At 2:50 PM -0800 2/21/00, Tim May wrote:
>At 10:08 AM -0800 2/21/00, dmolnar wrote:
>>On Mon, 21 Feb 2000, Tim May wrote:
>>
>>> At one time there were fairly active groups in Boston/Cambridge and
>>> Washington, D.C. We once had a interesting DES-encrypted 3-way
>>> teleconference between the three meetings.
>>
>>Is any such activity underway in Boston/Cambridge at the moment,
>>besides DCSB ?
>>
>
>Not that I have heard. Such local activities would likely be mentioned here
>on the main list.
>
I would like to add another point: don't be afraid of getting together a
few friends for informal discussions. Don't be skeptical that your group is
"as nothing" compared to the bigger groups in larger cities (or more
concentrated areas, as in the Bay Area).
The fact is that most of the truly interesting Cypherpunks developments
have sprung from the minds of a very few people. I could list some of the
key developments, but this might piss off a few people left off the list
(deliberately or inadvertently).
A lot of the "large" meetings I've been at have been wastes of times. The
larger the gathering, the less time for interesting digressions, and the
more "consensus" there is. And consensus often means "lowest common
denominator."
Also, large meetings tend to turn into chances for spokesbimbos and
spokesdroids for existing companies to pump their wares. Partly this is
because the organizers seek to make the agenda more enticing, and
established companies draw attention.
Well, it just ain't needed. The compelling Cypherpunks ideas remain to be
realized (and some of you may contribute new ideas). This can be done in
Pocatello, Idaho as well as in San Francisco.
I encourage Dave Molnar, and others, to get together informally to chew the
fat and brainstorm. Whether they attract the corporate spokesdroids or not
is not critical...I hope they don't. Hearing what others are planning to do
is often counterproductive.
Good luck to all.
--Tim May
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
ComSec 3DES: 831-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
"Cyphernomicon" | black markets, collapse of governments.
