Tomorrow is D. J. Bernstein’s oral argument in his crypto case. I wish him the best of luck.
It’s funny that Bernstein’s the one to make the case that code is speech, because if anyone’s code is, it’s his. Seeing, using, and understanding his software gives me the same feeling inside as when I read a great work of literature or view a beautiful picture. It’s a work of art.
In honor of the case, I’ve been reading some of the briefs. Highlights: “As an extreme example, the government would have the power to regulate publication of instructions teaching a man to fish, on the grounds that terrorists would be more easily caught if they were starving.”