3rd September 2002

Question: What is this "rot13" option that I have in my Outlook Express newsreader? It sounds like a language for droids?

Answer: Well, "rot13" is a way to scramble a newsgroup message. Rot13 involves replacing each letter with one that appears 13 characters later in the alphabet. Though this is not as secure as encrypting is, it can be useful for sensitive or offensive information. To unscramble a newsgroup message that has been scrambled using rot13, all you need to do is open the message, go to the Message menu and choose Unscramble (rot13). I guess you could unscramble the message manually, but I don't have that much time... do you?