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OmegaMouse

@[email protected]

He/him/they

Just a little guy interested in videogames, reading, technology and the environment.

I’m on Telegram - feel free to ask for my details :3

My other account is @OmegaMouse

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OmegaMouse ,
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Lmao this degree sounds amazing

OmegaMouse OP ,
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But say (simplying greatly) the public key tells my computer to multiply my text by a prime number

If the prime number is already known from the public key, then why is any computation required? To decrypt it can’t I (or anyone else) just divide by the prime? Even with a significantly more complex calculation, can’t you just work the steps back in reverse using the instructions from the public key?

OmegaMouse OP ,
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So using the formula in that guide, you get a numerical value for O. But surely someone else could follow the same process and also get the same answer? Unless the primes change each time? But then how would the sender and receiver know the way in which the values change?

OmegaMouse OP ,
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Ah I think of sort of get it!

The public key is used within a function by the person sending the message, and even someone that knew the function and the public key wouldn’t be able to decrypt the message, because doing so would require knowledge of the original prime numbers which they couldn’t work out unless a computer spend years factoring the public key.

My only other bit of confusion:

  • If someone used a public key to encrypt the message “Hello”, maybe it would spit out something like Gh5bsKjbi4
  • If someone else sent the exact same message I assume the outcome would also be identical, and therefore it would be possible by using common phrases to work out what was sent? I could type messages like Hi, Goodbye, Hola until I got to ‘Hello’ and realised it was the same output.
  • However I assume that a message like ‘Hello, how are you?’ would result in a completely different output (despite Hello appearing in both) and thus trying to work out any messages in a brute force way like this would be pointless.
OmegaMouse OP ,
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I explained it poorly - what I mean to say is, two people trying to send the message ‘Hello’ for example both using the same public key would get the same output. So if you had a simple message like that, someone could work out by checking every word in the dictionary what your message was by checking if the output matched.

But I guess it’s a bit of a moot point - it’s unlikely that an encrypted message would ever be so simple. It could just as easily be much longer, and therefore basically impossible to guess the plaintext.

OmegaMouse OP ,
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Ah thanks for the useful links! Those articles are all quite fascinating. In the plaintext attacks article, I love the tactic mentioned here:

At Bletchley Park in World War II, strenuous efforts were made to use (and even force the Germans to produce) messages with known plaintext. For example, when cribs were lacking, Bletchley Park would sometimes ask the Royal Air Force to “seed” a particular area in the North Sea with mines (a process that came to be known as gardening, by obvious reference). The Enigma messages that were soon sent out would most likely contain the name of the area or the harbour threatened by the mines

OmegaMouse ,
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I’m not familiar with this work, but it seems like a fascinating topic and still as relevant today as it was back then. Thanks for the summary/review.

Is the combined knowledge of humanity safer than it has ever been?

From what I understand, a lot of knowledge was lost following the collapse of the Roman Empire as manuscripts were no longer being copied at the established frequency and information that had lost relevance (for certain jobs etc.) wasn’t being passed down....

OmegaMouse OP ,
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Do you reckon the physical copies would last longer than digital?

OmegaMouse OP ,
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I guess something like this (data stored on glass plates ‘Project Silica’) would store the data safely for a much longer period. What I’m not entirely clear on is whether it would still be possible to read that data in the far future - it seems to rely on some kind of machine learning to decode it.

OmegaMouse ,
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Mixed feelings about that - it sounds like you can still access those features so I don’t think it really affects the base game at all. From what I remember about the first game, you had to be sparing on the waystones to start with, and it required a bit of work to get the item necessary to redo your character - so not much has really changed there. On the other hand, adding these microtransactions in the first place is a stupid idea and the publishers are shooting themselves in the foot by adding them. Should that really change the reviews of the base game though?

OmegaMouse ,
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Oh I don’t want to portray it positively. I agree it’s shit. It just seemed to me that it’s possible (personally at least) to play the game and ignore the microtransactions. But no doubt that’s not the case for everyone

OmegaMouse ,
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Interesting article, and a worrying trend. Stamping a bit of text like ‘Generated by Midjourney’ is ridiculously weak protection though. I wonder if some kind of hidden visual data could be embedded within AI images - like a QR code that can be read by computers but is invisible to humans.

Just found the wikipedia page for steganography. Have any AI companies tried using this technique I wonder? 🤔

OmegaMouse ,
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The first image is kinda low res, and I initially read it as:

Remove him from the brownie. Slit him over chicken. Cook on HIGH.

OmegaMouse ,
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Is penis a valid substitute or would I need to take any supplements?

How does data sent over the internet know where to go?

I saw a map of undersea internet cables the other day and it’s crazy how many branches there are. It got me wondering - if I’m (based in the UK) playing an online game from someone in Japan for example, how is the route worked out? Does my ISP know that to get to place X, the data has to be routed via cable 1, cable 2 etc....

OmegaMouse OP ,
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Oh wow, this unlocked a memory! Pretty sure I watched back in school. Quite informative, though it felt like it skipped a lot between leaving the host computer and reaching the destination - is it just the same process over and over until it reaches the right place?

OmegaMouse OP ,
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That sounds like quite a messy and inefficient process! But I guess as long as it can be done quickly enough, it doesn’t really matter?

OmegaMouse OP ,
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Ah yeah this and @MelastSB 's comment clarify the routing table thing. Before I was assuming they just blindly forwarded stuff until one router knows where to go, but if they have a rough idea from the IP address prefix that makes more sense.

OmegaMouse OP ,
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Thanks, this is a good summary. It’s useful to know about the dynamically changing route - that explains a lot.

OmegaMouse OP ,
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Root federated?

OmegaMouse OP ,
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Ah gotcha! Yeah it’s pretty neat seeing the ways in which the instances intermingle. Some communities stay pretty niche and used only by local users with the same interests, whereas others are melting pots of every instance. I guess it’s a bit like a society with little towns and bigger cities.

Thoughts on a few recent games

Mirror’s Edge - This is a game I’ve been meaning to play for some time. A few years back I played the first couple of levels on a friend’s PS3 and recalled it being a fun experience. So when it went on sale for under £2 on Steam I couldn’t say no. It holds up exceptionally well for a game from 2008! The stylised...

OmegaMouse OP ,
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If you get a chance to play the Spyro trilogy in future I highly recommend it - especially if it’s a series you enjoyed when it came out. I imagine the remaster will be all the better for that nostalgia factor. Some of the boss fights in the second game were particularly difficult!

OmegaMouse OP ,
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I did think Skyward Sword starts out quite slow. How far did you get?

OmegaMouse OP ,
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Ah that’s very early on! It gets way better after that. If you have a Switch definitely try that version and push through the intro.

OmegaMouse OP ,
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You’re right about the fights, although I did find it quite fun picking up the guns and blasting my way through. They’re all very beefy. For some reason it felt a bit out of character though - like using lethal weapons in Metal Gear.

OmegaMouse OP ,
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Personally I loved BOTW, but I guess I didn’t go in expecting a traditional Zelda game. I think it does some really neat stuff with its world, different from a lot of other open world games of that time. But yes if you want a recent and classic feeling Zelda, SS is perfect.

OmegaMouse ,
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Please don’t fuck wires!

OmegaMouse ,
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Are you a bit further in now? I wasn’t a huge fan of the second, so hopefully things have improved with the third!

OmegaMouse ,
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I hope this is actually good - I need more mice themed games 🐭

OmegaMouse OP ,
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Very useful information, thank you! I’ll look up some videos to watch the technique. Would using a teapot with an infuser have a similar effect to a gai wan?

Thanks for confirming that the tea doesn’t expire.

Once I’ve got a hang of it, I’ll bring some into work to share with the colleague that passed it on 😂

OmegaMouse ,
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I played the remastered Spyro trilogy recently (great games) and it took me about half of the first game to work out how the gem chests work. You hit them and the gem shoots out the top, which you then have to grab before it returns in order to unlock the chest. For a while I thought you just had to ground pound the chest at the right angle to get it to open and I couldn’t work out why it didn’t always work.

After realising the correct way I felt pretty dumb lol.

OmegaMouse ,
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Yeah I was confused by this. The world is pretty far off post-scarcity! Might need more context here

OmegaMouse ,
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So you’re saying that everyone has sufficient and easy access to information? How does that relate to capitalism?

OmegaMouse ,
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An ‘easy’ book I read recently was Legends & Lattes - low stakes and cosy.

But if you want something with more of a substantial plot, Children of Time has a really fascinating and easy to follow sci-fi story if that’s your thing. Or how about a Terry Pratchett novel? Guards! Guards! is a great place to start with those and they’re always great fun.

I also found the Red Rising books very gripping.

OmegaMouse ,
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I don’t know if this is exactly what you’re looking for, but Neal Stephenson springs to mind. He grapples with some big ideas regarding technology and philosophy. Snow Crash is a good start. I wouldn’t say it’s an ‘easy’ read but I think it might have a similar vibe to the stuff you like

OmegaMouse ,
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New Red Faction?

OmegaMouse ,
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Byeah

OmegaMouse ,
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What a weird world we live in

OmegaMouse OP ,
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ERROR: User has insufficient social standing to discuss: [HP Inc]

Further negative discussion of this topic will result in: [Death penalty]

Thank you for your understanding.

OmegaMouse ,
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Personally I feel like piracy shouldn’t be criminalised in the way it is, and certainly any attempts to worsen the punishments should be fought against. However your reddit comment is quite bizarre to be honest… I think laws protecting children and animals against harm are a good idea!

OmegaMouse ,
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I think this model can work, and has its benefits (like with Game Pass). To be clear though, Ubisoft’s offering is shit and not worth the price they’re asking. And one thing I absolutely hate is the (sometimes timed) exclusivity on some of these platforms. The Lost Crown looks great for example, but Ubisoft are trying to force people to use their service by not offering it on Steam.

Personally I don’t really mind not ‘owning’ the game in most cases. 9 times out of 10, I’ll play a game and be done with it. Short, linear indie games for example are perfect for a Game Pass type model. What we don’t need is 10 similar subscriptions with their own exclusives.

OmegaMouse ,
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I wasn’t aware that this was a thing, but I’m interested now! Are these printed magazines?

Can I also ask what CNF is?

OmegaMouse ,
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Ah neat! Is it like a monthly subscription sorta deal?

I’ll definitely check out some of the ones you mentioned. Diaspora speculative fiction sounds like a very specific genre!

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