Hey everyone,
If you've been following along with my "Fun with Python" series, you may have noticed a recent focus on cryptography.
I wanted to take a moment to explain why I think this is such an important topic.
The Power of Fundamentals
You'll notice that all the ciphers we've explored can be done by hand with just a pen and paper. The Python scripts are there to automate the process, but the core logic is simple enough for anyone to learn. That's intentional. My goal is to show you how these things work from the ground up.
In a world of complex apps that do everything for us, I believe there's immense value in understanding the fundamental principles behind the technology we use. It's like learning basic arithmetic before you pick up a calculator; it gives you a deeper and more resilient understanding.
Skills for an Uncertain World
I do my best to keep politics out of my posts, and that isn't going to change. However, many people, regardless of their personal views, feel a sense of uncertainty about the future.
History has shown time and again that the ability to communicate privately can become incredibly important. While I hope these skills are never needed for anything more than fun puzzles, I believe that learning the basics of protecting information is a valuable and empowering act of self-reliance. These are timeless skills that are useful for anyone to have in their toolkit.
My hope is that this series is not only a fun exploration of historical ciphers but also a way to share knowledge that could, one day, be very useful.
As always, Michael Garcia a.k.a. TheCrazyGM