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In four-seasoned countries some animals starts stockipiling foods before winter comes. Before holiday comes, I stockpile books (some fictions, some nonfictions) and movies. Because I can’t decide what books to read and what movies to watch, for two days I’ve been watching a complete season tv series and tip-toe-reading three books, all at the same time. Through several episodes, one the book began to draw my attention: The Code Book. It’s about evolution of secret messages and history on how we use them. I began to leave the two other books, of course temporarily.
Some great stories are written there. It is said that the oldest story of secret messages ever accounted was the one told by Herodotus, the father of history himself (my idol, among many). Demaratus —exiled but stayed loyal to Greek— sent encrypted messages to his homeland to warn that the Persians are planning an attack. Through these secret means of communication, the Greek bought enough time to gain strength. On D-Day, not only they put up decent fights, they too managed to win the war.
Around 1850, Mary Queen of Scots, while being imprisoned in a dungeon, managed to send and receive coded messages regarding her salvation. All those time, the messages were unfortunately intercepted and figured out without her noticing. The Queen of England charged her and her followers with treason stageplot and have them beheaded. Tough luck.
Around 30 years after, usage of secret messages became popular. Young couples in love, but no parental blessing, at last found a way to say the L word, and of course, whole lot more. They had their messages printed on the personal columns of newspapers —soon to be called agony column. One day, Sir Charles Wheatstone, the father of the code, found an ‘agony message’ from a young man asking his lover to elope. Feeling sympathetic, Wheatstone put a message on the same column advising the couple to turn back on their plan. That he did with the very same code.
Through ages there has been great battles between codemakers and codebreakers. Through this ongoing battle the codes evolves, from the piece-of-cake level to the whole-cake level. It has taken numerous linguists and mathmeticians to both making and breaking. Rumor has it that some indecypherable codes are actually broken already. It’s just that it would be advantageous for certain secret government organizations to keep the impression that these codes stays tough, so that enemies may still use it.
The making and the breaking is actually the best part. I looked up at my movies catalog and realized that most of the titles I put five-stars on are actually ones involving conspiracies. Conspiracy goes along with espionage, and espionage goes along with secret codes. Both in movies and novels, my favorite moments are when the main character decyphered such codes: when the multimillion scientist John Hammond broke the dinosaurs DNA code in Jurassic Park, when John Nash broke the assignment code from FBI in A Beautiful Mind, when in Stargate Professor Daniel Jackson found out that the Egyptian hieroglyph scrolls handed to him wasn’t talking about door to heaven but gate of interplanetary travels instead, when Ben Gates succeded to locate the mythical treasure from codes hidden in american dollar bills in National Treasure, when in Da Vinci Code Robert Langdon talked on and on about Mary Magdalene’s “true” identity from clues left by the great Leonardo da Vinci through his "Last Supper" masterpiece. These are the most thrilling moments of all stories.
Some hidden messages are actually meant to be found. I’m almost certain that these storywriters intentionally hide clues so that when we, the audience, found them, we’ll love the show even more. If this is the case, I would be the first in line to congratulate and thank them. Among all these people, I think the Larry and Andy Wachowski are on top of my list.
Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, number two on my list, put so many hidden signs in their Smallville TV series. These signs are specifically designed to keep things consistent with the previous Superman movies (ones which the Superman character is played by Christopher Reeves). Some of these signs aren't necessary in the form of symbols. Notice that though not yet wear his super costume, teenage Clark Kent constantly clothed in red and blue. When he turned evil, as happenned on some episodes, he wore black, as also the three Kryptonian villain in Superman 2 (General Zoth, Non and Ursa). Smallville concentrates on Clark Kent finding his true Kryptonian identity. As episodes went by, he began to come across some Krytonian written language. A particular symbol refers to he himself. The symbol, without coincidences, is infinity symbol flipped 90 degrees. The symbol describes the power Superman bears, which is infinite and limitless. As told in comics, young Clark Kent is Smallville’s famous quarterback. So is he in Smallville. What is never before exposed, in his team he bears the number 8: again, infinity symbol flipped 90 degrees.
From history, science to entertainment, it’s wonderous how secrets and hidden meaning make things interesting.
PS:
Notice how similar Christ and Cross sound (Christ-mas, cross-mas). Furthermore, the symbol of Cross is “X”. Hence, X’mas. To you who celebrate, may you have a happy one.
Some great stories are written there. It is said that the oldest story of secret messages ever accounted was the one told by Herodotus, the father of history himself (my idol, among many). Demaratus —exiled but stayed loyal to Greek— sent encrypted messages to his homeland to warn that the Persians are planning an attack. Through these secret means of communication, the Greek bought enough time to gain strength. On D-Day, not only they put up decent fights, they too managed to win the war.
Around 1850, Mary Queen of Scots, while being imprisoned in a dungeon, managed to send and receive coded messages regarding her salvation. All those time, the messages were unfortunately intercepted and figured out without her noticing. The Queen of England charged her and her followers with treason stageplot and have them beheaded. Tough luck.
Around 30 years after, usage of secret messages became popular. Young couples in love, but no parental blessing, at last found a way to say the L word, and of course, whole lot more. They had their messages printed on the personal columns of newspapers —soon to be called agony column. One day, Sir Charles Wheatstone, the father of the code, found an ‘agony message’ from a young man asking his lover to elope. Feeling sympathetic, Wheatstone put a message on the same column advising the couple to turn back on their plan. That he did with the very same code.
Through ages there has been great battles between codemakers and codebreakers. Through this ongoing battle the codes evolves, from the piece-of-cake level to the whole-cake level. It has taken numerous linguists and mathmeticians to both making and breaking. Rumor has it that some indecypherable codes are actually broken already. It’s just that it would be advantageous for certain secret government organizations to keep the impression that these codes stays tough, so that enemies may still use it.
The making and the breaking is actually the best part. I looked up at my movies catalog and realized that most of the titles I put five-stars on are actually ones involving conspiracies. Conspiracy goes along with espionage, and espionage goes along with secret codes. Both in movies and novels, my favorite moments are when the main character decyphered such codes: when the multimillion scientist John Hammond broke the dinosaurs DNA code in Jurassic Park, when John Nash broke the assignment code from FBI in A Beautiful Mind, when in Stargate Professor Daniel Jackson found out that the Egyptian hieroglyph scrolls handed to him wasn’t talking about door to heaven but gate of interplanetary travels instead, when Ben Gates succeded to locate the mythical treasure from codes hidden in american dollar bills in National Treasure, when in Da Vinci Code Robert Langdon talked on and on about Mary Magdalene’s “true” identity from clues left by the great Leonardo da Vinci through his "Last Supper" masterpiece. These are the most thrilling moments of all stories.
Some hidden messages are actually meant to be found. I’m almost certain that these storywriters intentionally hide clues so that when we, the audience, found them, we’ll love the show even more. If this is the case, I would be the first in line to congratulate and thank them. Among all these people, I think the Larry and Andy Wachowski are on top of my list.
Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, number two on my list, put so many hidden signs in their Smallville TV series. These signs are specifically designed to keep things consistent with the previous Superman movies (ones which the Superman character is played by Christopher Reeves). Some of these signs aren't necessary in the form of symbols. Notice that though not yet wear his super costume, teenage Clark Kent constantly clothed in red and blue. When he turned evil, as happenned on some episodes, he wore black, as also the three Kryptonian villain in Superman 2 (General Zoth, Non and Ursa). Smallville concentrates on Clark Kent finding his true Kryptonian identity. As episodes went by, he began to come across some Krytonian written language. A particular symbol refers to he himself. The symbol, without coincidences, is infinity symbol flipped 90 degrees. The symbol describes the power Superman bears, which is infinite and limitless. As told in comics, young Clark Kent is Smallville’s famous quarterback. So is he in Smallville. What is never before exposed, in his team he bears the number 8: again, infinity symbol flipped 90 degrees.
From history, science to entertainment, it’s wonderous how secrets and hidden meaning make things interesting.
PS:
Notice how similar Christ and Cross sound (Christ-mas, cross-mas). Furthermore, the symbol of Cross is “X”. Hence, X’mas. To you who celebrate, may you have a happy one.
1 comment:
Apdet...apdet...huhuhuhuhu :p
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