FortKnox's Journal: I'm such a bad techie...

I'm a bad techie. Why? I just learned about PGP (and GPG) and how to use it. I knew it had to do with those Hex blocks and encryption... just never took the time to learn about it in detail.
I already maintain one project that uses gpg, now a new one fell on my lap and I had to tell the vendor how to encrypt data. So I learned everythign I could about it in a couple hours. Simple to use, simple to understand.... that's some cool crap! We use GPG, and even on the command line its a piece of cake if you have the help docs up (gpg --help).

Its very cool stuff. I'll have to generate my personal public key tonight and publish it on my website... now only if gmail will handle pgp....

Oh, and the vendor doesn't know what they are doing. A good sign that this project will be me working tech lead for my project AND basically running tech lead for THEIR project. I hate tiny companies with an IT department that isn't technical at all.....

Hah! Old timer

[Com2Kid]

I first used PGP when I was around, umm, 8 or 9. :-p

I have understood it at various points in time, I read up on it, grok it, forget it a few years later, read up on it again, etc.

What?

[ryanr]

(Smacks you with a crypto stick.)

Re:

[mekkab]

Why do I want to use PGP?

It's not like I'm doing anything illegal! /any points re: data integrity vis-a-vis MD5 checksums need not be made

Re:

[ryanr]

You will someday need to encrypt something. That means you need to learn how to now.

Re:

[FortKnox]

Why learn now? So you can forget? Why not wait until that need is required? It took me under an hour to get a firm grasp of PGP, so unless someone is going to die unless someone has PGP knowledge, I don't think there's a need to know right this minute if you aren't going to use it in the near future...

Re:

[ryanr]

And where is your PGP key published? How long has it been there? How do i know it's yours? Who has it been distributed to?

Re:

[Short Circuit]

That's a good point...I should publish my public key...

Re:

[TechnoLust]

So your S.O. doesn't find your pr0n?

Re:

[mekkab]

that's just it; she DOES!

Annoying.

[Short Circuit]

PGP/GPG is annoying when applied to email. Google doesn't authenticate it or strip it out, so when I get emails from people who use it, the one-line preview just shows a bunch of protocol code.

I don't bother encrypting data on my computers. I don't keep anything there that could result in my identity being stolen, for one. As for privacy, anyone who might care would just subpoena me for the encryption key, 4th ammendment rights be damned.

I don't write down my passwords...I have all 15+ memorized, and hav