Math 1111: Cryptography

I like the way this is written because the author makes it a fun read. It is not a long boring article about the writing process of her story, but rather it breaks down her process into steps. Moreover, her writing is entertaining, which grasped my interest more so than many other posts. 

Our brains are wired such that we automatically cancel out things that are not changing around us, in a process called adaptation. I really like this article because it not only gives a lot of interesting information about the brain, but it also hooks the reader effectively by providing physical, relatable examples of how our brains tune stuff out. I quickly found myself drawn into the article and interested to learn more.

Speed is generally considered exciting, but this blog post takes a different approach. It uses interesting examples, both foreign and familiar, to create a relative scale of speed. It is extremely easy to understand and informative. 

This article describes an ongoing project to build an artificial organism that integrates biological parts with electrical components. The article, while introducing scientific jargon, does a great job of explaining technical terms in depth. It also quotes members of the project team, presenting a realistic assessment of the project's progress and odds of success. Lastly, the article includes several links to videos and pages of extremely interesting and relevant content.

This article on how the CIA is using crowdsourcing to make intelligence more accurate is particularly well written because if its inclusion of a quick attention draw with the reference to the new James Bond movie, good historical background, an inviting writing style that includes rhetorical questions, and interviews with experts that add to the legitimacy of the article. 

Using data from cellphone locations in Kenya, analysts are better able to predict how malaria will spread.

The article makes a clear argument with supporting facts, all while being easily accessible to people that are unfamiliar with the field and remaining entertaining

The SIGSALY voice encryption system used during WWII by the Allies.

"The legality of using Firesheep is less wooly when it comes to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which criminalizes accessing computer systems without authorization."

"The legality of using Firesheep is less wooly when it comes to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which criminalizes accessing computer systems without authorization."

During one of our classes, we briefly discussed the use of cryptography to protect eyewitness and victim information during the investigation of human rights violations. The individual I mentioned that day was Patrick Ball, who now will lead a new organization focused on "the data-driven and scientific side of analyzing human rights violations around the world."

Check out this code-breaking challenge from the UK's Science Museum.