From: "Perry E. Metzger" <pmetzger@lehman.com>
Date: Sun, 7 Nov 93 08:48:10 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: ID of anonymous posters via word analysis?
In-Reply-To: <199311070959.BAA13037@well.sf.ca.us>
Message-ID: <9311071646.AA04416@snark.lehman.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



Astonishing how far urban legends go. This keeps getting distorted
further and further. I've heard this go further and further and
further from the version I first heard. I wonder if there ever was a
real story to begin with.

Perry

"George A. Gleason" says:
> I'm not so sure about translation software... apparently there is a story
> about the first time this was attempted; an NSA implementation for use on
> the US-USSR hot line, to speed things along in the event of a crisis.
> 
> When they opened the thing up for test, there was a diplomat at each end,
> and a top military official as well.  At the US end, they typed in, "The
> spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."  Then it popped out in Russian,
> and was typed back in again in Russian.  What popped back out in Washington
> in English was, "The ghost is ready but the meat is raw."  Back to the
> proverbial drawing board.  
> 
> Presumably things have improved a bit since then, eh...?
> 
> -g