Puzzles
In addition to traditional game design, I'm also fascinated by puzzles, including:
Puzzle Hunt Puzzles. In a typical Puzzle Hunt, a small team tackles a series of puzzles, culminating in a final "metapuzzle." However, unlike traditional logic puzzles, the solver isn't given a set of rules to solve the puzzle. Instead, the solver must decode an unambiguous word or short phrase from the puzzle. Curious what that might look like? Here's an example puzzle.
I've designed a number of Puzzle Hunt Puzzles for local Puzzle Hunts.
ARGs. Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) use transmedia storytelling to deliver a narrative that's often reinforced using puzzles. Generally, ARGs use excruciatingly difficult puzzles based on cryptography and steganography, given that they're intended to be solved by a community.
ARGs often overlap with the video game industry. See for example the Portal 2 ARG, I Love Bees, or the Frog Fractions 2 ARG. Other ARGs have more mysterious origins...
Logic Puzzles. Logic Puzzles have well-defined rules and a clear goal. While Sudoku is perhaps one of the best-known Logic Puzzles, the genre includes a rich variety of puzzles. For example, see the World Puzzle Federation archives.
Mechanical Puzzles. From Rubik's Cubes to Horseshoe Puzzles, Mechanical Puzzles come in a wide-variety. See here for a simply astounding example.
Quantum Cryptograhy
Quantum computing threatens to break a number of widely used cryptographic protocols. Thankfully quantum technology also provides a cryptographic protocol that's provably safe against against an adversary with any technology.
For my Masters thesis, I examined a method of long-distance Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). QKD provides a way to communicate securely, in which you can prove that a third party isn't listening in - using fundamental quantum principles. However, there are significant challenges with getting QKD to be efficient over long distances. In my thesis, I examined a method in which a trusted third party (say, a satellite) could be used to extend the range of QKD to a global scale.