Hal Finney (cypherpunk)
Encyclopedia
Hal Finney is a developer for PGP Corporation
, and was the 2nd developer hired after Phil Zimmerman. In his early career, he is credited as lead developer on several console games (Adventures of Tron
, Armor Ambush
, Astroblast, Space Attack). He is a 1979 graduate of the California Institute of Technology
, holding a BS in engineering.
Finney is also a noted cryptographic activist. During the early 1990s, in addition to being a regular poster on the cypherpunks listserv, Finney ran two anonymous remailers. Further cryptographic activism included running a (successful) contest to break the export-grade encryption Netscape
used.
In 2004, Finney created the first reusable proof of work system
before Bitcoin
.
In October, 2009, Finney announced on an essay on the blog Less Wrong that he's been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
. Prior to his diagnosis, Finney had been an active runner. Finney and his wife Fran Finney now raise money for ALS research with the Santa Barbara International Marathon.
PGP Corporation
PGP Corporation, co-founded by Jon Callas and Phil Dunkelberger, is based in Menlo Park, California. PGP Corporation was funded by Rob Theis, General Partner, Doll Capital Management and Terry Garnett, General Partner, Venrock Associates. The company is the current owner of the Pretty Good Privacy...
, and was the 2nd developer hired after Phil Zimmerman. In his early career, he is credited as lead developer on several console games (Adventures of Tron
Adventures of Tron
Adventures of Tron is an action game produced by Mattel, and was released for the Atari 2600 in 1982. It is based on the Walt Disney motion picture Tron and received fairly positive reviews from critics....
, Armor Ambush
Armor Ambush
Armor Ambush is a video game for the Atari 2600 produced by M-Network.- Gameplay :Armor Ambush is a game that gives players control over tanks that battle one another over terrain that offers varying degrees of texture and traversability...
, Astroblast, Space Attack). He is a 1979 graduate of the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
, holding a BS in engineering.
Finney is also a noted cryptographic activist. During the early 1990s, in addition to being a regular poster on the cypherpunks listserv, Finney ran two anonymous remailers. Further cryptographic activism included running a (successful) contest to break the export-grade encryption Netscape
Netscape
Netscape Communications is a US computer services company, best known for Netscape Navigator, its web browser. When it was an independent company, its headquarters were in Mountain View, California...
used.
In 2004, Finney created the first reusable proof of work system
Proof-of-work system
A proof-of-work system is an economic measure to deter denial of service attacks and other service abuses such as spam on a network by requiring some work from the service requester, usually meaning processing time by a computer...
before Bitcoin
Bitcoin
Bitcoin is a decentralized, peer-to-peer network over which users make transactions that are tracked and verified through this network. The word Bitcoin also refers to the digital currency implemented as the currency medium for user transactions over this network...
.
In October, 2009, Finney announced on an essay on the blog Less Wrong that he's been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a form of motor neuron disease caused by the degeneration of upper and lower neurons, located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord and the cortical neurons that provide their efferent input...
. Prior to his diagnosis, Finney had been an active runner. Finney and his wife Fran Finney now raise money for ALS research with the Santa Barbara International Marathon.
External links
- Hal Finney home page
- Review: Vernor Vinge’s ‘Fast Times’ -(review by Finney in Extropy)