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One-Time Pod

Derek Bruff•derekbruff.org
History
One-Time Pod explores the history of cryptography through episodes produced by students in Derek Bruff's first-year writing seminar at Vanderbilt University.
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Episodes

Episode 47 - PRISM

After Edward Snowden's revelations about the NSA's surveillance programs, how can Americans trust their government again?

Aug 11, 2021•11 min•Ep. 47

Episode 46 - USA PATRIOT Act

Did the US government create a surveillance state in its response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks?

Aug 10, 2021•10 min•Ep. 46

Episode 44 - P vs. NP

What might happen if all modern encryption techniques are rendered useless?

Aug 08, 2021•10 min

Episode 43 - Cicada 3301

Who is behind one of the internet's most intricate and mysterious scavenger hunts?

Aug 07, 2021•20 min•Ep. 43

Episode 42 - The Border Exception

Why are privacy rules for people entering the US so different from the rules that apply within the US?

Aug 06, 2021•11 min•Ep. 42

Episode 37 - TikTok

Should users of apps like TikTok fear that their data may fall into the wrong hands?

Aug 01, 2021•10 min•Ep. 37

Season 4 Introduction

Welcome to Season 4 of One-Time Pod. Each student-produced episode tells a story from the recent history of cryptography, one that explores the role of encryption in the world today.

Jul 29, 2021•3 min

Episode 36 - Musical Cryptography

How can you hide a message in a piece of music? Today on One-Time Pod, Audrey explores musical steganography, with examples from classical to trance.

Dec 19, 2019•12 min•Ep. 36

Episode 35 - The Lorenz Cipher

Sure, breaking the Enigma was hard. But breaking the Lorenz cipher? Without having even seen a Lorenz machine? That’s impressive. Spencer takes us to Bletchley Park in today’s One-Time Pod.

Dec 18, 2019•9 min•Ep. 35

Episode 34 - The McCormick Cipher

His death was mysterious enough. But when encrypted messages were found on his body, things got weird. Chandu explores the McCormick cipher on today’s One-Time Pod.

Dec 17, 2019•11 min•Ep. 34

Episode 33 - Jefferson's Wheel Cipher

Thomas Jefferson… diplomat, politician, and cryptographer? On today’s One-Time Pod, Stella hops in her time machine to talk with a founding father about his little known cipher machine.

Dec 16, 2019•11 min•Ep. 33

Episode 32 - W. B. Tyler

It took 150 years, but a cipher challenge posed by none other than Edgar Allen Poe was finally solved. Who was W. B. Tyler and why were his cryptograms so hard to crack? Wayne explores the mystery of Tyler’s cryptograms on today’s One-Time Pod.

Dec 13, 2019•10 min•Ep. 32

Episode 31 - The Unabomber Ciphers

Twenty years after the Unabomber’s arrest, the FBI published his encrypted journals. Kellia steps into the mind of a killer on today’s One-Time Pod.

Dec 12, 2019•10 min•Ep. 31

Episode 30 - Hieroglyphics

In today’s One-Time Pod, Daniel explores the parallels between breaking codes and uncovering a lost language.

Dec 11, 2019•10 min•Ep. 30

Episode 29 - Hash Functions

In today’s One-Time Pod, Max dives into the history of hash functions, exploring how cybersecurity tries to stay ahead of hackers.

Dec 10, 2019•11 min•Ep. 29

Episode 28 - Lucifer

How to keep US secrets safe? Maybe make a deal with the devil… or at least a little start-up called IBM. Shivam explores the history of Lucifer (and the Data Encryption Standard) on today’s One-Time Pod.

Dec 09, 2019•14 min•Ep. 28

Episode 27 - Numbers Stations

“You can’t be afraid of spies, just like you can’t be afraid of flies. Because they’re everywhere.” Hannah tackles the mystery of numbers stations in the latest One-Time Pod.

Dec 06, 2019•10 min•Ep. 27

Episode 26 - Operation Vula

Explore Operation Vula, a crucial secret communication network that revolutionized anti-apartheid efforts in the 1980s. Learn how Tim Jenkin engineered a system using encrypted messages transmitted via telephone touch-tones, enabling underground activists to coordinate with exiled ANC leaders like Nelson Mandela. Discover the vital role of an air hostess in its deployment and the ultimate reasons behind its compromise, highlighting the risks of high-stakes covert operations.

Dec 05, 2019•11 min•Ep. 26

Episode 25 - The Ave Maria Cipher

Any sufficiently advanced cryptography is indistinguishable from magic. At least, that’s what Johannes Trithemius, 16th century German monk, found out. The hard way.

Dec 04, 2019•10 min•Ep. 25

Season 3 Introduction

Welcome to Season 3 of One-Time Pod, a podcast on the history of cryptography produced by students in Derek Bruff's first-year writing seminar at Vanderbilt University. Each episode considers a different code or cipher, how it works, and why it's interesting.

Dec 03, 2019•2 min

Episode 24 - The Panizzardi Telegram

Charlie tells the tale of the Dreyfus affair, a contentious moment in French history that illustrates the unintended effects of enciphering messages.

Dec 12, 2018•15 min•Ep. 24

Episode 23 - The Voynich Manuscript

Jojo explores the mystery of the Voynich manuscript, a 15th century text filled with mystical images and written in an unknown alphabet.

Dec 11, 2018•11 min•Ep. 23

Episode 22 - The Culper Ring

Jerry shares the history and codes of America's first intelligence agency, the Culper Ring.

Dec 10, 2018•11 min•Ep. 22
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