crypto + game theory

after switching from economics to computer science, i find that there are more overlaps than i had anticipated. case in point: my interest in economics was in game theory, while my interest in computer science is in security/cryptography. combine the two, and turns out that a hot topic in security these days is the use of game theory in a cryptographic context. two players might play a game to maximize their payout, and in doing so, they authenticate. pretty interesting stuff, and something i definitely plan on reading about in greater detail.

edward felten writes in his Freedom to Tinker blog about how a Texas bill would close meetings about computer security. the more i realize how little politicians know about technology and science, the more i realize how scary it is that they would consider such idiotic methods. they need to keep these meetings open so that those actually knowledgeable in the material can provide sound input, rather than receiving selective input from some overpaid lobbyist (or receiving no input at all). we need fewer lawyers and more scientists and engineers in office. that's my $0.02.