The surprisingly complex journey a text message takes every time we hit 'send.'
By Scott B. Weingart
My leg involuntarily twitches with vibration - was it my phone, or just a phantom feeling? - and a quick inspection reveals a blinking blue notification. "I love you," my wife texted me. I walk downstairs to wish her goodnight, because I know the difference between the message and the message, you know?
It's a bit like encryption, or maybe steganography: anyone can see the text, but only I can decode the hidden data.