Re: VMs: Can one "prove" a hoax?

[Luis Vélez <legal1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> but all's fair in love and steganography, right? :-)

In the non-hoax scenario, can you imagine what the key must have looked
like? A few pages thick at least...

Surely this was no "oral tradition" gimmick?

As for steganography... hmm. Newbold aside, I insist, Nick, that the pretty
obvious weird astrology and the naked ladies graphics were trouble more than
enough to win a ticket to the inquisitorial gallows... not quite the kind of
gallows we usually discuss in here =) Of course, there could have been other
motivations for the secret writing other than fear of triggering the anger
of the Holy Church. Maybe the VMS writer/drawer could not care less about
getting caught (maybe it was all political messages and who cares what
happens to the messenger?).

Political messages were often the number one reason why people used ciphers
in those days... Indeed, healers and herbal quacks could have eventually
developed (or copied) the ciphering technology for the protection of their
few recipes, but it seems to me unlikely they would do it to this elaborate
level (I think).

> I actually think we've got our man (for the zodiac section, at
> least), but it'll take a while to prove it to everyone's satisfaction... :-o

It would account nicely for some of the French tones... crayfish et al.

Luis

______________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe, send mail to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxx with a body saying:
unsubscribe vms-list