Tag Archives: nsa

Big Ears

The NSA has existed as an electronic intelligence organization since World War I. The Cipher Bureau sought to analysis the coded messages of the German High Command for the naval convoys seeking to evade U-boats in the North Atlantic. According to Wikipedia on July 5, 1917 the unit consisted of Herbert O. Yardley and two […]

Early Phone Sex

In the summer of 1968 I worked in a Boston phone exchange. There were hundreds of cable banks corresponding the working numbers. My friend and I would eavesdrop on thousands of conversations. Few people said anything of importance, but one couple practically invented phone sex and spoke at the same hour every day. One afternoon […]

Ich Bin Ein Amerikaner

Last night my landlord/friend AP and I were joined by his loving daughter on the roof of the Fort Greene Observatory. AP hugged Lizzie and pointed out stars. It was a clear sky for New York. “Up there is Alpha Centuari. It’s the closest star to Earth.” “How far away?” Lizzie was a curious child. […]

All Ears

According to Wikipedia the National Security Agency is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence. The NSA employs 40,000 people at various locations and its annual budget is a secret, although intelligence analysts have estimated the per annum […]