WINDING DOWN
An idiosyncratic look at, and comment on, the week's net, technology and science news
by Alan Lenton
It’s the start of the silly season, so there’s not much real news around this week, but here is what I managed to dig out. A big dark net bust, Australia overthrows maths, the media and Trump, computer user interface shock, a picture of the moon against the Leaning Tower, and the sound of the Van Allen Belts. The scanner section points to material on the return of Google Glass, Game of Thrones with network theory, hardening internet crypto, and running out of sky in the UK.
No WD next week, we are having a weekend off while it’s quiet...
Shorts:
Two of the biggest dark net marketplaces have been shut down by an inter-nations police operation. And you are talking about big. One of them, AlphaBay, was allegedly the biggest on the dark net with over 200,000 users and 40,000 vendors, according to Europol. To give you some idea of the implications, there were over a quarter of a million listings for illegal drugs and toxic chemicals, and over 100,000 listings for stolen and fraudulent ID documents and such like.
I guess we are about to find out just how good these site’s backup procedures are!
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/07/20/dark_net_megabust/
Well. Waddayaknow – Australian law takes precedence over the laws of mathematics! It must be so, because the Prime Minister of Australia himself said it is so.
I can only quote the man himself’s comment on the subject of encryption. “Well the laws of Australia prevail in Australia, I can assure you of that. The laws of mathematics are very commendable, but the only law that applies in Australia is the law of Australia.”
The mind boggles. I wonder how long it will be before Australian law takes out the law of gravity...
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/malcolm-turnbull-prime-minister-laws-of-mathematics-do-not-apply-australia-encryption-l-a7842946.html
Homework:
OK. First I need to put down a marker here. I don’t particularly like Donald Trump’s policies, but since I’m a Brit, I consider it none of my business. It’s the business of the US electorate. (Similarly, ‘Brexit’ was no business of Barak Obama’s, and he had no right to tell us Brits how to vote.)
Having said that, I’d like to draw your attention to a thought provoking analysis of the false allegations and misleading claims made against Trump. I doubt that the piece will change anyone’s mind, but that’s not its intention. It is, though, an eye opener about what’s going on, and it will make you, perhaps, a little more careful about evaluating claims, both for and against.
Recommended.
http://www.snopes.com/2017/07/12/trump-lies/
Geek Stuff:
Now for a warning for anyone involved in designing computer user interfaces. An OECD study involving nearly 216,000 people between the ages of 16 and 65 in 33 developed countries came up with the following analysis of computer use. Only 5% of the adult population can handle tasks involving navigation across pages, use of tools (eg filters and sorting), multiple steps and operations, and previously unused interfaces. Some 26% of the adult population can only handle tasks at a lesser level of complexity. You think that’s bad? A further 29% can only handle widely available and familiar tech apps, such as email software or a web browser.
Finally, 14% can only handle the very simplest one step tasks, like deleting an email message.
Did I say finally?
Oh! Since I’m sure that all my readers fall into the top 5%, I guess that you will have noted that those numbers don’t add up to 100%... That’s because the missing 26% of people weren’t able to use a computer at all! And if that sounds shocking to you, remember that the study only covered developed countries, and excluded adults over 65, who are even more likely to possess lower skills.
So, what does this mean for those who design user interfaces for web browsers and native computer applications? It means that if you design trendy, novel, cool, smart, eye-candy style interfaces for your applications, then 95% of your potential market won’t be able to use it! If you need any proof, just look at Microsoft’s disastrous attempts to introduce trendy, ill-thought out interfaces over the last fifteen or so years!
You have been warned...
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/computer-skill-levels/
Pictures:
This week’s picture is of the moon set against the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Pisa Cathedral, and the Pisa Baptistery. Very nice.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap170718.html
Since I only have one picture for you this week, here are some eerie sounds to keep it company. They are sounds of electrons in the Van Allen Belt emitting audio frequency noise...
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/07/18/whistler_wave_recordings/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Allen_radiation_belt
Scanner:
Google Glass is back from the dead, and changing the face of manufacturing
http://newatlas.com/google-glass-enterprise-edition/50541/
Game Of Thrones analysed in terms of network theory
http://www.i-programmer.info/news/197/10959.html
Let’s harden internet crypto so quantum computers can’t crack it
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/07/18/quantum_safe_key_exchange/
UK air traffic controllers warn of over-crowded skies
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-40669144
Acknowledgements
Thanks to readers Barb and Fi for drawing my attention to material for Winding Down.
Please send suggestions for stories to alan@ibgames.com and include the words Winding Down in the subject line, unless you want your deathless prose gobbled up by my voracious Thunderbird spam filter...
Alan Lenton
alan@ibgames.com
23 July 23017
Alan Lenton is an on-line games designer, programmer and sociologist, the order of which depends on what he is currently working on! His web site is at http://www.ibgames.net/alan/index.html.
Past issues of Winding Down can be found at http://www.ibgames.net/alan/winding/index.html.
