Misc
Extra Credit Opportunity
Math colloquium on Monday (November 19).
Marcus Elia (University of Vermont): “NTRU: An Example of a Quantum-Resistant Public Key Cryptosystem”
2:30 PM, Newton 203.
Up to 2 points of essay extra credit for attending and writing a paragraph on your reactions to the talk, connections you made to the ideas, etc. (but not just a summary of the facts).
Questions?
The Beale Papers
The Story
What is it?
A group of young men go adventuring in the west (ca. 1817, when it was mostly wilderness), and one (Beale) comes back with a large amount of gold and silver (several tons, estimated value today around 57 million dollars) which he hides in Virginia. He leaves encrypted directions on where to find the treasure with Robert Morriss, and inn-keeper he trusts, and heads back west to join his companions. None are ever seen again, and neither Morriss nor the man he passes the job on to (Ward) can decrypt the treasure directions.
Do You Believe It?
Generally not.
Much of the story seems too idyllic, e.g., the large group of young men totally trusting Beale.
The treasure has supposedly been out there for 2 centuries now, with people actively looking for it since the pamphlet was published. You’d think someone (including maybe Beale, Morriss, or Ward) would have found it by now, or else that it never existed.
How about believing the “UnMuseum” web site as a source for the history of the treasure?
On the one hand, it seems a pretty weak source in general, e.g., it’s meant to attract popular attention by cataloging conspiracy-theory sorts of stories, e.g., UFOs, hidden treasures, etc.
But the account of the Beale treasure isn’t obviously hyped up, and is plausible on its face, so while the facts may not be carefully researched (it would help if we knew who the author was and if he/she provided sources, though a mass-audience web site won’t usually do those things), the general outline is probably OK.
Next
Book ciphers, the kind of cryptosystem used in The Beale Papers.