Cryptography Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 3
Error Correction
3.1 Close but No Cigar
1. Speedwalking.
2. America OnLine, CompuServe and Prodigy.
3. Veggie burgers.
4. Using a Stairmaster.
5. Winning the Wild Card pennant.
6. Driving 55 mph.
7. Living in suburbia.
8. New Year's Resolutions.
9. Lists as poetry.
10. Lists as a simple way to give structure to humor.
11. Cigarettes.
3.2 Correcting Errors
The theory of computers rests on an immutable foundation: a bit is
either on (“1”) or off (“0”). Underneath this foundation, however, is
the normal, slightly random, slightly chaotic world in which humans
spend their time. Just as the sun is sometimes a bit brighter than
