Re: <nettime> What should GCHQ do? [was Re: nettime-l Digest, Vol 92, Issue 15]

[Roberto Verzola <rverzola@gn.apc.org>]

> one of the rallying cries of the crypto crowd is 'trust the math.' I
> don't, because math doesn't exist in the abstract. Its relationship
> to engineering is obvious: engineers implement math, they make it
> real, make it happen. Its relationship to law is less obvious. I

Actually, most engineers (I'm one) don't trust the math (or strictly
speaking, the physics and the math behind it). 

Ask any engineer. If the physics says your material such be this thick
to make it strong enough, engineers will always add a fudge factor, say
50% double the thickness, or even more. This is not a matter of math but
of empirical experience and a feel for the medium the engineer is
working with.

The final design of the engineer in fact reflects a lack of trust for
the theory and greater reliance on experiential/empirical data.

Roberto Verzola


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