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“A large key is not a guarantee of security,” says Hellman, “but a small key is a guarantee of insecurity.”
― Steven Levy, Crypto: How the Code Rebels Beat the Government--Saving Privacy in the Digital Age

“zippy new tax called VAT, which was to be introduced a week or so later. The gist of the advertisement was that while some things would go up in price with VAT, some things would also go down. (Ha!) I”
― Bill Bryson, Notes from a Small Island: A hilarious farewell tour of Great Britain—from foggy Dover to Loch Ness—by an American expat who called it home for 20 years

“According to Buddhism, most people identify happiness with pleasant feelings, while identifying suffering with unpleasant feelings. People consequently ascribe immense importance to what they feel, craving to experience more and more pleasures, while avoiding pain. Whatever we do throughout our lives, whether scratching our leg, fidgeting slightly in the chair, or fighting world wars, we are just trying to get pleasant feelings. The problem, according to Buddhism, is that our feelings are no more than fleeting vibrations, changing every moment, like the ocean waves. If five minutes ago I felt joyful and purposeful, now these feelings are gone, and I might well feel sad and dejected. So if I want to experience pleasant feelings, I have to constantly chase them, while driving away the unpleasant feelings. Even if I succeed, I immediately have to start all over again, without ever getting any lasting reward for my troubles.”
― Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

“Thus the RSA paper marks the first appearance of a fictional “Bob” who wants to send a message to “Alice.” As trivial as this sounds, these names actually became a de facto standard in future papers outlining cryptologic advances, and the cast of characters in such previously depopulated mathematical papers would eventually be widened to include an eavesdropper dubbed Eve and a host of supporting actors including Carol, Trent, Wiry, and Dave.”
― Steven Levy, Crypto: How the Code Rebels Beat the Government--Saving Privacy in the Digital Age