Deciphering of the Mysterious Voynich Manuscript

Sep 20, 2009

Nick Pelling is a British-born computer programmer, best known for a series of 1980s computer games for the BBC Micro written under the nom-de-plume Orlando M. Pilchard. He was educated at Brentwood School, and has both a BSc in Maths and Philosophy (from Manchester University) and an MBA with Distinction (from Kingston University). He is a leading Voynich Manuscript researcher, and plays for Surbiton Chess Club. The Voynich manuscript is a handwritten book thought to have been written in the 15th or 16th century and comprising about 240 vellum pages,[notes 1] most with illustrations. The author, script, and language remain unknown; for these reasons it has been described as "the world's most mysterious manuscript". Nick Pelling is the author of "Curse of the Voynich: The Secret History of the World's Most Mysterious Manuscript". In this program, he talks about the history of the Voynich Manuscript, Wilfrid Voynich, cryptography and steganography, the art and science of writing hidden messages in such a way that no one apart from the sender and intended recipient suspects the existence of the message, a form of security through obscurity. Topics Discussed: cryptography, history, Leonardo DaVinci's Code, dating, 1450 - 1500 in Northern Italy, parallel hatching, dating of the paper and ink, the nine rosette page, The Book of Secrets, Giovanni Fontana, John Dee, Edward Kelly, writing, duplication, Roger Bacon, Rudolf II, holy Roman emperor, what the letters look like, medieval page number reference, transcription, EVA, Nick looked at the original document for three days in May 2006, breaking ciphers, the technology of ciphering, mathematical ciphering, modern code breakers, codes are connected to math, quantum computing, intellectual history, architecture, cathedral in Florence, Brunelleschi, Brunelleschi's crane gears, watch making, clock making, plant pages, herbal pages, A language and B language, hand one and hand two, paranoid inventors and much more. Join us for our second hour with Nick Pelling as we talk about Gordon Rugg, alchemical symbols in the Voynich manuscript, astronomical images and Filarete (Antonio Averlino), who Nick believes is the author of the manuscript. We also spend a little time talking about Alan Turing, the Enigma Code, the Antikythera mechanism, Ptolemy, astronomy and the Kryptos code on a statue outside the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Topics Discussed: simple ciphers, cryptology, alchemists, Adam Claim, Gordon Rugg, astronomical images, sun, moon, nine "islands" connected, canals, books of secrets, water machinery, Filarete was accused of attempting to steal the head of John the Baptist, Alan Turing, The Enigma Code, Antikythera mechanism, Ptolemy, 9/11, Porsche, copies, the Kryptos code and much more.