Hello everybody, this happens to be the third post in my series of 'Imagine if...' posts. Essentially they are just my ramblings and my thoughts on a particular topic. It may not overly interest you because some of the possibilities I discuss are in fact real-world impossibilities, but there's no harm in discussing them anyway. Why poverty, you may ask? Well, I understand why you're perturbed because within the previous two posts, I have discussed things that are quite frankly impossible. However, this particular post discusses a subject that poses a very real threat to the world and is a task that so many charities and organisations are trying to complete. Unfortunately, it's a lot easier for me to sit here and write about it, than it is to actually put some work into progress to ensure the eradication of poverty. One of the major problems is that poverty hasn't just been a recent development due to the rapid development of some countries in the world, it has been present for several decades, even centuries, even though it seems a problem of the 'present'.

Poverty is a difficult topic because it has so many different sections. Primarily, however, I think it's due to a lack of education and more importantly, a lack of access to education. I think we take it for granted just how lucky we are to have a readily available education system, which gives us more opportunities and prepares us for the life ahead of us. Unfortunately, there are several adults and children alike that simply do not have the access to any form of education that will ensure a good future for them and their family. Yes, I know, maybe it's because they can't afford it, but that relates back to their parents and their lack of education. I suppose what I'm trying to say is, that it's all a vicious cycle, which we can help to break. Education can be an important stepping stone out of poverty for many people. I know everyone is stereotypically thinking of the poverty-stricken families in Africa, but poverty is far more widespread than any of us could imagine.

Along with the lack of education, there are so many other factors that can contribute to the extent of poverty. Obviously illness, starvation and eventually death are major issues that leading charities in the world are striving to eradicate. I wonder whether we'll ever get to a time when everyone on the Earth has access to clean water, the necessary medicines (especially vaccines, as highlighted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) and enough food to sustain a healthy lifestyle. I'm going to make a wild guess here (and please, statisticians out there, I would like you to prove me wrong) and say that complete eradication of 'poverty' as we know it may never be achieved within my life. I try to be an optimistic person, so I'm going to hope and wish that it will be achieved at some point in the future. It's just that the way the world is heading, the prospect seems unlikely (I know, how depressing and pessimistic). The problem is, that I want to help as much as possible, but everything has to be done in moderation. Additionally, I think it's important for this to be a collective goal, because eradicating poverty on your own can be very daunting, so raising money and awareness with others always benefits the cause.

Just in case I haven't hammered on about the subject of poverty, I'm going to offer you some statistics obtained from this particular website: http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats

• Almost half of the world (that is over 3 billion people) live on less than $2.50 (£1.65) a day.
• The poorest 40% of the world's population account for 5% of global income, whereas the richest 20% accounts for 75% of world income. Pretty self-explanatory I suppose, but still fairly significant.
• According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. To me, that is an incomprehensibly high death rate. Don't you agree?
• Nearly a billion people entered the 21st Century unable to read a book or even sign their names. 
• Every year there are 350-500 million cases of malaria, with 1 million fatalities. 
• Some 1.1 billion people living in developing countries do not have access to clean water and 2.6 billion people lack basic sanitation. 
  

Hello and welcome everybody, to another of my posts where I ramble and ponder about the impossible. If someone ever asks me what sort of superpower I would most like to have, I think I would undoubtedly confess to wanting to be able to tell the future. Personally, I think it will be the most useful (other than super-strength or speed) in the modern world. It might seem strange because people are so caught up in 'living in the moment' these days, but the future may not be something that people want to know. I understand that the long-term future for us all will inevitably lead to our departure from this planet (apologies for lowering the tone, but we must face facts), but as an adolescent (or teenager as some of you like to brand us) who has their whole life ahead of them, knowing something of the future could bring some relief and leave us less stressed about our future outcome. For those who have already accomplished all within their life, then the future may either be something they are not looking forward to, or it might bring some pleasant surprises. I think, it's something entirely subjective.

Sometimes I wonder, 'what am I going to end up doing one day?', 'will I fulfil my dream of becoming a doctor, or will I turn to a different walk of life?' , 'where will I end up living one day?' or 'will I be happy with what I have achieved?'. Obviously, I have no clue as to what the answers to those questions are going to be, I can only guess. So, just for once, I would like to delve into my future to see what life has in store for me. Sometimes, it might end up being a waking call and one may have to completely change their lifestyle, in case they end up foreseeing a more troubled life than they expected. I guess, what I'm trying to coherently communicate is that, it would be nice to have a little advanced notice, so you can change within the present and possibly alter your future. I know this is entirely hypothetical, but wouldn't that relieve you of some major stress? For me, I think knowing what the future holds could be a vital part of shaping my actual future.

I also sometimes wonder, how the world will change in years to come. We all know about the imminent changes to our planet's climate and environment, but how will it actually end up? Will there be horrendous floods that drown entire countries (yes, I know that is slightly too far-fetched, but how am I to know?) Are we then all going to pack our bags and move to another planet? I can't stop myself from imagining the future that is always predicted in movies or television shows, where there are floating buildings and cars that fly. It seems incredibly ridiculous, as I write this now, but how do we know what' s going to happen? The rate at which we are advancing, we might end up eradicating some incredibly deadly diseases from this planet. On the other hand, the world population could increase so rapidly that we start to inhabit more and more areas that were originally solely dedicated to wild animals. What if the common animals that we know today, like giraffes and zebras become extinct and in there place, there exists a slightly more evolved and adapted hybrid (perhaps a gebra or ziraffe)? As you can tell, the future can be a frightening reality.

Unfortunately, nobody I know is gifted with such an ability, which may indeed be a good thing. You might feel slightly stranded or incredibly apprehensive about everything if your psychic powers informed you of the death of a loved one or if it indicates to you that your life isn't going to take the path you intended due to certain circumstances. Wouldn't that be thoroughly disappointing? Knowing everything about the future could make life less interesting as the world would cease to surprise you. You would know about your every move, before it actually happened. I suppose that takes the pleasure out of living and feeling alive. Once again, this is an argument that has two sides (oh how predictable). This sort of power could fall into the hands of the good and could save millions of lives and put an end to suffering as we know it. But, simultaneously, it could fall into wrong hands and be used to create havoc. So, I suppose it's up to you where you stand in this particular scenario.

Sometimes I really wish I could know even the slightest of details about my impending future, just to assure me that things are going to be okay. But, that is not an ability that we have, so we have to endure life as it comes, when it comes and how it comes. I suppose being psychic gives us an unfair advantage, which may ruin the balance of nature. However, on the other hand, it will really sharpen our 'decision-making' ability, based on what life throws at us. Don't you think? Anyway, thanks for reading.

Adios. xxx

Hello once again everyone. As you can tell from the title, this is a 'follow-on' post to a previous post that I have done. I'm not sure whether these particular type of posts interest you, but if worst comes to worst, you can surprise someone you know by sharing one of these facts with them (please feel free to share it with someone you don't know, as well, but don't be downhearted if they don't seem as surprised or excited by your vast expanse of knowledge).

All of the facts I have acquired below originated from this particular website and there are plenty more facts that may interest you: http://www.tealdragon.net/humor/facts/facts.htm

1. A jellyfish is 95% water.
This is hardly surprising to me, considering that we humans are also generally more than 50% water (depending on our age). However, I am intrigued to know the constituents of the remaining 5% of the jellyfish. But, considering that jellyfish have been roaming the Earth's seas for at least 500 million years, I don't think their body composition has posed a huge threat to their survival. Obviously within its natural habitat (being the water, if anyone was particularly curious), the jellyfish looks very much as a stereotypical jellyfish would, however, once removed from the water and placed on a sandy beach (not recommended), one can see the true nature of the jellyfish. I'm not implying that in the water that they are completely docile and when removed they get incredibly angry and throw a tantrum, but visually, they look very slimy and gelatinous, which sort of helps this fact seem more believable.

"I'm made of mostly of water, but look how beautiful I am"

2. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave. 
I am slightly dubious about the accuracy of this fact, because I was not under the impression that bats made conscious decisions on which they were planning to turn upon leaving a cave, because as they can fly, surely it shouldn't matter. But, that could just be my general ignorance (subtle hint towards QI). I also find it hard to believe that bats always choose a cave, whereby in order to get to any destination, the initial direction would be left. It just seems a little far-fetched for me. Clearly the bat isn't aware that they are always turning left, it is possibly something observed by an expert during some sort of experiment or investigation. But, on the other hand, bats could be incredibly superstitious animals and turning right when exiting cave could be deemed as very bad luck. Will we ever know the truth?

"Guys, come on, you know that left is the other way"

3. If a statue in the park of a person on a horse shows the horse with both front legs in the air, then the person has died in battle. If only one of the horse's legs is in the air, then they have died of wounds received in battle. But, if all four legs are secured firmly to the ground, it signifies that they have died of natural causes. 
Well, this seems to be an interesting strategy adopted to communicate the means of death. It's not something that I've been looking out for, but I suppose it is a justified way of portraying their bravery and contribution to the various war efforts. I wonder what it would signify, if all four legs of the horse were in the air. My theory is that, a levitating horse probably means that the person was abducted by aliens, or that that particular horse was amazing at dancing. I'm not entirely sure, what do you think?

"Hello kids, I died in battle (well, that's what everyone else says)"

4. In the White House, there are 13,092 knives, forks and spoons. 
I'm not certain whether this relates to the number of knives, forks and spoons each or as a collective number. But, nevertheless, I presume that the cutlery is distributed amongst however many kitchens or dining rooms the White House contains. I am slightly inclined to believe that the White House has a separate 'Cutlery Room', but that would be bizarre and pretty useless for anything other than housing various types of cutlery. I assume that some of these knives, forks and spoons are more valuable than others and where those particular pieces are housed, only the top White House employees will know the whereabouts of (please note that this is completely imaginary, I have absolutely no idea where the cutlery is housed, I am just attempting to make cutlery seem more interesting).

"Anybody need an extra spoon, we've got plenty?"

5. The Boston University Bridge is the only place in the world where a boat can sail under a train, travelling under a car, which is driving under a plane. 
Yes, confusing and complicated as it seems, this bridge consists of four layers of different types of transportation. The bridge itself, I think, was built in the 1920s and then later on, it became famous for the different layers. I, myself, have never seen this bridge, other than within pictures but I'm sure it's quite magnificent to see the ultimate culmination of modern-day engineering and technology, along one bridge. If you have seen it, please feel free to comment.

Car: "Oh man, I think I'm on the wrong bridge, I don't remember seeing a train last time"

And there we have it, five simple, small facts that may spark an interest in you. They may seem slightly bizarre, but I think only the strangest things in the world are the most interesting. What do you think?
If there are any other interesting facts that you know, please feel free to share them with me. Thank you so much for reading.

Adios. xxx

Hello once again everybody. I apologise for not having written in a while, but I was at a loss of inspiration. I can't say I feel overly inspired now, but this is just a thought that popped into my head and I thought, 'why not write about it?'.

Can mind-reading be considered a super-power? I really don't know, because as of yet, I really haven't met anyone capable of achieving such feats. I know fortune-tellers and various magicians may have skills of predicting your future (or so it may seem), but have they truly grasped the ability to identify what is going through our heads? For one thing, I feel sorry for any poor soul who has to attempt and read my mind, it is not something I would recommend. But, is it truly possible? Can anyone's mind be so evolved that they are able to make sense of the rapid electrical impulses passing between neurones and crossing synapses in another person's brain? I sometimes find it difficult to understand my own brain, so much so that I can't even begin to fathom how complex it would be to interpret other people's thoughts.

I know that Edward Cullen can do it (just trying to brighten your day with some Twilight trivia) and that certain twins are telepathically gifted, but what about you and I? I find that I can sometimes tell how a person is feeling, due to their posture and facial expression, but there's no knowing whether those feelings correlate with the thoughts running through their mind. If someone's seems sad, because either they're more hunched and their facial expression depicts it, then I would presume that they were upset about something (crying would also be a useful hint). But, I could only possibly guess at the cause of the sadness. That kind of information is secured within the mind of the particular person in question and unfortunately, I can't access it.

But think of all the tragedies and deaths we could have prevented, if we were capable of reading each other's minds. People would never be able to lie about something and the awkward first stages of trying to identify whether someone likes you can be avoided. Think about those situations when you try something on for the first time and you ask others on their opinion and they unanimously agree that it looks great on you. Have you ever wondered how despite each person having their own unique style, they still all have positive remarks on whatever it is you are wearing. This kind of scenario could apply to all sorts of different situations. Honesty between people would soon cease to be a problem.

However, in order to ensure that this is a balanced argument, I should mention that this power could also very easily fall into the wrong hands. People could be cruelly manipulated because of their deepest secrets and people could become constantly paranoid about the thoughts crossing their mind. You would become more conscious than ever about your opinions and judgements on various people or even other things. I like to think that our minds are a like a bank (you know, like HSBC or Barclays), but unlike the more common banks, our minds are completely impenetrable. The biggest banks in the world have such high quality security systems and yet, I don't think they are any match for the invisible system of protection we have for the wealth that is contained in our minds. But, if even one person manages to break that protection by acquiring the ability to read each other's minds, then aren't we all going to be compromised? And think about how annoying it would be, to be able to know each and every thing somebody is thinking. You might just like to enjoy the peace and the quiet of your own thoughts, without having other people's love lives or their intended dinner menu constantly resurfacing amidst your thoughts.

Anyway, those are just some of my ramblings. I would love to know what you think about the idea of mind-reading. Are you against it or for it (not that this is some sort of petition for a new type of technology that I'm developing)? I just think it would be interesting to delve into what other people think, without being overly intrusive. You never know, it may surprise you when you realise what others are truly thinking.

Adios. xxx

Hello once again everybody. This post is going to be about another talk that I have attended in Cambridge. It was organised by the Cambridge Carbon Footprint (and no prizes are to be awarded for guessing what issues this talk revolved around). The talk was held on the 2nd of July at St. Luke's Church in Cambridge. It was presented by Anne Miller who is in fact Director of The Creativity Partnership of the British Antarctic Survey. If I followed her correctly, I think she is in fact an engineer that was given the opportunity of visiting the Antarctic. I just came across it on the internet, thought it sounded quite interesting, hopped on the train with my mother and brother and then caught a taxi to the venue. We arrived around five minutes late, but I don't think we missed anything significant (or at least I hope we didn't).

This is the official website for Cambridge Carbon Footprint, feel free to take a look:
http://cambridgecarbonfootprint.org

The talk was very detailed and insightful, but I'm not going to go into very in-depth topics because I want to ensure that everybody reading this will be able to fully understand and appreciate the extent of the research work being done within the Antarctic by various groups of scientists. I apologise if this brief summary seems too short or badly explained but I am not a professional within this field. I am simply going to list and explain some of the bullet points that caught my attention which I have jotted down.

• Ice cores and bubbles- This is one of the very few things that I was actually aware of prior to the talk. The drilling of these ice cores enable scientists to analyse the air bubbles trapped within the ice cores and can then give some idea of the various gas components of the atmosphere several years ago. The disks that are collected are apparently sent to Cambridge for analysis, so it was particularly significant that this talk was held within the very place where the scientific data is collected. Using these ice cores, I think the scientists are attempting to map changes in the concentration of various gases in the atmosphere (like carbon dioxide, for an example).
  
• The Antarctic Treaty- This intrigued me a lot because of the neat way in which Antarctica is divided according to which area is designated to which country. Despite the fact that the divisions seem quite strict, various articles within the treaty state that military activity within Antarctica is not permitted, although military personnel and equipment may be used to aid the scientific research that is been done within each country's respective bases.
  
• Anne Miller also spoke about the wildlife surrounding the camps and bases. She showed pictures of various penguins, elephant seals and also told us stories about the consequences of crossing the path of leopard seals. The rather unusual aspect of Antarctica that she explained to us was that marine life were generally larger and lived for longer than usual due to their slower metabolism (which relates to the temperatures that they are living in). One of the most frightening aspects regarding the wildlife in the area was that many of the species are highly sensitive to changes in temperature. For you and I, a three degree increase in temperature may seem minute, but for some species that can mean the difference between survival and extinction. 
  
• Another rather intriguing aspect of the life in the Antarctic was that, even during the very late hours of the night, there would still be sunshine. Due to the increased intensity of the sunlight, a lot of protection had to be used to prevent any damage to the skin, which included sun creams at a high SPF. 
  
• One of the more important issues being discussed (other than the elephant seals that were blocking pathways between various buildings) was the part that Southern oceans play in the absorption of carbon dioxide. Apparently, these oceans absorb around 40% of the all of the world's carbon dioxide emissions. But, now scientists are puzzling over the possibility that this absorbed carbon dioxide may be re-released back into the atmosphere, which could have several dangerous implications on the global climate. Hopefully, some means of calculating whether this is indeed the case has been developed, after all, BAS were the first to realise the existence of the ozone hole. 
  
• Another possibility explored by scientists regarding the melting glaciers, is that currents around the Antarctic are bringing warmer sea water, which may be melting the the glaciers from underneath the surface. But, whatever cause the scientists identify for the melting of the glaciers may not necessarily have an impact on slowing down or stopping the effects that it is having on the wildlife around it. I hope that whatever discoveries are made will now be used in order to better the current situation that we are facing. However, outmanoeuvring nature is not an easy task. 
  

Hello again everybody... I really need to come up with a better opening phrase. Hmmm... got any ideas? Anyway, as you can probably tell, this post is about the receding rainforests of the Amazon. Oh wait, sorry, I misread the title. It is in fact a summary of my prom. I bet you can't wait to here the insightful details and the breakdown of what really happened. To be honest, nothing major of the sort actually happened.

I am kind of embarrassed to admit that I left everything until the very end as I wasn't too bothered. So, shoes, bag and makeup were very much ignored for the vast majority of the process leading up to the 'prom day'. So as not to feel alone, I invited my friend Elisha along to get ready with me. There was a bit of a hullabaloo (yes, I think that word accurately sums it up) regarding the hairdressers. Firstly the problem arose when I asked my mother to book the hair appointments and conveniently forgot to mention the fact that we would require some work done on our faces... no, I don't mean botox or plastic surgery, but makeup. So, I frantically rang up the hairdressers about two days in a row, trying to pry two makeup appointments out of their busy schedule. Alas, I was not very lucky in securing those appointments, so I had to confess to my friend that makeup was not going to happen. I wasn't too flustered at this point because my mother is fairly good with makeup, so I was going to rely on her ability to miraculously transform me into a princess (believe me, that never ended up happening). My friend, upon receiving the news of my failure to book a makeup appointment, hurriedly booked an appointment at her local salon. So, she was to get her makeup done and arrive at the hairdressers for her appointment.

However, being the very organised person that I am, I told her the wrong time for her appointment and her mother was forced to drive dangerously fast (bordering on F1 speeds) to get her to the hairdressers on time. Yes, as you can tell, getting ready for prom was a very smooth process. Meanwhile, I was getting my hair done into a particular up-do that I had found on the internet. I find hairdressers quite friendly these days, but as I am not one who books a daily hair appointment, I don't have any gossip to catch up on with these particular hairdressers (nor do I know them by name, as some of their older customers do). So, there I was, stuck in a chair, worrying no end whether my friend was going to arrive in time and having to explain my life story to the lovely lady curling my hair. Eventually, however, my friend arrived and I was able to sit back and breathe a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, my poor mother was forced to frantically walk from shop to shop trying to find me some shoes and a clutch bag to go with the dress I was planning to wear. Yes, I know, I should have already bought those but as you can tell, my preparation skills were far from excellent. Eventually, we managed to get our hair done without any more further problems and my mother managed to locate some shoes and a handbag. At that point, I wasn't really bothered whether I was carrying a clutch or a rucksack, I just wanted to get to the venue in one piece.

We returned home and ate some lunch because a formal dinner had not been part of the itinerary and we had no intention of fainting in the middle of the whole event. Then, we busied ourselves with changing into our dresses without damaging our intricate hairstyles. Fortunately, we managed to do so with no major mishaps. Then, we completed our transformation with a few touch-ups on our makeup and began the long and arduous process of posing for family photos, whilst our mothers repeatedly confessed how 'grown-up' we looked. My father arrived a few minutes later and drove us to the venue, as he had promised to act as our chauffeur. I finally felt as if the completely unorganised 'getting ready' procedure had come together at just the right moment. We arrived literally on the dot (unfortunately we were unable to be 'fashionably late') and then we were faced with another barrage of photographers of various levels of enthusiasm. Once again, we were forced to adopt a certain posture and pose for their cameras until our facial muscles began to feel fatigued.

Then, other people began to arrive with their prospective dates (Elisha and I were not lucky enough to secure any males to escort us, which didn't really bother us too much). To be truthful, that was genuinely the most exciting and enjoyable part of our whole prom. I loved to see how different people looked in their various attires. I am so familiar with seeing my friends in the usual navy uniform, that I couldn't help but squeal with excitement as I saw everyone dressed up so well. There was such a variety of beautiful dresses and an assortment of rather unnecessarily high heels. I sympathised with the girls that were bound to seven inch platforms, but at the same time, it was their choice to endure such pain. The hall that was booked for our prom featured interesting floral decorations, disco lights, a DJ and a large screen where pictures of us that were obtained from each and every social networking site were projected on to it, just to embarrass those who had omitted from applying any touch-ups or filters to those pictures. Yes, as you can imagine there were a fair few gasps when the most horrifically embarrassing of pictures featured in the slide show, but all in all, I don't think that scheme was a bad idea. Over in one sad corner of the hall was a food table with an assortment of unhealthy snacks (apart from the grapes, which I think some of the males interpreted as a supplement for wine). There were around five or six tables that were each decorated according to the overall colour scheme and a reasonably large dance floor. A drinks bar was situated in another corner of the room.

So, there we have it. That was the overall layout of the evening, but the evening itself didn't pan out so fantastically. People were 'afraid' (I think that's the appropriate word) to dance and socialise. I didn't understand why because the music being played wasn't altogether that horrendous. Some of my close friends got together (including me) to advertise our wide array of dance moves, which featured 'the robot', 'the sprinkler' and even occasionally 'the running man'. I hoped more people would laugh and dance, but I had a feeling that all of their attention was focused on the 'after party', which I wasn't going to attend due to its notoriety. At least the food at the table was consumed (I was in no way involved in that).

Overall, I thought the day was memorable and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing my friends in their respective attire. I thought they all looked fabulous. I would have hoped for more interaction between various people in our year, but one can't have everything in life. I would love to know the sort of prom experience that you went through, please feel free to comment below. Thank you so much for reading.


Adios. xxx

Hello everyone, fancy seeing you here (figure of speech). I recently went on a trip to Cambridge with a friend and my grandparents. As part of the Cambridge University lectures, Dr. James Grime (who is actually a public speaker) spoke to us (the audience) for an hour about the life and death of Alan Turing and the work done at Bletchley Park during the war. I am still astounded by the complexity of the Enigma Machine, yet I am still pondering whether such inventions could ever match the ability of the human brain. What do you think? Turing's Bombe Machine may certainly have come very close to uncovering the codes and secret messages conjured by the human mind, but I am still not convinced that these early 'computers' could compete with the depth of our mind.

Just an arty snapshot of my train tickets

Here is the what the ticket for the talk looks like....

I'm going to attempt to explain some of the complex layers of the Enigma Machine covered within the lecture ( and if you ever read this blogpost, Dr. James Grime, I apologise in advance for any inaccuracies). I am basing my explanation of the Enigma Machine on the model that Dr. Grime had brought along to the lecture, which was actually lent to Dr. Grime (as he is also part of the Millennium Mathematics Project). That particular Enigma Machine was around 70 years old and was found in a field (if my memory serves me correctly). I suppose I should inform those who are unaware that these machines are most famously known for military code-breaking and making, but these machines also had commercial uses (by banks and big businesses). The machines themselves consist of three rotors, a lampboard, keyboard and plugboard. Doesn't it seem so simple? Trust me, after an hour of having the Enigma Machine and its components explained to us, I can promises you that this is not an easy machine.

The three rotors each have 26 potential turns to it, relating to the number of letters in the alphabet. But, they also have specifically numbered positions that the rotors can be placed in, (and here the complication starts). The lampboard consists of an arrangement of small bulbs (which light up, if that didn't seem obvious enough for you). Basically, whenever a letter is pressed on the keyboard, a different letter lights up on the lampboard, which corresponds with the position of the rotors and the plugboard. The second letter that lights up is the 'code letter' and as you continue to type out your secret message, the machine encrypts it. The coded letter that lights up on the lampboard depends on the rotor settings and the plugboard. Now the plugboard is located at the front of the machine and basically consists of wires that are connected to a pair of letters (e.g. : A and F could be connected together and so on). So, an enigma machine's cryptographic key has several aspects:

• Wheel order - the choice of the rotors and in which order they are fitted (bare in mind that the enigma machine could potentially have more than three rotors)
• Initial position of the rotors - during the War, the German operators would choose this particular setting, firstly from a 'codebook' that they all had which changed settings for every day of the month, then with a secret setting that they would type (in code) at the beginning of the message.
• Ring setting - the position of the alphabet ring relative to the rotor wiring.
• Plugboard connections- these connections would also be stated within the codebook, making it slightly easier for cryptographers to de-code the message. 

Here we have the famous Enigma Machine