About 33 bits
Hey, I'm the author of this blog. Much of my previous deanonymization research has been discussed on HN; see <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=33bits.orgsite:news.ycombinator.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.google.com/search?q=33bits.orgsite:news.ycombinat...</a> Also, if you find the premise of the blog interesting check out the sitemap linked from the page.<p>But since this post is about the About page, let me share a couple of lessons I've learned from the blog, which has been more successful in communicating my research than I'd dared to hope for when I started it 3.5 years ago.<p>1. Those of us working on technical areas often struggle to explain our ideas to others not as technical, in a way that avoids oversimplification and losing essential meaning. Sometimes you'll discover an analogy or metaphor or phrase that does both. Seize those chances, they're powerful.<p>2. Coming up with a name is more important than you might think. If a good name will make your idea or product even 5% stickier, it follows that it may be worthwhile to spend 5% of your time just coming up with the name. One way to do it is to be constantly on the lookout for a good name while you're working on the product.<p>3. If you're writing about something that has policy implications, and want it to be read in Washington, it's hard but not impossible. Two important requirements are to network and build up an audience — they aren't going to read your blog just because it ranks high in Google searches — and to use language that non-technical people can understand.<p>Happy to answer any questions!