WSJ article on calculator hacking

I was actually interviewed by Dionne Searcey for this Wall Street Journal article on calculator hacking but she didn’t use any of it, heh : – ) Previously on this blog …

Update on the “Some numbers” post

Idiots, updated. The EFF is helping with people who’ve been threatened by Texas Instruments over the publication of the TI calculator key. (Not me because I’m not in the US).

Honestly though, TI have either shot themselves in the foot and are now aiming for the other foot, or this is some sort of perverse “any news is good news” PR campaign.

Original posting, with some numbers in it.

Support the EFF.

Support the ORG (UK users).

Idiots

This ended up in my spam folder. Well done wordpress.com for correctly identifying worthless rubbish!

The actual URL that he is complaining about is “Some numbers”, which contains just that — numbers! With interesting mathematical relationships between the numbers. What a wonderful world we’ve made for ourselves where highly paid lawyers spam poor computer programmers over copying numbers. I have a degree in mathematics. I believe that entitles me to use numbers whenever I want.

For more information on why TI are interested in these numbers, see this news and this.

---

September 22, 2009
To: Richard WM Jones
Re: Illegal Offering of Material to Circumvent TI Copyright Protections
VIA: https://rwmj.wordpress.com/about/

It has come to our attention that the web site https://rwmj.wordpress.com/about/, contains material and/or links to material that violate the anti-circumvention provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”). This letter is to notify you, in accordance with the provisions of the DMCA, of these unlawful activities. Pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the DMCA, we request that you remove any whole or partial reproductions of and/or disable links to the following:

The posting entitled “some numbers” dated September 14, 2009 and located at the following URL https://rwmj.wordpress.com/about/.

Texas Instruments Incorporated (“TI”) owns the copyright in the TI-83 Plus operating system software. The TI-83 Plus operating system uses encryption to effectively control access to the operating system code and to protect its rights as a copyright owner in that code. Any unauthorized use of these files is strictly prohibited.

https://rwmj.wordpress.com/about/ is distributing or providing links to information that bypasses TI’s anti-circumvention technology. By providing copies of or offering links to such information, https://rwmj.wordpress.com/about/ has violated the anti-circumvention provisions of the DMCA at 17 U.S.C. §§ 1201(a)(2) and 1201(b)(1).

Please confirm to the undersigned in writing no later than noon on September 23, 2009 that you have complied with these demands. You may reach the undersigned by telephone at (972) 917-1522 or by email at h-foster@ti.com. TI reserves all further rights and remedies with respect to this matter.

I hereby confirm that I have a good faith belief that use of the Illegal Material in the manner complained of in this letter is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law, that the information in this letter is accurate, and that, under penalty of perjury, I am authorized to act on behalf of TI, the owner of the exclusive rights in the TI-83 Plus operating system software that is allegedly misappropriated using unlawful methods.

Texas Instruments Incorporated

Herbert W. Foster
Manager, Business Services
Education Technology Group