Topic: BitDrop (or ShadyDeliveryNetwork), a non-robotic courier system - page 7. (Read 30329 times)
This needs to happen! I would love to be a runner! Once I've completed a few jobs I'm working on, I should have plenty of time to help with coding this.
Even more secure!
Alice puts her lock on the package, sends it to Bob. Bob puts his lock on the package and sends it back to Alice. Alice takes her lock off and sends it back to Bob. Voila!
I heard this as an analogy to commutative ciphers. Theoretically a similar cryptographic system would be incredibly secure, but it requires a strong cipher that is commutative, which means that it doesn't matter what order Alice and Bob encrypt or decrypt the data. As long as everybody that encrypts also decrypts, the message stays intact.
Alice puts her lock on the package, sends it to Bob. Bob puts his lock on the package and sends it back to Alice. Alice takes her lock off and sends it back to Bob. Voila!
I heard this as an analogy to commutative ciphers. Theoretically a similar cryptographic system would be incredibly secure, but it requires a strong cipher that is commutative, which means that it doesn't matter what order Alice and Bob encrypt or decrypt the data. As long as everybody that encrypts also decrypts, the message stays intact.
So you send the sender a padlock, and then the sender locks their stuff with your padlock and sends it back to you?
yup 
So you send the sender a padlock, and then the sender locks their stuff with your padlock and sends it back to you?
Take it a step further: public/private key crypto (Literally!)
When you sign up, you send BitDrop a bunch of unlocked padlocks only you know the combination of. When they want to send something to you, they lock the box with the padlock and send it to you.
When you sign up, you send BitDrop a bunch of unlocked padlocks only you know the combination of. When they want to send something to you, they lock the box with the padlock and send it to you.
I imagine in some cities there might be lots of bicycle couriers that would appreciate the additional income and won't worry much about what the contents of the packages are
I'm in Las Vegas, USA and might potentially be willing to be a courier/node in this if it gets off the ground. My fee would be in the 4-5 BTC minimum range though.
I think there could be an argument made both ways, but here's some info I found...
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Postal_Service
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Postal_Service
Quote
Since its reorganization into an independent organization, the USPS has become self-sufficient and has not directly received taxpayer-dollars since the early 1980s with the minor exception of subsidies for costs associated with the disabled and overseas voters. However, it is currently borrowing money from the U.S. Treasury to pay its deficits. The decline of mail volume, due to the increased usage of email, has forced the postal service to look to other sources of revenue while cutting costs to maintain this financial balance.
I thought of this thread when I saw the SlashDot article
Tech Experts Look To Help Save the Postal Service
It seems Google cares a lot about this, for some reason.
Tech Experts Look To Help Save the Postal Service
It seems Google cares a lot about this, for some reason.
That's unfortunate. The USPS should be allowed to die just like any other failing business. It should not be further bailed out.
I'm well aware of that. But they like to think they are, so they should be cut loose and treated as such.
I thought of this thread when I saw the SlashDot article
Tech Experts Look To Help Save the Postal Service
It seems Google cares a lot about this, for some reason.
Tech Experts Look To Help Save the Postal Service
It seems Google cares a lot about this, for some reason.
That's unfortunate. The USPS should be allowed to die just like any other failing business. It should not be further bailed out.
I thought of this thread when I saw the SlashDot article
Tech Experts Look To Help Save the Postal Service
It seems Google cares a lot about this, for some reason.
Tech Experts Look To Help Save the Postal Service
It seems Google cares a lot about this, for some reason.
That's unfortunate. The USPS should be allowed to die just like any other failing business. It should not be further bailed out.
I may just integrate this into Ubitex.
This system needs Faith
Late to the thread, but I love you so much for saying that.Weed out the Celestes while we're at it.
skittixch you've created a monster.
I'm running with this (although I won't start until next week, kind of busy).
Also it's on Cypherpunked, I gave them an interview yesterday, should be available as a podcast in a day or so here. http://agoristradio.com/?p=285
I'm running with this (although I won't start until next week, kind of busy).
Also it's on Cypherpunked, I gave them an interview yesterday, should be available as a podcast in a day or so here. http://agoristradio.com/?p=285
I do not yet really grok the economics of this kind of P2P delivery system, but I think there might even be reasons to use it aside from anonymity concerns. There likely would be cases where rates might be cheaper than centralized mail services can offer. Centralized (public or private) mail services cross-subsidize the services to rural and other sparsely populated areas heavily. So, sending packages that are just too big to fit in an envelope might be quite inexpensive to send inside and between densely populated areas, if the couriers were people who already traveled part of the route as their daily routine (commute to work for example). Another case where marginal costs could be very low compared to conventional freight rates would of course be air travel.
This is all very fascinating, I can't wait to see how these ideas turn out to perform in real life.
This is all very fascinating, I can't wait to see how these ideas turn out to perform in real life.
I was under the impression that the system would be taking care of package routing, why should the customer be penalized in that case? A runner should be able to notify the system of any exceptions (damage to package, unable to deliver, etc) and it will give them a drop off point leading the package back into the system.
I was assuming that the sender would have lied to the system for a cheaper rate. Presumably, private routes would cost more than routes without privacy. Now, there also has to be some contingency for when a runner receives a package that violates his requirements. I think the runner should just dispose of the package as he pleases.
I was under the impression that the system would be taking care of package routing, why should the customer be penalized in that case? A runner should be able to notify the system of any exceptions (damage to package, unable to deliver, etc) and it will give them a drop off point leading the package back into the system.
Now, there also has to be some contingency for when a runner receives a package that violates his requirements. I think the runner should just dispose of the package as he pleases.
I think runners should specify whether certain routes will have privacy or not. For example, for local destinations, a runner could safely not look at packages and post his promise so as to attract more packages. However, if the runner is about to take a trip by airplane, he will have to peek at any packages that he’s carrying, and should specify that condition on his profile.
That could be done.
I think runners should specify whether certain routes will have privacy or not. For example, for local destinations, a runner could safely not look at packages and post his promise so as to attract more packages. However, if the runner is about to take a trip by airplane, he will have to peek at any packages that he’s carrying, and should specify that condition on his profile.
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