Monday, November 21, 2005

Anti-Cryptography!

(click here for podcast)

Anticryptography:

The Next Frontier in Computer Science


How Would You Teach Another Civilization to Recognize this Language?



Book Cover
Beyond Contact: A Guide to SETI and Communicating with Alien Civilizations

By Brian McConnell.

Great historical intro:



Codes, Ciphers, and Secret Writing



Simon Singh
Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptograph




CRYPTO FUN!:

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http://cryptograms.ca - home page.

Literary Cryptograms - http://books.mirror.org/litcrypt/



Yahoo has a great list of Cryptogram related resources.


There are a number of syndicated puzzles, too, for example:
seattlepi.com
Click on "CryptoGram."





"In the Hands" - Paul Cantrell


Paul's a member of PodcastMN.com
(so is Progamming in Tongues).

Monday, November 07, 2005

Travel Plans!

click here for podcast

Proof Klingon is a REAL language - educational materials.

In print:


Klingon Dictionary
Marc Okrand, Dave Stern (Editor)


Book Cover



Klingon for the Galactic Traveler
Marc Okrand


Book Cover


Maybe available from Amazon:


Review from http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue22/game.html
Star Trek: Klingon is a game within a game. It purports to be a Holodeck program hosted by Gowron, leader of the Klingon High Council, and aimed at teaching Klingon culture. In the simulation, players take on the role of Pok, a Klingon youth about to pass his Rite of Accession. It begins at a party for Pok where his friends and family have gathered. For the most part the game runs continuously, like a television program, with the difference that often the characters look right at the camera and speak to "you" (Pok). Then every few minutes a Decision Point is reached, the action pauses and players must react as honor and the situation demand.

[Includes the no longer available audio program, "Power Klingon"]

Not available as cassettes, but at iTunes and Audible.com

Star Trek: Conversational KlingonStar Trek: The Klingon Way



Kliflash For Windows (ver 1.1)

Kliflash is a computer-based Klingon vocabulary drill application. It contains the entire known Klingon word list, and uses proven teaching techniques to help make learning easier. Kliflash has been tested and used for several years by members of the Klingon language community, and has been fine-tuned and enriched by their suggestions.

Kliflash For Windows is the latest version of the application, and follows the DOS-based Kliflash version 5.1. It can be used on any computer running Windows 95/98/2000/XP; a color printer is recommended but not required. Besides moving to the Windows environment, Kliflash For Windows, version 1.1, updates the word database through November, 2002. As always, users of a prior version of Kliflash can update their wordlists without losing any of their current progress scores, personal lists or notes.

Far simpler study - a *very* basic VB 3 program:









WordNewsMashup.com RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/worldnewsmashup
And now a word from the Disassociated Press:






Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Now a word from the Cats....

Click here for Podcast

The Babel Text

The Babel Text is an evolving database comparing how different languages, natural and artificial, can be used to translate the same passage.

Another purpose of The Babel Text is to encourage designers of model languages to demonstrate how those languages would actually be used in sustained discourse. Most langmakers (myself included) do not provide much text actually written in their language. It is hoped that The Babel Text will become a standard document for model-language designers to translate into their languages.


Thanks to Chris Bouchard for permission to use his music as heard on the Star Wars: Revelations soundtrack



Book Cover

From Langmaker.com:
Detailed in C.J. Cherryh's "Chanur" series, Hani has a phonology fit for lions and inspired by the sounds the author's cats made.
UniquenessIt has a phonology fit for lions.
Language SourcesCJ Cherryh derived the phonology and a few words from the sounds her cats made. Her few sentences were expanded into the work shown on the web pages.

This is G o o g l e's cache of http://randyb.byu.edu/alioth/hanbab.html as retrieved on Apr 5, 2005 01:40:25 GMT:

Babel text for the Hani language

( CJ Cherryh's home page)

Within this translation, the hyphen (-) is used to show the morphemic boundaries. It is not in common usage to add them in either the Hani script or the standard romanization of the Hani language. Below each verse there is a morpheme for morpheme translation. Brackets ([]) are used to indicate where the Hani word boundaries fall and slashes (/) indicate the morpheme boundaries within the 'word.'

1h. Fai-shukh-aarn nai-Terra lin-aarn hen-fhaif chuch hen-fhaan.

1e. [prep/all/adj.] [s/Earth] [one/adj] [3psa/language] and [3psa/speech].

2h. Viarr, ri nai-neg shaih-hiuman-aa-im fai-rrach-haur hen-bek, ri nai-hen-aa fai-kah-gfaan Shinar-im hen-chuj-m'ha shiah-nab chuch hen-mosh-m'ha chai-nup.

2e. As, [past] [s/group] [a/human/plural/of] [prep/east/from] [3psa/journey], past [s/3p/pl] [prep/land/in] [Shinar/of] [3psa/find/3poa] [a/plane] and [3psa/dwell/3poa] [d.o./there].

3h. Ri nai-hen-aa hen-rukh-m'ha kha chai-laam, "Re nai-mur m'chaun-m'ha chai-shir-aa chuch shaohsh-aarn mur-khaumsam'ha chai-hen-aa." Nai-hen-aa chai-turr-aa-viarr hen-shiarr-m'ha chai-shir-aa chuch chai-orr-chup-viarr hen-shiarr-m'ha chai-ull.

3e. [past] [s/3p/pl] [3psa/say/3poa/reflexive] [d.o./this] [imperative] [s/1p] [1psa/make/3poa] [d.o./brick/pl] and [complete/adj] [1psa/fire/3poa] [D.O/3p/pl] [s/3p/pl] [prep/stone/pl/as] [3psa/use/3poa] [d.o./brick/pl] and [d.o./solid/oil/as] [3psa/use/3doa] [d.o/morter].

4h. Ri nai-hen-aa hen-rukh-m'ha chai-laam, "Re nai-mur mur-chi mur-chaul-m'ha chai-jiahn chuch chai-naukh tai-faat hauitia nai-mur fai-kuut-aa-khe hen-bog-m'ha; re nai-mur mur-chi mur-gaif-m'ha chai-llauhn uukh haatia khai-mur-aa kurr-aarn fai-nekhrhof fai-terra-im mur'rrib.

4e. [past] [s/3p/pl] [3psa/say/3pd.o.a] [d.o./this] [imperative] [s/1p/pl] [1p/for] [1psa/build/3poa] [d.o./city] and [d.o./tower] [possessive/relative clause marker] [future/desire/affirmative] [3psa/top] [d.o./heaven/pl] [s3pa/reach/d.o.a]; [imperative] [s/1p] [1p/for] [1psa/make/d.o.a] [d.o./name] so [not/affirm] [passive/1p/pl] [away/adj] [prep/surface/on] [prep/Earth/of] [1psa/scatter].

5e. Ri Na nai-Rraohm hen-raos uukh nai-hen h'-gfirr-m'ha chai-jiahn chuch chai-naukh, chai-faat ri-rait fai-hiuman-im nai-chaach-aa hen-chauul-m'ha.

5h. [past] Lord [s/God] [3psa/descend] so [s/3p] [3psa/see/d.o.a] [d.o./city] and [d.o./tower] [d.o./relativiser] [past/anterior] [prep/human/of] [s/child/pl] [3psa/build/d.o.a].

6e. Ri na nai-Rraohm hen-rukh-m'ha chai-laam, "fai-shukh-aarn nai-hiuman-aa hen-chan chuch hen-fhiaf; haa-hau-ro-tia khai-haamrhaohch, chai-faat ri-rait nai-hen-aa h'-siaj-m'ha, hen-haurr h'-mia-naohs-m'ha.

6h. [past] Lord [s/God] [3psa/say/d.o.a] [d.o./this] [prep/all/adj] [s/humam/pl] [3psa/unite] and [3psa/language]; [neg/fut/det/aff] [passive/nothing], [d.o./relative clause maker] [past/anterior] [s/3p/pl] [3psa/imagine/d.o.a] [3p/from] [3psa/away/hold/d.o.a].

7h. "Re nai-mur-aa m'-raos chuch nu-paarn mur-kaf-m'ha tai-hen chai-fhiaf, uukh haa-hau-ro-tia nai-hen-aa h'-rhaarn-m'ha tai-ges chai-fhaan."

7e [imp] [s/1p/pl] [1psa/descend] and [there/adj] [1psa/confuse/d.o.a] [possessive/3p] [d.o./language] so [neg/fut/det/aff] [s/3p/pl] [3psa/understand/d.o.a] [possessive/other] [d.o./speech].

8h. Uukh, ri Na nai-Rraohm kurr-aarn fai-nekhrh-of fai-terra-im mur-'-rrib-m'ha chai-hen-aa: chuch ri nai-hen-aa h'-llaig-m'ha fai-jiahn-im chai-chaul.

8e. So, [past] Lord [s/God] [away/adj] [prep/surface/on] [prep/Earth/of] [3psa/this appostrophe is for the Roman alphabet; it's not needed in the Hani script;1 r and 2r's are separate letters in Hani/scatter/d.o.a] [d.o./3p/pl] and [past] [s/3p/pl] [3psa/stop/d.o.a] [prep/city/of] [d.o./build].

9h. Rhau, ri khai-Babel, nai-faat hen'-sem-m'ha chai-kaf, nai-hen h'-pukh-m'ha; rrum ri Na nai-Rraohm shukh-aarn fai-terra-im hem-kaf-m'ha chai-fhiat: chuch ri Na nai-Rraom kurr-aarn fai-nekhrh-of fai-terra-im hem'-rrib-m'ha chai-hen-aa.

9e. Therefore, [past] [passive/Babel], [s/relative clause marker] [3psa/mean/d.o.a] [d.o./confuse], [s/3p] [3psa/call/d.o.a]; because [past] Lord [s/God] [all/adj] [prep/Earth/of] [3psa/confuse/d.o.a] [d.o./language] and [past] Lord [s/God] [away/adj] [prep/surface/on] [prep/Earth/of] [3psa/scatter/d.o.a] [d.o./3p/pl.]

Do it yourself movies!

A Fan-made StarWars movie!



MORE LATIN! latin.gif (26930 bytes)


SWISS UPDATE:

Remember my "Swiss?" Ala Karen Traviss's hero's all purpose tool?

I'v found you can go FURTHER!!

Thanks to QEMU
you can put a full Linux computer install on a flash drive!








See? (this is running on an XP system - oh, and look, it shows a picture of ME!)