A Student's Perspective

 Initially, when I created this blog, I stated that only opinions would be contained here. However, it has become very clear to me that I am obviously better at explaining things than I am at expressing complex opinions. And beyond that, the articles I enjoyed writing the most were the explanations about topics in computer science. That brings us to now. Moving forward, I'd like to shift my focus toward explaining topics I am interested in as well as continuing to express my concerns and opinions. I am, however, going to try to move more toward opinion articles that require some explanation as to the principles at work. On to the Maths!  Note: If, at this point, you haven't read my article on public-key cryptography, I would highly suggest that you read it before continuing. You can find it here . In this article, I will be explaining the mathematics of RSA. RSA is but one example of public-key cryptography and there are many out there, but today we'll only be looking a...

 If you've not been living under a rock these past few months, you will have heard about the (now postponed) changes to WhatsApp's privacy policy. There are some problematic things about their privacy policy already, but I'll not be spending your precious time discussing legal and bureaucratic nonsense. Instead, I want to talk about and highlight some things that may or may not allow you to come to the (obviously correct) conclusion that you should be using an open-source messaging app like Telegram or Signal. Disclaimer: I am not sponsored by, nor was this article commissioned by, Telegram, LLC or any other company. I just happen to really like open-source software and think that Telegram is a great app. Now, as for why you shouldn't be using WhatsApp. Proprietary software is hazardous at best. In general, there are two types of software: proprietary and open-source. Proprietary being software where the underlying source code is not available to the end-user. Open-sour...

  Case file #3 The patient is terrified of heights following a "harrowing experience" in the air. The patient claims to "know something about the missing one." Strong antipsychotics will be prescribed. Excerpt from the patient's diary: It wasn't on the 7th one. The pilot was right. They won't find the missing one. I knew I shouldn't have done what I did, but I had no choice. I hated working the railroads. YOU NEED TO FIND IT!  UP BPZMM AMDMV HMZW The patient appears to be talking to someone. An alternate personality, perhaps. More investigation is needed. Age: 92 (89) Weight: 74 kg Height: 180cm BMI: 23 Current medication: Experimental antipsychotics

 Case File #2 Staff Update:  All patients are now required to write a diary. The patient is hallucinating. He keeps mentioning writing about having "figured it out." I am recommending a strong regimen of Haldol, (10mg per day). This should keep the patient calm and cooperative. Excerpt from the patient's diary: "I've figured it out. I've fgured it out. I've figured it out. I've figured it out. I've figured it out. I've figured it out. I've figured it out. I've figured it out. I've figured it out. I've figured it out. I've figured it out. It's missing. They left the key. It's missing. It's missing." The above entry shows the patient's deteriorating mental status. Weekly psychiatric evaluations will be scheduled to remedy the situation. Age: 71 Weight: 45kg Height: 172cm BMI: 15.2 (Severe) Current medication: Haldol (10mg/day)

Most people have come across cryptography in some way, shape or form. To most people, it's just a way of encrypting a message in such a way that only the intended receiver can decrypt it. In this article, I will be exploring the benefits of public-key cryptography, most notably RSA, as well as explaining the basic concept behind computer cryptography for the uninitiated. Cryptography (intro) So, if this is the first time you've heard of cryptography, this section is meant for you! The basic concept of cryptography is relatively simple: You take a message and, combining it with some type of secret shared between sender and recipient, turn the message into something that cannot be understood without said secret. If you've ever come up with some sort of secret code in your childhood (or early adult life, no judgement here), you've probably done cryptography, even if you didn't know it. The simplest form of symmetric-key cryptography is the Cesar Cipher. The way it work...

Case file #1: The patient seems to be struggling with many issues. As agreed to, the patient has been writing diaries. A very human thing to do... Excerpt from patient's diary: "Notes: Purest motivation, concentration? Muscular strength and functionality reduced. What is happening?" As is evident from the above entry, the patient is still in the early stages of the disease, he displays only minor symptoms and, as such, will be placed under mild sedation. Age: 53 Weight: 66kg Height: 185+ cm BMI: 17.9 (too low) Current medication: --Classified--