My mailbox is being filled with IETF announcements for the upcoming meeting in Prague. I see internet draft after internet draft making proposals that are going to cause implementation errors, security holes, and ultimately service outages.

Take for example the prime candidate protocol for VOIP - SIP... SIP is far too complex.

Consider how long it has taken to deploy IPv6 - a technology that celebrated its 10th anniversary a few years ago. And IPv6 has the luxury of being an alternative to IPv4 rather than a transparently compatible upgrade. Consider how much longer it will take to deploy VOIP protocol redesigns when the old protocol is embedded in telephones around the world?

I have great concern that our approach to the internet resembles a high pillar of round stones piled on top of other round stones - we should not be surprised when it begins to wobble and then falls to the ground.

Are We Slowly Losing Control of the Internet?

OMG! Its like a car. Except that its like a bike. Except that its like a fighter jet.

I used to dream of vehicles almost exactly like this when I was in elementary school! My imaginary carbike was red with beige interior. You sat with your legs almost directly out in front of you, like sitting on the floor. It could seat two, but just barely. It had two wheels at full speed, but when it slowed down two stabalizer wheels would automatically fold out of the sides and touch the ground. And it had front mounted machine guns and a rear oil slick capability, of course.

I used to imagine weaving it through traffic at high rates of speed on important national security type missions while stuck in the back seat of our car on long, long holiday drives... Its kind of amazing to see a real one. Its like someone read my mind.

CARVER - The most athletic car in the world

] SHA-1 has been broken. Not a reduced-round version. Not a
] simplified version. The real thing.

Oh Fuck.

Schneier on Security: SHA-1 Broken

] Login to a website in seconds versus minutes
]
] Create multiple identities ("personas")
]
] Control both the security and type of personal data (your
] "attributes") when logging into a website
]
] You decide a safe location ("Homesite") to store your
] personal data

When I have sat down and thought about how online identity should work I've imagined solutions that sound a lot like this. It will be interesting to see how this develops.

Sxip Networks - personal digital identity

]
] Recently, the news that China is adopting IPv9 is making
] rounds on the Internet. While some of them write off as
] an April Fool's joke (in July?) like RFC 1606, others
] wonder if there is more than meets the eye. But most of
] them wonder what this IPv9 is and how does it actually
] work. And some of the English translated articles are so
] badly done that it is impossible to get any useful
] technical information except that 'It is developed and
] supported by Chinese government!'

Explaining China's IPv9

]
] It was pointed out to me the other day that the
] ICANN/NTIA/Verisign root zone file contains a previously
] undiscussed top level domain.

Whack...

Where Did the .Root Top-Level Domain Come From?

]
] VeriSign plans to unveil on Wednesday a digital identity
] program for school-age children, which it says will
] bolster online safety for the growing number of young Web
] surfers.

Odd...

VeriSign works to ID kid surfers

]
] On October 16, 2003, VeriSign announced the sale of its
] Network Solutions (NSI) business unit three years after
] its purchase from SAIC. This is a report on the
] historical snapshot of Network Solutions and a collection
] of commentaries made in response to this event.

Some good comments here.

Reaction to VeriSign-NSI Break Up

] MOST electric vehicles work by connecting the wheels to a
] motor. But tomorrow a Dutch company plans to unveil a bus
] in which motor and wheel are one, a refinement that
] promises more miles per charge and a vehicle that is
] safer and easier to maintain.

I always thought this would be smart, though i was never convinced of the economic advantage. you sure better not smack into a curb too hard, b/c that's gonna be one expensive wheel replacement. still, sounds nice, and eliminating all those gears is probably good.

With a Motorized Hub, the Wheel on the Bus Goes 'Round

] For all these reasons, ICANN has today insisted that
] VeriSign suspend the SiteFinder service, and restore the
] .com and .net top-level domains to the way they were
] operated prior to 15 September 2003. If VeriSign does not
] comply with this demand by 6:00 PM PDT on 4 October 2003,
] ICANN will be forced to take the steps necessary to
] enforce VeriSign's contractual obligations.

Yeah!!!!

ICANN | Announcement | 3 October 2003