Shad Valley Calgary 1999

Communication Through Time and Space:
Information Ecoding from the Acients to Aliens

The purpose of this seminar is to introduce the rather significant differences in translation, transmission, and obfuscation of messages in spoken, written, and artificial languages as well as non-linguistic communication.

Topics will range from how linguists approach the translation of ancient writing, to how detailed scientific information can (and has been) encoded into architectural structures, to programming, to Public Key Cryptography, to “first contact” with alien civilizations.

Hopefully, you will take away the strong impression that methods of encoding information are arbitrary and variable making for a huge spectrum from the fixed to the dynamic. You should also gain skills in looking for and recognizing patterns of information and learn to look for hidden information where you might not expect to find it.