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{{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 and political writer, and was an 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 in 2003 and died of natural causes at his home on December 13, 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://icoexaminer.com/ico-news/timothy-may-the-crypto-anarchist-who-prophesised-bitcoin-dies-at-67/ |title=Timothy May, the Crypto Anarchist Who Prophesised Bitcoin, Dies at 67 |publisher= ICOExaminer |language=en-GB |access-date=2018-12-17}}</ref>
'''Timothy C. May''', better known as '''Tim May''' (December 21, 1951 – December 13, 2018) was an American technical and political writer, and was an 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 in 2003 and died of natural causes at his home on December 13, 2018.<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>


==Discovery of alpha particle effects on computer chips==
==Discovery of alpha particle effects on computer chips==
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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://www.webcitation.org/5yCQiCmPi?url=http://www.ieee.org/documents/baker_rl.pdf |archivedate=April 25, 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 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5yCQiCmPi?url=http://www.ieee.org/documents/baker_rl.pdf |archivedate=April 25, 2011 |df= }}</ref>


==Social and political views==
==Writings on cryptography and privacy==
May was a founding member of, and had been one of the most voluminous contributors to, [[Cypherpunk]]s [[electronic mailing list]]. He wrote extensively on cryptography and privacy from the 1990s through 2003.
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.


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}}</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" />


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 20:58, 26 December 2018

Timothy C. May, better known as Tim May (December 21, 1951 – December 13, 2018) was an American technical and political writer, and was an electronic engineer and senior scientist at Intel in the company's early history.[1] He retired in 2003 and died of natural causes at his home on December 13, 2018.[2]

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.[3][4] Intel solved the issue by increasing the charge in each cell to reduce its susceptibility to radiation[5] 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.[6]

Social and political views

May 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"),[7] 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.[8]

May lived as a recluse. 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."[2]

References

  1. ^ Greenberg, Andy (2012). This Machine Kills Secrets: How WikiLeakers, Cypherpunks, and Hacktivists Aim to Free the World's Information. Dutton Adult. p. 384. ISBN 0525953205.
  2. ^ 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. Retrieved 2018-12-26.
  3. ^ May, Timothy C.; Woods, Murray H. (April 1978), A New Physical Mechanism for Soft Errors in Dynamic Memories, Reliability Physics Symposium, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, retrieved April 26, 2014
  4. ^ Meieran, E.; Engel, P.R.; May, T.C. (April 1979), Measurement of Alpha Particle Radioactivity in IC Device Packages, Reliability Physics Symposium, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, retrieved April 26, 2014
  5. ^ Jackson, "Inside Intel", pg. 183
  6. ^ "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 April 25, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ May, Timothy C. (September 10, 1994). "The Cyphernomicon: Cypherpunks FAQ and More, Version 0.666". Cypherpunks.to. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
  8. ^ Ludlow, Peter, ed. (2001). Crypto anarchy, cyberstates, and pirate utopias. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-62151-7.