opposite. Two examples:

  • The FTX crypto exchange and its spider web

    The FTX crypto exchange and its spider web

    Yesterday, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released its indictment against Sam Bankman-Fried. It details the financial entanglements of FTX, Alameda Research and more than a hundred other companies and individuals. We have tried to disentangle these allegations somewhat for you.

  • Reproducible AI Image Generation: Experiment Follow-Up

    Reproducible AI Image Generation: Experiment Follow-Up

    Inspired by an NZZ Folio article on AI text and image generation using DALL•E 2, I tried to reproduce the (German) prompts. Someone suggested that English prompts would work better. Here is the comparison.

  • Web3 for data preservation? (Or is it just another expensive P2P?)

    Web3 for data preservation? (Or is it just another expensive P2P?)

    Drew Austin raises an important question in Wired: How should we deal with our accumulated personal data? How can we get from randomly hoarding to selection and preservation? And why does his proposed solution of Web3 not work out? A few analytical thoughts.

  • «The Cloud» does not exist

    «The Cloud» does not exist

    What is cloud anyway? And why are not all clouds the same? An overview to create clarity. The topic of the cloud is currently on everyone’s lips again, and decisions are pending in many places. Clarity is essential for assessing the impact on individuals, the economy and society. That’s why we’re starting a small series…

  • Rejuvenation for Pro Senectute through NFT and Metaverse?

    Rejuvenation for Pro Senectute through NFT and Metaverse?

    Pro Senectute beider Basel, a foundation to help the elderly around Basel, launched its NFT project last week and already informed about its Metaverse commitment beforehand. According to a media release, Michael Harr, managing director of the 15-million Basel-based company, wants to use the purchase of these “properties” in a “central location” in two online…

  • What is an NFT, behind the scenes?

    What is an NFT, behind the scenes?

    “NFT” is currently on everyone’s lips again, and not only because of Pro Senectute. But what is actually behind the full-bodied promises of the NFT advocates? For more insights on NFTs and the entire blockchain ecosystem, click here. You can also read this text in German 🇩🇪. “NFT” stands for “Non-Fungible Token” and is being…