2023 3.20
Alice was a cryptographer, a person who studies codes and ciphers. She loved to decipher secret messages and create her own puzzles for others to solve. She worked for a government agency that dealt with national security and intelligence. Her job was to crack the codes of enemy spies and terrorists.
One day, she received a mysterious email from an unknown sender. It contained a long string of letters and numbers that looked like gibberish. Alice was intrigued by the challenge and decided to try to decode it. She used various tools and techniques, such as frequency analysis, substitution cipher, transposition cipher, and modular arithmetic. She spent hours trying different combinations and permutations, but nothing made sense.
She was about to give up when she noticed something odd. The email had a subject line that said “Hello Alice”. She wondered how the sender knew her name. She looked at the email address again and realized that it was an anagram of her own name: alice@ecila.com.
She felt a chill down her spine. Who was this person and how did they know her? She typed a reply: “Who are you and what do you want?”
She waited for a few minutes, but there was no response. She checked the email header and traced the IP address of the sender. It led her to a website that had only one page: a picture of a smiling face with the words “Welcome to Wonderland”.
Alice felt a surge of curiosity and fear. She clicked on the picture and entered a new world of secrets and mysteries.
2023 3.21
Jumper was a hacker who loved to crack codes and ciphers. He had a knack for finding patterns and solving puzzles. He was always looking for new challenges and secrets to uncover.
One day, he stumbled upon a website that claimed to offer the ultimate test of cryptograhpy skills. It was run by a mysterious proprirter who called himself Parser. The website had a series of levels, each with a different cipher to decrypt. The first level was easy: it was just a simple Caesar shift. Jumper solved it in seconds and moved on to the next level.
The second level was harder: it was a transposition cipher. Jumper had to rearrange the letters of the ciphertext according to a key that Parser had hidden somewhere on the website. Jumper searched every page and every link, but he couldn’t find any clue. He decided to try brute force: he wrote a program that would try all possible permutations of the columns until he found one that made sense.
He ran his program and waited for the result. After a few minutes, his screen displayed:
CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE SOLVED THE SECOND LEVEL THE KEY WAS CODE
Jumper smiled and clicked on the link to proceed to the next level.
The third level was even harder: it was a gibberish cipher. Jumper had to replace each letter of the plaintext with a random string of characters that Parser had generated using some algorithm. Jumper looked at the ciphertext and felt dizzy:
!@#$%^&*()_+QWERTYUIOP{}|ASDFGHJKL:"ZXCVBNM<>?1234567890-=qwertyuiop[]\asdfghjkl;'zxcvbnm,./
He had no idea how to start cracking this one. He tried to look for patterns or repetitions, but he couldn’t find any. He wondered if Parser had used some kind of hash function or encryption algorithm to create this gibberish.
He decided to do some research on gibberish ciphers online. He found out that they were also known as substitution-permutation ciphers, because they involved both substituting letters with other symbols and permuting them in some order. He learned about some common techniques for breaking them, such as frequency analysis, index of coincidence, Karnaugh maps and canocial forms.
He decided to try frequency analysis first: he counted how many times each symbol appeared in the ciphertext and compared it with the expected frequencies of letters in English text. He noticed that some symbols were more common than others, such as !, Q, 1 and q. He guessed that these might correspond to vowels or other frequent letters.
He then tried index of coincidence: he calculated how likely it was that two symbols chosen at random from the ciphertext would be identical, and compared it with the expected value for a random text. He found out that the index of coincidence was slightly higher than random, which meant that there was some order behind the gibberish.
He then tried Karnaugh maps: he grouped the symbols into four-bit binary codes and plotted them on a grid. He looked for adjacent cells that had similar codes and tried to simplify them using Boolean algebra. He hoped to find some patterns or rules that Parser had used to generate the gibberish.
He then tried canocial forms: he converted each symbol into a number based on its position in the ASCII table and applied some mathematical operations to them. He tried addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, modulo, exponentiation and logarithm. He looked for any patterns or regularities that would reveal some structure or logic behind the gibberish.
He spent hours trying these techniques, but he couldn’t find any clue. He felt frustrated and hopeless. He wondered if Parser had used some kind of decoder that was impossible to reverse-engineer. He wondered if he had met his match.
He decided to take a break and check his email. He was surprised to see a message from Parser himself. It read:
Hello Jumper,
I’m impressed by your skills and perseverance. You have solved two levels of my website, but you are stuck on the third one. I can see that you are trying hard, but you are missing something crucial.
The gibberish cipher is not just a substitution-permutation cipher. It is also a transposition cipher. You have to rearrange the symbols according to another key that I have hidden somewhere on the website.
If you can find this key and decrypt this level, you will be one step closer to solving my ultimate challenge: a cipher that combines all types of ciphers I have used so far.
Are you ready for this?
Good luck,
2023 3.22
The year was 2050 and humanity was on the brink of collapse. The climate crisis had reached a point of no return, and the only hope for survival was to harness the power of nuclear fusion. But fusion reactors were expensive, dangerous and inefficient. That’s why Dr. Lee, a brilliant physicist from South Korea, had devoted his life to developing a new kind of fusion device: a nano-crystal colloidal exciton (NCCE) reactor.
NCCEs were tiny particles of perovskite nanocrystals that could emit light when excited by an electric field. By arranging them in carefully designed dimers, Dr. Lee had managed to create strong electronic coupling and exciton delocalization between the nanocrystals, resulting in a spectral shift and enhanced energy transport. In other words, he had found a way to exploit the quantum effects of NCCEs to achieve fusion at room temperature.
Dr. Lee had built a prototype of his NCCE reactor in his basement laboratory, hidden from the prying eyes of the government and corporations that wanted to steal his invention or shut him down. He knew he was taking a huge risk, but he also knew he had no time to waste. He had calculated that his reactor could produce enough energy to power a small city with minimal waste and emissions.
He flipped the switch and watched as his NCCE reactor came to life. A bright blue glow filled the room as millions of NCCEs emitted photons that collided with each other and fused into helium atoms. He checked his instruments and smiled: everything was working as expected. He had done it! He had created the world’s first NCCE fusion reactor!
He picked up his phone and dialed his colleague Dr. Kim, who shared his vision and supported his research.
“Dr. Kim, I have some amazing news for you,” he said excitedly.
“What is it?” Dr. Kim asked.
“I’ve done it! I’ve achieved fusion with NCCEs!”
“Really? That’s incredible! How did you do it?”
“I’ll explain later, but right now I need your help. I need you to come here as soon as possible and bring me a regulator.”
“A regulator? What for?”
“To control the output power of the reactor. It’s generating more energy than I expected, and I don’t have anything to regulate it.”
“OK, OK, I’ll be right there.”
“Thank you so much! Hurry up!”
Dr. Lee hung up the phone and looked at his reactor again. He noticed that the blue glow was getting brighter and brighter.
He felt a surge of fear.
Maybe he should have waited for Dr. Kim before turning on the reactor.
Maybe he should have tested it more thoroughly before scaling it up.
Maybe he should have realized that NCCEs were too unstable and unpredictable for fusion.
But it was too late now.
He heard a loud crackling sound as sparks flew from his wires.
He smelled smoke as his circuits burned.
He saw flames as his laboratory caught fire.
He screamed as his reactor exploded.
2023 3.23
The abstruse professor was known for his erudite lectures on quantum physics, but few students could follow his esoteric explanations. He often used obscure references and arcane terminology that made his audience feel befuddled. One day, a brave student decided to challenge him and asked him to simplify his concepts for the layman. The professor was flabbergasted by the request and felt a surge of umbrage. He thought the student was being impertinent and trying to undermine his authority. He decided to teach him a lesson and gave him a perfidious smile.
He said he would gladly oblige and proceeded to give an example of quantum entanglement using two coins. He said that if he tossed one coin in Beijing and another coin in New York, they would always land on the same side, no matter how far apart they were. He asked the student if he understood this phenomenon. The student nodded eagerly, thinking he had finally grasped the concept. The professor then asked him what would happen if he tossed one coin in Beijing and another coin on the moon. The student was puzzled and said he didn’t know. The professor said that neither did he, because it was impossible to do so.
He then revealed that his example was a fallacious analogy that had nothing to do with quantum physics. He said that quantum entanglement only applied to subatomic particles, not macroscopic objects like coins. He said that his example was meant to illustrate how easy it was to be misled by specious arguments and how important it was to be critical and skeptical of everything one hears or reads. He said that he hoped the student had learned his lesson and would never question his authority again.
The student felt humiliated and angry. He realized that the professor had been duplicitous and had tricked him into believing a false statement. He felt that the professor had abused his power and had violated the trust between teacher and learner. He decided to report him to the dean for academic misconduct and hoped that he would face some consequences for his actions.
The dean listened to the student’s complaint and agreed that the professor had acted unprofessionally and unethically. He said that he would conduct an investigation into the matter and take appropriate action if necessary. However, he also warned the student not to be too hasty or harsh in judging the professor. He said that although the professor’s methods were questionable, his intentions were good. He said that perhaps the professor wanted to challenge the student’s curiosity and creativity, rather than stifle them.
2023 3.24
In the year 2375, humanity had spread out across the stars, colonizing countless worlds in the process. One of the most prosperous colonies was located on a planet called Thalassia, which boasted vast oceans teaming with exotic marine life.
But Thalassia’s tranquility was shattered when a group of xenophobic aliens invaded the planet, seeking to conquer it for their own purposes. The aliens, known as the Krynn, possessed technology far beyond anything humanity had ever seen, including ships that could travel faster than the speed of light.
As the Krynn began their assault, a small team of Thalassian scientists discovered a long-forgotten weapon, buried deep beneath the planet’s surface. It was a nanotech device that could control matter on a molecular level.
With no other options left, the Thalassians activated the device, hoping it would be powerful enough to stop the Krynn. To their amazement, the weapon worked flawlessly, turning the Krynn’s ships and weapons to dust.
The Thalassians had saved their planet, but at a great cost. The nanotech weapon had drained the planet’s resources, leaving it barren and lifeless. It was a pyrrhic victory, but a victory nonetheless.
2023 3.25
In the year 3018, the human race had reached the pinnacle of technological advancement. Their greatest achievement was the creation of a hyperdrive engine, which allowed ships to travel at speeds faster than the speed of light.
A team of explorers was sent on a mission to chart the unexplored regions of the universe. Their ship, the Stargazer, was equipped with the latest technology, including artificial intelligence and quantum sensors.
As they traveled deeper into space, the crew encountered a strange anomaly that disrupted their ship’s systems. The gravitational fluctuations were unlike anything they had ever seen before, and they soon found themselves stranded in a mysterious region of space.
With their ship damaged and their supplies running low, the crew was forced to land on a nearby planet to search for resources. They soon discovered that the planet was inhabited by a highly advanced alien race, one that possessed technology far beyond anything humanity had ever seen.
The aliens were initially hostile, but the crew managed to establish communication and explain their situation. To their surprise, the aliens offered to help repair their ship and even provided them with advanced nanobots to aid in the repairs.
After several weeks of working together, the crew was able to repair the Stargazer and continue their mission. As they said their farewells, the crew realized that they had made an incredible discovery. They had encountered a civilization that was far more advanced than their own, and they had made friends in the process.
The journey home was a long one, but the crew knew that they had accomplished something truly remarkable. They had pushed the boundaries of human knowledge and made contact with a civilization that could change the course of human history.
2023 3.26
The peripatetic wanderer traversed the mountainous terrain with alacrity, seeking respite from the ennui of his mundane existence. He meandered through the lush verdure, relishing the fragrant aroma of the flora that enveloped him.
As he ascended higher, the terrain grew more arduous, and his pace slowed. The air grew nippier, and he felt the need to warm himself. He kindled a fire with some dry twigs and rummaged through his rucksack, searching for sustenance.
His repast consisted of meager rations, but he relished the taste of the savory morsels nonetheless. As he sat there, savoring the food, he espied a cavalcade of individuals riding atop majestic horses, clad in resplendent attire.
He watched them with curiosity as they trotted past him, their faces impassive. He surmised that they were nobles or aristocrats, for their bearing was one of hauteur and disdain.
As the night fell, he sought refuge in a cavern, wary of the nocturnal predators that roamed the region. He curled up in his sleeping bag, and his mind wandered, ruminating over the vicissitudes of his life.
He awoke the next morning, invigorated by his slumber, and resumed his sojourn. The terrain grew steeper, and he had to use his wits to navigate the perilous path. He stumbled a few times, but his resilience saw him through.
Finally, he reached the summit, and his heart swelled with pride and elation. He gazed upon the vista that lay before him, and his breath caught in his throat. The verdant valleys stretched out below him, and he felt a sense of euphoria at having accomplished his mission.
He remained there for a while, reveling in the splendor of the landscape, before descending down to the foothills. As he walked away, he knew that he had undergone a catharsis, and that his life would never be the same again.