Cryptography

Conveying information can prove to be important. Conveying information in such a way that only a select few can understand the intended message can prove to be imperative. Military secrets were often transmitted to the front lines in an encrypted form, and even then only a limited number of the vanguards would have access to or knowledge of the cipher, the key to unlocking the code to understand the message. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the more analogue versions of cryptography have faded into a box of obscurity – a temperature-controlled box with one wall of glass that faces the visitors to the museums in which these proverbial boxes reside. Any serious cryptanalysis at present will involve rather advanced computer technology, but the principles of the algorithms are quite the same. Cryptography is nothing new, though. Very shortly after the invention of written language, hidden messages were speculated about, and actually induced in many cases. ‘Gematria,’ a Kabbalistic method of interpreting the Hebrew scriptures by computing the numerical value of words based on those of their constituent letters, is an example this. While there may be some validity in this, seeking out hidden meanings where the plain text is clear enough may prove to be futile, if not fatal. Nonetheless, I have decided to include an encrypted message using the Caesar cipher (with a shift of one) for more adventurous and curious readers: “"Ju jt uif hmpsz pg hpe up dpodfbm b nbuufs; up tfbsdi pvu b nbuufs jt uif hmpsz pg ljoht." Qspwfsct 25:2