In this book the author asks whether you have what it takes to be a codebreaker. This is not because he wants to teach you how to do this; rather, to present challenges for the mind. Code breaking is not easy. The author introduces twelve codes he invented. He presents a message written in these codes. He even tells you what the message says. Your task is to discover how the codes work and prove it by decoding a validation message for each of them. What is your reward? Simply the pleasure of having accomplished doing something that is difficult to do. If you email the author at mario@mariofarina.com telling him this, he'll respond.
The author is an octogenarian. A graduate of The College of Saint Rose, he is a veteran of World War II and has been in the business world nearly seventy years, with careers at General Electric Company, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the New York State Labor Department, where he currently has a full-time job. He is a pioneer of the computer industry beginning as a programmer, then continuing as an instructor. He authored many textbooks on computer technology, all of which were translated into various languages. His later books involve investing in stocks, uses of the English language, and topics in mathematics. He has had a lifetime interest in codes and ciphers. Born in Schenectady, New York, he has four children, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and lives with his wife, Ann, in Troy, New York.
