Subject: REVIEW: "Mercury Rising", Douglas Pearson Ryne

From: "Rob Slade, doting grandpa of Ryan and Trevor" <[email-masked]>
Date: 07 Feb 1999 11:32:17 -0500

Mercury Rising by Douglas Pearson Ryne
	Review copyright Robert M. Slade, 1999

Well, the other day I read "Mercury Rising."  That's right, read, not
watched.  Actually, the movie was based on a book originally published as
"Simple Simon," and, of course, the book was re-issued in conjunction with
the movie release.

The book is about an autistic boy who, in the idiot savant way that
sometimes comes with autism, is able to crack mathematically encrypted
messages simply by looking at them.  Unlikely?  True.  But I wouldn't want
to bet against the abilities of organic computers.  They can do some
amazing things.

(By the way, I was amused to find out that Bruce Willis is Black.)

Let's start with the satellite.  Now, this is a KH designation satellite,
so no wonder it needs a crypto upgrade.  Except, hold on a minute.  The
description of what it does doesn't have anything to do with spying or
intelligence gathering.  This is a plain, old, ordinary comsat, picking up
messages and relaying them.  It doesn't need encryption capability any
more than a piece of copper wire needs encryption: it just passes bits.
The bits might be encrypted at source and decrypted at the destination,
but that doesn't matter to the bits.  In fact, if the message *isn't*
encrypted at source, there is no point in encrypting it enroute.

But just suppose we do need encryption.  OK, we'll send up the upgrade.
Ready the command mode for reprogr...  What?  You're sending up a black
box on the shuttle?  And not just a tape, or anything: this is a module
that is going to have to be swapped out for the box that is there?

Well, let's leave the satellite for the moment, shall we?  Right, we have
this new, super duper encryption algorithm.  Seems to be an awful lot like
DES, what with S boxes and all.  Hmmm.  Seems to be even more like
someone's misunderstood version of triple DES, but we'll let that pass.
Has one heck of a key length, though.  Wouldn't be very effective on short
messages.  Everybody is to use it.  NSA, diplomatic corp, CIA, FBI,
everybody.  Same algorithm.  Same crypto gear.  Same key.  Ummm, excuse
me?  Good thing it's a long key, I guess.  No, wait, that doesn't make
any more sense...

Right, let's move on to hackers.  Now, of course, everyone who is any good
at using computers is unhygienic.  Or crippled.  Or both.  This also
applies to mathematicians, apparently.  And, of course, any evil hacker is
completely undetectable as he slides down the T-1s of the nation, slipping
into computers that have no connection to outside networks at all.
Especially one who is working for the government because he got caught
doing this.

OK, I've believed enough impossible things before breakfast.  If we have
to get into white hat/black hat Illuminati, both groups completely occult,
my brain is going to start to hurt.

%A   Douglas Pearson Ryne
%C   1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019
%D   1998
%G   038002945
%I   Avon Books/The Hearst Corporation
%O   +1-800-238-0658
%T   "Mercury Rising"

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