Above is the last known photo of the Wicked Witch of West Texas. Unfortunately, the photographer was transformed into a naked mole rat just after it was taken. If you see her in your neighborhood, kids, just run away. Don't try anything crazy, okay?
Secret codes and hidden messages are always in fashion around these parts, so with this in mind we embark upon our exploration of steganography. Steganography is a particular way of sending a coded message, of which the acrostic is one example. We
posted last week about fun with acrostics. The concept of
steganography is simple: it is a message hidden within something else, so it, in effect, hides in plain sight. This is very different from a message sent in cryptographic form. A code that looks like a code makes explicit the fact that it has a hidden message if only one can decode it.
The "Voynich Manuscript" is an interesting example of an encrypted text, but since it's never been decoded it may have a more wicked secret. It may just be a random bunch of symbols constructed to make nosey people the world over spend thousands of hours trying to make sense where there is none. If you're trying to think of something vaguely bad to do, making up a hoaxed secret code document isn't the worst idea in the world, but we digress.
Steganography can take many forms. In the digital age a message can be hidden in an image file, for instance. But you don't have to do anything high tech to engage in this form of subterfuge. No, all you have to do is think a bit. As an illustration let's look at a message intercepted by Lulu recently. A message that was on it's way to Cybil. Here's what the message actually said:
Sick
by Goosebury
In the old age wicked was not counted good,
and Goosebury traded wishes wondering.
Then, black borrowed not a blasphemous name.
To merry see more, you sailed soon.
At length did cross an Albatross,
for the sea witch wailed. Knows man nothing? Suspects then nothing.
And the good south wind still blew behind.
Register surprise at happiness the brightened menger makes as thoughtfully Wicked.
Down to a sunless sea.
Twas halloween that day. But we didn't meet.
(½, ½)
Lulu, cleverly, figured out that the "1/2, 1/2" part was a key for deciphering what appears to be a bit of really awful poetry. Bad poetry is a very common form of writing, so the reader could simply ignore this bit of poetic poop, but Lulu is always on the lookout for evil, so she did not dismiss it. What Lulu found when she solved the puzzle this weird message presented can be seen if you
click here.
By deciphering the real text within the crappy poem, Lulu learned that Cybil was not just a double agent, but a triple agent, betraying the rest of the family for the Witch and then selling out the Witch for this "Goosebury" fellow. There are other methods of hiding messages stegonographically, as well, and we'll address some of them in the future. For now, try out a stegonographic message with a friend.
