OK gang, RC provides the clues, therefore we gotta dig, and in this case I can use some additional sparkplugs (that’s you!). Dr Jacques is in the books, he’s grabbing his lapel nametag, conveniently located adjacent to his pectoral region, we all thought “ha ha, that’s Jake!” and moved along. But Jacques Tits turns out to be quite interesting. He’s a doctor of advanced mathematics, from Belgium, spent his life in France, lots of crazy advanced math in his wikipedia page- even has various theories and constructions named for him. Died recently, on 5 December 2021. So- following links (below), we go to Group Theory, down to Public-Key Cryptography (interesting…) and scroll down to see “Examples of protocols using asymmetric key algorithms include: Bitcoin.”

Maybe this nothing burger deserves further study? Anyone care to help dig while we wait for some news??

Dave.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Tits -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_theory -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public-key_cryptography -> “Examples of protocols using asymmetric key algorithms include: Bitcoin” (cross-posted w PPshow for visibility)

  • MossyHabitat@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    9 months ago

    Public key cryptography is absolutely not exclusive to Bitcoin, and appending your title with “Bitcoin” is quite the blunder. PKC is the basis of (almost) all encryption of server-client communication, such as web traffic. That HTTPS in front of https://lemmy.world? That’s PKC. Bitcoin too, sure, but also every other cryptocurrency/token out there as well - including NFTs. It is quite interesting that we can partially thank Dr. Tits for an element of what has become a foundational component of so much modern tech, but in the context of this community I’d say its more relevant to attribute Jacque to the former Gamestop NFT Marketplace & Playr… OR whatever comes after.

    This book was published after the planned cancellation of the NFT marketplace. One of the primary questions in my mind is why has GME seemingly abandoned all NFT & crypto-related endeavors? NFTs are the perfect solution for the ability to resell digital games, which is Gamestop’s legacy bread & butter. With Microsoft’s recent reveal of a disc-less Xbox future (and Sony rumored as well), something has to be brewing - with or without Microsoft or Sony.

    Yes, I copy & pasted the same comment from the PPShow community, because you posted this there too.

    • DrDaveBowman@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      3·
      9 months ago

      Whoa there, no blunder here. Why the lecturing tone? You can indeed follow links from Tits’ wikipedia page right on through to the link that includes PKC and Bitcoin, so writing a paragraph to imply I’m unaware of that only outs yourself. I use public keys in my day job, as one does, but thanks for the attempt at education. Gamestop hasn’t “abandoned” their technology, as far as anyone publicly knows. As you say, we must wait to see “whatever comes after.” GS only canceled the first implementation of the NFT marketplace, we all know that, but what and how that tech may be utilized in the future is unknown. Why spout off at a post inviting folks to dig deeper into an RC-hinted name, when we find one that is DEEP into cryptography? Do you not want us digging? Fortunately, we don’t need permission to do that. RC is a puzzle master and that’s how this game has been played, and I’ve been in it for 84 3.5 years now. And btw, I noted my cross-posting in the above post itself, because it’s a thing one does. Cheers.

      • MossyHabitat@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        9 months ago

        I was chastising you for highlighting (promoting?) Bitcoin despite every other use of PKC.

        As I said, it is an interesting find that Dr. Tit contributed the “Tits Group” concept within the broader “Group Theory” branch of mathematics used in PKC - so good catch. However, PKC’s utilization in e-commerce, NFTs, or even Ethereum (utilized for GME’s NFTs) is far more applicable to Gamestop, with Bitcoin possibly being the antagonist to Gamestop’s investment story, considering evidence suggesting it is being used by financial players as a manipulatable asset (to cover margin?), possibly since 2017 when the price suddenly skyrocketed.

        Someone(s) spent a lot of time making a quality Wikipedia page about PKC. Then, per the page’s revision history, someone dropped the word “Bitcoin” to the “examples” list in 2012 - although a seemingly lazy edit at first blush, Bitcoin was just gaining broader awareness in 2012. No other crypto token I searched for was found in the page’s history, meaning nothing else was present but deliberately removed to highlight Bitcoin specifically.

        And it’s also possible RC simply included Dr. Jacques’ tit tag as a subtle nod to this community’s “jacked tits” reference from “The Big Short”.

        • Sybil@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          9 months ago

          in 2012, Bitcoin had already seen a massive hype cycle and certainly has a Wikipedia page. do you know of any altcoins which had achieved that then?

          • MossyHabitat@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            9 months ago

            Bitcoin & Litecoin were the only players in 2012, but Bitcoin wasn’t in the general public’s vernacular yet. My point was that someone (RC et al) likely didn’t edit the PKC wikipedia page to highlight Bitcoin. Bitcoin’s inclusion in that page’s 2012 edit, and no others, was an artifact of its time, and no additional crypto tokens/coins/chains were added (and removed) since, reinforcing the case against someone highlighting bitcoin as a clue to trace back to Jacques Tits.

    • MossyHabitat@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      9 months ago

      You apparently didn’t read what I wrote or comprehend any of its sentiment: “…with Bitcoin possibly being the antagonist to Gamestop’s investment story”. I thought you were simply pumping BTC before, but it appears you’re just new to this game. Put down the megaphone and educate yourself about the subjects you’re espousing before you pick up a megaphone & preach to the choir. I’d also recommend improving your capacity for critical feedback & reading comprehension… although it does appear you’ve arrived at the anti-BTC understanding though, so that’s great.