I can decode anything.

Comments (63)

There are some constraints, of course. But it's fun to try. For example, if someone gave me a coded sentence and told me it had been encrypted through the Caesar Shift cipher with a shift of +3, I could decode it pretty easily. My strength does not lie in figuring out what type of cipher was used, but the types of cyphers I am familiar with and able to guess accurately are: Caesar Shift, Atrsch Cipher, Vigenere Cipher, and ROT13, among others. For example, I was given a random cipher recently (no prior knowledge regarding what cipher or the key, although the text was pretty short) and I was able to guess the cipher (Vigenere) and the key (a 3-character password) in about 10 tries. It helps to think analytically, but also logically and laterally - I found the key by taking guesses not only of what the key might be from a word, but also from an acronym standpoint too, although the key was just a simple 3-letter word. It helps to not get discouraged! I'm also pretty good at figuring out passwords if I was given a hint as to what it could be. For example, if I was told it was 8 characters long and a password commonly used, I could probably come up with a close match within a few guesses. I can also crack some simple substitution cyphers, but tend to lean more towards cyphers that retain structure, such as the above mentioned. My weakness is when the key is too short, a single character is often very difficult for me to guess, whereas if it were a full word, I could probably guess it within a few tries. Also, the longer the cipher, the more difficult it is to crack. Also, I tend to be weaker with numbers. I have more experience deciphering letters with English, Latin-based languages. My final "strength" per se is in being able to figure out puzzles, but not all puzzles as they are diverse in nature. Word puzzles are a specialty, as is math and logic puzzles and word plays. In general, I love solving a good puzzle. I'm pretty good at solving puzzles where I am given a clue as to what the answer is or should be, but not so good when I have to figure out what is the answer without given an example, which is where I rely on hints to steer me toward the right path. When I am given a puzzle, I usually start by trying to think what the expected answer should be and work backwards from there. I also tend to think laterally, which helps with lateral puzzles, especially when the "right" answer is just out of my reach. Puzzles are all about patterns, at least in my experience. I try to get into the brain of the person who created the puzzle to best figure out what they were thinking when they created/designed the puzzle. In addition to laterally thinking, I think it helps to "zoom in" on a puzzle (focus more closely on the details) or "zoom out" (think more broadly about the puzzle as a whole). I find that I tend to "zoom in" if I am stuck, and use the clues I have to get closer to the answer. A very simple example would be a word find puzzle, which I do regularly. I might get stuck finding one or two of the last words, and to solve that, I have to "zoom in" and focus on that section of the puzzle, ignoring the rest, until I find the one or two words I'm missing. For me, the joy of puzzling comes in solving a complex puzzle that I struggled with. If I solve it too easily, there's not enough dopamine released! Puzzles don't frustrate me too much though, as I know that at some point, I WILL solve the puzzle and that thought keeps me encouraged to continue solving.

The Feared One

2 months ago

Ok then explain the Monty Hall puzzle

The Defecator

2 months ago

The Feared One
Ok then explain the Monty Hall puzzle

Okay, the Monty Hall puzzle is fun. Suppose you are on a game show, and you are presented with 3 doors. One contains a car, the other two contain goats. You pick a door (say, Door A), hoping for the car, and then Monty Hall, the host, opens another door (say, Door B) which you didn't pick and which he knows doesn't contain the car, but rather a goat. Monty then asks if you would like to switch to the last unopened door. If you switch to the other door, you have a 2/3 chance of winning the car, versus a 1/3 chance of winning the car if you stick with the door you picked previously. Although it may seem counterintuitive, you are far more likely to obtain the car if you switch to the other door, rather than staying with your first choice. This happens because, in your first pick, there is a 2/3 chance that the car is NOT behind your first choice. This means that switching will give you the car 2/3 of the time. Thus, the best strategy to maximize your chance of winning the car, is to always to switch to the other door!