Sure, you can gamble on the Internet, but its evolution into a billion-dollar betting medium is about as predictable as a roll of a dice. A lack of knowledge about market size, consumer concern over rigged games and low payouts, and uncertainty over government regulation have all led to a slow roll for gambling on the Net. It took them a while to even figure out that Internet access might make a nice little sidekick to the voice business. While cataloging my list of things to be thankful for, and my list of gifts to buy for loved ones, I began to ponder what services on the Internet are available for the asking, and which ones we have to pay for. This week at Internet World, the company debuted a set of tools for users to submit ratings for Web sites, and announced that the ratings data will be incorporated into its search feature.
Networked computers require strong cryptography, the coding that makes data secure.
Now cryptographers are looking to a mathematical system known as an elliptic curve to solve the efficiency conundrum. Analysis by Jon Katz.