Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2002 10:02:18 -0500
From: Steve Smith <sgs at aginc.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Pronouncable ROT-13 names (was Re: Best one I've seen)
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

"Strong, Lee" wrote:
>
>         Actually, I changed my name at least twice before I joined WSFA and
> twice afterward so I don't agree that one's name is outside one's control.
> However, I do not understand this "ROT-13 name" stuff, and request an
> explanation.  Thank you, Lee

ROT-13 is the traditional method of hiding things that people might not
want to look at, like off- color or offensive- to- group- X jokes.  It
simply substitutes each letter with the letter 13 places further along
in the alphabet.  Note that doing it twice gets you back where you
started.

"Lee Strong", for example, comes out as "Yrr Fgebat" and Steve Smith
comes out as "Fgrir Fzbgu".

There's no simple way I know of to encode things in ROT-13 in Windows
mail programs.  Netscape has a decoder (right click, bottom of menu).  I
know that Outlook Express can decode ROT-13 news postings; I dunno about
Outlook or e-mail.

Of course, it's a cryptic one- line program in Unix.  *Everything* is a
cryptic one- line program in Unix.  (tr /a-zA-Z/ /n-za-mN-ZA-M/)

As crypto goes, it's hard to find a less secure system.  However, if you
decode a ROT-13 message not explicitly intended for you, you're guilty
of a felony under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA).

--
Steve Smith                                           sgs at aginc.net
Agincourt Computing                            http://www.aginc.net
"Truth is stranger than fiction because fiction has to make sense."