Ah jeez

My nam is Poo

This is my frend

Hes verey old

And needs a mend

I lov my pal

Altho hes old

He keeps me warm

Wen I am cold

And wen I go

To sleep at nite

I hug my frend

My nam is Ted

I yearn to feast

I have no age

I am a beast

I dwell within

I die without

I hunger, yearn,

My thirst a drought

And when the sun

Has set at last

The time has come

To break my fast

I tear at skin

I crunch at bone

Your blood my wine

Your flesh my own

The sun will rise

On shadows cold

And here I'll be

A thing foretold

My name is Ted

But call me death

In your last word

With your last breath

The world shall end

And Poo and I

Will still be there

What’s encrypting your internet surfing? An algorithm created by a supercomputer? Well, if the site you’re visiting is encrypted by the cyber security firm Cloudflare, your activity may be protected by a wall of lava lamps.

Cloudflare covers websites for Uber, OKCupid, & FitBit, for instance. The wall of  lamps in the San Francisco headquarters generates a random code. Over 100  lamps, in a variety of colors, and their patterns deter hackers from accessing data.  

As the lava lamps bubble and swirl, a video camera on the ceiling monitors their unpredictable changes and connects the footage to a computer, which converts the randomness into a virtually unhackable code.

Codes created by machines have relatively predictable patterns, so it’s possible for hackers to guess their algorithms, posing a security risk. Lava lamps, add to the equation the sheer randomness of the physical world, making it nearly impossible for hackers to break through.

You might think that this would be kept secret, but it’s not. Simply go in and ask to see the lava lamp display. By allowing people to affect the video footage, human movement, static, and changes in lighting from the windows work together to make the random code even harder to predict.

So, by standing in front of the display, you add an additional variable to the code, making it even harder to hack. Isn’t that interesting? 

Adam Nimoy: “And some fans, somebody, has taken a lot of footage of Kirk and Spock out of context from the original series to show this homoerotic relationship between them.”

*Shows George Takei smirking widely as he listens to Adam Nimoy*

Adam Nimoy: “And it’s pretty damn compelling!”