VMS decryption scenarios

[crezac]

This being the case the probability of a book having any specific content is irrelevant before you have determined the content as well.

The probability of a book having any specific content is by no means irrelevant. It is relevant to the success of the search of the said content in the book. There are infinite possibilities with close to zero probability. I'm not willing to consider guesses thrown in with zero substantiation.

It is.   The relevant factor is how close your assumption of the possible content matches the actual contents.  Occam's Razor applies because you can control your assumptions.  You do not control the actual content.  Sloppy thinking gets you nowhere you really want to be. 

Say you and a friend are sitting at the side of the road late one morning listening to approaching hoof beats.   He's visiting from Montana but you've lived in the area all your life;  Austin, TX.   He says the hoof beats are horses,  you tell him it's 5 zebra and 2 camels.   His assumption of horses is the best explanation requiring the fewest assumption since his assumption is that, as it is in Montana,  horses are more common in Texas than zebra or camels.   He's right about his assumptions,  but wrong about the horses.  When a man and his wife pass by riding camels and herding five zebra,  you explain that them more relevant assumption was that your neighbors were taking their herd out for a run like they do every day at noon.   If you're going to shave with Oscar's razor you're going to nick yourself sometimes.  But if you don't know how to use it you're just as likely to cut your throat.


As for why I'm willing to consider cell division let's unpack a bit.   An understanding of the process of cell divsion or some of its outputs doesn't require an understanding of cells,  or even that you have the concept.   It requires that you are aware of and attempt to explain things like growth and healing -  and I'm not going new age on you - that's just what cell division is.   I'm not critiquing the methodology behind this approach because I haven't taken the time yet to review all the background material.   If I do decide the approach seems untenable it will likely not be because of a word choice in translating a concept.  I addressed your objection to cells not because I really believe this approach will work,  but because it's more interesting than another substitution cipher.  I didn't find your objection to cells to be decisive; honestly it seemed like nit-picking.   Push over the apple cart if the apples are all rotten.   But if you see a single apple that might be bad,  look closer.   The apple might be fine, the apple might be wormy but not inherently bad,  or the apples might all be bad. 

I think you believe you have the guy backed into a corner and are kicking his legs out from under him.   My perception is that he's a kid rolling his hoop down the road.   You've thrown a rock at his hoop but it's not going to hit so he doesn't even bother to bat it away.  He might hit a rock in the road,  hit the hoop too hard with his stick or get run over by a truck and end up with a broken hoop.   It might fall over and he won't be able to get it rolling again.   He might even get it to the end of the road.   But as long as the hoop isn't obviously busted and he's not trying to drag it down the road rather than roll it,  let the kid play.