ibn Harm

Category: Uncategorized

  • Language and encryption II

    Introduction to encryption II.

    There is a problem I realize now. For the “host party” who hosts the code of the encryption software it is not difficult to update the password which is used to en- and -decrypt “secrets.”

    The purpose of this would be to send a reply and simultaneously update the password. Something like:

    • A to B:
    • Hello friend, it is good to make contact.
    • B to A:
    • Likewise. Since I know you know the password let’s update it to a better one, the new one is “…”

    However party A can only decrypt this message with the new password by using the old password. (Only the old password can reveal the new password)

    So party B does not know at what moment in time to update the old password to the new password since she cannot be sure that A has already received the new password. Two options to this dilemma come to mind:

    1. The parties should make use of unique hashes which ensure the identity of the other party. Then party B has to wait one communication more before she can update the password:
    • A to B:
    • Hello friend, it is good to make contact. [Unique_hash(a, n) known by B proving the identity of A]
    • B to A:
    • Likewise. Since I know you know the password let’s update it to a better one, the new one is “xxx” [unique_hash(b, n) known by A proving the identity of B]
    • A to B:
    • Understood. I am ready to use new password xxx. [unique_hash(a, n-1)]

    2. This is still very theoretical but the propery of electrons to exhibit quantum behaviour could communicate to the “host party” exactly when the “communicating party” would have read her message, allowing the host party to update the password on deliverance.

    3. There is a third option I realize now. The “host party” can use the unique hash (generated in a large “linked list” by the communicating party1) as a new password. This would mean that each unique communicating party would need a unique interface of the encryption software.

    1. hash_1 = md5(random_data); …, hash_1000 = md5(hash_999);

      Start communication with hash_1000 and then work back to “hash_1:” hash_1000, hash_999, etc., hash_1

      If the “host” knows hash_1000 which is agreed on beforehand she can verify all subsequent communications because hash_999 and hash_998 etc. all derive from the preliminar hash ↩︎

  • Bookreview: fahrenheit 451

    Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury portrays a dystopian world in which books are banned. Shakespeare, the bible, and plato, all are banned. It was originally penned in 1953. Note the publication dates of similar books: brave new world (1932), 1984 (1949). Brave new world has been featured once on this blog already. 1984 has not been featured yet, hopefully I can cover it in the future.

    Where in brave new world which is featured in England the banning of books seems incidental to a point, in fahrenheit 451 the banning of books is the main theme of the story. There are a number of similarities between the stories. There is for example the presence of a supervisor who has access to books (while they are banned to the general public.)

    It is not made explicit in fahrenheit 451 but there are scenes in which the chief fireman tries to demonstrate the demonic character of books by quoting some. The possession of books by the chief is assumed but not confirmed. In contrast in brave new world we are explicitly told that the world controller has a safe with a bible and with shakespeare.

    Interestingly quite recently (jan. 2026) a university in America did in fact ban Plato from university curriculae.1 Combined with the efforts of a certain individual (who is on the epstein list) to limit all research which documents the horrific crimes of a certain nation that should not exist it2 shows that some of these dystopian ideas are in fact manifesting itself in reality.

    1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2026/01/08/texas-am-forbids-a-plato-reading-in-an-intro-philosophy-course/, accessed june 29th 2026. ↩︎
    2. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/24/whats-in-the-200m-deal-trump-has-struck-with-columbia-university, accessed june 29th 2026. ↩︎

  • Higher education

    University lecturers have an impossible job since they have to balance a path between diversity and approachability.

  • Language (١١)

    Let us consider the following propositions in sha Allah:

    • I will finish this
    • I will be finishing this
    • I am finishing this

    The second proposition has a sense of time, whereas the first proposition seems less subject to time. Maybe “I will be finishing this,” is in the same linguistic category as “we have been waiting,” (compare “we have waited”).

  • Philology (sette)

    A small adendum to the previous post about love of language. To believers “šay” is even more brilliant since the Qur’an repeatedly reads “and he is over all things competent.”Things comes here from “kulli shay(in).” (Wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer)

    So with this adab to start a sentence with “šay” can be understood as “although I know that the all-Mighty has already decreed the matter, ….” So šay in the sentence already delineates a philosophical anchor.

  • Parlare (philology 6)

    The middle eastern šay is used in the same way as alors is used in french. Compare with yani (Egyptian) and allora (Italiano), the following seems to be:

    • Šay: can be used to ask the attention of the listener f.e. “šay, hadhi barid al yawm.” (If you know the difference between hadhi and hadhihi please Lmk)
    • Allora: as far as we know allora is used to continue a speech, perhaps a synonym of apropos…
    • Yani: same functions as allora
    • Alors: same function as allora

  • Italians (3)

    On the other hand you can always tease your sposato with “donna e mobile” so not all is bad.

    Edit:

    It seems fair that you call her “vita mia” then at least 47 times

  • The matrix

    The movie the Matrix makes more sense if the virus that is prevalent on earth is “love,” instead of “humans,” as the agent claims.

  • Ikkje

    Yesterday evening or maybe the day before I got kissed on the street by a homeless man. I know Leiden is a city of love but this was a bit odd

  • Rawls’ justice

    In a theory of justice professor Rawls describes a system in which justice would be ensured. The theory is as follows: suppose a system is created by architects who do not know in which position they will end up.

    Supposedly this would lead to legal systems which would be equitable. There is a problem with the theory however. Firstly it assumes that all human beings share the same motivations. This is not the case.

    Let us compare it with Aristotles idea of justice from the niccomachean ethics. In this work Aristotle proposes: “a just state is a state in which the just people gain in wealth.”

    This seems reasonable. There are some things to be discussed as to what constitutes wealth, also since Plato’s republic argues that enjoyment of wealth viz. money is illusitory.

    More on “justice” to follow.