Hold all my calls – this edition is dialing up a couple of ways to use telephones for telling codes and is mixing things up by asking you to get out your phones. Cute CommunicationsBefore smartphones with their complete keyboard layouts, typing a text was a labourious way to send a short message. The first … Read more
Hello coders! This edition we’re curving codes and going loopy with lines as we learn about letters leaping from language to locks! Previously we have seen the Route Transposition Cipher hyperlink: [https://eramag.com.au/sep-24/], but this one differs particularly in how our cipher text is displayed. And we are not going to be encoding our letters as … Read more
This simple grid-based cipher will have you babbling apparent nonsense to send out secret messages. Gobbledigook What we are doing in this edition is essentially taking the concept of a Polybius Square cipher (as seen in a previous edition — ERA Mag Apr23 — or knock code, but instead of being left with pairs of numbers, we … Read more
We’re doting on dottiness in our dottiest edition ever: let’s have a look at dots!The dot point version: One Thing To Rule Them AllThe most important element we need is our alphabet! Decoding this message relies on lining up letters to the markings, whatever format they are in.We need to mark out 26 sections to … Read more
Hello code enthusiasts, this edition will have you reading about reading!Noting what you are here for, it is time to take notes on notations! A previous edition looked at the Bacon Code which also had letters of text being marked, but today’s topic has the additions spread out instead of grouped in close together. So … Read more
Today is the day to code!Yes my coding friends, the time has come for a new code, as this edition looks at a timely way to hide a message. It’s also a great use of old calendars. Time For Letters And NumbersOnce again we start with lining up our alphabet against the numbers 1-26 in … Read more
This time a cute little code for you to speed through, named after our favourite shelled gastropod – the snail! In this instance, our snail code is a type of cipher called Atbash. Don’t Be Shy The Atbash cipher popped up in the Bible’s Old Testament (so it’s that old), and works by lining up … Read more
This edition has a code you can really count on in tight quarters. No, this not another symbol-based cipher, these are glyphs that actually represent the numbers: 5762, 9483, 8613, 2159, 3478. But why? We’re looking at a system of writing numbers from the Cistercian religious order (pronounced siss-TER-shun). Named after a French town, these … Read more
Come with us now, on a journey through time and space – well, maybe just a path of letters and directions. It’s another transposition cipher this episode, a cousin of our Rail Cipher [July 2023 edition]. This means that we are not going to change the letters themselves – just the geometric order of how … Read more
Pictograms, dingbats, old-school emojis: they’ve had a few names – let’s look at Rebus puzzles! What is a Rebus puzzle? Originating with heraldry and writers wanting to draw pictures instead of spelling out every word, today a rebus can make a fun little extra in an escape room. We have two main types: pictures for … Read more