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{{Short description|American writer, engineer and scientist (1951–2018)}}
{{redirect|Timothy May|the Australian cricketer|Tim May}}
{{redirect|Timothy May|the Australian cricketer|Tim May}}
'''Timothy C. May''', better known as '''Tim May''' (December 21, 1951 – December 13, 2018) was an American technical, political writer, electronic engineer and senior scientist at [[Intel]] in the company's early history.<ref>{{cite book|last=Greenberg|first=Andy|title=This Machine Kills Secrets: How WikiLeakers, Cypherpunks, and Hacktivists Aim to Free the World's Information|year=2012|publisher=Dutton Adult|isbn=0525953205|pages=384}}</ref> He retired from Intel in 1986 at age 35 and died of natural causes at his home on December 13, 2018 at age 66.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/21/obituaries/timothy-c-may-dead.html|title=Timothy C. May, Early Advocate of Internet Privacy, Dies at 66|last=Popper|first=Nathaniel|date=2018-12-21|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-12-26|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
'''Timothy C. May''', better known as '''Tim May''' (December 21, 1951 – December 13, 2018) was an American technical and political writer, and electronic engineer and senior scientist at [[Intel]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Greenberg|first=Andy|title=This Machine Kills Secrets: How WikiLeakers, Cypherpunks, and Hacktivists Aim to Free the World's Information|year=2012|publisher=Dutton Adult|isbn=978-0525953203|pages=[https://archive.org/details/thismachinekills0000gree/page/384 384]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/thismachinekills0000gree/page/384}}</ref> May was also the founder of the [[crypto-anarchist]] movement.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Timothy C. May {{!}} Satoshi Nakamoto Institute|url=https://nakamotoinstitute.org/authors/timothy-c-may/|access-date=2020-11-02|website=nakamotoinstitute.org|date=1988 |archive-date=2020-12-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202034814/https://nakamotoinstitute.org/authors/timothy-c-may/|url-status=live}}</ref> He retired from Intel in 1986 at age 35 and died of natural causes at his home on December 13, 2018 at age 66.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/21/obituaries/timothy-c-may-dead.html|title=Timothy C. May, Early Advocate of Internet Privacy, Dies at 66|last=Popper|first=Nathaniel|date=2018-12-21|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-12-26|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=2019-06-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604210742/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/21/obituaries/timothy-c-may-dead.html|url-status=live}}</ref>


==Discovery of alpha particle effects on computer chips==
==Discovery of alpha particle effects on computer chips==
As an engineer, May was most noted for having identified the cause of the "[[alpha particle problem]]", which was affecting the reliability of [[integrated circuits]] as device features reached a critical size where a single [[alpha particle]] could change the state of a stored value and cause a [[single event upset]]. May realized that the [[ceramic]] packaging that Intel was using, made from [[clay]], was very slightly [[radioactive]].<ref>{{Citation|url=http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?tp=&arnumber=4208205|title=A New Physical Mechanism for Soft Errors in Dynamic Memories|series=Reliability Physics Symposium|date=April 1978|last=May|first=Timothy C.|last2=Woods|first2=Murray H.|publisher=[[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers]]|accessdate=April 26, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|url=http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?tp=&arnumber=4208258|title=Measurement of Alpha Particle Radioactivity in IC Device Packages|series=Reliability Physics Symposium|date=April 1979|last=Meieran|first=E.|last2=Engel|first2=P.R.|last3=May|first3=T.C.|publisher=[[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers]]|accessdate=April 26, 2014}}</ref> Intel solved the issue by increasing the charge in each cell to reduce its susceptibility to radiation<ref>Jackson, "Inside Intel", pg. 183</ref> and adopting [[plastic]] packaging for their products.{{Citation needed|date=April 2014}}
As an engineer, May was most noted for having identified the cause of the "[[alpha particle problem]]", which was affecting the reliability of [[integrated circuits]] as device features reached a critical size where a single [[alpha particle]] could change the state of a stored value and cause a [[single event upset]]. May realized that the [[ceramic]] packaging that Intel was using, made from [[clay]], was very slightly [[radioactive]].<ref>{{Citation|chapter=A New Physical Mechanism for Soft Errors in Dynamic Memories|date=April 1978|last1=May|first1=Timothy C.|last2=Woods|first2=Murray H.|publisher=[[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers]]|doi=10.1109/IRPS.1978.362815|title=16th International Reliability Physics Symposium|pages=33–40|s2cid=21073771}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=17th International Reliability Physics Symposium|pages=13–22|date=April 1979|last1=Meieran|first1=E.|last2=Engel|first2=P.R.|last3=May|first3=T.C.|publisher=[[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers]]|doi=10.1109/IRPS.1979.362865|chapter=Measurement of Alpha Particle Radioactivtiy in IC Device Packages|s2cid=42417429}}</ref> Intel solved the issue by increasing the charge in each cell to reduce its susceptibility to radiation<ref>Jackson, "Inside Intel", pg. 183</ref> and adopting [[plastic]] packaging for their products.{{Citation needed|date=April 2014}}


May co-authored the 1981 [[IEEE W.R.G. Baker Award]]-winning paper "Alpha-Particle-Induced Soft Errors in Dynamic Memories", published in the [[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers|IEEE]] ''Transactions on {{sic|hide=y|Electron Devices}}'' in January 1979 with Murray H. Woods.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ieee.org/documents/baker_rl.pdf |title=IEEE W. R. G. Baker Prize Award Recipients |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |work=IEEE.org |publisher=[[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers]] |location=[[New York City]] |accessdate=February 28, 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629020810/http://www.ieee.org/documents/baker_rl.pdf |archivedate=June 29, 2011 |df= }}</ref>
May co-authored the 1981 [[IEEE W.R.G. Baker Award]]-winning paper "Alpha-Particle-Induced Soft Errors in Dynamic Memories", published in the [[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers|IEEE]] ''Transactions on {{sic|hide=y|Electron Devices}}'' in January 1979 with Murray H. Woods.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ieee.org/documents/baker_rl.pdf |title=IEEE W. R. G. Baker Prize Award Recipients |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |work=IEEE.org |publisher=[[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers]] |location=[[New York City]] |accessdate=February 28, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629020810/http://www.ieee.org/documents/baker_rl.pdf |archivedate=June 29, 2011 }}</ref>


==Social and political views==
==Social and political views==
May was an advocate for [[libertarianism]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://beinglibertarian.com/tim-may-passes/|title=Tim May, The Father of Crypto Anarchy, Has Passed Away|date=December 20, 2018|work=Being Libertarian|access-date=August 15, 2019|archive-date=August 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815174103/https://beinglibertarian.com/tim-may-passes/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://nakamotoinstitute.org/libertaria-in-cyberspace/|title=Libertaria in Cyberspace|date=September 1, 1992|work=Satoshi Nakamoto Institute|access-date=August 15, 2019|archive-date=August 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815174107/https://nakamotoinstitute.org/libertaria-in-cyberspace/|url-status=live}}</ref> and for internet privacy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/21/obituaries/timothy-c-may-dead.html|title=Timothy C. May, Early Advocate of Internet Privacy, Dies at 66|date=December 21, 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 22, 2018|archive-date=June 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604210742/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/21/obituaries/timothy-c-may-dead.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
⚫
May was a founding member of, and had been one of the most voluminous contributors to, the [[Cypherpunk]]s [[electronic mailing list]]. He wrote extensively on cryptography and privacy from the 1990s through 2003.


⚫
He was a founding member of, and had been one of the most voluminous contributors to, the [[Cypherpunk]]s [[electronic mailing list]]. He wrote extensively on cryptography and privacy from the 1990s through 2003.
⚫
May wrote a substantial cypherpunk-themed [[FAQ]], "The [[Cyphernomicon]]" (incorporating his earlier piece "The [[Crypto-anarchism|Crypto Anarchist]] Manifesto");<ref name="Cyphernomicon">{{cite web |title=The Cyphernomicon: Cypherpunks FAQ and More, Version 0.666|last=May |first=Timothy C. |date=September 10, 1994 |url= http://www.cypherpunks.to/faq/cyphernomicron/cyphernomicon.html |work=Cypherpunks.to |accessdate=February 28, 2011}}</ref> and his essay, "True Nyms and Crypto Anarchy", was included in a reprint of [[Vernor Vinge]]'s novel ''[[True Names]]''. In 2001 his work was published in the book, ''Crypto Anarchy, Cyberstates, and Pirate Utopias''.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Ludlow|editor-first=Peter|title=Crypto anarchy, cyberstates, and pirate utopias|year=2001|publisher=MIT Press|location=Cambridge, Mass.|isbn=0-262-62151-7}}</ref>


⚫
May wrote a substantial cypherpunk-themed [[FAQ]], "The Cyphernomicon" (incorporating his earlier piece "The [[Crypto-anarchism|Crypto Anarchist]] Manifesto");<ref name="Cyphernomicon">{{cite web |title=The Cyphernomicon: Cypherpunks FAQ and More, Version 0.666 |last=May |first=Timothy C. |date=September 10, 1994 |url=http://www.cypherpunks.to/faq/cyphernomicron/cyphernomicon.html |work=Cypherpunks.to |accessdate=February 28, 2011 |archive-date=June 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607130638/http://www.cypherpunks.to/faq/cyphernomicron/cyphernomicon.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> and his essay, "True Nyms and Crypto Anarchy", was included in a reprint of [[Vernor Vinge]]'s novel ''[[True Names]]''. In 2001 his work was published in the book, ''Crypto Anarchy, Cyberstates, and Pirate Utopias''.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Ludlow|editor-first=Peter|title=Crypto anarchy, cyberstates, and pirate utopias|year=2001|publisher=MIT Press|location=Cambridge, Mass.|isbn=0-262-62151-7}}</ref>
⚫
May lived as a recluse. His ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' obituary noted: "He often wrote about arming himself and waiting for government agents to show up. After the Cypherpunks faded in the early 2000s, he began expressing racist sentiments to other online groups".<ref name=":0" />

⚫
May led a reclusive life. His ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' obituary noted: "He often wrote about arming himself and waiting for government agents to show up. After the Cypherpunks faded in the early 2000s, he began expressing racist sentiments to other online groups".<ref name=":0" />

''[[Reason Magazine]]'' described him as a "significant influence on both [[bitcoin]] and [[WikiLeaks]]" in their obituary.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://reason.com/2018/12/16/tim-may-influential-writer-on-crypto-ana/ |title=Tim May, Father of 'Crypto Anarchy,' is Dead at 66 |date=16 December 2018 |access-date=2020-08-07 |archive-date=2020-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930025211/https://reason.com/2018/12/16/tim-may-influential-writer-on-crypto-ana/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Time-lock puzzle]]


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:2018 deaths]]
[[Category:2018 deaths]]
[[Category:American libertarians]]
[[Category:American political writers]]
[[Category:American political writers]]
[[Category:American technology writers]]
[[Category:American technology writers]]
[[Category:Crypto-anarchists]]
[[Category:Cypherpunks]]
[[Category:Cypherpunks]]
[[Category:Intel people]]
[[Category:Intel people]]
[[Category:Privacy activists]]
[[Category:Usenet people]]
[[Category:Usenet people]]

Latest revision as of 02:45, 3 October 2024

"Timothy May" redirects here. For the Australian cricketer, see Tim May.

Timothy C. May, better known as Tim May (December 21, 1951 – December 13, 2018) was an American technical and political writer, and electronic engineer and senior scientist at Intel.[1] May was also the founder of the crypto-anarchist movement.[2] He retired from Intel in 1986 at age 35 and died of natural causes at his home on December 13, 2018 at age 66.[3]

Discovery of alpha particle effects on computer chips

[edit]

As an engineer, May was most noted for having identified the cause of the "alpha particle problem", which was affecting the reliability of integrated circuits as device features reached a critical size where a single alpha particle could change the state of a stored value and cause a single event upset. May realized that the ceramic packaging that Intel was using, made from clay, was very slightly radioactive.[4][5] Intel solved the issue by increasing the charge in each cell to reduce its susceptibility to radiation[6] and adopting plastic packaging for their products.[citation needed]

May co-authored the 1981 IEEE W.R.G. Baker Award-winning paper "Alpha-Particle-Induced Soft Errors in Dynamic Memories", published in the IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices in January 1979 with Murray H. Woods.[7]

Social and political views

[edit]

May was an advocate for libertarianism[8][9] and for internet privacy.[10]

He was a founding member of, and had been one of the most voluminous contributors to, the Cypherpunks electronic mailing list. He wrote extensively on cryptography and privacy from the 1990s through 2003.

May wrote a substantial cypherpunk-themed FAQ, "The Cyphernomicon" (incorporating his earlier piece "The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto");[11] and his essay, "True Nyms and Crypto Anarchy", was included in a reprint of Vernor Vinge's novel True Names. In 2001 his work was published in the book, Crypto Anarchy, Cyberstates, and Pirate Utopias.[12]

May led a reclusive life. His New York Times obituary noted: "He often wrote about arming himself and waiting for government agents to show up. After the Cypherpunks faded in the early 2000s, he began expressing racist sentiments to other online groups".[3]

Reason Magazine described him as a "significant influence on both bitcoin and WikiLeaks" in their obituary.[13]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Greenberg, Andy (2012). This Machine Kills Secrets: How WikiLeakers, Cypherpunks, and Hacktivists Aim to Free the World's Information. Dutton Adult. pp. 384. ISBN 978-0525953203.
  2. ^ "Timothy C. May | Satoshi Nakamoto Institute". nakamotoinstitute.org. 1988. Archived from the original on 2020-12-02. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
  3. ^ a b Popper, Nathaniel (2018-12-21). "Timothy C. May, Early Advocate of Internet Privacy, Dies at 66". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2019-06-04. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  4. ^ May, Timothy C.; Woods, Murray H. (April 1978), "A New Physical Mechanism for Soft Errors in Dynamic Memories", 16th International Reliability Physics Symposium, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, pp. 33–40, doi:10.1109/IRPS.1978.362815, S2CID 21073771
  5. ^ Meieran, E.; Engel, P.R.; May, T.C. (April 1979), "Measurement of Alpha Particle Radioactivtiy in IC Device Packages", 17th International Reliability Physics Symposium, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, pp. 13–22, doi:10.1109/IRPS.1979.362865, S2CID 42417429
  6. ^ Jackson, "Inside Intel", pg. 183
  7. ^ "IEEE W. R. G. Baker Prize Award Recipients" (PDF). IEEE.org. New York City: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 29, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
  8. ^ "Tim May, The Father of Crypto Anarchy, Has Passed Away". Being Libertarian. December 20, 2018. Archived from the original on August 15, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  9. ^ "Libertaria in Cyberspace". Satoshi Nakamoto Institute. September 1, 1992. Archived from the original on August 15, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  10. ^ "Timothy C. May, Early Advocate of Internet Privacy, Dies at 66". The New York Times. December 21, 2018. Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  11. ^ May, Timothy C. (September 10, 1994). "The Cyphernomicon: Cypherpunks FAQ and More, Version 0.666". Cypherpunks.to. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
  12. ^ Ludlow, Peter, ed. (2001). Crypto anarchy, cyberstates, and pirate utopias. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-62151-7.
  13. ^ "Tim May, Father of 'Crypto Anarchy,' is Dead at 66". 16 December 2018. Archived from the original on 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
[edit]
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