RE: VMs: poll

[Eric <mynumberis2000@xxxxxxxxx>]

Ooops, sorry - pardon my lack of list manners - I
didn't think to introduce myself. 

I live in the US (California). My degree is in Physics
but I work in data/software/business systems analysis.

My interest in the VMS... Basically, if I'm scanning
the television looking for something to watch and I
come across a documentary (on just about anything),
I'll watch it. And if it is a mystery or "loose end"
it is intriguing. I heard about the VMS somewhere one
day and did a net-search and joined the list. I don't
have a particular area of interest or strength in
regards to the VMS (such as cryptography or
linguistics).

My current best guess(es)...

* Cyptography, but more specifically steganography.
Trithemius (and his pupils and ideas) were at the
right place and right time for the VMS (as much as we
know). I've heard the argument that the point of
steganography is to conceal the fact there is even
something being concealed. But in Steganographia,
Trithemius creates a book about black magic and
cryptography, but with hidden messages inside (the
content of which was banal) - in a crazy way violating
the idea of steganography, but really I think showing
it off by going out of his way to hide things in plain
sight. It could be that that the VMS is designed to
look like an enciphered, secret book of magical
knowledge, just to hide the fact that it is really
some tour-de-force of steganography and the messages
inside are simple/trite. 

* A simple constructed (or "destructed", like Orwell's
Newspeak) language. My reasons for believing so would
be the heavy repetition of words and syllables within
them. There are a lot of unique words, but if you are
labeling a lot of items (plants, substances, etc) that
will happen and if the language was being
"destructed", it might have been only partially so.


As far as the information from the poll goes, I'd just
submit the tabulation back to the list. I know the
current best guesses of the people who submit to this
list and have websites, but there's all those lurkers
out there (aren't there?? ;-). I just thought it would
be interesting to see what the overall state of belief
was in the VMS list community.


Eric



--- DANA SCOTT <dscott520@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> Hello Eric,
> 
> Welcome. I believe that you can find individual
> responses to your inquiry in 
> the VMS discussion group archives. Perhaps it would
> help if you tell us a 
> little bit about yourself, your "best guess", your
> area of interest in the 
> VMS, and what you propose to do with the information
> once tabulated. Thank 
> you for your interest in the VMS.
> 
> 
> Regards,
> Dana Scott
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> >From: Eric <mynumberis2000@xxxxxxxxx>
> >Reply-To: vms-list@xxxxxxxxxxx
> >To: vms-list@xxxxxxxxxxx
> >Subject: VMs: poll
> >Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2004 10:29:17 -0800 (PST)
> >
> >Hello All
> >
> >I've been subscribed to this list for a few weeks
> now
> >since I started reading about the VMS. Obviously,
> >there's no shortage of ideas and theories about
> what
> >it is (or isn't). I thought it would be interesting
> to
> >take a poll of everyone on this list and see what
> >their current best guess is. Since we each may have
> >more than just one best guess :) let's limit it to
> >your top two ideas.
> >
> >Categorizing the ideas into groups might pose a bit
> of
> >a task, but I'll tackle that once I see the range
> of
> >ideas which need categorizing.
> >
> >Rather than pummel the mailing list with replies,
> if
> >you want to send your response directly to me
> >(mynumberis2000@xxxxxxxxx), I'll compile them and
> send
> >the overall stats back to the mailing list.
> >
> >My apologies if I've committed some VMS list faux
> pas
> >in submitting this, just thought it would be really
> >interesting to see what the overall group ideas
> were.
> >
> >
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