From time to time we've all come across a strange message in the office and wondered what they actually meant.
Early in the year a topic appeared on the forums dedicated to figuring out what some of the more obscure messages meant,
and who they referred too, and some of the answers were actually quite interesting and curious to read.

http://kr.forenserver.de1.cc/viewtopic.php?t=766

Needless to say the topic didn't last long, but looking back recently I came across it again and thought to revive it since we had a couple of new messages in the office now with a few more to be added sooner or later to add to the mystery.

In this second article I will list a few of the messages, and attempt to describe the meanings behind them.
So without further delay lets find one at random ...

Before I start, I'd just like to comment that someone contacted me last week to expand on the meaning of the Dr. Who reference quotation. Unfortunately I had forgotten to make a backup of this message,
but if they could contact me again I'll update this page as appropriate.

There was a young bloke called Jakob Fugger, asking if he could do an internship with you.
I have sent him packing straight away!

Jakob Fugger was a German Banker who lived in late fifteenth centaury Europe, and earned the title The Rich in his life time.
A trader like his brothers he learned Double-entry bookkeeping in Venice and later inherited his father's business of trading because of this new knowledge. He expanded the family enterprise out to the Adriatic Sea via the port of Venice effectively increasing the area of trading, and gradually his wealth.

Jakob wasn't known just for been rich however, but rather for the fact he used his fortune to loan to the rulers around Europe,
and often provided mercenary armies with monetary resources so they could wage war against one another.
Perhaps his most recognised gift however was that he provided Charles V with the money needed to
bribe the seven electors to make him Holy Roman Emperor in 1519.

In return Charles ennobled the family and granted them sovereign rights over their lands, including that of coining their own money.
Jacob also secured the right to sell papal indulgences, which increased his already vast fortune tenfold.

Would you believe that: I just met this Oriental who claimed he was able to shoot iron bullets out of some iron pipe, using some sort of strange powder. Ha ha ha, let me tell you this: Catapults will always remain cutting edge technology!

 Almost certainly referring to the invention of Gun Powder. Chinese Alchemists first covered it's explosive potency, and viability as a weapon in the early 800s and first created it using a mixture of saltpetre, sulphur and charcoal.

In the years that followed better ways to control the mixture were found which eventually lead to the creation of arquebuses, and later cannons. The comment our Seward makes about Catapults always been cutting edge technology is very redundant by what we know today. As technology advanced they became far more effective as weapons, and much more accurate.

Used against castles, or even troops in general little was able to stand against the full blunt attack of an iron ball from an arquebus, or even a cannon. Large iron balls, or rounded stone fired from a Cannon were found to be much more mobile, not to mention more powerful then some of their predecessors such as the Trebuchet which needed to be built near the battlefield.
Castles quickly fell to cannon fire in the Middle Ages and gradually began to lose their effectiveness.

You know my my wife's cousin? Well, her aunt knows a man who claims he has been to the end of the world.
He said that if he had made one step too far, he would have clean fallen off!

Almost certainly a reference to when people still believed the world was flat, and that if you sailed too far in the wrong direction you'd fall off the edge. It's interesting to note however it has been suggested that seafarers probably provided the first observational evidence that the Earth was not flat.

Around 330 BC, Aristotle provided observational evidence for the spherical Earth, noting that travellers going south see southern constellations rise higher above the horizon. He argued that this was only possible if their horizon was at an angle to northerners' horizon and that the Earth's surface therefore could not be flat.

He also noted that the border of the shadow of Earth on the Moon during the partial phase of a lunar eclipse is always circular, no matter how high the Moon is over the horizon. Only a sphere casts a circular shadow in every direction, whereas a circular disk casts an elliptical shadow in all directions apart from directly above and directly below.

The convicted magician warned us. He actually managed to darken the sun. Shouldn't we reconsider letting him go?

Perhaps a rather silly, yet curious message in the office. This most likely refers to the fact that many people weren't educated in the Middle Ages, and some things we take for granted today were seen as acts of magic and mystery in the Middle Ages.

Darkening the sun likely refers to the fact that day changed to night. And most likely on the night when no moon was visible in the sky to the point where nothing was visible expect for the stars, although that's just speculation on my part,
but it makes for an interesting quote never the less.

There is a tall guy wearing a cloak and sandals. Claims he can heal our lepers. Should I have him burned at the stake?

"Lepers" was a medieval name given to those with various forms of diseases, although these days it primarily refers to those with leprosy. A disease that still effects a small portion of the world even today, although medications are available to help treat it.

That's another story however:- The reference to a Tall person wearing a cloak and sandals would be by my guess referring to a Monk, or Priest who both wore such clothing. We don't know for certain as a colour or profession isn't mentioned. However the fact they claim they can heal the 'lepers' may well have been seen as a form of witchcraft depending on how they claimed they could be healed.

Burning at the stake was a common punishment for Witches in the Middle Ages, as were others such as been dunked into a river.
Joan of Arc was actually falsely accused of witchcraft and heresy by the English during the Hundred Year's War, and burned at the Stake.

Well, that's all for now. There are still a few more messages out there however each surrounded in mystery, and meaning.
Some are just random, others have hidden references - In later editions of the journal I may cover a few others.

In the mean time however - Do any of you have any ideas about this message?

I have noticed that you are wearing the same garments every day. I would suggest looking for a new tailor.
I hear this Italian bloke Abani, Alani, Armani whatever is very talented!

I've tried to look into a few possibilities, however all I can actually find is reference to the Italian company Armani, who deal in clothing. However they don't seem to have any reference at all to the Middle Ages ...