On 9/10/12 10:36 PM, Jacob Appelbaum wrote: > >> > I did not work on the technical aspects of the book. I cannot. I do not >> > have the right skill set.
> This attitude, I think, is a key issue this community and many others > face. You cannot? Or you will not? > > I believe that you are totally able to learn and I think that it is very > demoralizing when people say they are *unable* or *unwilling* to learn. > That isn't to say that you will become a developer of cryptographic > protocols. It is to say that many people will need to make choices about > security and trusting a vanguard is dangerous. We're always trusting > someone and I realize that reality. I didn't write my own compiler to > compile my email client before sending this email with hand crafted > electrons... However the high level view of most of this stuff is well > within the grasp of each person - it just requires an interest and > *educational resources* that empowers *all people* to learn. > Wait, I'm just trying to remember when I last slept more than 4 hours in a night while trying to educate myself. I've gone from being a Facebook user to running OTR, PGP and Tor all in under a month. I'm trying to put in the time I have free - mostly between 1am and 4am - towards learning. Note: I'm a sole parent, without access to child support, no childcare and trying to support myself, my son, put myself through postgraduate studies and contribute to social movements. 1 year ago I didn't own a laptop. Everything I created online in the past 2 years prior was on the only thing I could afford - a phone. The CryptoParty peeps in Germany wrote the book during a time frame that coincided mostly between 12 midnight and 4am my time here in Australia. I tried to contribute where I could. But I can't spot issues I don't even understand yet. I don't know what I don't know. It takes time to learn. I outlaid the costs on CryptoParty Melbourne from my own pocket, to educate myself, as much as other people. Am I unable or unwilling to learn? Am I demoralizing others by being unwilling to learn? You decide. Am I always trusting others rather than trying to understand for myself? Well, I cannot read the code (yet) behind certain platforms. When I try to develop an informed decision around security based on the best info I have at hand - usually by watching the tech journos and tech experts on twitter - and then I am often called to account - personally - for my decisions to use or not use certain platforms. Am I being empowered to learn? Am I empowering others to learn? I hope so. I'm trying to be the best example I can be, and to be honest it is not easy. -- Unsubscribe, change to digest, or change password at: https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech
