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vpisteve
Asshatministrator
Joined: 30 Sep 2002 Posts: 2441 Location: 1987
[PG2][TEASER]Cool Desktops Got this little package last night from historyneverdies at gmail.com. It's a zip file containing seven desktop wallpapers, or at least that's what they look like. Cryptic clues abound.
I'm taking off for a few days, so don't have time to do anything but post them, so here ya go.
** edited label and moved -- jamesi
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present.zip
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_________________
Making the world a better place, one less mime at a time .
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 7:09 am
ironside100
Boot
Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 21 Location: UK
yay a new ARG where i dont have to catch up, this should be fun.
Im new be gentle...
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 11:40 am
Phaedra
Lurker v2.0
Joined: 21 Sep 2004 Posts: 4033 Location: Here, obviously
ironside100 wrote:
Im new be gentle...
Aw, honey, we don't bite. At least, not hard.
_________________Voted Most Likely to Thread-Jack and Most Patient Explainer in the ILoveBees Awards.
World Champion: Cruel 2B Kind
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 11:46 am
JoeOE18
Unfettered
Joined: 08 Apr 2005 Posts: 301 Location: UK
If anyone's interested I've made a little wordpad synopsis. I'm pretty new to ARG's but this looks interesting
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_________________Hello_!wiiiiz
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 12:30 pm
Phaedra
Lurker v2.0
Joined: 21 Sep 2004 Posts: 4033 Location: Here, obviously
Okay, for quick reference:
red wrote:
Display read option: 7533.0.1.(8503)
Make a Statement of Intent -- Winter 2005
#,[${}|[>
orange wrote:
Display read option: 7485934111.1.069301.069301
Shake Society -- Winter 2005
$`[}!])`?$
yellow wrote:
Display read option: 12.3242.(8503)7533.01010101.001.1120381
Shock your System -- Winter 2005
}!)<=${{!|+?
green wrote:
Display read option: 01010101.3242.1320.069301.1.7533.1120381
Hack the Past -- Winter 2005
+^~$[{}[,?$
blue wrote:
Display read option: 7533.001
Twist the Future -- Winter 2005
+![|<|}*, {}
indigo wrote:
Display read option: 7533.0.3242
Drown in Your Sorrows -- Winter 2005
!^=[|~/`{}
violet wrote:
Display read option: 3242.04920654.7533.01010101.3242.1.1033.3242
Feel the Emotion -- Winter 2005
+[|{{$={,@<`/
_________________Voted Most Likely to Thread-Jack and Most Patient Explainer in the ILoveBees Awards.
World Champion: Cruel 2B Kind
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 12:45 pm
Phaedra
Lurker v2.0
Joined: 21 Sep 2004 Posts: 4033 Location: Here, obviously
Okay, so a lot of the number patterns, separated by periods, are repeated. Perhaps it's a cipher?
On the other hand, (8503) seems to be a discrete unit, but in one instance (yellow) it's not separated by a period from the unit that precedes it.
Also, considering that there are a limited number of symbols used in the text that appears in the lower right-hand corners, they might also be a cipher.
Perhaps there's some sort of relationship between the text in the LRH corner and what's in the ULH corners? Perhaps they translate one another, or supplement each other?
EDIT : Also, it doesn't appear that there are images or text hidden in the .jpegs.
_________________Voted Most Likely to Thread-Jack and Most Patient Explainer in the ILoveBees Awards.
World Champion: Cruel 2B Kind
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 12:48 pm
Last edited by Phaedra on Wed Apr 13, 2005 1:25 pm; edited 2 times in total
JoeOE18
Unfettered
Joined: 08 Apr 2005 Posts: 301 Location: UK
What does Display Read Option actually mean? I'm sure I've heard it before?
_________________Hello_!wiiiiz
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 12:51 pm
Phaedra
Lurker v2.0
Joined: 21 Sep 2004 Posts: 4033 Location: Here, obviously
JoeOE18 wrote:
What does Display Read Option actually mean? I'm sure I've heard it before?
No clue.
Googled it and got *nothing.*
_________________Voted Most Likely to Thread-Jack and Most Patient Explainer in the ILoveBees Awards.
World Champion: Cruel 2B Kind
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 1:00 pm
JoeOE18
Unfettered
Joined: 08 Apr 2005 Posts: 301 Location: UK
Phaedra wrote:
JoeOE18 wrote:
What does Display Read Option actually mean? I'm sure I've heard it before?
No clue.
Googled it and got *nothing.*
Ok maybe its was ust my imagination....we should probably work on the codes. I don't have much experience at breaking them but i'll do my best
_________________Hello_!wiiiiz
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 1:04 pm
Phaedra
Lurker v2.0
Joined: 21 Sep 2004 Posts: 4033 Location: Here, obviously
Here's a list of all the numbers:
Quote:
7533.0.1.(8503)
7485934111.1.069301.069301
12.3242.(8503)7533.01010101.001.1120381
01010101.3242.1320.069301.1.7533.1120381
7533.001
7533.0.3242
3242.04920654.7533.01010101.3242.1.1033.3242
And, broken down into their components:
Quote:
7533 (x6) (or possibly x5)
0 (x2)
1 (X4)
(8503) (x2 -- or possibly only once if (8503)7533 is a separate character)
7485934111 (x1)
069301 (X3) (2 consecutive)
12 (x1)
3242 (x5)
01010101 (x3)
001 (x2)
1120381 (x2)
1320 (x1)
04920654 (x1)
1033 (x1)
So, substituting letters for the number-units (and assuming that (8503)7533 is not a separate character -- just that they forgot a period...):
Quote:
7533=A
0=B
1=C
(8503)=D
7485934111=E
069301=F
12=G
3242=H
01010101=I
001=J
1120381=K
1320=L
04920654=M
1033=N
So:
Quote:
A.B.C
E.C.F.F
G.H.DA.I.J.K
I.H.L.F.C.A.K
A.J
A.B.H
H.M.A.I.H.C.N.H
ABC ECFF GHDAIJK IHLFCAK AJ ABH HMAIHCNH
I could be wrong, here, since it's a limited set of characters -- i.e. if it *is* a cipher, it doesn't use every letter in the alphabet (in fact, it doesn't use a *lot* of them.
But, while I go do a frequency analysis, would someone like to find a list of 2-letter words? That might help us crack it.
_________________Voted Most Likely to Thread-Jack and Most Patient Explainer in the ILoveBees Awards.
World Champion: Cruel 2B Kind
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 1:13 pm
JoeOE18
Unfettered
Joined: 08 Apr 2005 Posts: 301 Location: UK
Do you mean somthing like this ?
Thats just for words acceptable in scrabble, but its the first thing that comes up on google...
I'll keep looking for somehting more comprehehnsive...
EDIT - fixed URL - SG
_________________Hello_!wiiiiz
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 1:34 pm
Phaedra
Lurker v2.0
Joined: 21 Sep 2004 Posts: 4033 Location: Here, obviously
Okay, results of frequency analysis (which probably isn't that helpful because the ciphertext (if that's even what it is) is so short):
A=18%
B=6%
C=12%
D=3%
E=3%
F=9%
G=3%
H=18%
I=9%
J=6%
K=6%
L=3%
M=3%
N=3%
And the distribution in English:
Quote:
# of Occurrences
e 11.42%
a 8.56%
i 7.94%
r 7.51%
t 7.46%
o 7.12%
n 6.41%
s 5.55%
l 5.52%
c 4.74%
u 3.66%
p 3.27%
m 3.22%
d 3.13%
h 2.76%
g 2.30%
b 2.12%
y 2.00%
f 1.47%
v 1.07%
w 0.94%
k 0.84%
x 0.35%
z 0.24%
q 0.23%
j 0.15%
Two-letter words, ranked in order of frequency:
Quote:
of to in it is be as at so we he by or on do if me my up an go no us am
Three-letter words ranked in order of frequency:
Quote:
the and for are but not you all any can had her was one our out day get has him his how man new now old see two way who boy did its let put say she too use
Once again, JoeOE18, for future reference, this is more useful with longer texts.
_________________Voted Most Likely to Thread-Jack and Most Patient Explainer in the ILoveBees Awards.
World Champion: Cruel 2B Kind
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 1:44 pm
Phaedra
Lurker v2.0
Joined: 21 Sep 2004 Posts: 4033 Location: Here, obviously
JoeOE18 wrote:
Do you mean somthing like this ?
Thats just for words acceptable in scrabble, but its the first thing that comes up on google...
I'll keep looking for somehting more comprehehnsive...
EDIT - fixed URL - SG
Good thought, but actually we want less comprehensive. Most of those words aren't common at all, which means they're very unlikely to be used in a short message.
What we're actually looking for is a list of two-letter words frequently used in English. (See above )
_________________Voted Most Likely to Thread-Jack and Most Patient Explainer in the ILoveBees Awards.
World Champion: Cruel 2B Kind
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 1:45 pm
JoeOE18
Unfettered
Joined: 08 Apr 2005 Posts: 301 Location: UK
Ohhh ok that makes a bit of sense
So have u actually discovered anything yet....I'm not really sure what ur going to do with all the information you've gathered
_________________Hello_!wiiiiz
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 1:54 pm
Phaedra
Lurker v2.0
Joined: 21 Sep 2004 Posts: 4033 Location: Here, obviously
So we're here:
Quote:
t .h ._
_._._._
_.e ._.t ._._._
_.e ._._._.t ._
t ._
t .h .e
e ._.t ._._._._.e
And "t_" is probably "to," making J=o .
Quote:
t .h ._
_._._._
_.e ._.t ._.o ._
_.e ._._._.t ._
t .o
t .h .e
e ._.t ._._._._.e
Or not. But I have to go to lunch.
EDIT: Oh, and the most commonly repeated letters:
Quote:
ss, ee, tt, ff, ll, mm, oo
Which means that F is probably one of those.
If I'm right about the above:
Quote:
ss,
ee
,
tt
, ff, ll, mm,
oo
(We've already used those letters.)
So F is most likely s , f , l , or m .
_________________Voted Most Likely to Thread-Jack and Most Patient Explainer in the ILoveBees Awards.
World Champion: Cruel 2B Kind
Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2005 1:59 pm
Last edited by Phaedra on Wed Apr 13, 2005 2:06 pm; edited 2 times in total
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