User talk:Wonderstruck

Welcome

Hello Wonderstruck and welcome to Wikipedia! I'm glad you've chosen to join us. This is a great project with lots of dedicated people, which might seem intimidating at times, but don't let anything discourage you. Be bold!, explore, and contribute. Try to be civil by following simple rules and signing your talk comments with ~~~~ but never forget that one of our central tenets is to ignore all rules.

If you want to learn more, Wikipedia:Tutorial is the place to go, but eventually the following links might also come in handy:
Help
FAQ
Glossary
Manual of Style

Float around until you find something that tickles your fancy. One easy way to do this is to hit the random page button in the navigation bar to the left. Additionally, the Community Portal offers a more structured way to become acquainted with the many great committees and groups that focus on specific tasks. My personal favorite stomping grounds are Wikipedia:Translation into English as well as the cleanup, welcoming, and counter-vandalism committees. Finally, the Wikimedia Foundation has several other wiki projects that you might enjoy. If you have any more questions, always feel free to ask me anything on my talk page. Again, welcome! -- Draeco 17:44, 9 February 2006 (UTC)

CSPRNGs and root-finding algorithms

Re this edit of yours: Could you please explain the link? I'm having trouble seeing the connection. Thanks. -- Jitse Niesen (talk) 00:15, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

Sure. A PRNG is an algorithm that takes a finite number of bits as input (the "seed") and produces a much larger (though finite) number of output bits. Therefore, every PRNG can be represented as a function, $f(x)$, where $x$ is the seed. More formally:

$f:\{0,1\}^{c}\rightarrow \{0,1\}^{n}$

One of the requirements of a cryptographically secure PRNG is that it has to pass the "next-bit test". One way to formulate the next-bit test is to define a function $g_{m}(x)$ that evaluates to the leftmost $m$ bits of $f(x)$. A PRNG passes the next-bit test if and only if for every $m<n$, the probability of correctly guessing $g_{m+1}(x)$, given only $g_{m}(x)$, is no higher than 50%.

Imagine that Alice wants to convince her colleague, Bob, that a given PRNG $f(x)$ fails the next-bit test. Bob chooses a random 128-bit secret $x$, computes $a_{200}=g_{200}(x)$, and reveals $a_{200}$ to Alice. If Alice can predict the next 100 bits of PRNG output (that is, if she can correctly guess the value of $g_{300}(x)$) without being given $x$, then Bob will be convinced that $f(x)$ fails the next-bit test.

Let $h(y)=g_{200}(y)-a_{200}$. If Alice can use a root-finding algorithm to find $y$ such that $h(y)=0$, then it is likely that $y=x$, and, therefore, that $g_{300}(y)=g_{300}(x)$.

In other words, if a PRNG can be solved using a root-finding algorithm (in polynomial time), then it is not cryptographically secure. So, cryptographically secure PRNGs are designed so that they can't be solved (in polynomial time) by any known root-finding algorithms.

Does that make sense?

P.S. I just added the link as an interesting bit of trivia, so if you think it should be removed, that's fine.

-- Wonderstruck 05:40, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

Disputed fair use rationale for Image:AmigaBASIC.png

Thank you for uploading Image:AmigaBASIC.png. However, there is a concern that the rationale provided for using this image under "fair use" may not meet the criteria required by Wikipedia:Non-free content. This can be corrected by going to the image description page and add or clarify the reason why the image qualifies for fair use. Adding and completing one of the templates available from Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to ensure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy. Please be aware that a fair use rationale is not the same as an image copyright tag; descriptions for images used under the fair use policy require both a copyright tag and a fair use rationale.

If it is determined that the image does not qualify under fair use, it might be deleted by adminstrator within a few days in accordance with our criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions, please ask them at the media copyright questions page. Thank you.BetacommandBot (talk) 00:09, 8 March 2008 (UTC)

Your input is needed on the SOPA initiative

Hi Wonderstruck,

You are receiving this message either because you expressed an opinion about the proposed SOPA blackout before full blackout and soft blackout were adequately differentiated, or because you expressed general support without specifying a preference. Please ensure that your voice is heard by clarifying your position accordingly.

Thank you.

Message delivered as per request on ANI. -- The Helpful Bot 16:46, 14 January 2012 (UTC)

Barnstar

		The Original Barnstar
		This barnstar is awarded to everyone who - whatever their opinion - contributed to the discussion about Wikipedia and SOPA. Thank you for being a part of the discussion. Presented by the Wikimedia Foundation.

ArbCom elections are now open!

Hi,
You appear to be eligible to vote in the current Arbitration Committee election. The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to enact binding solutions for disputes between editors, primarily related to serious behavioural issues that the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the ability to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail. If you wish to participate, you are welcome to review the candidates' statements and submit your choices on the voting page. For the Election committee, MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 13:37, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

ArbCom Elections 2016: Voting now open!

Hello, Wonderstruck. Voting in the 2016 Arbitration Committee elections is open from Monday, 00:00, 21 November through Sunday, 23:59, 4 December to all unblocked users who have registered an account before Wednesday, 00:00, 28 October 2016 and have made at least 150 mainspace edits before Sunday, 00:00, 1 November 2016.

The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.

If you wish to participate in the 2016 election, please review the candidates' statements and submit your choices on the voting page. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 22:08, 21 November 2016 (UTC)

ArbCom 2017 election voter message

Hello, Wonderstruck. Voting in the 2017 Arbitration Committee elections is now open until 23.59 on Sunday, 10 December. All users who registered an account before Saturday, 28 October 2017, made at least 150 mainspace edits before Wednesday, 1 November 2017 and are not currently blocked are eligible to vote. Users with alternate accounts may only vote once.

The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.

If you wish to participate in the 2017 election, please review the candidates and submit your choices on the voting page. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 18:42, 3 December 2017 (UTC)

ArbCom 2018 election voter message

Hello, Wonderstruck. Voting in the 2018 Arbitration Committee elections is now open until 23.59 on Sunday, 3 December. All users who registered an account before Sunday, 28 October 2018, made at least 150 mainspace edits before Thursday, 1 November 2018 and are not currently blocked are eligible to vote. Users with alternate accounts may only vote once.

The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.

If you wish to participate in the 2018 election, please review the candidates and submit your choices on the voting page. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 18:42, 19 November 2018 (UTC)