Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Queen Elizabeth Sets a Code-Breaking Challenge

Posted by samzenpus on from the we-like-a-challenge dept.

mikejuk writes "Queen Elizabeth II has made her first ever visit to Bletchley Park, the home of the UK's World War II code-breaking efforts and now a museum. To mark the occasion, the Queen has issued a code cracking challenge of her own — 'the Agent X Code Book Challenge' — aimed at getting children interested in cryptography. Perhaps a royal programming or general technology challenge is next."

16 of 132 comments (clear)

  1. Recruiting? by Chrisq · · Score: 4, Funny

    Everyone knows that the Royal Family has close links to Torchwood. Perhaps this is a recruitment drive. (count me out, I'll be buggered if I work with Captain Jack)

    1. Re:Recruiting? by 2muchcoffeeman · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yeah, you and everyone else that works there.

      --
      Prevent Windows piracy. Use Linux instead.
    2. Re:Recruiting? by stupid_is · · Score: 4, Informative

      errr - that's not a tardis (hope this isn't a "swoosh" moment, it's a regular old-style public phone box (booth). You don't see them about much, although a while back an enterprising sculptor put a dozen together like this and flogged it to my local council for several tens of thousands of quid.

      The tardis is supposed to be a police telephone box, which has a different design and colour like this. These boxes also contained equipment other than a phone - such as a first aid kit and an incident book.

      On a last pedantic note, there were red police boxes in Glasgow, Scotland, for a time.

      --
      -- Intelligence is soluble in alcohol
  2. Secret Code Answer... by bradorsomething · · Score: 2

    All I got was:

    "Hellooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo"

    when I translated the answer.

    1. Re:Secret Code Answer... by Spacezilla · · Score: 2

      Thank you for at least not making the same old Ovaltine joke.

    2. Re:Secret Code Answer... by c0mpliant · · Score: 2

      Salt my hash please. Otherwise the rainbow will get me!

      --
      There is no -1 disagree
  3. the intellectual side of WWII by G3ckoG33k · · Score: 5, Informative

    Bletchley Park appears to be safe for now. Here are some previous Slashdot headlines:

    2011
    Queen Elizabeth Sets a Code-Breaking Challenge
    Tunny Code-Breaker Rebuilt At Bletchley Park
    Campaign Saves Unique Turing Archive
    EDSAC Computer To Be Rebuilt

    2010
    Fight Begins To Secure Turing Papers For Bletchley Park Museum
    'Retro Programming' Teaches Using 1980s Machines
    UK Gov't Spending Details Now Online

    2009
    Bletchley Park WWII Staff Finally Recognized
    No Museum Status For UK Home of Enigma Machine
    Old Computers Resurrected As Instruments At Bletchley Park

    2008
    Cash Lifeline For Bletchley Park
    PGP Leads Corporate Efforts To Save Bletchley Park
    Bletchley Park Faces Financial Rescue
    Bletchley Park Facing Financial Ruin

    While I realize one cannot have every building associated with victory in WWII saved, it is nice to see recognition of the intellectual side of it. Are there more dedicated sites of this kind around the world?

    1. Re:the intellectual side of WWII by Nursie · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It is good to hear isn't it?

      Finally the old place is getting some attention. I've been there a couple of times now. it's a great old place, it was important for the war, and it's something of a spiritual home for the computer.

      Colossus may not have been the very first (there was a german machine?) and it was certainly kept secret for far too long after the war, but some lasting good leaked out of it through Turing's papers. It was one of a series of false starts that slowly, eventually led us here.

      Of course the pioneer, the early bright light of our field was hounded to death for being gay, a man who had saved many lives and sped the end of the war. If there is one thing that should tell us homophobia is *bad* this is it.

  4. Decoding not Decyphering... by ItsIllak · · Score: 2

    Not to take away from it, as I think it's a nice way of raising the profile of Bletchley Park among young mathematicians, but it's decoding as you're given the code-book.

  5. Re:Credit where credit's due... by Psychotria · · Score: 3, Informative

    How lovely. Has she paid her respects to Alan Turing yet?

    Umm yes. In the linked video.

  6. Good news!? by Aceticon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    In the middle of the recent fallout from the discovery of the abuses that happened during the credit bubble years (banker bonuses, press abuses, police corruption, cozy relations between politicians and the press), the Royal Household seems to be one of the few institutions that's coming out as squeaky clean.

    So with a bit of luck, actions by the Queen might have a little more impact in public opinion than they would during the "time-of-excesses".

    So even though I'm neither a royalist nor a british citizen, I welcome and applaud anything that might portray to kids the notion that technology is cool - they've been too long enthralled by dreams of being footballers or TV celebrities.

    1. Re:Good news!? by Reziac · · Score: 2

      I've sometimes wished we could borrow Her Majesty to head things up here in the States... we could use someone with a spot of ethics and common sense, and perhaps a good deal more long-term perspective than the common elected-today booted-tomorrow politician.

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  7. Re:Seventh code answer... by Erbo · · Score: 2

    Wow, you solved a puzzle aimed at 12 year olds. Would you like some cake?

    I understand that this offer may not be entirely the truth.

    --
    Be who you are...and be it in style!
  8. Re:Such a pity by dave420 · · Score: 4, Informative

    It was the government. The monarchy had nothing to do with it.

  9. Prince Philip has cryptography connections by nickovs · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I had the pleasure of meeting HRH the Duke of Edinburgh at an event once and, upon hearing that I worked in cryptography, he told me about his time working signals in the British navy during the second world war. He said he had always been fascinated by the operation of the British TypeX equipment that he used back then. I don't suppose that he did any code breaking but he certainly was using codes well before the Cypherpunks came along.

    --
    If intelligent life is too complex to evolve on its own, who designed God?
  10. Re:Saw it on the news by MattBecker82 · · Score: 2

    OT but Princess Elizabeth was never heir apparent. As with all female heirs to the British throne, she was heir presumptive, as in theory she could have moved down the order of succession if a younger brother had come along. Notwithstanding that this would have been unlikely given her mother's age (52 at the time of QE2's succession).

    Isn't male-preference primogeniture wonderful?