Back to the main point here, now that I'm back home in Malaysia, other than waiting anxiously to get paid to talk about Physics every weekend, there very few other things left to do. So, in the meanwhile, I picked up Mensa puzzles again, and I'm quite surprised that I've achieved much improvement in the Linguistics section as compared to three years ago. Singapore must have done that to me. That's good...
And with Mensa puzzles, comes even greater urge to do code breaking again, and Roger couldn't pick a better time to remind me that the DSTA (Defence Science and Technology Agency) usually places a code along with their scholarship advertisements. So, I dug out the code, and started working on it. My cryptography skills aren't as well honed as those who do it recreationally. I only do it when I stumble upon a code. So, it took me some time to recall some modular arithmetic, and learn how to use Microsoft Excel spreadsheets to simplify my job. And guess what, after an hour of trying to manually decide the Mod number, using frequency analysis etc. and another messing around with Excel, I finally revealed the code. It was a feeling I haven't gotten for quite some time, and wow, imagine the excitement. My cryptography wasn't down the drain just yet.
The Code: Yes! I have revealed the Greater Mind, whatever that is...
Ah, the fun of cryptography... Someone wrote, the greatest pleasure of a puzzle lies in unlocking the twisted logic of the setter. Too bad, I'm not a Singaporean and I'm not eligible for the DSTA Scholarships, they would have liked to know that I've cracked the code. But, maybe now I'll seriously consider applying for Mensa.
PS: ...and they sponsor Physics students, one of the few that actually do that... real shame...
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