text >> anonymous.

[ashaya]

124 150 151 163 040 151 163 040 141 040 163 164 141 156 144 141 162 144 040 164 145 163 164 040 157 146 040 164 150 145 040 165 156 151 166 145 162 163 141 154 040 164 162 141 156 163 154 141 164 151 157 156 040 163 171 163 164 145 155 056 040 012 012 111 146 040 171 157 165 040 141 162 145 040 141 142 154 145 040 164 157 040 165 156 144 145 162 163 164 141 156 144 040 155 171 040 155 145 163 163 141 147 145 054 040 162 145 163 160 157 156 144 040 151 156 040 153 151 156 144 056 012 012 123 151 147 156 151 156 147 040 157 146 146 056

( ooc: octal conversion for characters who might be able to decode it. spock was cleared to use ciphers and their ilk without immediate translation, so let's get after it(????). anyway: hover to see what he's saying! )

Comments

[ashaya]

Indeed?

[ about as dry as the sands of vulcan and twice as inscrutable. he'll pause here, as though expecting further commentary. but, upon receiving none: ]

Did you wish to expand upon your observation, or did you wish only to lead your fellows toward a possible solution?

[strength_of_will]

[ Oh, right. ]

Well, I did try but the only code I really know is the one where you substitute letters for numbers.

I've never seen something that uses 3-digit numbers.

Oh, but I guess there's binary conversion... This isn't binary though.

[ashaya]

You are, as Humans say, "on the right track."

While it is not binary, it is not to say it is wholly dissimilar; binary may be directly encoded and decoded from this format given their shared "lineage."

It is an antiquated method no doubt, but proves useful within this context.

[ that was almost helpful! he likes people who try, at the very least. ]

[strength_of_will]

So if it's not binary but it's related then... It's another kind of number cipher?

[ Re-examining those numbers... ]

There's no number higher than 7. I don't know what the word is for a number system that goes up to 8 but is that it?

[ashaya]

That is what I said.

[ in a very roundabout way, sure. ]

The term you are searching for is "octal."

[ that's a yes. ]

[strength_of_will]

Octal... Give me a few minutes.

[ Those few minutes turn into maybe 15-30 as he writes out the numbers and matches them to a letter and then finally, painstakingly deciphers the message. ]

I think you can safely conclude the translation magic doesn't affect ciphers.

[ashaya]

Based on the latency between your responses, I may have deduced.

[ do vulcans ever lay off (no). ]

Interesting, that you would attribute immediate translation to magic. Perhaps you've taken an old Human adage to heart.

[strength_of_will]

Oh, I guess I said it without thinking. Magic is more common where I'm from.

And also it's difficult for me to imagine translation software that works this well.

[ashaya]

Interesting. In the absence of societies built upon the tenants of mysticism, magic is most often shorthand for processes inadequately explained or explored.

[ SPOCK...... well. he assumes there has to be some sort of biological process here. or some kind of process. he's a scientist. ]

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

[ is he really quoting arthur clarke at him. yes. ]

[strength_of_will]

If you'd asked anyone else from my home world I think they'd assume it was magic.

[ Out of habit, he sidesteps having to explain why he knows about magic and science. ]

Given how much the city has changed overnight, you could be right that there's technology behind things. Until recently though, I felt sure that there was magic too.