yomna
@rival-elf.bsky.social
phone radio security, art, abstract math, weird fashion :: advisory board member @eff.org :: she/her :: posts my own :: https://yomna.net
was struggling to come up with a consistent naming scheme for my tamagotchis, when I realized a perfect list of names already exists
November 27, 2025 at 5:26 PM
was struggling to come up with a consistent naming scheme for my tamagotchis, when I realized a perfect list of names already exists
Update: this book arrived and it's so beautiful
November 4, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Update: this book arrived and it's so beautiful
I need to know the full story here
October 29, 2025 at 5:19 PM
I need to know the full story here
did not realize cryptography's Alice and Bob had so many counterparts now, including Heidi and Faythe
![Trudy An intruder.
Victor[19] or Vanna[28] A verifier, who requires proof from the prover.
Walter A warden, who may guard Alice and Bob.
Wendy A whistleblower, who is an insider with privileged access capable of divulging information.
Interactive proof systems
For interactive proof systems there are other characters:
Arthur and Merlin Merlin provides answers, and Arthur asks questions.[29] Merlin has unbounded computational ability (like the wizard Merlin). In interactive proof systems, Merlin claims the truth of a statement, and Arthur (like King Arthur), questions him to verify the claim.
Paul and Carole Paul asks questions, and Carole provides answers. In the solution of the Twenty Questions problem,[30] Paul (standing in for Paul Erdős) asked questions and Carole (an anagram of "oracle") answered them. Paul and Carole were also used in combinatorial games, in the roles of pusher and chooser.[31]
Arthur and Bertha Arthur is the "left", "black", or "vertical" player, and Bertha is the "right", "white", or "horizontal" player in a combinatorial game. Additionally, Arthur, given the same outcome, prefers a game to take the fewest moves, while Bertha prefers a game to take the most moves.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:zwn4ztm6rkvkx55bfsmbbak7/bafkreidhoknqdbeciru2vyqtez4ahybrrbjlf4bxc5qbdz2hdsr4oj6bye@jpeg)
![Ivan An issuer, mentioned first by Ian Grigg in the context of Ricardian contracts.[18]
Judy A judge who may be called upon to resolve a potential dispute between participants. See Judge Judy.
Mallory[19][20][21] or (less commonly) Mallet[22][23][24][25] or Darth[26] A malicious attacker. Associated with Trudy, an intruder. Unlike the passive Eve, Mallory is an active attacker (often used in man-in-the-middle attacks), who can modify messages, substitute messages, or replay old messages. The difficulty of securing a system against a Mallory is much greater than against an Eve.
Michael or Mike Used as an alternative to the eavesdropper Eve, from microphone.
Niaj Used as an alternative to the eavesdropper Eve in several South Asian nations.[27]
Olivia An oracle, who responds to queries from other participants. Olivia often acts as a "black box" with some concealed state or information, or as a random oracle.
Oscar An opponent, similar to Mallory, but not necessarily malicious.
Peggy or Pat A prover, who interacts with the verifier to show that the intended transaction has actually taken place. Peggy is often found in zero-knowledge proofs.
Rupert A repudiator who appears for interactions that desire non-repudiation.
Sybil](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:zwn4ztm6rkvkx55bfsmbbak7/bafkreiezfrvckww4e6qx6zsalxlvuclyx2vluyewf4lmulz5kv3hnzsna4@jpeg)
![Alice and Bob The original, generic characters. Generally, Alice and Bob want to exchange a message or cryptographic key.
Carol, Carlos or Charlie A generic third participant.
Chuck or Chad A third participant, usually of malicious intent.[15]
Craig A password cracker, often encountered in situations with stored passwords.
Dan, Dave or David A generic fourth participant.
Erin A generic fifth participant, but rarely used, as "E" is usually reserved for Eve.
Eve or Yves An eavesdropper, who is usually a passive attacker. While they can listen in on messages between Alice and Bob, they cannot modify them. In quantum cryptography, Eve may also represent the environment.[clarification needed]
Faythe A trusted advisor, courier or intermediary. Faythe is used infrequently, and is associated with faith and faithfulness. Faythe may be a repository of key service or courier of shared secrets.[citation needed]
Frank A generic sixth participant.
Grace A government representative. For example, Grace may try to force Alice or Bob to implement backdoors in their protocols. Grace may also deliberately weaken standards.[16]
Heidi A mischievous designer for cryptographic standards, but rarely used.[17]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:zwn4ztm6rkvkx55bfsmbbak7/bafkreidqlfig7q2ajle2nrwonygaagvegzagqzolu42it76rq6o2kbwtlm@jpeg)
October 29, 2025 at 2:52 PM
did not realize cryptography's Alice and Bob had so many counterparts now, including Heidi and Faythe
interesting, my first time getting a pop-up from part of my linux system asking for donations
October 26, 2025 at 7:07 PM
interesting, my first time getting a pop-up from part of my linux system asking for donations
i love these descriptions
October 25, 2025 at 7:29 AM
i love these descriptions
I just can't get over how this track is literally about when your phone's 2G GSM signals would interfere with speakers, and they even sample the interference sound repeatedly: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpQS... (1/2)
October 25, 2025 at 1:58 AM
I just can't get over how this track is literally about when your phone's 2G GSM signals would interfere with speakers, and they even sample the interference sound repeatedly: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpQS... (1/2)
Was bored while building mathlib and went to check out their github for open issues, and I've never seen a project with as many open pull requests (>2k) as mathlib4 ...
October 24, 2025 at 4:38 AM
Was bored while building mathlib and went to check out their github for open issues, and I've never seen a project with as many open pull requests (>2k) as mathlib4 ...
just backed the Atlas of Fourier Transforms on kickstarter! www.kickstarter.com/projects/hla...
October 21, 2025 at 1:08 PM
just backed the Atlas of Fourier Transforms on kickstarter! www.kickstarter.com/projects/hla...
I've always wondered about the noticeable filler tracks on popular "chill" playlists, didn't realize music streaming platforms were putting them there intentionally
October 4, 2025 at 8:05 PM
I've always wondered about the noticeable filler tracks on popular "chill" playlists, didn't realize music streaming platforms were putting them there intentionally
reading DDR lore now, and there were two characters named Bus and Train??
October 3, 2025 at 1:47 AM
reading DDR lore now, and there were two characters named Bus and Train??
first time seeing this -- a hotel whose wifi requires you sign in by providing your passport number
September 12, 2025 at 9:09 PM
first time seeing this -- a hotel whose wifi requires you sign in by providing your passport number
just learned that lead-free solder is prohibited from many critical projects, because the point at which metal stress fatigue will usually occur in leaded solder is substantially above the level of stresses normally encountered
August 14, 2025 at 4:38 AM
just learned that lead-free solder is prohibited from many critical projects, because the point at which metal stress fatigue will usually occur in leaded solder is substantially above the level of stresses normally encountered
i've finally found the perfect living room rug
July 12, 2025 at 12:31 AM
i've finally found the perfect living room rug
the surface of the sun is 10,000 Fahrenheit ... am I missing something?
July 10, 2025 at 5:56 AM
the surface of the sun is 10,000 Fahrenheit ... am I missing something?
Didn't know this fact about Irène Joliot-Curie, Marie Curie's daughter, who was also a nuclear physicist. She stopped publishing her research when she deemed it was too dangerous due to its potential for military abuse in 1939
July 1, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Didn't know this fact about Irène Joliot-Curie, Marie Curie's daughter, who was also a nuclear physicist. She stopped publishing her research when she deemed it was too dangerous due to its potential for military abuse in 1939
can't stop thinking about this art pufferfish make on the ocean floor
July 1, 2025 at 12:44 AM
can't stop thinking about this art pufferfish make on the ocean floor
This was a checklist she proposed for evaluating public projects, but this should really apply to most software too ...
July 1, 2025 at 12:39 AM
This was a checklist she proposed for evaluating public projects, but this should really apply to most software too ...
found the best sticker (by @ashleyloob.bsky.social)
June 11, 2025 at 4:51 AM
found the best sticker (by @ashleyloob.bsky.social)
seeing this nail polish shade named "encryption key" made me realize the colors i associate with encryption keys are very different -- more blues/greens/greys.
curious about other folks' colour associations if you'd like to share
curious about other folks' colour associations if you'd like to share
June 7, 2025 at 8:51 PM
seeing this nail polish shade named "encryption key" made me realize the colors i associate with encryption keys are very different -- more blues/greens/greys.
curious about other folks' colour associations if you'd like to share
curious about other folks' colour associations if you'd like to share
on academic tools that became global infrastructure & research projects that became industry giants
June 1, 2025 at 12:19 AM
on academic tools that became global infrastructure & research projects that became industry giants
cannot believe someone saw this classic internet meme and decided to make it a reality
May 21, 2025 at 8:39 PM
cannot believe someone saw this classic internet meme and decided to make it a reality
TIL about this classic Unix poster
May 13, 2025 at 1:38 PM
TIL about this classic Unix poster
