University of California Press Blog

Crack the Code to Win the Grand Prize!

It's your last chance to crack the code and win the Book of Codes Sweepstakes! Today we'll give away a copy of The Book of Codes, and the Grand Prize—$100 worth of UC Press books.

Decipher the mystery message in this video and send us a direct message on Twitter (@ucpress) with the answer. If you're right, you could win The Book of Codes and learn how to decode everything from cuneiform and medieval ciphers to the pattern in your living room carpet.

For a chance at the Grand Prize, combine the messages in the week's videos to make a quote by a famous author. Send the correct quote and author to entries@ucpress.edu, and you could win $100 worth of books from UC Press. Put it towards your purchase of the Codex Mendoza, go on a holiday book shopping spree, or save it for a rainy day.

The deadline for both prizes is midnight EST, 9PM PST tonight. Good luck...

Review the week's coded videos:

Monday, The Caesar Shift

Tuesday, International Maritime Code

Wednesday, ASCII

Thursday, Hobo Chalk Marks

Read the Sweepstakes Rules (PDF)

The History behind the Fifth Day’s Code: The Theban Alphabet

The esoteric implements of the medieval necromancer included magic circles, conjurations, sacrifices, swords, and prayer; magical alphabets were also highly significant. Circles were traced on the ground, often accompanied by various mystical symbols drawn from a mixture of Christian and occult ideas. At the opportune time and location, sacrifices and animal offerings were often provided to propitiate ethereal beings.

The most important medieval writings on the occult were by the Benedictine abbot Johannes Trithemius (1462-1516), and his pupil, Heinrich Cornelius Aggripa (1486-1535). The latter’s Three Books About Occult Philosophy (1531-33) included coded formulae for alchemy, Kabbalism, and the Theban alphabet, a table for communicating with the spirit world.--- Excerpted from The Book of Codes, page 57.

Tips and Tricks for the Crack the Code Sweepstakes

While reviewing each day’s video, the pause/play button and forward/backward controls are your friends. Use them often and to great effect.

For those new to Twitter, here’s a great explanation of how to direct message.

If you miss your chance to send your solution to the day’s code, you’ll have more chances to win as the week progresses, with a big chance to win $100 in UC Press books at the end of the week in our Grand Prize Drawing. You can always find the rules for the Sweepstakes here.

The History behind the Fourth Day’s Code: Hobo Chalk Marks

Just how the hobo chalk marks system developed, nobody knows, but as a means of providing vital information (frequently as a matter of life or death - or prison) of often considerable complexity, it remains unparalleled. The marks were left on boxcars, signposts, town signs, mailboxes, and fence posts.--- Excerpted from The Book of Codes, page 137.

Check out the forth video.

Tips and Tricks for the Crack the Code Sweepstakes

While reviewing each day’s video, the pause/play button and forward/backward controls are your friends. Use them often and to great effect.

For those new to Twitter, here’s a great explanation of how to direct message.

If you miss your chance to send your solution to the day’s code, you’ll have more chances to win as the week progresses, with a big chance to win $100 in UC Press books at the end of the week in our Grand Prize Drawing. You can always find the rules for the Sweepstakes here.

Crack the Code, Day 4: Ride the Rails

Ride the rails on today's Crack the Code Sweepstakes. Decipher the hidden message in this video, and send us the answer via direct message on Twitter @ucpress, before midnight EST / 9PM PST tonight.

We'll select a winner at random from all eligible entries and announce it on Twitter (limit one entry per Twitter account per day). The winner will receive a copy of The Book of Codes.

Check back tomorrow for a new video, another code to crack, and another chance to win The Book of Codes. You'll have a chance to win the grand prize—$100 worth of UC Press books.

View yesterday's video.

Tips and Tricks for the Crack the Code Sweepstakes

While reviewing each day’s video, the pause/play button and
forward/backward controls are your friends. Use them often and to great
effect.

For those new to Twitter, here’s a great explanation of how to direct message.

If you miss your chance to send your solution to the day’s code, you’ll
have more chances to win as the week progresses, with a big chance to
win $100 in UC Press books at the end of the week in our Grand Prize
Drawing. You can always find the Sweepstakes Rules here (PDF).

Crack the Code: The Third Challenge

The mystery deepens on the third day of our Crack the Code Sweepstakes. Your assignment: Decode the hidden message in this video, and send us the answer via direct message on Twitter @ucpress, before midnight EST / 9PM PST tonight. We'll select a winner at random from all eligible entries and announce it on Twitter (limit one entry per Twitter account per day). The winner will receive a copy of The Book of Codes.

Check back every day this week for a new video, another code to crack, and another chance to win The Book of Codes. At the end of the week, you'll have a chance to win the grand prize—$100 worth of UC Press books.

View yesterday's video.

Tips and Tricks for the Crack the Code Sweepstakes

While reviewing each day’s video, the pause/play button and
forward/backward controls are your friends. Use them often and to great
effect.

For those new to Twitter, here’s a great explanation of how to direct message.

If you miss your chance to send your solution to the day’s code, you’ll
have more chances to win as the week progresses, with a big chance to
win $100 in UC Press books at the end of the week in our Grand Prize
Drawing. You can always find the Sweepstakes Rules here (PDF).

The History behind the Third Day’s Code: ASCII

The most popular and long-lived encoding language is called ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange). With this system all of the letters of the alphabet, all of the numerals, and many of the punctuation characters can be described in a form that computers can work with. An ASCII character is stored in a single byte, which is eight bits. Traditionally the eighth bit of the character was reserved as an error-checking bit, so altogether there were seven bits to work with. Binary is base two, so there are two to the power seven values that can be represented - this is why ASCII codes run from zero to 128. --- Excerpted from The Book of Codes, page 273.

Check out the third video.

Tips and Tricks for the Crack the Code Sweepstakes

While reviewing each day’s video, the pause/play button and forward/backward controls are your friends. Use them often and to great effect.

For those new to Twitter, here’s a great explanation of how to direct message.

If you miss your chance to send your solution to the day’s code, you’ll have more chances to win as the week progresses, with a big chance to win $100 in UC Press books at the end of the week in our Grand Prize Drawing. You can always find the rules for the Sweepstakes here.

Crack the Code, Day 2

It's the second day of our Crack the Code Sweepstakes. There's a hidden message in this video. You have until midnight EST / 9PM PST tonight to crack the code, and send us a direct message on Twitter @ucpress with the answer. We'll select a winner at random from all eligible entries and announce it on Twitter (limit one entry per Twitter account per day). The winner will receive a copy of The Book of Codes.

Check back every day this week for a new video, another code to crack, and another chance to win The Book of Codes. At the end of the week, you'll have a chance to win the grand prize—$100 worth of UC Press books.

View yesterday's video.

Tips and Tricks for the Crack the Code Sweepstakes

While reviewing each day’s video, the pause/play button and forward/backward controls are your friends. Use them often and to great effect.

For those new to Twitter, here’s a great explanation of how to direct message.

If you miss your chance to send your solution to the day’s code, you’ll have more chances to win as the week progresses, with a big chance to win $100 in UC Press books at the end of the week in our Grand Prize Drawing. You can always find the Sweepstakes Rules here (PDF).

The History behind the Second Day’s Code: The International Maritime Code

The Commercial Code of Signals (later called the International Code of Signals) launched in 1857 consisted of 18 flags. Unlike the secret naval codes, this maritime code was designed to be memorized and did not require a detailed code book to be understood. Each flag represents a letter or number (note that only letters are depicted in the video), but the letter flags, when raised individually, have specific meanings -- usually a warning. Ships still use a modified version of this code today. For example, a three-letter flag combination identifies a ship’s nationality. --- Excerpted from The Book of Codes, page 93.

Check out the second video.

Tips and Tricks for the Crack the Code Sweepstakes

While reviewing each day’s video, the pause/play button and forward/backward controls are your friends. Use them often and to great effect.

For those new to Twitter, here’s a great explanation of how to direct message.

If you miss your chance to send your solution to the day’s code, you’ll have more chances to win as the week progresses, with a big chance to win $100 in UC Press books at the end of the week in our Grand Prize Drawing. You can always find the rules for the Sweepstakes here.

The History behind the First Day’s Code: The Caesar Shift

Probably the first substitution cipher to be described is that used by Julius Caesar in parts of his private correspondence to friends and colleagues in Rome while he was campaigning in Gaul. The code Caesar used to plan a political intrigue upon his return to Rome was described by Suetonius in his Twelve Caesars 150 years later. It involves a simple “shift” of the alphabetical order (known as the algorithm); if the letter A is to be encrypted, and the shift used is four letters, then A appears encrypted as E, M as Q, and so on. The Caesar Shift cipher therefore has 25 potential ciphers, and in turn 25 separate keys depending on which shift is chosen. However, it is not very secure: cryptanalysts, if they suspect a simple Caesar Shift has been used, only have to check 25 potential keys. --- Excerpted from The Book of Codes, page 103.

To check out the first day's video, click here.

Tips and Tricks for the Crack the Code Sweepstakes

While reviewing each day’s video, the pause/play button and forward/backward controls are your friends. Use them often and to great effect.

For those new to Twitter, here’s a great explanation of how to direct message.

If you miss your chance to send your solution to the day’s code, you’ll have more chances to win as the week progresses, with a big chance to win $100 in UC Press books at the end of the week in our Grand Prize Drawing. You can always find the rules for the Sweepstakes here.

Crack the Code: Day One

The Crack the Code Sweepstakes has begun. You have until midnight EST / 9PM PST tonight to crack this code, and send us a direct message on Twitter @ucpress with the answer. We'll select a winner at random from all eligible entries and announce it on Twitter (limit one entry per Twitter account). The winner will receive a copy of The Book of Codes.

Check back every day this week for a new video, another code to crack, and another chance to win The Book of Codes. At the end of the week, you'll have a chance to win the grand prize—$100 worth of UC Press books.

Tips and Tricks for the Crack the Code Sweepstakes

While reviewing each day’s video, the pause/play button and forward/backward controls are your friends. Use them often and to great effect.

For those new to Twitter, here’s a great explanation of how to direct message.

If you miss your chance to send your solution to the day’s code, you’ll have more chances to win as the week progresses, with a big chance to win $100 in UC Press books at the end of the week in our Grand Prize Drawing. You can always find the Sweepstakes Rules here (PDF).