Because given the same input data structure every correct implementation generates exactly the same byte sequence, so it's useful for signing. This isn't true of many other data formats, including JSON and protocol buffers.
Its worth looking at the alt text of the xkcd itself: In the 60s, Marvin Minsky assigned a couple of undergrads to spend the summer programming a computer to use a camera to identify objects in a scene. He figured they'd have the problem solved by the end of the summer. Half a century later, we're still working on it.
It's a cute anecdote but of course reality is more boring. The assignment wasn't to solve human level vision in a summer, just to do quite constrained object recognition. But even that turned out to be quite hard. But Minksy wasn't that fully miscalibrated.
If you want to argue that “likely objects” is weaker than Munroe intended, I think that’s a valid position but also that we’re certainly overthinking it.
It's specific-object identification, not object categorization. Also in front of a controlled background. They had a limited set of known objects. There was no generalization expected. It asked if it's looking at one specific ball or one specific hammer, not the general category of bird in the wild.
In fact, that scope was solved fairly fast, using techniques like Canny edge detection and Minkowski fractal dimension features, Hu moment features on Otsu thresholding etc.
many proprietary protocols iterate themself out of existence, just because some of them survive does not mean its the better model. Look at the video codec space, proprietary codes have long lost and have gone the way of Real Media, Windows Media Video and many others. While H.26X which is the result of design by committee are used everywhere.
It might be a different scenario with (modern) codecs where to get good use out of them it helps a lot to ship dedicated hardware. That's not true of file sync protocols.
> Iran’s cyber-enabled influence operations also continued to grow in sophistication in this latest phase. They better disguised their sockpuppets by renaming some and changing their profile photos to appear more authentically Israeli. Meanwhile they made use of new techniques we’ve not seen from Iranian actors, including using AI as a key component to its messaging. We assess Cotton Sandstorm disrupted streaming television services in the UAE and elsewhere in December under the guise of a persona called “For Humanity.” For Humanity published videos on Telegram showing the group hacking into three online streaming services and disrupting several news channels with a fake news broadcast featuring an apparently AI generated anchor that claimed to show images of Palestinians injured and killed from Israeli military operations (Figure 7 (same as in the guardian article)). News outlets and viewers in the UAE, Canada, and the UK reported disruptions in streaming television programming, including BBC, that matched For Humanity’s claims.
> Iran’s operations worked toward four broad objectives: destabilization, retaliation, intimidation, and undermining international support for Israel. All four of these objectives also seek to undermine Israel and its supporters’ information environments to create general confusion and lack of trust.
Undermine international well deserved support for [to quote the US judge] plausible genocide? I'm kinda offended by the idea it was not my own choice to not support it. Not to worry, my government fully supports all aspects of the PG including the rejection of the convention on the Rights of the Child.
Besides lots of good reporting there is also hilarious nonsense:
> In April and November, Iran demonstrated repeated success in recruiting unwitting Israelis to engage in on-the-ground activities promoting its false operations. In one recent operation, “Tears of War,” Iranian operatives reportedly succeeded in convincing Israelis to hang branded Tears of War banners in Israeli neighborhoods featuring a seemingly Al-generated image of Netanyahu and calling for his removal from office
You know that feeling? You see your feet and hands move and you put up banners calling for some false operations you unwittingly don't support? Hate it when that happens. We should be happy they didn't have to consciously experience it.
Pretty clever how those researchers identified this among hundreds of thousands protesting against bibi.
do you have an example of a platform that does not require a phone number for sms verification and is filled with bots? we have many that use sms verification and are infested with abusive content and bots.
I haven't done the numbers, but there's also Russia's invasion of Ukraine to consider, and the shift from natural gas to coal triggered by that.
Germany's shutdown of their nuclear generating capacity, and their dependence on Russian natural gas was a major factor in the invasion, and hence Germany's necessity to shift back to coal.
Andy Lutomirski described some concerns of his own:
> I consider the ability to use CLONE_NEWUSER to acquire CAP_NET_ADMIN over /any/ network namespace and to thus access the network configuration API to be a huge risk. For example, unprivileged users can program iptables. I'll eat my hat if there are no privilege escalations in there.
