Friendly, neighborhood NSA...

iiti.doc.gov
/pub/newitems/ii_inventory/app_projs/library
==================================================
IITF APPLICATIONS PROJECT INVENTORY

APPLICATION AREA:
Adv. Network Tech.
Education Libraries

STATUS:
PILOT

DESCRIPTIVE DATA:
PROJECT:  Digital Librarian   
LEAD AGENCY/ORGANIZATION:  NSA
CONTACT NAME:  Norma Davila   
PHONE #:  301/688-7353
LEVEL OF EFFORT:
START DATE:  ongoing 
COMPLETION DATE:

DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT:
The "Digital Librarian" links together the libraries where
information of any type (books, texts, pictures, audio, video,
multi-media, etc.) is stored to the librarians who assist the
users in navigating through these storehouses of knowledge.  This
project brings these ideas to the desktop by allowing a user to
gain access to any number of information sources, independent of
the originating development of the sources.  The information
sources can be anything from databases to online reference
materials to online training materials.  The user interacts with
these sources through one common interface.

In addition, this project enhances textual material searches by
providing a hypertext link capability for a user to navigate a
document in a more meaningful way.  Instead of just paging
through a document one page at a time, the system can bring the
user to the place in the document where the information is
located.  In the future, natural language and artificial
intelligence techniques will be exercised to increase user
efficiency in searching through the library storehouses of
knowledge.

KEY PRIVATE SECTOR ACTORS:
ORGANIZATION NAME:
CONTACT:
TELEPHONE  #:

====================================================================

Out of the kindness of it's heart, the NSA is going to build us all a nice,
new, improved WWW!

Isn't that just *too* kind of them?

I wonder why I have this feeling I'd better not turn my back on them.....
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
Finger merriman@metronet.com for PGP/RIPEM public keys and fingerprints.
Unencrypted Email may be ignored without notice to sender.  PGP preferred.
Remember: It is not enough to _obey_ Big Brother; you must also learn to
*love* Big Brother.

> 
> iiti.doc.gov
> /pub/newitems/ii_inventory/app_projs/library
> ==================================================
> IITF APPLICATIONS PROJECT INVENTORY

    Of course the final "i" in "iiti" is a typo, the address is:
     iitf.doc.gov:/pub/newitems/ii_inventory/app_projs/library 

    btw: in the file "doe" there I found this of perhaps cp interest:

DESCRIPTIVE DATA:
PROJECT:  Database of Scientific Mathematical Software  
LEAD AGENCY/ORGANIZATION:  Department of Energy
CONTACT NAME:  Dan Hitchcock 
PHONE #: (301) 903-6767
          e-mail:  hitchcock@er.doe.gov
LEVEL OF EFFORT:
START DATE:
COMPLETION DATE:  Ongoing

DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT:
Netlib -  Data Base of Scientific Mathematical Software to
provide state-of-the-art numerical software to internet users. 
Contains many of the most useful and sophisticated numerical
analysis software packages available without fee. Purpose is to
provide an easy exchange mechanism for researchers and users of
numerical software.

| LEAD AGENCY/ORGANIZATION:  NSA
| CONTACT NAME:  Norma Davila   
| PHONE #:  301/688-7353

| The "Digital Librarian" links together the libraries where
| information of any type (books, texts, pictures, audio, video,
| multi-media, etc.) is stored to the librarians who assist the
| users in navigating through these storehouses of knowledge.  This
| project brings these ideas to the desktop by allowing a user to
| gain access to any number of information sources, independent of
| the originating development of the sources.  The information
| sources can be anything from databases to online reference
| materials to online training materials.  The user interacts with
| these sources through one common interface.
|----
| Out of the kindness of it's heart, the NSA is going to build us all a nice,
| new, improved WWW!
| 
| Isn't that just *too* kind of them?
| 
| I wonder why I have this feeling I'd better not turn my back on them.....

	I'd be suprised if they did this without releasing source.  As
soon as they release source, we can drop real encryption into things.
Much as we dislike them, the NSA is *very* good at sorting through and
dealing with huge quantities of data.  ("Its in their nature.")  If we
can take advantage of this, and get a WWW design that is relatively
secure, then thats great.  All we'll need to do is remove the calls to
skipjack(), and replace them with calls to IDEA(). :)

	The NSA is not some huge monolithic enemy.  It is a teaming
multitude of enemies.  Like any other government agency, we need to
tale the good and discard the rest.

Adam