Intro

Codes and ciphers have been around for millenia. Currently, there are certain codes that are well-known in today's world, such as Hieroglyphs, Braille, and Morse Code.

Codes use symbols or characters to represent letters, words, or phrases. They usually require a code book (rather like a dictionary) to encrypt and decrypt when using symbols to replace whole words and phrases.


Ciphers are made with a common alphabet (such as the English alphabet), with the letters being moved around or changed to conceal the message. Because the letters are merely being shifted and substituted, no code book is required. Instead, knowledge on how the letters have been moved is required.


Rambles:

Useful Links:

I've always been fascinated by alternate alphabets, and the natural progression to decoding said alphabets. I was really into it in highschool because I had a lot more time on my hands, but I've been drawn towards alternate alphabets again because writing in code is just cool, darn it. I found a website: http://www.omniglot.com/ and its a great resource for writing your own codes, as it has a lot of alternate alphabets to look at. Some of my favorites, possibly harder to decode, can be written in any direction and often are on a line (Like... cursive code?).

@Dipper: That is a hefty book! Does it include history as well as practical application?

@Dipper: I especially love the native american code talkers (possibly because I'm native myself) because they literally just spoke an unfamiliar language and it was brilliantly baffling.