[zizka]

noam wrote:

The triangle is not equilateral, it is isosceles. The top two sides are about 411 pixels, while the bottom is about 456 pixels.

bwah! I couldn't eyeball it when it was equilateral; now it's gone all wonky

I'll apply the ol' compass and straightedge to it in a few hours, but I'm fairly sure it's a blind alley. I wonder how long it will take to remember how to inscribe a circle passing through three given points

Also, about the ghost sites: I'm no rocket surgeon, but why would wallace haunt a castle where *he* killed people. He was hanged, drawn and quartered hundreds of miles away. Granted, it's been ages since my Introduction to Spectral Physics class, and even then I got only a C+.

[noam]

The triangle is not equilateral, it is isosceles. The top two sides are about 411 pixels, while the bottom is about 456 pixels.

[zizka]

first thing you need for a simpson line is to identify the circle around the triangle: the point P will have to be on the circumference of the circle. If you draw perpendiculars to a point on that circle, they will form a simpson line. As you move the point along the circumference of the circle, the line moves. I was thinking that if you oriented the line such that it passed through the period, we may get a letter or two.

Honestly, though, I think this is probably not the way forward, but it's about the only thing I can think of right now. I sure wish I hadn't left my compass at home.

I've got an inscribed mock up of the pic; i'll see if I can eyball some perpendicualrs.

bah without some sort of tool, there's no way to be ceratin whether what I'm getting is gibberish because it's coded somehow or because this is the wrong tree up which ot bark. I'll try when I get home.

[noam]

The cross references from the WF came back. Here's what they got:

Quote:

Initial crossref of the names found on the sheet of paper resulting in the following: 1. Enlil. As noted below, relates directly to a major Sumerian deity 1. Although this deity is referenced in numerous Foundation research documents, it has not been referenced in any past investigations. 2. W.Wallace (William Wallace?). Without further clarification the Foundation feels that William Wallace is the most likely reference. 1. The Foundation has worked on three cases within the 50 years that relate to William Wallace. All three cases were investigations into sightings of Wallace's ghost and all three investigations were conducted at Ardrossan castle where the ghost was thought to have been seen. 1. January 2-4, 1968. Findings: Inconclusive. 2. April 17-22, 1984. Finding: Inconclusive 3. February 29, 2004. Finding: Associate researcher Shane Macnab reported an unexplained feeling of dread and panic as he walked the castle grounds on the night of 2/29/04. No other events were recorded. 2. Ahasuerus

Interesting first observations from wikipedia (we may have a ghost story here):

• Ardrossan Castle
  
• Wallace's Larder
  

[pipakin]

Has anyone asked the WC folks to look inside the flap of the envelope, or under the tape?

Quote:

Thinking to process the letter as she normally would, Ms. Fulmer opened the envelope along the top edge with a letter opener

Just for the sake of thoroughness.

[mortality]

What if it's a geometric code? The letters on each side are somehow connected?

...idea struck me because of the lines you've been drawing between letters and some Googling of geometric, triangular, and visual puzzles.

Or perhaps we simply need to make an anagram out of all of those letters, what with a convenient punctuation mark.

[noam]

Quote:

What about if you use the "." in "W. Wallace" as the point? Even if it does work, I'm not sure I see what it gets us.

Well, here it is. Much closer to a Simson line, but still not quite good enough. The point would have to be a little farther out. This tool can help you explore Simson Lines and Pedal triangles. I don't really know what it's supposed to show us, really, even it it was on the circumference.

[pipakin]

Hrm, so unrelated note. K.

I agree that it seems like a visual logic puzzle...I don't think the simpson line is part of it, though it can't hurt to check that angle out.

[zizka]

noam wrote:

Sylvia wrote: I still think the Simson Line will help to solve this. http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Wallace.html I'm attaching the image here for archive purposes. Notice the strange space and line at the bottom of the image. Maybe it's nothing, but it's odd. I disagree. I dropped the perpendiculars (from the triangle 3). It doesn't lie on a line (Which would be the Simson line if it did), it forms a pedal triangle though. The point needs to lie on the circumference of the triangle to form that line. I don't think there's anything here, but it was an interesting idea.

The Simpson line forms only when the point P is on a circle around the triangle. Odd thing is, I actually bought a compass yesterday (many hours before I noticed this story had started up). Why? Well, that's the kind of thig I do to entertain myself.

I think there may be some worth here, afterall. Perhaps if we get that line at the point(s) which it passes through the period in W. Wallace. . . It's an equailateral triangle, so the S-line should be fairly predictable.

[mortality]

What about if you use the "." in "W. Wallace" as the point?
Even if it does work, I'm not sure I see what it gets us.

My hunch is that it's a visual logic puzzle. Maybe some lateral (or equilateral?) thinking is required.

Email from Ethan

Quote:

Hi Mort, That's not a problem at all. That must have been on the sig from that note I sent last night, huh? Well, sorry about that if you or any of your folks read through that blog, since it probably bored you into a stupor. Regarding that other msg in October, that's a cool catch (man you guys are thorough), but that was completely unrelated - was working a case that had to do with strange beast sightings near Dollywood, of all places. Ethan Grant Associate Researcher The Whitechapel Foundation ethanSPLATwhitechapelfoundation.org www.whitechapelfoundation.org

[noam]

Sylvia wrote:

I still think the Simson Line will help to solve this. http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Wallace.html I'm attaching the image here for archive purposes. Notice the strange space and line at the bottom of the image. Maybe it's nothing, but it's odd.

I disagree. I dropped the perpendiculars (from the triangle 3). It doesn't lie on a line (Which would be the Simson line if it did), it forms a pedal triangle though. The point needs to lie on the circumference of the triangle to form that line. I don't think there's anything here, but it was an interesting idea.

[pipakin]

mortality wrote:

Oh, I see how pip got Ethan's wordpress site. Ethan sent me that last email from his personal account at gmail. Blog address is in the signature. So observant of me... Good thing I haven't abridged his emails. Email to Ethan *snip*

heh. I'm a programmer who specializes in debugging. I tend to catch things that slip by unnoticed.

It stikes me as odd he got an anonymous letter as well...maybe he can shed some light on it.

[zizka]

in the interest of being thourough

[cyberus]

Yup, I just tried again, goes directly to a voicemail. I'm not ready to shell out the cash to call the UK number, especially from my cell phone. If anyone has an international calling plan, feel free, although I have a feeling we'll get a similar result.

[THESB]