ENIGMA Chapter 2 – The Invention of the Engima Machine

Chapter 1 – Historical Background Chapter 3 – The Substitution Cipher Introduction The breaking of the Enigma coding system was not a one-time event. The Polish Cipher Bureau (which first decoded Enigma messages in late 1932/early 1933), Bletchley Park in England, and codebreakers in other countries had to deal with different versions of the Enigma […]

Benedict into Bowie?

The Thin White Duke, or David Bowie to the masses, was revealed this week to be the character Benedict would most like to play. It was a surprising, and exciting, piece of news nestled into an excellent interview for British Airways’ High Life magazine, and many of the Cumbercollective squealed with excitement at the very […]

Cumberbatch’s previous roles and their Hamlet connections

The very clever MrsLokke has discovered some interesting parallels between Benedict’s previous roles and  Hamlet and was kind enough to share her insights with us. The following texts and more from MrsLokke can be found on her Tumblr page. Hamlet and Christopher Tietjens “It is not, nor it cannot, come to good, But break, my […]

The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien

On opening the first page of ‘The Hobbit’ we are very much like our Hobbit himself Mr Bilbo Baggins. Opening the door to Bag End and gazing curiously into the unknown, unaware of the life changing journey that lies ahead of him. Even Tolkien himself couldn’t see it coming just yet. ‘The Hobbit’ takes us […]

Wreckers (2011)

Currently available on United States Netflix. Wreckers, an independent drama, came only to United Kingdom cinemas in Winter 2011. A resilient piece that rides the waves of drama, lies, deception and the willingness to keep living.

Chocolate Martini Recipe

Yeah, I think we’ve all been thoroughly traumatized by this guy: Benedict Cumberbatch as Paul Marshall in Atonement. Saying why he’s role in this is so utterly creepy would be giving away too much of the plot but it’s incredible to witness how convincing Benedict is in the role. Paul Marshall’s boozy speciality are “scrumptious” […]

ENIGMA Chapter 1 – Historical Background

CRYPTOLOGY IN WORLD WAR I Radio communication The invention of radio in the late 19th century had far-reaching consequences for military communication and cryptography. It enabled the exchange of messages with hitherto isolated locations (like ships at sea) and could be used to direct military campaigns. But it also made the need for secure encryption […]