Puzzle

[Jason Menard]

Okay, it really can't get too much easier than this one. I have used a key, but no hat this time, which greatly simplifies it. Plus there are plenty of words in the cryptogram, including common ones, which will near give themselves away. The cipher is offset against itself in order to encrypt the plaintext, but since there is no hat applied, you can almost predict many of the letters (but not all since the key screws things up a little bit). At the very least you should be able to easily break the cryptogram. From there the key and offset should become evident. See the instructions if you need help.
xzs libiw xenx gs xei wnqi xembl nhi wnmg xs fi esqspslw, nbg wiuyibdi-fnwig esqspsla winhdeiw zmxe xsspw pmoi fpnwx nhi xei qswx dsqqsb xnwow tihkshqig mb fmsmbkshqnxmdw, xesyle xei nplshmxeqmd gixnmpw nhi tsshpa ybgihwxssg. dehmwxsteih gznb ijnqmbiw xei xhngi-skkw mbcspcig mb ywmbl xsspw fnwig sb eiyhmwxmd nplshmxeqw.

[Greg Harris]

jason, i cracked your message, but i am not sure what the key was... there were a couple letters that were not used, so i am not sure if i put the correct cipher-letters with them.
i will post it here, so don't look if you do not want to know...

<FONT color=#eadbc4>
TWO GENES THAT DO THE SAME THING ARE SAID TO BE HOMOLOGS,
AND SEQUENCE-BASED HOMOLOGY SEARCHES WITH TOOLS LIKE BLAST ARE THE MOST COMMON TASKS PERFORMED IN BIOINFORMATICS,
THOUGH THE ALGORITHMIC DETAILS ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD.
CHRISTOPHER DWAN EXAMINES THE TRADE-OFFS INVOLVED IN USING TOOLS BASED ON HEURISTIC ALGORITHMS.

[This message has been edited by Greg Harris (edited December 13, 2001).]
Use the font tag and set the color to eadbc4.

[This message has been edited by Paul Stevens (edited December 14, 2001).]

[Greg Harris]

thanks, Paul... i forgot what the color code was.
by the way, this is my 1000th post! of course, a lot of them were meaningless, so i guess it is not that big of a deal.

[Jason Menard]

Good job! If you want to post your cipher alphabet matched up against the plaintext alphabet, I can tell you if you got it right, and see if we can't recover the key and offset.
[This message has been edited by Jason Menard (edited December 14, 2001).]

[Joseph Russell]

I'd like to try one of these. Unfortunately, I accidently cheated and checked the answer to this one (before Greg hid it). Are you going to do another? I'm leaving for the Airforce in six weeks. Part of my training will be crypto. It'd be fun to learn a little now.
[This message has been edited by Joseph Russell (edited December 14, 2001).]

[Greg Harris]

Originally posted by Joseph Russell:
I'm leaving for the Airforce in six weeks. Part of my training will be crypto.

crypto! how did you score on the coding part of the ASVAB? i did Electronic Warfare, but sometimes i wish i had been an Cryptology-Tech or Intelligence Specialist.
oh yea, sorry i spoiled the fun for you.

[Greg Harris]

Jason,
i deleted the conversion... you know how it goes... this message will self-destruct in 5 seconds. i will have to figure it out again and then i will post it (hidden).

[Jason Menard]

Originally posted by Joseph Russell:
I'd like to try one of these. Unfortunately, I accidently cheated and checked the answer to this one (before Greg hid it). Are you going to do another? I'm leaving for the Airforce in six weeks. Part of my training will be crypto. It'd be fun to learn a little now.
[This message has been edited by Joseph Russell (edited December 14, 2001).]

Do you know what your Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) and/or job title (career field) will be?
And yes I will post another one.

[This message has been edited by Jason Menard (edited December 14, 2001).]

[Joseph Russell]

I'll be a Airborne Communication Service Apprentice. Fancy words for I'll be assigned to a plane and in charge of all of the communications. I learn dopler radar, crypto, and international morse code, and a bunch of stuff. However, I really will not know what job I'll have till I'm done with tech school and assigned my first duty station. I scored an 82 on the asvab. They really should update their software. On the test where you have to do simple math problems in a limited time the divide symbol and the add symbol look a lot alike.

[Jason Menard]

Originally posted by Joseph Russell:
I'll be a Airborne Communication Service Apprentice. Fancy words for I'll be assigned to a plane and in charge of all of the communications. I learn dopler radar, crypto, and international morse code, and a bunch of stuff. However, I really will not know what job I'll have till I'm done with tech school and assigned my first duty station. I scored an 82 on the asvab. They really should update their software. On the test where you have to do simple math problems in a limited time the divide symbol and the add symbol look a lot alike.

They use software for the ASVAB now? Damn I must be old. I took mine in the school cafeteria on a scantron sheet. And I only took it in order to get out of classes.
Can't tell without the AFSC whether or not you are going to be a maintenance person or an operator. My guess is you will be working with planes like the EA-3 (AWACS), JSTARS, or EC-130. And if you are an operator you will be going to survival school. Hope you like eating bugs.
Words of Wisdom:
----------------
In the early days of Basic Training, when the Training Instructor (TI) asks everybody if they have any hobbies, or if you like bowling, your best response is to say nothing (if you say you like "bowling" then you will be assigned to clean the latrine). In fact, that pretty much holds true for everything in Basic. Unless you are specifically asked a question, say nothing, blend in to the background, try to be invisible (it won't work but you can try). And if you can't already run an 8 minute mile (12 minute mile and a half), now would be a good time to start working at it.

[This message has been edited by Jason Menard (edited December 14, 2001).]

[Joseph Russell]

When I swore in last month I started working out...but it only lasted for a few weeks. My best time I got on the mile was 7:12. I ran two in about 18 min. I ran it slow just to see if I could do it. I think after that is when I stopped working out. I stink at pushups I can only do about 30. I was thinking I could start again at the beginning of Jan. since I'm shipping out at the end of Jan.
Thanks for the advice. I'll keep it in mind.

[Greg Harris]

7:18 is not bad at all for someone just going to basic (especially the Air Force). don't worry about your time because about half the guys there will not be able to do under 7:30 when you first get there.
and, like Jason said, don't volunteer ANY information!!! no matter how stupid the question... hobbies, music, etc. only speak when they ask you specifically! i made it through Navy boot camp without my CC ever knowing my name! then, at the end, they nominated me for the Military Excellence Award (top recruit in the class). i did not win, but at least i was recognized.
oh, and the ASVAB is electronic now??? i took it like Jason did. not to brag, but i made a 97. they tried so hard to get me into the Nuclear Power Program.

[Jason Menard]

Originally posted by Greg Harris:
i took it like Jason did. not to brag, but i made a 97. they tried so hard to get me into the Nuclear Power Program.

98 You are right about the navy, when I spoke with them every other word out of their mouth was nuke.

[Howard Ralston]

When I went into the Navy in 1981, they sold me on the Nuke
Program. Being a nuke snipe sucked! Don't regret going in because I got to see a lot of places I never would have seen, but if I did it all over again, I'd go into electronics or computers.

[Greg Harris]

98... nice score, Jason!
i had a couple friends at EW school that were "dropped from training" in the nuke program... they came to my school and breezed right through.
yea, i saw some places that i know i would not have seen otherwise: Eritrea, Etheopia, Djbouti... just to name a few. of course, there are always the guaranteed ports: Hong Kong, Phillipines, Thailand, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jebel Ali, Dubai...