1 00:00:01,080 --> 00:00:04,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you should know from house Stuff Works 2 00:00:04,559 --> 00:00:13,039 Speaker 1: dot com. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh 3 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:16,599 Speaker 1: Clark with Charles W. Chuck Bryant and this is oh 4 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 1: Jerry and this is sufficient eight. Can you say it 5 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:28,240 Speaker 1: in German? You speak German? Don't even drive me? That's 6 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:33,159 Speaker 1: why did I? Ah, Stephen? Now can you do that 7 00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:38,560 Speaker 1: in a little girl voice? No? You always make me 8 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 1: play st poly girl. I'm tired of it. Save Polly Girl. Now. 9 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:47,680 Speaker 1: This is apparently even younger than the sat Polly Girl. 10 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 1: It's like a little girl and it was alive little 11 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 1: girl who in the Swedish rhapsody number station it was 12 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: a young a little girl reading out numbers and letters 13 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:03,840 Speaker 1: in German, which makes it even creepier. This is a 14 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 1: very neat subject, so kudos to you for tossing this 15 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 1: one out there. Well, I've been waiting for it to publish. 16 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:12,640 Speaker 1: I've seen it in the calendar coming up and coming up. 17 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 1: I'm like, come on and published. And I think it 18 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: published on Friday Tuesday, right out of the oven. And uh, 19 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: we're talking about it just as they are completing their decline, 20 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:27,319 Speaker 1: so we are on top of this. Well, I think 21 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:28,880 Speaker 1: that well, we'll get into it. I think that's what 22 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: makes it even more interesting is that it's still happening, 23 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: all right. Numbers stations. Numbers stations. Yeah, like you said, 24 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:41,480 Speaker 1: number both words are a little clumsy, um, and number 25 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:45,559 Speaker 1: of stations are. We should just come out and say 26 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 1: they're short wave radio transmissions or transmitters, making really weird 27 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:59,640 Speaker 1: baffling is the best word for it. Transmissions and have 28 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: been doing so apparently since at least World War one. 29 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:10,080 Speaker 1: Oh really, Yeah. Supposedly the first mention of a numbers station, 30 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 1: uh came from a German magazine. In World War One 31 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:16,799 Speaker 1: and World War Two they were in full swing, sure, 32 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 1: but apparently they somehow popped up first round world War one, 33 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:24,799 Speaker 1: which makes them some of the earliest short wave transmissions 34 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: in the world, because shortwave radio didn't come around, at 35 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 1: least into commercial use until about World War One. Was 36 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 1: a few years before that, if you'll remember correct. Yeah, 37 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 1: that's why I didn't even think that that was possible. 38 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: But like you said, world War two was when they 39 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,919 Speaker 1: were full swing. They really peaked in the Cold War, um, 40 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:48,519 Speaker 1: and they've been dying out slowly ever since. But I 41 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 1: think one of the neatest things is they are still 42 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 1: if you have a short wave radio, you can tune 43 00:02:53,200 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: into a frequency and here be one to seven eight. 44 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:03,480 Speaker 1: You know, it's it's usually like some sort of tone 45 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 1: we should mention to Jerry of the future. Yeah, you're 46 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 1: supposed to leave that beep in because it's part of 47 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 1: the numbers stations. Yeah, we beat Jerry to signal when 48 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:13,840 Speaker 1: we want something edited. But yeah, number station. It's not 49 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:15,400 Speaker 1: always a beat, but will just have some sort of 50 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 1: Sometimes it's a bit of a song, yeah, like this 51 00:03:18,919 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 1: Swedish Rhapsody or the Lincolnshire Poacher of British English Ukish 52 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:31,960 Speaker 1: folk song and uh. And the reason um that they 53 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:34,679 Speaker 1: the transmission starts off with a tone or a beep 54 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:37,840 Speaker 1: or a song is so you can it alerts like 55 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:40,760 Speaker 1: here comes the transmission to in your station hone and 56 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:44,120 Speaker 1: make sure you get some good reception because the secret 57 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:47,360 Speaker 1: code is about to be revealed. And that's exactly what 58 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: everyone is pretty much in consensus on that what comes 59 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: after this and what is broadcast over these numbers stations 60 00:03:55,920 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: are secret codes. Yeah. Again for the Swedish Rhapsody station. Um, 61 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:07,480 Speaker 1: it is a little girl in speaking in German, reading 62 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 1: numbers and letters random seemingly random numbers and letters, and 63 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:16,680 Speaker 1: then the transmission is over and that happens like or 64 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:20,080 Speaker 1: it used to happen. That's a defunct numbers station now, 65 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:23,880 Speaker 1: but it happened on a fairly regular schedule. There's other ones. 66 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:28,800 Speaker 1: The atension station is a woman saying attension and then 67 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:33,120 Speaker 1: reading Spanish numbers and then repeating them over and over 68 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:36,839 Speaker 1: again and then going on to the next set. And everybody. 69 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: No one can say for certain, but virtually everyone in 70 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:44,480 Speaker 1: the world, from Cecil Adams that's straight dope to the 71 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: head of the UK's Trade and Industry Agency say these 72 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:55,360 Speaker 1: are secret transmissions for spies. The whole basis of them 73 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 1: was for espionage. Yeah. And the reason why everyone is 74 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:04,559 Speaker 1: speculating that that is absolutely the case, which almost certainly 75 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:08,760 Speaker 1: it's like we said, is because no government to this 76 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:12,600 Speaker 1: day has come forward and admitted this or own this. 77 00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:17,520 Speaker 1: It is all still technically speculation because you cannot point 78 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:22,200 Speaker 1: to a factual statement. The closest we've ever come is 79 00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: they finally got someone from the United Kingdom of spokesperson. 80 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:32,320 Speaker 1: That was the dude from the Trade Agency the exact 81 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:35,840 Speaker 1: quotas people should not be mystified by them they're not, 82 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:38,840 Speaker 1: shall we say, for public consumption. Yeah, and that's the 83 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:41,680 Speaker 1: only thing on record that any government has ever spoke 84 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:46,239 Speaker 1: about what these transmissions are. Right, So, the the idea 85 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:49,800 Speaker 1: that they are government transitions are the reason we have 86 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:53,160 Speaker 1: to speculate, because the government has never claimed them. On 87 00:05:53,279 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 1: the flip side, the reason everyone thinks that they are 88 00:05:56,680 --> 00:06:03,360 Speaker 1: government backed claimed Stein transmissions is because these are pirate 89 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:08,240 Speaker 1: radio frequencies, pirate radio transmitters. Yeah. My first thing was like, 90 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 1: just find one of these and look it up and 91 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:12,040 Speaker 1: find out what the deal is. Yeah, you would think. 92 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 1: So they're totally unlicensed. Um, nobody knows exactly where they 93 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:20,040 Speaker 1: are illegal. Technically, yes, they're very illegal because they transmit 94 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:25,760 Speaker 1: over air traffic control frequencies. Um, well that's a big one. 95 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:30,000 Speaker 1: And no one investigates them. There's no investigation into these 96 00:06:30,080 --> 00:06:33,479 Speaker 1: number stations whatsoever. So the fact that the government won't 97 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:36,919 Speaker 1: say anything about them, and the fact that the government 98 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:41,840 Speaker 1: isn't investigating these very blatantly out in the open um 99 00:06:42,839 --> 00:06:47,600 Speaker 1: weird baffling transmissions suggests that yeah, everybody's right that these 100 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:53,640 Speaker 1: are government backed transmissions used to communicate anonymously and in 101 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:58,280 Speaker 1: one direction. Two spies embedded in foreign countries. Yeah. I 102 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:00,520 Speaker 1: was about to call it a conversation, but it's really not. 103 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:03,240 Speaker 1: It's a it's um. I think on the BBC documents 104 00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:05,600 Speaker 1: all they called it a monologue. You're just sending a 105 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:09,200 Speaker 1: one way message. Um, all right, Right after this break, 106 00:07:09,240 --> 00:07:12,600 Speaker 1: we're gonna talk a little bit about short wave radio technology. 107 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 1: The secret key to sending these messages after this break, 108 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: all right, The key to this whole thing is sending 109 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:32,800 Speaker 1: a short way Like you might think in this day 110 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 1: and age, why not just send a telefax? No, that's 111 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 1: send an email or you know, there's surely, surely there 112 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:48,720 Speaker 1: are safer ways to send espionage, this information, highly classified 113 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:52,880 Speaker 1: instructions to go kill the leader of a country, perhaps, right, 114 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:55,680 Speaker 1: like if you want to activate Reggie Jackson to kill 115 00:07:56,000 --> 00:08:00,600 Speaker 1: Queen Elizabeth kill Norberg. Yeah, that's that's how would you 116 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:02,560 Speaker 1: do it in this day and age? You think an 117 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:04,600 Speaker 1: email would do it? No, And you want to know 118 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:10,920 Speaker 1: who proves definitively that that is not safe for secure? Um? Who? 119 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:17,760 Speaker 1: J Edward Snowden? Yeah there there. Um. If you use 120 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:22,000 Speaker 1: a computer, you leave a trace. It's virtually impossible to 121 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:25,080 Speaker 1: erase anything on a computer. If you think you have, 122 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:28,800 Speaker 1: then you haven't. Plus, if you are, say emailing somebody, 123 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:33,679 Speaker 1: you're transmitting what's supposed to be highly sensitive even encrypted 124 00:08:34,280 --> 00:08:38,160 Speaker 1: information over a network. That stuff can be captured, Like 125 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:40,840 Speaker 1: go listen to ours an employer. Is your employer spying 126 00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:43,559 Speaker 1: on new episode? You? You can't do it like you 127 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:47,199 Speaker 1: You can communicate like that, but you're leaving digital traces everywhere. 128 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:52,240 Speaker 1: The beauty of the short wave radio transmission is that again, 129 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:56,079 Speaker 1: it's anonymous and it's one directional. But if you get 130 00:08:56,160 --> 00:08:58,760 Speaker 1: caught with a short wave radio at least say back 131 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:01,240 Speaker 1: in the sixties or the M and D s or something, yeah, 132 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:04,400 Speaker 1: it wasn't weird. It didn't prove that you were a spy. 133 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:07,319 Speaker 1: Yeah you've done. Just tune an into my too, my stories. 134 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:12,319 Speaker 1: Just listening to the BBC World Service. Uh, short wave 135 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:15,520 Speaker 1: energy radio energy. It's all determined by the power of 136 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:18,880 Speaker 1: your transmitter. So if you've got a humongous transmitter, you 137 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:21,120 Speaker 1: can send and it didn't need to be that big, 138 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:22,839 Speaker 1: but you can send a message when we message to 139 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:25,880 Speaker 1: the other side of the world. And the reason it 140 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:29,280 Speaker 1: can travel across the planet is because it's bouncing off 141 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:33,000 Speaker 1: of it literally is bouncing off the ionosphere of the 142 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:36,280 Speaker 1: Earth or of well, yeah, of the Earth, uh, fifty 143 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:40,079 Speaker 1: to three seventy five miles up above our surface. It's 144 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:45,080 Speaker 1: in the upper atmosphere, and solar ionization creates an electrical 145 00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:48,760 Speaker 1: charge and that charge reflects that signal right back down 146 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 1: to Earth. It's called skywave or skip and skywave. And 147 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:57,360 Speaker 1: that's why you can with a seemingly pretty simple piece 148 00:09:57,360 --> 00:10:00,240 Speaker 1: of equipment, I can send a message to of the 149 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:03,719 Speaker 1: South Pacific. Yeah, from my bedroom. Well, I don't know 150 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:06,320 Speaker 1: if i'd have one big enough for my my bedrooms 151 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:09,480 Speaker 1: pretty big. I wanted to see how big these things 152 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:13,280 Speaker 1: were actually, you know, like if they say a really 153 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:15,080 Speaker 1: big ones to send them further and further, Like how 154 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:17,040 Speaker 1: big do they get? They get very huge. They can 155 00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:23,160 Speaker 1: cover scores of acres a big shortwave antenna um, which 156 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:25,800 Speaker 1: is why I can get very expensive So that's bigger 157 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:27,920 Speaker 1: than my bedroom. You can also use ones that are 158 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:31,440 Speaker 1: the size of your bedroom. And it depends not only 159 00:10:31,559 --> 00:10:34,839 Speaker 1: like you said, on the size of the transmitter, it 160 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:38,960 Speaker 1: depends on the atmospheric conditions to Supposually, shortwave transmissions are 161 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:43,560 Speaker 1: received best at sunrise and sunset, and no one's sure, 162 00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:46,120 Speaker 1: but it has to do with the ion sphere, and 163 00:10:46,320 --> 00:10:50,839 Speaker 1: because that's where the northern lights are happening, that's where 164 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:56,120 Speaker 1: solar rays hit the hit the Earth's atmosphere and they 165 00:10:56,440 --> 00:10:59,320 Speaker 1: the atoms loose their electrons I believe, so they become 166 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:04,520 Speaker 1: ions forming the ionosphere. And because this is constantly changing, UM, 167 00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:09,960 Speaker 1: you can't predict exactly how a short wave radio wave 168 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:13,240 Speaker 1: will act, but you can kind of guess, well, this 169 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:18,120 Speaker 1: time the Sun's least active or most active, whatever, it 170 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:22,120 Speaker 1: has some impact on that sky. What's it called the sky? 171 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:26,960 Speaker 1: What the skywave effect? So you can communicate with somebody 172 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:31,400 Speaker 1: in a foreign country, right, and not only can it 173 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:35,679 Speaker 1: not be tracked, it's very difficult to trace who sent that, 174 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:39,080 Speaker 1: where that transmission is coming from, it's impossible to trace 175 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:42,959 Speaker 1: who's receiving it. So you have no idea who in 176 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:47,439 Speaker 1: your country is getting this, which means that you're broadcasting 177 00:11:47,679 --> 00:11:50,319 Speaker 1: to anybody and everybody who feels like listening to this. 178 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:55,199 Speaker 1: UM a secret code, but the fact is, if you 179 00:11:55,320 --> 00:11:58,560 Speaker 1: use the right kind of secret code, no one can 180 00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:00,680 Speaker 1: crack it all. Right. That brings up an important point 181 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:05,319 Speaker 1: because you would think also you can hack into the 182 00:12:05,400 --> 00:12:08,840 Speaker 1: most secure computer system on the planet if you're good 183 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:12,720 Speaker 1: enough as a hacker, So how in the world could 184 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:16,719 Speaker 1: sending a coded key like it's nineteen fifty five and 185 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:19,760 Speaker 1: you're trying to get your Dakota ring you know from 186 00:12:20,679 --> 00:12:25,199 Speaker 1: the Red was Red Rider? No, No, that's way off. No, 187 00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:29,199 Speaker 1: what was it? It was fy No? No, no, I'm 188 00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:31,199 Speaker 1: talking about it in the Christmas Story. Yeah, it was 189 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:34,080 Speaker 1: a little orphan that was the show. Yeah, I didn't 190 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:36,320 Speaker 1: think it was. He didn't. He didn't care about pirates 191 00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:38,439 Speaker 1: and all that jazz pirates and smugglers and all that. 192 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:41,880 Speaker 1: He listened to a little or Fanny and little I'll 193 00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:44,199 Speaker 1: take a word for it. I remember, now do you know? 194 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:45,959 Speaker 1: But I'll take your word for it. Dude, I'm telling 195 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:50,920 Speaker 1: you it's a little or Fanny was my hat. I 196 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:53,320 Speaker 1: don't have a hat on right now, but I would 197 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:55,800 Speaker 1: eat it if I if I were wrong. At any rate, 198 00:12:55,840 --> 00:12:58,040 Speaker 1: you're not a little Ralphie decoding the message from Little 199 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:02,640 Speaker 1: or Fananny. But it is actually the most secure way 200 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:07,240 Speaker 1: that you can send a secret message is by creating 201 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:11,079 Speaker 1: a unique code that you know and have written down 202 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:13,760 Speaker 1: on a piece of paper, and your buddy knows who 203 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:15,719 Speaker 1: has it written down on a piece of paper. You 204 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:17,959 Speaker 1: only use it once. That's the kind of the key here, 205 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 1: and then you destroy it afterward. That is still the 206 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:24,400 Speaker 1: most it's unbreakable. So what it's called is a one 207 00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:27,200 Speaker 1: time pad, the old one time because you only use 208 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:29,920 Speaker 1: it once, and it is old. It's from the nineteenth century. Yeah, 209 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:32,400 Speaker 1: and it's still uncrackable. It is. And the reason why 210 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:35,320 Speaker 1: it's uncrackable it is because you each have, like you said, 211 00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:37,920 Speaker 1: you each have a copy of this this code. But 212 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:42,160 Speaker 1: it's randomly generated. Right, So let's say, um, you have 213 00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:43,839 Speaker 1: the sheet of paper and the other person has a 214 00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:46,600 Speaker 1: sheet of paper, and the sheet of paper says, it's 215 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:49,600 Speaker 1: just like strings of random numbers, like four or five 216 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:54,120 Speaker 1: numbers long, and it's just totally random and it just covers, 217 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:57,240 Speaker 1: you know, several sheets of paper. Well, you guys start 218 00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:02,080 Speaker 1: at the same place, and when person transmitting the message 219 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:06,000 Speaker 1: wants to encrypt it, they run their message. So say 220 00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:11,280 Speaker 1: you guys have agreed like zero is a, B is one, 221 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:16,520 Speaker 1: C is two, etcetera. So you'd take that and you'd you, 222 00:14:17,080 --> 00:14:19,880 Speaker 1: I know, dude, is mind boggling. Like this is about 223 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:23,360 Speaker 1: as simple as cryptology gets. And it makes me bleed 224 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:24,960 Speaker 1: for my ears because all you have to do is 225 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:28,400 Speaker 1: agree on what's what. You know, it could be anything, right, 226 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:31,440 Speaker 1: So you're agreeing on what's what, But um, you also 227 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:36,360 Speaker 1: have this randomly generated code key, right. So um, let's 228 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:40,120 Speaker 1: say I want to say, what up, chuck. Let's W 229 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:44,360 Speaker 1: H A T U P C h U c K. 230 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:48,200 Speaker 1: So that's eleven letters, right. So if you have your 231 00:14:48,640 --> 00:14:53,320 Speaker 1: your key and you're encoding it, you would use these first, 232 00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:58,840 Speaker 1: the first eleven numbers to encode what's already encoded. So 233 00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:08,160 Speaker 1: the W who is say, says it's the number twenty two, right, 234 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:10,720 Speaker 1: and then so on. So like there's a number assigned 235 00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:13,640 Speaker 1: to each letter, so you have that, and then you 236 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:17,600 Speaker 1: run it through this code, this randomly generated code. So 237 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:22,080 Speaker 1: you add that and then so you have, um, what 238 00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:25,560 Speaker 1: I say, twenty two and then um say, the first 239 00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:28,280 Speaker 1: letter or the first number of this code is seven, 240 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:31,360 Speaker 1: so you have twenty nine. So that's what the little 241 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:39,800 Speaker 1: German girl reads on the air two eighteen. It means 242 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:43,280 Speaker 1: nothing to anyone else in the entire world except for 243 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:47,360 Speaker 1: you and the person who has the other copy of 244 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:50,920 Speaker 1: this code, since there's only two copies and you're only 245 00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:53,240 Speaker 1: using it once and you're gonna eat it afterwards. Yeah, 246 00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:59,120 Speaker 1: and the key is that it's randomly generated numbers. Then 247 00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:02,800 Speaker 1: it'll it's theoretically it will never be broken. Yeah, but 248 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:06,600 Speaker 1: I mean that's just one example. You could You could 249 00:16:06,640 --> 00:16:13,720 Speaker 1: have five pre code rules to confuse someone trying to 250 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:16,840 Speaker 1: crack this code. Yeah, and they don't even It's not 251 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:20,000 Speaker 1: like the simplest code is this letter represents this number, 252 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:23,400 Speaker 1: this number represents this letter. It gets more complex than that. 253 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:27,320 Speaker 1: You could both have agreed upon a book you have 254 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:29,760 Speaker 1: to kill a mockingbird. I've got to kill a mockingbird 255 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:36,840 Speaker 1: for eight twelve thirteen four means go to page fourteen 256 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:40,200 Speaker 1: means now you're really going to page thirteen, Ignore four, 257 00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:43,120 Speaker 1: then look at the twelfth line. Then look at the 258 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:46,200 Speaker 1: eighth word on that page. Right. What a what a 259 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:49,200 Speaker 1: one time pad would do is take that already agreed 260 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:52,960 Speaker 1: upon code and encrypt it even further. Yeah. But the 261 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:55,200 Speaker 1: point is it doesn't have to represent letters. It can 262 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:59,120 Speaker 1: represent full words in a text that you've agreed upon. 263 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:02,520 Speaker 1: And it's basically like thumbing through this book picking out 264 00:17:02,560 --> 00:17:04,960 Speaker 1: all these various words to make a sentence. Right. The 265 00:17:05,080 --> 00:17:08,560 Speaker 1: problem is that's its vulnerability as well, like to to 266 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:13,120 Speaker 1: get a copy of the randomly generated key that's used 267 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:17,240 Speaker 1: to encrypt this message. Right, Um, you have to have 268 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:20,919 Speaker 1: some sort of contact with somebody, So that's one vulnerability 269 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:23,600 Speaker 1: of it. The thing is is like, depending on how 270 00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:27,200 Speaker 1: long this is, as many numbers as there are, um 271 00:17:28,080 --> 00:17:32,520 Speaker 1: is as long as as many transmissions as you can transmit. 272 00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:37,440 Speaker 1: Does that make any sense? So so I said, what up, chuck, 273 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:41,760 Speaker 1: that's eleven. That uses the first eleven numbers on this key. 274 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:45,000 Speaker 1: But say there's fifty thou numbers on the key, Well, 275 00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:47,200 Speaker 1: we have a lot more messages we I can send 276 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:51,240 Speaker 1: to you that that we're going through the pad. Eventually though, 277 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:53,720 Speaker 1: we're going to use up this pad and we need 278 00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:55,920 Speaker 1: to meet again, so I can give you another randomly 279 00:17:55,960 --> 00:18:01,080 Speaker 1: generated key. That's the vulnerability of it. Well, the other 280 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:03,720 Speaker 1: well and not a fail safe. But the thing it 281 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:05,800 Speaker 1: makes it even safer is a lot of times they 282 00:18:05,840 --> 00:18:10,240 Speaker 1: would send and presumably are still sending dummy messages, so 283 00:18:10,359 --> 00:18:12,159 Speaker 1: you don't even know if it's real to begin with. 284 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:15,760 Speaker 1: And there are only so many person hours you can 285 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:19,959 Speaker 1: dedicate as a government to code crackers, and they might 286 00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:22,440 Speaker 1: be working on a code that's not even real. You 287 00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:26,080 Speaker 1: don't know what transmissions are are legit and that that 288 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:29,360 Speaker 1: is a proposal by a group called ENIGMA. And we'll 289 00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:32,439 Speaker 1: talk about Enigma right after this message because they're pretty awesome. 290 00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:39,679 Speaker 1: So Chuck Um, we were talking about Enigma. I mentioned Enigma, 291 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:45,480 Speaker 1: and ENIGMA is this group that of basically amateur radio people, 292 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:51,040 Speaker 1: shortwave radio enthusiast. They really get into this. UM it's 293 00:18:51,080 --> 00:18:54,440 Speaker 1: a thing and they started This is pre pre internet days. 294 00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:57,280 Speaker 1: I think it was in the eighties, the late eighties 295 00:18:57,320 --> 00:19:00,639 Speaker 1: early nineties that ENIGMA first came around and kind of 296 00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:05,200 Speaker 1: coalesced an. ENIGMA stands for European Numbers Information Gathering and 297 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:08,440 Speaker 1: Monitoring Association, and basically it was just a group of 298 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:11,320 Speaker 1: these people who had all the spell enigma, yeah right, 299 00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:15,000 Speaker 1: who had all and I think they reverse engineer UM. 300 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:18,440 Speaker 1: But they had all kind of started to talk or 301 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:22,040 Speaker 1: find each other and say have you heard this weird 302 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:24,960 Speaker 1: transmission and they're like, yes, I've heard that one, and 303 00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:28,440 Speaker 1: you should. You should check out this frequency on Tuesday 304 00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:32,400 Speaker 1: nights at eight pm because it transmits this. And there 305 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:35,600 Speaker 1: they suddenly realized there's this whole community of people out there. 306 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:38,359 Speaker 1: So they set up a newsletter, they started in a 307 00:19:38,520 --> 00:19:43,119 Speaker 1: naming convention, and they started assigning, collecting, and assigning names 308 00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:47,280 Speaker 1: to these different things. So like uh E designated a 309 00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:52,320 Speaker 1: an English speaking trans numbers station, um S was Slavic 310 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:56,000 Speaker 1: v is various, which incumbani encapsulates everything from like French 311 00:19:56,160 --> 00:20:01,040 Speaker 1: to Spanish. And Enigma really took this thing and put 312 00:20:01,119 --> 00:20:07,280 Speaker 1: it into understandable terms. And they are basically eavesdropping where 313 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:11,480 Speaker 1: they were eavesdropping on the spy community. Are they not 314 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:14,239 Speaker 1: doing that anymore? So? Enigma disbanded I think in two 315 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:17,320 Speaker 1: thousand and then almost immediately another group came and said, well, 316 00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:19,200 Speaker 1: we're Enigma two thousand. We're going to carry this on. 317 00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:22,800 Speaker 1: And that's pretty fortunate because they were around to um 318 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:25,560 Speaker 1: put all this on the internet. Before it was like 319 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:28,440 Speaker 1: you had to like subscribe to newsletters and have a 320 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:30,639 Speaker 1: short wave radio. Now it's like you can just go 321 00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:33,880 Speaker 1: on the internet and and um listen to all sorts 322 00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:38,160 Speaker 1: of archives of these defunct UM number stations as well. Yeah, 323 00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:40,600 Speaker 1: I mean they're creepy sounding. I don't like it's kind 324 00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:42,960 Speaker 1: of cool. I've got one for you. We've talked about 325 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:46,200 Speaker 1: it before. Do you remember the Yosemite SAM transmission. Yeah, 326 00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:49,800 Speaker 1: I'm convinced that that's just a person having fun. Well, 327 00:20:49,880 --> 00:21:00,159 Speaker 1: let's play it. I like that one. I think it's 328 00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:06,200 Speaker 1: full of info. It's cool. It's coming from somewhere out 329 00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:11,000 Speaker 1: in Albuquerque in the desert in New Mexico, and it's 330 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:15,080 Speaker 1: been going since what like two thousand four and um 331 00:21:15,359 --> 00:21:18,119 Speaker 1: what makes this one interesting is that it's not a code. 332 00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:22,760 Speaker 1: It's just Yosemite Sam saying that thing. Well, then it's 333 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:25,480 Speaker 1: followed by that data burst, which they think is some 334 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:28,800 Speaker 1: sort of compressed information. Yeah. See, I don't believe it. 335 00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:30,960 Speaker 1: I think this is a short wave enthusiast having a 336 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:34,959 Speaker 1: good time. Well, he's been doing it like, it's pretty sophisticated. 337 00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:37,080 Speaker 1: It does it like over and over again, I think 338 00:21:37,119 --> 00:21:39,359 Speaker 1: for forty seconds and switches to the next frequency and 339 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:43,359 Speaker 1: it just goes through the band on a then he's 340 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:46,320 Speaker 1: got a computer doing it for him. Maybe if it 341 00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:48,680 Speaker 1: is just some dude, But either way, I like the 342 00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:51,440 Speaker 1: use of you, Samity Sam. It's cool, but it's pretty 343 00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:56,159 Speaker 1: it's exemplar of um of it's a numbers station, of 344 00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:59,720 Speaker 1: a numbers transmission. There's something that indicates that this is 345 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:03,800 Speaker 1: about to happen, and then there's the happening, the transmission 346 00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:07,280 Speaker 1: of the secret code. Whether it's digital in nature, or 347 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:12,000 Speaker 1: whether it's spoken um, and then there it is ended 348 00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:14,960 Speaker 1: by you know, yossemity sam again or something like that. 349 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:19,399 Speaker 1: It's saying, here's the beginning, here's the information, here's the end. 350 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:23,280 Speaker 1: Now go kill Northburg. One of the other cool things 351 00:22:23,320 --> 00:22:26,119 Speaker 1: about this is and um, you know when we were 352 00:22:26,119 --> 00:22:29,560 Speaker 1: talking about truly there's better ways. And the government could 353 00:22:30,320 --> 00:22:35,240 Speaker 1: theoretically shut down the Internet, they could zapp satellite transmissions, 354 00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:39,040 Speaker 1: they could shut everything down. This is almost unstoppable. You 355 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:42,480 Speaker 1: can't shut down short wave radio. I mean, I guess 356 00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:45,560 Speaker 1: you cut power maybe yeah, well no, suppose you know, 357 00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:49,520 Speaker 1: I mean yeah, and then I guess if people have 358 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:52,960 Speaker 1: batteries though in their shortwave radio. Good point. The one 359 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:56,560 Speaker 1: way to combat it is called jamming frequency jamming, and 360 00:22:56,680 --> 00:23:01,040 Speaker 1: basically it's just broadcasting on the same frequency that these 361 00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:05,240 Speaker 1: these other transmitters, the numbers stations are transmitting on. And 362 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:08,879 Speaker 1: so if you're broadcasting within your country, you're probably going 363 00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:11,840 Speaker 1: to reach those. Shortwave radio is better than somebody on 364 00:23:11,920 --> 00:23:14,720 Speaker 1: the other side of the planet's transmission well, and so 365 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:19,320 Speaker 1: apparently Russia spent billions or the Soviets spent billions of 366 00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:23,480 Speaker 1: dollars during the Cold War jamming frequencies from all sorts 367 00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:27,359 Speaker 1: of different transmissions, um, and they play things like the 368 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:30,800 Speaker 1: sound of seagulls or random beeps or whatever. And it 369 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:35,920 Speaker 1: was just to prevent people from transmitting into Russia. But 370 00:23:36,040 --> 00:23:39,480 Speaker 1: even with all of that money and technology mustard or 371 00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:43,440 Speaker 1: marshaled against it, they still weren't entirely successful. Like shortwave 372 00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:48,040 Speaker 1: radio transmissions get through. It's just too big to fight. Yeah, 373 00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:51,800 Speaker 1: you can't jam the entire frequency of all short waves, 374 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:56,120 Speaker 1: like every single frequency. Um. If you have ever heard 375 00:23:56,200 --> 00:24:02,879 Speaker 1: the the Wilco remember Yankee Hotel Foxtrot that album that 376 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:05,400 Speaker 1: was on the album at some point, I can't remember 377 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:09,760 Speaker 1: which song it Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in a woman's voice 378 00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:13,160 Speaker 1: and that is a famous uh code. Was that from 379 00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:16,359 Speaker 1: the Content project? No, I don't think so, but we 380 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:19,879 Speaker 1: should talk about that. For sure. That was a project. 381 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:23,120 Speaker 1: And it was also I guess and the the wild 382 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:25,359 Speaker 1: West days where you're talking about pre internet. If people 383 00:24:25,400 --> 00:24:27,920 Speaker 1: wanted to hear the stuff, some people got together and 384 00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:34,280 Speaker 1: put together a greatest it's sort of on CD with 385 00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:36,680 Speaker 1: a lot of accompanying material about what you're listening to, 386 00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:40,119 Speaker 1: and um, none of them obviously you can't break these codes. 387 00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:42,400 Speaker 1: That's the thing I find interesting is people sit around 388 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:46,320 Speaker 1: listen to this stuff, but with no aim of cracking 389 00:24:46,359 --> 00:24:49,400 Speaker 1: the code. I think some people do attempt to crack 390 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:52,159 Speaker 1: the code and it's impossible. Well, it's not impossible, and 391 00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:54,280 Speaker 1: we should say that with the reason why it's not 392 00:24:54,359 --> 00:24:57,760 Speaker 1: impossible is because if you're using a computer generated random number, 393 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:01,960 Speaker 1: computer is not capable of truly of generating a truly 394 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:06,000 Speaker 1: random number because computers run on algorithms, and algorithms are 395 00:25:06,080 --> 00:25:09,080 Speaker 1: designed to follow patterns, so they're just incapable of it. 396 00:25:09,480 --> 00:25:14,679 Speaker 1: So you could, especially today, a hacker could conceivably crack 397 00:25:15,040 --> 00:25:18,600 Speaker 1: one of these, especially old transmissions. But but you still 398 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:21,840 Speaker 1: don't know what those numbers stand for. Even if you 399 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:24,720 Speaker 1: find a pattern of numbers, right, there's still an agreed 400 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:26,480 Speaker 1: upon thing that you would have to figure out, but 401 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:30,840 Speaker 1: it would it makes it possible if you could crack 402 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:34,080 Speaker 1: that one time pad key, then you have a real 403 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:39,040 Speaker 1: chance at the deciphering the message itself. Well, yeah, if 404 00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:41,679 Speaker 1: you know what they stand for. But I still maintain 405 00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:46,240 Speaker 1: if only you and I know what those numbers represent, 406 00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:51,520 Speaker 1: to kill a mockingbird pages, Yeah exactly. Uh, well, you 407 00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:54,600 Speaker 1: were saying the Content Project thing. So it's a four 408 00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:58,840 Speaker 1: CD compilation and apparently I read an article from the 409 00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:01,000 Speaker 1: time when it came out, which is the nineties, and 410 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:03,719 Speaker 1: it was like perfect timing because there was why two 411 00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:07,280 Speaker 1: K going on, there was Millennium angst, there was the 412 00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:12,080 Speaker 1: X Files, and this thing came out and Salon wrote 413 00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:14,440 Speaker 1: an article on it, and this guy who wrote it 414 00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:19,600 Speaker 1: was like a music concrete aficionada. So people appreciated it, 415 00:26:19,760 --> 00:26:22,520 Speaker 1: not just for the fact that it's like recordings of 416 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:27,119 Speaker 1: real live um spy transmissions, but some people like the 417 00:26:27,359 --> 00:26:31,200 Speaker 1: kind of avant garde noise that it had going on 418 00:26:31,359 --> 00:26:36,199 Speaker 1: to And the Flaming Lips are currently planning an album 419 00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:43,879 Speaker 1: composed if nothing but Messages from Number Stations Number eight. Uh, 420 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:47,320 Speaker 1: there's a movie that exists that I had never heard of, 421 00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:51,080 Speaker 1: called The Number Station. I hadn't heard of it either. Yeah, 422 00:26:51,119 --> 00:26:54,480 Speaker 1: I don't think it was released really. It said of 423 00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:57,680 Speaker 1: from two thousand thirteen, and like I know, most movies 424 00:26:57,720 --> 00:26:59,399 Speaker 1: that are released, it's it's it probably went straight to 425 00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:02,119 Speaker 1: video or some Then I watched the trailer to day 426 00:27:02,119 --> 00:27:07,200 Speaker 1: it's John cusack and uh Melin Ackerman, and you know 427 00:27:07,359 --> 00:27:10,159 Speaker 1: they work at a number station and he's to protect 428 00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:14,040 Speaker 1: the number station, but something bad happens and they're compromised, 429 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:16,399 Speaker 1: and is who who he says he is? And is 430 00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:19,920 Speaker 1: she who she says she is? Who knows? You'll have 431 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:24,879 Speaker 1: to that turkey to find out. Didn't look bad? Yeah, 432 00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:31,640 Speaker 1: sure it looked pretty bad. Sorry, John Cusack, Sorry John Cusack. 433 00:27:31,960 --> 00:27:36,000 Speaker 1: So the I think one of the most interesting things 434 00:27:36,080 --> 00:27:40,520 Speaker 1: about UM numbers stations is that, like you said, they 435 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:44,360 Speaker 1: peaked during the Cold War right when the Berlin Wall fell, 436 00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:47,240 Speaker 1: and then in a few years after that the number 437 00:27:47,280 --> 00:27:50,679 Speaker 1: of transmissions supposedly just dropped off dramatically, although I did 438 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:53,520 Speaker 1: see in at least one place that supposedly they increased, 439 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:56,200 Speaker 1: but I didn't see that supported anywhere else. But the 440 00:27:56,320 --> 00:28:00,560 Speaker 1: idea that they're still around it all in two thousand fourteen, 441 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:05,560 Speaker 1: that there are still numbers stations transmitting gibberish really says 442 00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:07,320 Speaker 1: a lot. So it says a couple of things, and 443 00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:10,680 Speaker 1: you've already mentioned one. It's possible they are just transmitting 444 00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:15,399 Speaker 1: gibberish to throw off anybody listening, UM, to basically just 445 00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:22,760 Speaker 1: kind of sap their resources, like keep them Ruski is busy. Um. 446 00:28:23,040 --> 00:28:25,720 Speaker 1: Another one is that they're keeping them going in case 447 00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:29,240 Speaker 1: they need to use them again. I think that's totally 448 00:28:29,280 --> 00:28:32,920 Speaker 1: the reason, in which case that's pretty smart, because that's 449 00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:35,520 Speaker 1: just you're not showing your hand, like where all of 450 00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:40,320 Speaker 1: a sudden u uh an inactive radio station suddenly starts 451 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:43,240 Speaker 1: up again ind case activity and it's been doing the 452 00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:48,040 Speaker 1: same thing for ten years, and on year seven it 453 00:28:48,120 --> 00:28:51,480 Speaker 1: actually transmitted a real secret message, but it seemed just 454 00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:54,800 Speaker 1: like the everything else in those ten years. You're doing 455 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:57,320 Speaker 1: some pretty good spycraft there, yeah, Or just to keep 456 00:28:57,400 --> 00:28:59,520 Speaker 1: that UM like you may not be actively using it, 457 00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:05,040 Speaker 1: but just to keep that um A method relevant. Like 458 00:29:05,280 --> 00:29:07,920 Speaker 1: you know, if you quit doing something, it's gonna die off. 459 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:10,200 Speaker 1: No one's gonna know how to do it anymore. So 460 00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:14,080 Speaker 1: that you know, just keep those people working. And you 461 00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:16,720 Speaker 1: know they may may not even know if they're transmitting 462 00:29:16,840 --> 00:29:19,440 Speaker 1: real messages or not. I would guess if you're just 463 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:21,720 Speaker 1: saying oh yeah, yeah, if you're just saying a a 464 00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:24,480 Speaker 1: sheet of paper and it's just yeah, in fact, that 465 00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:27,720 Speaker 1: maybe a pretty safe way to do things. It's like 466 00:29:27,840 --> 00:29:32,960 Speaker 1: the person with the nuclear key just a test. Who 467 00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:37,280 Speaker 1: knows gas we'll find out in UM. There are also 468 00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:39,680 Speaker 1: other theories that they are and I think some of 469 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:44,400 Speaker 1: this does go on. Um, maybe drug runners using stuff 470 00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:46,600 Speaker 1: like this because some of them are less than professional. 471 00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:51,600 Speaker 1: Apparently the ones from Cuba or Cuba sorry Jerry, are 472 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:56,200 Speaker 1: a little um uh comical. Well, they were renowned for 473 00:29:56,360 --> 00:29:59,200 Speaker 1: just having really bad slip ups, especially during the whole war, 474 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:01,880 Speaker 1: like you'd hear people talking and laughing in the background, 475 00:30:02,080 --> 00:30:07,120 Speaker 1: or an accidental transmission of a radio station radio Havan 476 00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:09,120 Speaker 1: all right, Yeah, so they were kind of known for 477 00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:11,520 Speaker 1: for not being too skilled at it. But I imagine 478 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:14,280 Speaker 1: the drug runners are the same. Yeah, it's virtually the 479 00:30:14,360 --> 00:30:16,880 Speaker 1: same thing. And I mean there's absolutely no reason why 480 00:30:17,120 --> 00:30:21,960 Speaker 1: drug runners couldn't have also couldn't also use this, Yeah, 481 00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:27,160 Speaker 1: alongside the espionage community too. Yeah, there's might be a 482 00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:30,200 Speaker 1: IS one, b IS two and they get the message 483 00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:33,719 Speaker 1: says chipment of Kilo's coming in Miami Beach tomorrow night. Right, 484 00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:40,400 Speaker 1: let's go get them kill one. I'm one, uh, But 485 00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:42,320 Speaker 1: I do think there may be a little bit of that. 486 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:45,080 Speaker 1: I think it's a mixed bag of why they're still 487 00:30:45,120 --> 00:30:48,160 Speaker 1: being broadcast. I think there are enthusiasts that are probably 488 00:30:48,520 --> 00:30:52,680 Speaker 1: just doing their own thing for fun. Yeah, that'd be fun. Man, 489 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:56,120 Speaker 1: if I was in in Guam and I could send 490 00:30:56,160 --> 00:30:58,600 Speaker 1: you a private message to be a short wave Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, 491 00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:00,280 Speaker 1: I thought you meant people who are just doing it, 492 00:31:00,360 --> 00:31:03,000 Speaker 1: just a mess with like the Enigma community or something. 493 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:04,640 Speaker 1: I think that probably happens to I bet you it's 494 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:07,120 Speaker 1: all kinds of things. Yeah, I'm sure you're right. Um, 495 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:09,040 Speaker 1: there's one guy out there. And trust me, there have 496 00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:13,560 Speaker 1: been some some actual spies who have been busted in 497 00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:18,960 Speaker 1: this century, long after the Cold War, who had shortwave 498 00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:25,240 Speaker 1: radios and one time pads in their apartments or houses. Apparently, 499 00:31:25,640 --> 00:31:29,440 Speaker 1: in two thousand eleven in Germany, a couple who lived 500 00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:33,920 Speaker 1: there since and we're spying for the Russians were caught 501 00:31:34,440 --> 00:31:39,160 Speaker 1: in the act of receiving a numbers transmission in their 502 00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:42,480 Speaker 1: home when they were apprehended and busted for spying. I 503 00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:45,160 Speaker 1: can see that scene. He's got like one headphone up 504 00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:47,120 Speaker 1: and he's holding out with his hand and he's writing 505 00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:49,680 Speaker 1: something down in pencil and his wife's trying to eat 506 00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:55,360 Speaker 1: it really quick spit out. And in two thousand one 507 00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:57,880 Speaker 1: and A. Mantz worked for the U. S Civil Defension 508 00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:01,840 Speaker 1: Intelligence Agency and she was convicted of spying for Cuba. 509 00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:04,640 Speaker 1: And when they searched her home they found a short 510 00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:08,360 Speaker 1: wave radio and a code sheet and um, so yeah, 511 00:32:08,440 --> 00:32:11,120 Speaker 1: I mean that's it's still going on. Man, I think 512 00:32:11,120 --> 00:32:13,720 Speaker 1: it's pretty neat. Yeah, I do too, Like it's old 513 00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:21,640 Speaker 1: school but almost fool proof. Yeah. The big vulnerabilities getting 514 00:32:21,680 --> 00:32:26,120 Speaker 1: the random randomly generated key to the spy. Yeah. And 515 00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:28,120 Speaker 1: they also point out in the article who wrote this one? 516 00:32:28,120 --> 00:32:32,760 Speaker 1: By the way, uh Nathan Chandler. Um. Nathan points out 517 00:32:32,800 --> 00:32:36,440 Speaker 1: that these days, you're likely um, you're one timer might 518 00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:40,480 Speaker 1: be sent to you, maybe digitally somehow, but it's not 519 00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:45,000 Speaker 1: It doesn't like tip anyone off necessarily. Yeah, but not 520 00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:48,280 Speaker 1: quite sure how. Yeah, I would think if you're being watched, 521 00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:52,440 Speaker 1: then an email with a lot of random numbers might differ. Well, 522 00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:54,240 Speaker 1: it used to be they print them on that the 523 00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:56,880 Speaker 1: kind of paper that like dissolved quickly or burned and 524 00:32:57,000 --> 00:32:59,760 Speaker 1: left no ash or whatever. They were on such tiny 525 00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:03,520 Speaker 1: paper you had to use a really good magnifying like 526 00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:06,360 Speaker 1: lens to read it, and you could hide them in 527 00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:09,240 Speaker 1: like a walnut shell or something like that. Wow. Who 528 00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:12,960 Speaker 1: knows what they're doing now? Yeah, but they are doing something. Yeah, 529 00:33:13,480 --> 00:33:16,240 Speaker 1: I'd like to Uh. I thought about getting a short 530 00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:18,760 Speaker 1: I was a little bit inspired but then I thought, 531 00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:20,440 Speaker 1: oh man, I've got so many other things to do. 532 00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:22,760 Speaker 1: I don't know if I could do fall into that 533 00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:26,920 Speaker 1: rabbit hole. So that's numbers stations. If that piqued your interest, 534 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:30,280 Speaker 1: just type in numbers stations into your favorite search engine 535 00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:32,920 Speaker 1: and it will lead you down the rabbit hole of 536 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:35,560 Speaker 1: shortwave radio. Did you say rabbit holes? That where I 537 00:33:35,600 --> 00:33:38,440 Speaker 1: got that from? I said rabbit hole, But I didn't 538 00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:41,200 Speaker 1: invent it, no, I know, but it just popped up 539 00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:43,520 Speaker 1: in my head and it wasn't my own invention. And 540 00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:45,120 Speaker 1: I think if you have a short wave radio, you 541 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:47,920 Speaker 1: probably tune into these anyway because you're just into that lifestyle. 542 00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:51,000 Speaker 1: But I think there's a website called spy numbers where 543 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:53,479 Speaker 1: you can actually find the frequencies and just go right 544 00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:55,840 Speaker 1: there and you don't want to search for them. And 545 00:33:56,160 --> 00:33:58,400 Speaker 1: if you want to read this article, you can type 546 00:33:58,480 --> 00:34:02,040 Speaker 1: the words numbers station in the search part How stuff 547 00:34:02,080 --> 00:34:04,880 Speaker 1: works dot com. And since I said search parts, time 548 00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:09,239 Speaker 1: for listener mayo. I'm gonna call this a bit on 549 00:34:09,440 --> 00:34:13,480 Speaker 1: sushi um from someone in Japan. Hey, guys, and Jerry. 550 00:34:13,840 --> 00:34:16,799 Speaker 1: He expelled Jerry right as well. Man, it's Jerry's day. 551 00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:19,200 Speaker 1: I enjoyed the sushi episode quite a bit and have 552 00:34:19,320 --> 00:34:22,600 Speaker 1: something to add. As a result of modern food production 553 00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:24,440 Speaker 1: following World War Two in Japan and of course the 554 00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:27,840 Speaker 1: U S and elsewhere, the quality and traditional methods of 555 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:31,640 Speaker 1: making Show You Miso and other Japanese food items sadly plummeted. 556 00:34:32,160 --> 00:34:35,000 Speaker 1: For example, miso can be fermented an aged a matter 557 00:34:35,080 --> 00:34:38,040 Speaker 1: of weeks with the use of temperature control tanks, where 558 00:34:38,120 --> 00:34:42,439 Speaker 1: traditional dark miso would age up to two years. Same 559 00:34:42,520 --> 00:34:46,320 Speaker 1: goes with other fermented products like Show You Mirren. No 560 00:34:46,480 --> 00:34:48,919 Speaker 1: longer at sweet rice cooking wine is practically sugar water. 561 00:34:49,440 --> 00:34:52,040 Speaker 1: Speaking of sugar, modern Japanese food wouldn't exist without it. 562 00:34:52,719 --> 00:34:57,760 Speaker 1: Uh Bumi boshi, the sour salty pickled plum is lousy 563 00:34:57,880 --> 00:35:00,680 Speaker 1: with artificial color, sugar and refined salt. They're still good. 564 00:35:00,840 --> 00:35:03,400 Speaker 1: As much as I loved I love Japanese food and culture, 565 00:35:03,400 --> 00:35:06,839 Speaker 1: it's quite heartbreaking to see these centuries of traditional food 566 00:35:06,880 --> 00:35:10,280 Speaker 1: processing supplanted by the Japanese version of a Twinkie chemically 567 00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:13,000 Speaker 1: made in process as an alternative. There are good quality 568 00:35:13,080 --> 00:35:18,000 Speaker 1: Japanese products to be had, particularly those imported from eating foods, 569 00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:21,400 Speaker 1: just high quality, organic and widely distributed Is this the 570 00:35:21,480 --> 00:35:24,399 Speaker 1: president of Eating Food? I don't know. Are they based 571 00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:29,360 Speaker 1: in Alameda, California? It sounds like yeah, uh, that is 572 00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:32,359 Speaker 1: from Lear in Alameda, California. UM. I meant to mention 573 00:35:32,440 --> 00:35:34,279 Speaker 1: that you. I had the worst sushi I've had in 574 00:35:34,360 --> 00:35:37,840 Speaker 1: my life the other day. I'm not gonna say it, 575 00:35:38,160 --> 00:35:40,640 Speaker 1: but I'm not going back. I'll tell you off air. 576 00:35:41,600 --> 00:35:43,239 Speaker 1: I don't think you wouldn't go there anyway, but um, 577 00:35:44,200 --> 00:35:50,200 Speaker 1: it was. The rice was gummy and really gummy to 578 00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:52,920 Speaker 1: the point where I ate it just because I was starving, 579 00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:55,600 Speaker 1: and I ate it really fast, and I was like, oh, 580 00:35:55,680 --> 00:35:57,359 Speaker 1: this kind of gummy. And then afterward I was like, man, 581 00:35:57,680 --> 00:36:01,040 Speaker 1: that was terrible. Yeah, did you say that to yourself? 582 00:36:01,120 --> 00:36:03,719 Speaker 1: And like you smiled in there? Your whole mouth was 583 00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:06,360 Speaker 1: coated and it was gross. Man, I was. I was 584 00:36:06,440 --> 00:36:08,960 Speaker 1: ticked off afterward after I paid the bill, uh and 585 00:36:09,160 --> 00:36:10,600 Speaker 1: complained the whole way home to Emily. I was like, 586 00:36:10,640 --> 00:36:13,560 Speaker 1: I really should have said something because that was like 587 00:36:13,760 --> 00:36:16,120 Speaker 1: they should have known, they shouldn't have served that rice. Well, 588 00:36:16,200 --> 00:36:18,400 Speaker 1: why didn't you say something? Because, like I said, I 589 00:36:18,480 --> 00:36:22,279 Speaker 1: just shoved it in my face hole and left and 590 00:36:22,400 --> 00:36:25,600 Speaker 1: complained afterwards, which is that's how I do things. Usually, 591 00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:27,480 Speaker 1: I don't like to make a scene. I just like 592 00:36:27,600 --> 00:36:32,359 Speaker 1: to play the martyr afterwards. I've talked about that gummy 593 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:36,359 Speaker 1: sushi for two days. Yeah it was. Yeah, the fish 594 00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:38,840 Speaker 1: and stuff was good, but that rice was just very subar. 595 00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:41,680 Speaker 1: The should have known better. Well, tell me where it 596 00:36:41,760 --> 00:36:47,399 Speaker 1: is afterwards. Uh. If you want to, um, I guess 597 00:36:47,480 --> 00:36:55,160 Speaker 1: inadvertently or quietly clandestinely promote your business like Leard did 598 00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:59,800 Speaker 1: with his eating foods. Yeah. Um. You can tweet to 599 00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:02,440 Speaker 1: us at s y s K podcast. You can join 600 00:37:02,560 --> 00:37:04,759 Speaker 1: us on Facebook dot com, slash stuff you Should Know. 601 00:37:05,360 --> 00:37:09,200 Speaker 1: You can send us an email to stuff Podcast at 602 00:37:09,320 --> 00:37:12,120 Speaker 1: how stuff Works dot com, and as always, joined us 603 00:37:12,120 --> 00:37:14,279 Speaker 1: at our home on the web, Stuff you Should Know 604 00:37:14,520 --> 00:37:22,520 Speaker 1: dot com. For more on this and thousands of other topics, 605 00:37:22,800 --> 00:37:24,120 Speaker 1: is it how stuff Works dot com