Systems of Magic, and a request

[rising_moon]

Recently I've read a few excellent fantasy novels which were written around believable, consistent, and reasonable systems of magic. Believable magic is one of the elements that will sell me on a writer. I've enjoyed The Abhorsen Trilogy, by Garth Nix, and, most recently, The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss.

I've learned that Brandon Sanderson, who wrote this essay on systems of magic, is going to finish Robert Jordan's 12th and final novel of the Wheel of Time series. Depending on my Lady's response to his work, I might take up the first one. :)

Unrelatedly (maybe): can any of you recommend a good history (articles, blogs, anything) of technical approaches to affixing Identity? That is, assuring that individuals are who they say they are? I'm making a study of transaction psychology -- financial services inclined but not fixed -- and would love some background data on approaches to identity assurance. Thanks!

Comments

[kyttle.livejournal.com]

Exactly, the factoring problem reduces to a secret that only you know. The awesome part is you can actually prove to the world that you know the secret without actually revealing the secret!

I only know of two generally accepted forms of authentication: knowledge of a secret (in many variations) and possession of an object (which many be your body). The idea of authenticating someone based on how the do something is really cool, but I've never seen it actually used. If you've heard of something similar used in practice, I would love to hear about it.

I wonder how consistent people really are and how quickly their skills change. It's like voice recognition: it seems like a great idea, but what if I have a cold?

[rising-moon.livejournal.com]

This is the first place I've heard about a "what you can do" authentication method. It sounds intriguing. I wonder if I might be able to register a bunch of unique identifiers with some agency or other, in the event that my ID gets challenged and I some day have to prove what data belongs to me.

That's the next challenge, I suppose: Linking ME to MINE.

but what if I have a cold?

Ah, right. Or a broken finger, or a sore knee, or a momentary bout of forgetting how to play "Danny Boy". (It happens.) This is a good point.