Interview with the author of “The Code Book” and other scientific books.
by Agatino Grillo.
(Italian version)

IsacaRoma: What's about you? Actually you are an author, journalist and TV producer, specialising in science and mathematics. Any other? What is you cultural  background? How did you arrive to science and mathematics?
Simon Singh: I have spent the last 20 years communicating science, either in schools, on radio, on TV, in books, in newspapers, anywhere. I find science and mathematics fascinating, and it is strange to me that people might not find these subjects interesting.

IR: What is Theatre of Science? 
SS: This was a project to create interesting, exciting and entertaining science lectures and present them in a mainstream theatre. The shows have been very successful. We have had two sell out runs in London and one in Edinburgh. Next year we will take the show to Dublin.

IR: Are your books "popular" (in sense of sells) in Italy too?
SS: All my books are available in Italian and are published by BUR.
I think my books sell well in Italy.I have sold over one million books around the world.

IR: What about cryptography? What is the interactive Cd-Rom version of The CodeBook? Why is it free?
SS: I think codes are a great way to get young people interested in mathematics, because it shows the application of maths and shows how maths can change history. The aim of making it freely available is to get as many people, young and old, as interested in the subject as possible.

IR: Is possible to learn cryptography without academic background? What is your opinion? Have you any recommendations to improve cryptography knowledge for non-specialized people?
SS: I think being an expert cryptographer requires a great deal of intelligence, dedication and time. My books are aimed at people who are just curious and who want to get a glimpse of this intriguing world.

IR: What is steganography?
SS: Cryptography is about protecting a message by turning it into nonsense. Steganography is about protecting a message by making it invisible.

IR: What about quantum cryptography?
SS: The latest ideas in cryptography suggest that we can exploit the laws of quantum physics to make an unbreakable code. There are already some prototype systems, but it is not clear that we will all be using quantum cryptography in the future.

Who is Simon Singh?

Simon Singh has a PhD in physics and is the author of “Big Bang”, “The Code Book”, “Fermat’s Last Theorem”.
Contacts: http://www.simonsingh.net/

The interactive Cd-Rom version of The Code Book 

Contents:

1. Encryption tools,
2. Code breaking tools,
3. Coded messages to crack,
4. Material for teachers, e.g., worksheets,
5. A realistic, virtual Enigma cipher machine,
6. A beginner's cryptography tutorial,
7. A history of codes from 1000BC to 2000AD,
8. Material for junior codebreakers,
9. An animated section on quantum cryptography,
10. Sections on public key crypto & RSA.