[Cryptography] GCHQ puzzler for xmas

[ianG]

On 15/12/2015 04:32 am, Phillip Hallam-Baker wrote:
>
>
> On Mon, Dec 14, 2015 at 9:56 PM, Endless <3ndless at riseup.net
> <mailto:3ndless at riseup.net>> wrote:
>
>     > Britain's most secretive organisation - GCHQ - has added a cryptic twist
>     > to Christmas card season by including a baffling brainteaser.
>
>     This reminds me very much of the depiction of the recruitment process
>     stipulated by "Alan Turing" in The Imitation Game, where a crossword
>     puzzle was distributed via newspaper for talented citizens to solve, and
>     subsequently be recruited for the war effort.
>
>     The publication of such a puzzle by Hannigan is likely somehow linked
>     with GCHQ's recruitment operations for their (less than desirable)
>     positions in mathematical or cryptographic fields, or perhaps the
>     monitoring of those with advanced mathematical ability
>
>
>
> An interesting hypothesis and one that should be tested.
>
> So first we set up a committee to solve the puzzle, then send in entries
> under names selected at random from the telephone book and watch to see
> how many disappear.



Hmmm...  I could send in a solution under the name of "Phillip H-B", 
hoping that the honorable PHB hasn't already named "iang" and I won't 
disappear before I get mine into the post.

Santa's Cryptic Xmas Race Condition!



iang