[mortality]

Well, Smoke is still contacting us. Should probably rotate the calendars of color.

Quote:

[7:48:29 PM] Smoke says: ? [7:50:16 PM] Mort says: plum [7:50:29 PM] Smoke says: An emotion [7:51:02 PM] Mort says: what do i need to know about fear? [7:52:36 PM] Smoke says: Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. [7:52:58 PM] Mort says: Thank you.

Well. Fear certainly seemed to kill Ethan's mind.

It seems like, unless we get something like yes/no, she's not suggesting a question format, just a subject.

It's funny how Jade and Smoke usually contact me around the same time.

jade wrote:

Mort! No freakin' way! Buildings in downtown? Very cute. So, I take it, since you are looking at me, that you don't know the exact spot... Well, that's a stumper. Weren't the South and East separate from the numbers on that card? Hold on... - I guess I could get my lazy ass up and go look, since the card is sitting right over there - ...yeah, they aren't in the same "section" of the puzzle. You think that means something? Not sure, myself, but I'll keep thinking about it. Maybe I'll "fly around" downtown with Virtual Earth and see if that rings any bells. Cool stuff. (How'd you come up with the building, anyway?) More soon, Jade Did you have to say "scat"? Come on, Mort, show some sensitivity. No, I don't want to bet on any kind of scat. I don't know about the "lights on UT" thing, seems sort of random. But who knows. More soon, Jade Just the record, Mort, I am not a hockey fan. So if Philly expected Slider to look under every seat at the St. Pete Times Forum, then I'm afraid your have to get old Slider to do it. If you could narrow it down a little, maybe; but come on, a whole arena.... More soon, Jade

[mortality]

Quote:

So it looks like MSG4 and 5, and eventually 6, seem to be composed of three individual puzzles. An anagram in the center that seems to relate to MSG3. And then, for the bits we seem to have solutions for, each one has a reference to an album. Then each one has a third, as yet indecipherable puzzle. Do you think the third puzzle in each message relates to the second one? Or do you think it'll have an altogether separate solution? For MSG5, since we have single letters, maybe those are also an anagram. So far likely hits involve "audio" and "gifts," "audit" "so" "fig," or "audit" "is" "fog." Nothing seems to have any connection to "B-Line" or Lamb. On MSG4, I idly tried searching for Genesis along with the terms on each interior side and pulled up a hit on the Genesis probe that crashed in Utah after spending two years collecting solar wind. No idea how that relates. -Mort

Quote:

Dear Mort, Please do me a favor and don't ever mention that B Line video again. I don't know if I was tired or what, but that really disturbed me. Chalk one up to the power of moving pictures AND music - it's a combo that could shake the foundations of the world. I like how you laid that out about the hierarchy of the various "obscured meanings" of the messages; unfortunately, there is no way of really knowing what the "3rd puzzle" in each will reveal until we get one (or both). No idea on the Genesis probe either, but the words "Solar Wind" made me laugh for some reason (no doubt a nervous laugh as I sit here waiting for someone's head to blow up and traumatize me). Regards, Ethan

He's getting a might bit impressionable these days.

[Sylvia]

I can't find anything on that mort that makes any sense or the other way around. But I think I may have found the lights.

There's not much info on SkyPoint:

Quote:

At the front entrance, along North Ashley Drive, is a dynamic lighting design. The dual artistic light scheme features 17 fixtures varying in lighting, texture, and color. The permanent display, entitled One and Many, was designed by public artist Sara Stracey.

Facts about SunTrust Financial Center:

Quote:

- The SunTrust Financial Centre is built on a one-acre site in Tampa's central business district. - The building consists of 25 floors of office space atop 10 floors of parking. - The building is designed for a 110 mile per hour wind load. - The building's base rises to the tenth floor, and from the eleventh floor up the building is rotated 45 degrees from the street grid system. - Transfer columns are located on levels 9 and 10 to compensate for the building's structural rotation. - The tower contains over 40,000 cubic yards of concrete and over 44,000 tons of steel. - At completion, the tower was one of the tallest cement based buildings in the world. - The ornamental ironwork framed windows near the building's base are intended to be resemble the architecture of nearby Ybor City. - The building's pyramid cap houses mechanical equipment, the cooling tower, and the building's air conditioning system. - The building received a design award from the National Association of Industrial and Office Parks in 1992. - The building's 45 degree rotation creates increased space between the adjacent One Tampa City Center. - The building's base, body, and cap were intended to harmonize with the three part design of the nearby Tampa City Hall. - At the building's main entrance are 19-foot torchieres that resemble the pyramid cap of the building itself. - Tampa Financial Center was initially proposed to be built on the site.

Facts about RiverGate Tower:

Quote:

- The architects were recognized with an Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects in 1993. - The building is one of the tallest limestone buildings in the world. - At sunset, the building's limestone facade glows yellow-orange. - The building's cylindrical design was intended to symbolize a lighthouse on the Tampa skyline. - The building's only exterior lighting is two skyward facing lights, which further the building's lighthouse symbolism. - Concentric circles in the building's lobby mark distances of time and space. - Despite the building's cylindrical design, a linear grid wraps around the building's facade. - The building's measurements and numerical seaquences are based on the Fibonacci series (where each number is the sum of the two preceding numbers). - The building's 1,880 windows and 13 feet from floor to floor resemble the building's mathematical basis on the Fibonacci series. - The building was built as the NCNB state headquarters, which was formerly located in Miami. - At the base of the tower are two 6-story cubes where bank tellers used to work. - The building's top five floors have thin rose-colored glass notches that offer views over the city. - The building has floor to ceiling windows with a thick concrete band horizontally seperating them, which gives the appearance of two smaller windows. - The building has a 26-foot high entranceway that faces the park across West Kennedy Boulevard. - The building was officially renamed from NCNB Plaza to 400 North Ashley Plaza in 2000. - The building was renamed from 400 North Ashley Plaza to its current name in June 2005. - At completion, the building was meant with heavy praise, as well as heavy criticism. - Some locals refer to the tower as "The Beer Can Building".

I think those descriptions not only take care of "Light The Way" but many other things from oc:0702. a 45 degree angle is somewhat like a checkmark, there's iron, color of the sun, lights and more lights, etc....

Of course it could all just be connections where no connections exist.

[mortality]

W/R/T Phily's puzzle: we should be looking for "waylight."

[Sylvia]

Observation number 1.

This probably explains it the best. But then it could just be connections where none exist. Or is it that ALL things are connected but each of us sees it just a little BIT differently.

Observation number 2.

Years ago when I first got the internet, I thought, "wow, no more trips to the Library cause I've got all the information I could ever want right here at my finger tips." Has anyone else noticed that there is such a thing as too much information? By that I mean, when there is so much it becomes useless ramblings of a whole lot of not so sane people.

I'm just adding my useless ramblings. but I'm tired. But hey, if this manages to survive a couple millennium it may become someone's gospel. For some odd reason though, I can't see all these bits and bytes surviving like the good old parchment made from animal hides did. However, I AM so thankful I don't have to go kill an animal to write this.

Observation number 3.

What are you doing here? Don't you know there is no observation number 3? It's the Necronomicon-effect, we're all MAD.

[Sylvia]

A few more things I want to point out. But first, thank God for Ethan and his metaphors. I'm still laughing and that's what keeps me from going insane. But it's funny, how he keeps asking, How do we stay sane? I keep wanting to reply with, Sane, WTH is that? Oh I think remember, that's something I misplaced a long time ago. Back when I stopped being a kid. And I haven't managed to find it again. By the way, have we met? Hello, my name is stupid.

Ok enough of that, notice the "O" in msg5, actually both of them. They are slightly slanted. Makes me think of the earth being slightly tilted as it wobbles around the "Sun." And, I don't know why or how I missed audit with it being stuck right in front of my face. hum, I wonder if that's because I'm, uh, not sane. As Ethan says, "go figure." which lends nicely to "audit figs" with that "O" left over. Ok, so what do I do next? I go back and look at msg4, again. And wouldn't you know it the "Os" in it are all slanted too. So, where does that leave me. Well either the "Os" are VERY important or NOT important. What was that? Did someone say sane?

Ok, the most important thing I get from this is GABRIEL DJINN demon/angel/both? anyways, I decide to try this http://www.autumncountry.net/ac_d_gabriel.html don't click it doesn't exist but these do.

http://www.autumncountry.net/ac_d_bound.html
http://www.autumncountry.net/ac_djinn_home.html
http://www.autumncountry.net/ac_f_confusion.html
http://www.autumncountry.net/ac_f_coffee.html
http://www.autumncountry.net/ac_e_ashes.html

I'm sure there are others, I'm just to tired to make the connections. Cause that's probably all they are, just connections where none exist. Now watch me be wrong.

Ok, let's see what turns up when we google [google]Solomon, Temple, Genesis, Gabriel[/google]
Then [google]Solomon, Temple, Genesis, Gabriel, Djinn, Demon[/google]

[mortality]

Ethan recently posted about "audits" on his blog.

"Audit" and "audits" are both anagram possibilities from the letters outside the MSG5 pentagon.

Philly's Puzzle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Tampa

Rivergate Towers
SkyPoint Condominiums
SunTrust Financial Center

link to map

If light the way had something to do with a fourth building to complete the square, then it'd probably be at the intersection of Madison, Marion, Morgan, and Twigg. There's an Episcopal church on the lot. Could that have something to do with "light the way"?

Now what do far south, far east, 119, and 153 have to do with them?

ETA: if you use google earth, there's a picture called "lights on UT" taken west of Rivergate Towers. 119 feet east puts you at the outer circle around a strange statue. 153 feet south is a cluster of trees.

Sent the new stuff to Jade. Think it might be a good idea to ask Slider if Philly had anything to do with the central business district of Tampa or the university? Or if Philly every fiddled with Google Earth?

Sylvia pointed out that south and east of SunTrust is the Forum where the Tampa Lightning play.

[Sylvia]

email from Ethan

[mortality]

B Line makes me think of this: http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/bline.htm

Connects the Bronx to Brooklyn via Manhattan, although the stations for the 4, 5, and 6 lines are all closer. There are a couple different "A" Studios in Manhattan.

It could also be "fig a" as in Figure A.

"Studio a gif" can also spell "audio gifts."

[Sylvia]

Been working on the image for msg5. I can't get the images to combine into anything that looks right but I tried this. the inside letters can be arranged to spell B-Line and if connected they give a pentagram. I know a pentagram can be drawn starting and ending with any of the letters but these are the only ones that make sense, to me anyways.

As for the studio part. It just sounded good since I used B with the inside letters to arrive at B-Line. As for the GIF, I don't know. Mainly, I added Studio A Gif so I don't forget it. However, if there turns out to be a Studio A some where around the B 6th Ave. Express from Bedford Park Boulevard to Brighton Beach in New York then if might be worth taking a closer look.

Another interesting tidbit about B-Line is from the album Fear of Fours by Lamb.

If nothing else, maybe this will help you guys see something I don't know or that I am over looking. I'll send it off to Ethan and see what he thinks.

[mortality]

That makes the Borges connection sound like a clue for atmosphere/meta rather than explicit help for the puzzles.

Dunno, I'm out of ideas.

[Sylvia]

Ethan's reply

[Sylvia]

yea that's what it seems to be. I was just hoping that Eden land and out of whack were referring to Land of Confusion or the Land of Nod east of Eden. I'm just trying so hard to get somewhere with this. Right now I'm even looking at at the Endless again Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, the twins Desire and Despair and finally Delirium which is how I feel right now.

By the way if anyone is interested you can read the whole book "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman at Harper Collins Publishers right now for free.

[Rogi Ocnorb]

Sylvia wrote:

I've been going over some of the words from Ethan's emails and last blog post. <Snip> Ethan to Petunia wrote: I often find myself wandering over the Barbara Eden land, and that just throws everything out of whack. That seems to be referring back to "Land of Confusion." East of Eden, out of whack = confusion. <Snip>

I think it's probably no more than a reference to the television show from the '70s called, "I dream of Jeannie", starring Barbara Eden.

I know the PM wants to draw this experience out. But, it's getting old and I think I'm done. Bad enough we can't get any help to direct us: But, to allow us to chase completely unrelated rabbits till we're exhausted is just mean.

[Sylvia]

I've been going over some of the words from Ethan's emails and last blog post.

From wikipedia Lapsang souchong

Quote:

Lapsang souchong is a black tea originally from the Mount Wuyi area in the Fujian province of China[1], sometimes referred to as Smoke Tea. The tea leaves have been withered over pine or cedar fires, pan-fired, rolled and oxidized before being fully dried in bamboo baskets over burning pine.[2] The result is a smoky, robust tea with an overriding scent and flavour of wood smoke, which dominates the flavour of the black tea itself.

Ethan to Petunia wrote:

I often find myself wandering over the Barbara Eden land, and that just throws everything out of whack.

That seems to be referring back to "Land of Confusion." East of Eden, out of whack = confusion.

Ethan to Petunia wrote:

Or maybe the way the part outside the box is solved is entirely different from the inside. Oh look, the same thought I just had above - sort of. Yeah, I know what you mean. But I can't help thinking there the stuff from MSG5 looks awfully anagrammatical (just made that up, so I have no idea how to spell it).

That's a really good hint. So the stuff on the outside of the box leads us to the Genesis CD with "Land of Confusion" being the 4th song. And we need to do something different with the stuff inside of the box. And MSG 5 may be anagram. One possible anagram that fits the 15 letters of msg5 is "East of Building" or "Building East of." the "behead thine son" was earlier anagrammed to "the banished one." That may be right but there are many possibilities for example The name Ethan and Eden can be pulled out of there. Maybe we need to look at this a little differently.

And what's up with the "Benadryl"

And mort, sorry about that, I misread your post. You're right we are lacking confirmation and we have no one who can give it to us.

Oh well, I just sent Ethan this email:

Sylvia to Ethan wrote:

Ethan, I'm curious what your thoughts might be on the follow. Since MSG 1 resolved to One Ring being that a 1 was inside a circle, Is it possible that the caret ^ over the 2 in MSG 2 is referring to a book? The caret dose look like an open book. Maybe it could be referring to "second book" or "two books." The second book on the list is, "In the Hall of The Dragon King" and "Labyrinths" is on the list two times. If we take the words from just those there we get, "King Only The" which could be, "Only The King." In "Labyrinths" by Borges, Irby and Yates the two could be referring to the second story, "The Garden of Forking Paths," or the second essay, "The Wall and the Books," or the second parable, "Paradiso, XXXI, 108." What do you think? Thanks Sylvia