informal notes by R. A. Sutherland, Director, Water Murmur project

Group Names

From the beginning we planned to have multiple translation groups. The benefit of complementary viewpoints and approaches, which could then be combined for a higher synthesis, was obvious to all of us. I only regret that funds did not permit us to staff as many as five translation groups, to avoid the polarization inherent in a dual structure.

The difference in approach among our first two groups quickly became significant. Researchers joining the project naturally gravitated to one or the other working group based on their own preferences, biases, or (I find I must use this unscientific term) beliefs about the meaning of the water murmurs. Competition among the two groups has always been fierce, in a strictly professional vein, and neither would concede to the other the privilege of being "first" even as an administrative designation. The current names began as a joke but were quickly enshrined in official correspondence. Therefore, I'm afraid, we have Working Groups designated A and 1! When we add a third group we're going to have to call it Group Blue...or Yellow.

Pasadena Protocols

In beginning translation, we drew on the water molecule lexicon prepared at CalTech, in Pasadena. Both groups started from a common... [technical discussion omitted]