Much Ado About Nothing

I translate all day - have writer's block all night. Should I be squeezing in blog time during the day like my compadres? My fave tech writers write their blogs, for sure, to get their creative juices running before they go back to that big hunking Installation Guide. Sure beats falling asleep on it!
I put a backdrop of Paris on my laptop - not exactly torture, but close.
I am just out of original thoughts, dried up, kaput.
I am still as excited about Freecycling but I now also go on a BB and they whine and complain and frankly, they aren't that inspiring. I did find a few good links on crafts - how to make a really cute sock puppet (they have you buy the socks and cut them up, though. It sort of defeats the purpose). Another one on ladybugs - we get regular invasions but now I know it's because the house faces South.
Once you know why things happen, they stop bugging you. That is an interesting fact. There. That is my thought of the day.

Freecycle

I came across the coolest invention. It is a community on the Internet who rally around the common cause of giving away stuff they no longer want or need. There is no exchange of money. You simply post info on what you want to give away (old magazines for kids' projects, electronics, CDs, anything) and wait for someone in that group to step up and say they are interested. This has been going on in my little town. I just joined last week and have been very excited about the opportunity. I answered a post from someone giving away CDs I liked. It turns out a friend of mine had posted it! Small world.
So instead of getting rid of stuff, I am actually getting more. That was not my intent... To read more about the organization and see if there is one in a town near you, go to:
http://freecycle.org/

Book List (bis) - Liste de livre (deuxième essai)

I am not sure if publishing a list of books I thought I would be reading was a silly idea or not. I actually exchanged a few emails and got other must-read bools to add to my list. Up to now, I finished Soul's Code (quite interesting: as far as I can tell, the author speaks of reincarnation throughout without mentioning that dreaded word once. He's Californian; he probably fears a backlash) and have been reading books off that list. Randomly: I started Machiavel's The Prince (I bet you haven't read it either so don't give me that look), Au carrefour de l'Orient (Asian legends and prophecies), a book on Einstein - I am looking for something short and they are all rather hefty. I will be travelling on Friday. Let's see what I feel like reading on the bus.

Gaia

Envision Earth as a living creature. Its heating mechanisms are volcanoes (the ash it throws up protects it from harmful rays). When it shudders (earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes), humans are blown to pieces. It is as though we are these annoying fleas on her back and once in a while she shakes us off or scratches us away to get some relief from the annoying sting.

Humans are so conceited, they keep predicting they will kill the beast with pollution in all its forms. They end up poisoning the upper crusts of air and soil which protects and feeds them instead. A recipe for disaster for mankind but does Gaia care? Will she not just stomp us off when she has had enough?

I am currently reading about how planets are formed - central core of light, amalgamation of debris from space that eventually creates an outer membrane on which lives animals, plants, etc. I want to know the deep Gaia, the one that decided to exist so that we could play out our lives...
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Pensons à la Terre comme à un organisme vivant. Les volcans lui servent de régulateurs de chaleur (la cendre qu'elle projette la protège des rayons malsains). Quand elle se secoue (tremblements de terre, tsunamis, ouragans), les humains volent en morceaux. C'est comme si nous ne sommes que des puces importunes sur son dos. De temps en temps, elle s'ébroue ou se gratte pour se débarasser de cette démangeaison.

Les humains sont si vaniteux : ils passent leur temps à prédire qu'ils vont tuer la bête à coup de pollution. En fait, ils polluent les couchent supérieures de l'air et du sol - ce qui protège et nourrit les humains. Un désastre pour l'humanité, mais est-ce que ça préoccupe Gaïa? Ne va-t-elle pas juste se débarasser de nous quand elle en aura marre?

Je lis sur la façon dont les planètes se forment - un coeur de lumière, un amalgame de débris qui viennent de l'espace qui un jour forme une membrane externe sur laquelle vivent les animaux, les plantes, etc. Je veux connaître Gaïa la profonde, celle qui a décidé d'exister pour qu'on puisse vivre quelque part...

Better Than a Phone - Mieux que le téléphone

Ok - this is hard to believe, but I found something that is better than a phone (and I don't mean the usual suspects). I subscribed a service that allows you to talk over the Internet. How do you do that, you ask? Well, first you need a computer and Internet connection (duh). Second, a microphone that you plug into said computer. You get your friends to do the same, share your coordinates, add them to a contact list. When they are online (which you see because of a nifty icon beside their name), you click on a phone icon. Your friend sees words to the effect that you are calling and clicks on a phone icon on his/her end. Tada! The connexion is made. You talk to each other through the microphones. Why is this better than a phone? Well, because it uses the Internet lines which are free (unless you use your computer to call a phone - then there are charges) and so if your friend is in a hard-to-reach god-forsaken country with his/her computer and Internet access, the effort to reach said friend is minimal. No intermediary, nobody to guard their privacy. And you don't need a different phone number everytime they move around. It goes back to encryption and secret keys. You and your friend share a key. You can make your name public and allow just anybody to call you up (as though you were in a phone book) or keep it private. Pretty cool.http://www.answers.com/topic/voip?gwp=19 explains the different types of connections and their benefits better than I can here.
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Je sais que c'est difficile à croire, mais j'ai trouvé quelque chose de mieux que le téléphone (et je ne parle pas de vous savez quoi). Je me suis abonnée à un service qui me permet de parler sur Internet. cmment ça marche? me direz-vous. D'abord il vous faut un ordinateur et une connexion Internet. Ensuite un microphone que vous branchez à l'ordi susmentionné. Vous convainquez vos amis de faire pareil, partagez vos cordonnées, et les ajoutez à votre liste d'amis. Quand ils sont en ligne et désireux de parler, une icône verte apparaît à côté de leur nom. Cliquez sur l'icône de téléphone à l'écran. De leur côté, ils seront avertis que vous appelez et, s'ils décident de prendre l'appel, ils cliquent à leur tour sur l'icône à l'écran. Woohoo! vous êtes en ligne. Vous vous parlez à l'aide des micros. Pourquoi est-ce que c'est mieux que le téléphone? 1 - c'est gratuit, parce qu'on utilise les lignes Internet. Si votre ami est au diable-vauvert, avec son ordi branché sur Internet, l'effort pour le joindre est minimal. Pas d'intermédiaire, personne pour éloigner les fatigants qui voudraient le joindre au milieu de la nuit. Et nul besoin de numéros de téléphone différents pour lesuivre dans ses déplacements.Ça me rappelle le livre que je lisais sur le chiffrement et les clés de déchiffrement. Vous et votre ami partagez une clé. Vous pouvez rendre public votre nom et permettre à n'importe qui de vous appeler (comme si votre nom apparaissait dans un annuaire) ou le garder privé, au choix.
http://www.granddictionnaire.com/btml/fra/r_motclef/index800_1.asp parle un peu du protocole.

Plastics - plastique

For those who haven't caught on, we live in the countryside. I went to get the mail (at the end of a long alleyway that represents that day's exercise). It was lying on its side, empty, like modern roadkill. There were no brake marks, just a clean icy surface and, on the side, our late plastic mailbox. So we jumped in the truck and got a new one - as identical as possible (it's a new and improved model but the same colors we know and love). It comes with a catalog of all things plastic - and I mean all... Most of them are geared towards children (let's hook them early). They are mostly themed play structures and garden stuff (http://www.step2.com/). The play structures are so elaborate, they don't leave much to the imagination. A playhouse? It comes equipped with a sink and chairs. A "boat" (I haven't quite figured out what it is)? It comes with a wall-mounted phone. I went looking for a plastic thingy in a Zellers once and felt overwhelmed by plastic. There were high aisles full of nylon and plastic containers. I remember thinking, "I hope to tell this one day to kids and that they will look at me in awe that I saw such riches, because in their world plastic will be as rare as ivory is for us." I don't see plastic outlawed any time soon. Although it has been decried for so long, its uses are so many that unless we discover something else to replace it, we are doomed.

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Pour ceux qui n'ont pas encore compris, nous vivons à la campagne. J'ai été chercher le courrier (au bout d'une longue allée qui constitue, à lui seul, l'exercice de la journée). Il gisait sur le côté, victime de la route. Pas de marque de freinage, juste la surface glacée et, sur le côté, notre défunte boîte aux lettres. Alors, sans faire ni une ni deux, on a sauté dans le truck et on s'en est procuré une nouvelle, aussi semblable que la précédente (c'est le même modèle, mais nouveau et amélioré, et dans les mêmes couleurs). Ça vient avec un catalogue de choses en plastique (http://www.step2.com/), la plupart axées sur les enfants. Ce sont surtout des structures de jeux, mais il y a aussi des cabanons, des remises et autres coffres de jardin. Les structures de jeux sont si complètes qu'elle ne laissent pas grand'chose à l'imagination. La maisonnette de jardin vient avec évier et chaises. Un yacht est muni de son téléphone mural...
Un jour que je magasinais chez Zellers, je me suis retrouvée encerclée par des contenants de vinyle et de plastique. Je me souviens avoir pensé "J'espère raconter un jour à des enfants que j'étais entourée de plastique et qu'ils soient ébahis d'entendre parler de choses tant de richesses parce que le plastique sera devenu aussi rare dans leur monde que l'ivoire l'est pour nous." Malheureusement, je ne vois rien qui annonce un déclin prochain des plastiques. Même si on le critique depuis longtemps, le plastique connaît tellemnt d'usages que, à moins de découvrir un substitut, on est foutu.

Sense of direction - Sens de l'orientation

I told you earlier about being blessed with mild dyslexia - I also have trouble with my left and right. Is it all related? I went for a walk with my dogs (I never go without, you'll see why in a minute) in the woods behind the house. I followed the tracks from previous walks I took with fellow humans. Have you ever noticed how paw prints and boot prints are strangely similar? No? I got lost. Well, it was overcast and somehow the human tracks and deer tracks intermingled and, guess what? my dogs like to follow deer tracks and, I, in case of doubt, like to follow my dogs. Which means we end up in cedar bushes (great food for deer - I find it a bit tangy myself). Deer tracks are hoofed just like the devil... I think there are elves in our woods. They leave contradictory tracks to confuse airheads like me... It works.
I once got lost between a restaurant and the hotel I was staying at. I walked back and relied on my memory. I ended up back to the restaurant, having gone around the block (did I mention my problem with left and right?). I finally looked at the sky (for airplanes, there's an airport nearby) and aligned myself with it... Did I tell you I wasn't raised in the country? I got safely back to the hotel. But I digress -- back to the woods.
The good thing about my dogs it's that they are intelligent and helpful. I couldn't get my bearings so I called them back (bushes are too thick for me and I don't like frozen droppings -- though they appear to be a rare delicacy) and asked them to show me the way home. I followed them blindly and was back home within 15 minutes (it's a large wooded area). What did I learn from this? 1- You CAN drink snow; 2- Talk to your dog; 3- There are elves in the woods and they trick you and laugh devilishly when you stumble (I will write up a book on those creatures later); 4- Overcast is bad; 5- Don't follow blindly in other people's footsteps... ; )

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Je vous ai déjà parlé de ma légère dyslexie? J’ai aussi du mal à différencier ma gauche de ma droite. Est-ce que c’est lié? J’ai été me promener dans les bois derrière la maison avec mes chiens (ci-après nommés pitous). Je les emmène toujours avec moi dans le bois (vous comprendrez pourquoi dans une minute, deux si vous lisez lentement). J’ai suivi les traces laissées par mes congénères. Avez-vous déjà remarqué la ressemblance frappante entre les empreintes de bottes et les empreintes d’autres animaux? Non? Bref, je me suis égarée. C’est que le soleil était caché. En plus les empreintes de pas et de pattes s’entremêlaient et, devinez! Mes pitous aiment suivre les empreintes de chevreuil et moi, en cas de doute, j’aime suivre mes pitous. Ce qui fait qu’on se retrouve dans des fourrés de cèdres (la nourriture par excellence des chevreuils – un peu trop amer à mon goût). Comme le diable, les chevreuils ont des sabots! Je crois que notre bois est infesté de diablotins. Ils laissent des traces contradictoires pour mélanger les têtes en l’air comme moi. Ça marche.

Je me suis un jour perdue entre un restaurant et un hôtel où je restais pou quelques jours. Je suis retournée à l’hôtel à pied, me fiant à ma mémoire. Je me suis retrouvée au restaurant, ayant fait le tour du bloc (vous ai-je mentionné ma difficulté à différencier ma gauche de ma droite?). J’ai finalement consulté le ciel… à la recherche d’avions (je sais où se trouve l’aéroport, par rapport à l’hôtel). Je n’ai pas été élevée à la campagne. Vous saviez? Je me suis retrouvée sans plus de mal à l’hôtel. Mais je m’éloigne : retournons à notre campagne.

Ce qu’il y a de bien avec mes pitous, c’est qu’ils sont intelligents et toujours prêts à aider. Je ne savais plus où j’étais alors je les ai rappelés (les fourrés sont trop denses pour moi et les crottes gelées ne m’attirent pas – bien qu’il paraît que c’est à essayer). Je leur ai dit qu’on retournait à la maison et je les ai suivis. On était de retour en 15 minutes (c’est un grand boisé). Quelles leçons pouvons-nous tirer de cette petite aventure? 1- La neige se boit; 2- Parlez à vos pitous; 3- Il y a des diablotins dans le bois; ils vous jouent des tours et rient de vous quand vous trébuchez (j’ai en tête un petit livre à écrire à leur sujet); 4- Ne vous aventurez pas quand le soleil est caché; 5- Ne suivez pas aveuglément dans les pas d’un autre… ; )

Bonne Année 2006! Happy New Year 2006!

Bonne Année à toute ma famille et à mes amis. Merci à mes fidèles lecteurs pour leur loyauté et leurs commentaires : Danilo, Hélène, Manon, Nathalie, Paul, Paul, Yseult ainsi qu'aux lecteurs occasionnels ou anonymes.

Vous êtes en ordre alphabétique. Je vous aime tous pareil... je vous jure.

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Happy New Year everybody! Thank you to my loyal fans: Bree, Heather, Margaret, Mariko, Paul, Steve, Vicki and to my occasional or anonymous readers.

I am following alphabetical order - you are all dear to my heart. Stop fighting now... Peace on Earth, remember?

Book List - Liste de livres

Dans le désordre, des livres que je compte lire en 2006:
- Du bon usage de la lenteur Pierre Sansot
- Ensemble, c'est tout Anna Gavelda
- La théorie du chaos James Gleick (traduit par Christian Jeanmougin)
- Corps et âmes Nancy Huston
- Désirs et réalités Nancy Huston
- Don Quichotte Cervantès
- La métaphysique des tubes Amélie Nothomb

D'autres idées? Des suggestions?

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In no particular order, some books that are in my queue to read in 2006:
- The Soul's Code James Hillman
- The End of Poverty Jeffrey D. Sachs
- My Life Bill Clinton
- By The Light of The Moon Dean Koontz
- Postmodernism: A Very Short Introduction Christopher Butler
- Briefer History of Time Stephen Hawking
- The Rule of Four Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason
- Einstein's Universe Nigel Calder

Any other suggestions?

Slow Motion / Ralenti

Some time in November, while shopping, I came across a book I did not buy. It was titled "In Praise of Slowness". I read a paragraph here and there and liked it, then put it aside. I haven't been able to forget the book. Its premise is that we don't enjoy life when we live it full speed and that we need to slow down in everything we do. The example that nagged me was about slow weightlifting and the benefits of it: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=50976 I thought: typical of baby boomers. They can't go fast anymore so everybody should jump on the bandwagon and discover the benefits of slowing down. Of course, I agree with that (to some extent), though there is something in me that equates slowing down as dying - and, hence, not something to actively pursue. I have had time to try and understand what elicited such a strong reaction to a book I hardly browsed: how did the theory threaten me? Did I feel rushed, out of control? Out of sync with myself? Angry that others were finding peace where I wasn't? And now I am laid off. And I have all this free time to "organize" myself (I started a ToDo list with deadlines - I like the pretty table and the feeling of checking off the tasks: Blog? Done). My contemplative side has always been at odds with my active side. Both fight and win battles but the war is still undecided. I don't think there is a "better" way. Better as in “Everybody should do it”. I believe slowness is a mental attitude. I don't think I have achieved it and somehow I see it as related to age. It's as though I still haven't decided or figured out the important stuff I should focus on. But that is a lie: what I like doing, I craft. I enjoy writing longhand because it forces me to stop and think. It has this antiquated and quaint aspect. It is what you do at Christmas to show you care (I spent 15 minutes writing you - I could have checked my email!).
So maybe that is my task while I am between jobs: learn to live slowly, change my inner fabric and see where that leads me. Now to add that to my list...
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En novembre, j’ai feuilleté un livre que je n’ai pas acheté. Il s’intitulait : « Éloge de la lenteur ». Le livre me hante depuis. La théorie est qu’on ne savoure pas la vie à grande vitesse et qu’on doit ralentir dans tout ce qu’on fait. L’exemple qui m’a particulièrement dérangé concernait l’haltérophilie à basse vitesse et ses avantages. J’ai pensé : typique des baby boomers. Ils ne peuvent plus aller vite, alors tout le monde devrait apprécier ralentir. Bien sûr, je suis d’accord (jusqu’à un certain point), même si j’associe le fait de ralentir à la mort, et donc pas quelque chose à entreprendre vigoureusement.
J’ai réfléchi à la réaction si forte que j’ai éprouvé face à un livre que j’ai à peine lu : en quoi cette théorie est-elle menaçante? Est-ce que je me sens pressée, hors contrôle? en porte-à-faux avec moi-même? Fâchée que d’autres trouvent la paix alors que je la cherche en vain? Et tout à coup je suis mise à pied. Et j’ai tout ce temps libre à « organiser » (vite, j’ai cré ue liste de choses à faire avec des échéances – j’aime ce beau petit tableau et le sentiment d’accomplissement quand je coche mes tâches. Blogue? Terminé.)
Mon côté contemplatif s’est toujours disputé avec mon côté actif. Chacun gagne des batailles, mis la guerre n’est pas terminée. Je ne crois pas qu’il y ait une « meilleure » façon de faire les choses. Meilleur dans le sens « Tout le monde devrait faire ça ». Je pense que la lenteur est une question d’attitude. Je ne crois pas en être là et, d’une certaine façon, je pense que c’est lié à l’âge. C’est comme si je n’avais pas encore décidé ou compris ce qui m’importe. Ce n’est pas vrai : ce que j’aime faire, je le fais avec soin. J’aime écrire à la main parce que ça m’oblige à m’arrêter et à penser. Ça a un côté suranné. C’est ce qu’on fait à Noël pour montrer qu’on aime (j’ai passé 15 minutes sur ta carte de vœux – j’aurais pu vérifier mon courriél!).
Alors c’est peut-être la tâche qui m’attend d’ici à ce que je commence un nouvel emploi : apprendre à vivre au ralenti, changer mon être intime et voir où ça va me mener. Bon, je vais ajouter ça à ma liste…

Ambiguity

De plus en plus en Ontario, on voit apparaître des rond-points aux intersections dangeureuses. Dans le magazine Utne (http://www.utne.com/pub/), un article parlait d'un mouvement urbaniste qui cherche à créer l'ambiguïté pour favoriser la réflexion. Ainsi, le nombre d'accidents aux intersections diminue lorsque les indications ne sont pas claires. Les conducteurs doivent ralentir et réfléchir. Si tout est pré-mâché, chacun peut croire qu'il est dans son droit et foncer sur l'autre... Ça semble marcher. Est-ce qu'on peut appliquer cette même théorie à d'autres aspects de la vie?

More and more around me, I see a blossoming of roundabouts at intersections. I read in Utne Reader magazine (http://www.utne.com/pub/) about a new trend in urbanism: the creation of ambiguity. It seems that when faced with bad signage, the average motorist will slow down and think... The accident rate actually drops in ambiguous situations. If you are very clear (though wrong), you tend not to pay attention to what others are doing because you're in the right.
A little ambiguity goes a long way... I wonder how that applies to life in general?

Joyeux Noël Hélène - Merry XMas All

Due to popular demand, I will be adding French content to my site. If you see a French entry, read on. Chances are, the English version follows. As much as possible, I will write bilingual entries. I have a feeling they will be on the same subject, but not necessarily translations of each others. We will see.

Have yourselves a Merry Christmas!

J'ai décidé de faire des entrées bilingues. Elles ne correspondront probablement pas exactement. On verra.

Joyeux Noël à vous et vos proches!

Instant Messaging

OK, so I will miss certain things from work, most of all IMing with my friends.
Ah, but that does not have to be as I subscribed to Yahoo's IM - and it works. My former colleagues can (somehow) reach me through the corporate-approved IM. So all is well - email is just not conducive to chatting. I intend to be translating at my computer all day for the coming months so I will definitely keep in touch - with those who request my user name.

Long time no see

You know it's been a long time when...
- I can't remember the blog address or password
- I have so much to write I don't know where to start
- it's already Christmas...

Sorry about the long wait, folks, I have been busy.
- at work
- preparing for Xmas
- out of work.
Yeah, I lost my job - I love that expression: where the hell did I put that job? Lost it again!
Good severance, time to do stuff I like before job hunting. I started on a project a friend had been holding like a carrot in front of my nose for a long time. It feels great.
I gotta tell you this: I went to the job placement agency the company hires for us (I was laid off as part of a reorg with a bunch of others): I felt like the girl was criticizing me for not being helpless or needy. She wants to help me, damn it, and I am not looking for help. Yet... I will see it her way. I was enthusiastic about anything that did not require me to drive back into town: oooh, you have databases? remote access? nice.
I am not good with long blogs - let's go to the next one.

Mixed Media

I saw the coolest thing this week: an embroidered business card. On the one side was the embroidery - geometric shapes and some pearls, quite peaceful and pleasant. It was created by my friend's grandmother - 83 years old - who used to do embroidered Christmas cards in the same way. The business card is thick; on the side where the name and coordinates appear, there is no embroidery. The embroidery and card are stiched together. My friend said that it is a way to sample your wares amongst embroiderers. I wonder if quiltmakers do something similar... I looked up "embroidery" and "business card" on the Web but found no useful sites. I wondered if there would be collectibles. I had never seen something so intriguing. It certainly makes the business cards I have seen quite... flat.

On Death and Dying

Years ago I read that people decide early on in their lives when and how they will die. For example, I have decided I will die peacefully in my sleep when I reach 100 years.
That is not so far-fetched considering 3 of my 4 grandparents were alive and kicking until 90+ and my parents are both in good health.
Now recently my mother, who never talks about death and dying (too busy living, never liked the subject), has been dropping hints about her death. Another 5 years, she mused once. Lately, she said: I will surely die suddenly. She told me in the same conversation: you can rest assured that I had plenty of fun in my last years.
Now 5 years makes her 80ish which is approximately when her mother started declining. As for dying suddenly (like her dad) after very happy days, it certainly seems preferable to the slow and lonely death her mother endured through Alzheimer. So now that she has given it some thought, she has laid down her plan. I think it brings her comfort to control her death and make it good.
When and how do you plan to die?

Conversations

Spiffy title - works both in French and English which is a must when you are exhibiting in Montreal, which is the case for my cousin for all of November until December 15.
My cousin lived most of his life in Australia, which means we had intense one-month catch-up periods every few years. I guess that made for closer bonds then the ones with cousins I only saw at Christmas. Anyway, he switched his life around and went back to his original passion: artistic expression. He was, in turn, a dancer, photographer, artist and then life took him into a totally different path. He is back to painting after years of not doing so. His current effort can be seen 24/7 at the delta hotel. Actually, for more details and a sneak peak, go to www.daniloart.com

What's in a Name?

Have you ever noticed how if you see an unusual bird or an unusual flower, a familiar reaction is to ask if someone knows what it's called?
This need to name things intrigues me. When that need is met ("It's a robin"), something is appeased. We usually don't go as far as getting any more info: the name itself is what we are after. With the name, we now own the thing itself somehow. It has found its proper place in our little world.
Now this habit dates back. I checked a site on the Bible and found: " So the Lord God formed out of the ground each wild animal and each bird of the sky, and brought each to the man to see what he would call it. And whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. "
What are the adaptative qualities of naming? I guess it allows you to pass on information to the rest of your tribe and improves your survival rate. "You eat this plant, you are dead. Its name means Poison. Remember this."

Do You Wanna Know a Secret?

This is a cool blog that a friend of mine (txs Vicki) introduced me to.
http://postsecret.blogspot.com/
People send anonymous homemade postcards with their secret on it. Those are posted every Sunday on the site for everyone to read.
Sometimes quite sobering, sickening, other times enlightening. Never boring.

The Code Book

I read this year a great book on cryptography. Not only is it well written, it offers a glimpse into the world of secret agents. Movies such as Mercury Rising demonstrate the extent to which governments are said to go to prevent a code from being broken.
It all comes down to the value we put on intimacy vs the value the government puts on national security. It is a fascinating account of the push and pull of the flow of information.
I can't find the words to share my enthusiasm of the book. Even excerpts don't do it justice. I think the fun is in looking for a good code and the joy in breaking it. This is renewed many times throughout the book.
I was amazed that I deciphered a sentence published in the local newspaper just by following the rules described in the book. I never managed it before -- I got impatient. This time, I was sure that success would follow if I applied the rules and took my time. It was pure joy.
A link to the book in Amazon follows:
The Code Book : The Evolution Of Secrecy From Mary, To Queen Of Scots To Quantum Crytography (Hardcover)by Simon Singh