unforum

[Finch]

[keeno_82uk]

all i know is that if there is a fine, i won't be getting it.

The password is really simple so i guess it was just waitng to be found

[Dr. Awkward]

[Finch]

[Dr. Awkward]

[brettoniasam]

[SlushoLover]

[Nighthawk]

So I'm coming in late to this and didn't read seven pages, so let me get this straight: somebody HACKED the photobuclet page, changed all the images, and effectively either ruined or confused the "game" for everyone involved?

If that's the case... THANKS MEATHEAD!

You can't compare this to the "hack" of the JLT website, because no DAMAGE could be caused by that because it was in a controlled environment. They created that website from scratch with the express purpose of someone guessing; you can't make that same assumption with a global site like Photobucket.

I refuse to believe that "paramount" was the password, because if it was whoever's running this ARG should be dragged out to the street and shot. First off, it's a simple password. Secondly, it's a password that is not "in game". If this were a real world situation, Paramount would have *nothing* to do with anything!

[pegassissy]

[jojo]

Seriously, if the password was "paramount", I have been giving the PMs wayyyy to much credit.

Either way, Dr. Awkward has a pretty good defense lined up -- the PMs practically invite people to crack passwords etc., that's part of the game, so who's to know where the line is drawn? We still aren't even definitively sure whether this is part of the game or not. It was definitely forseeable to anyone with half a brain that (a) someone would try to crack that site (indeed, there is DOCUMENTED evidence of this on these forums, which we're pretty sure the PMs monitor), and (b) that someone would eventually try such a ridiculously obvious password.

I'm leaning towards this being IG, to be honest. Look at the reaction of everyone on here -- Dr. Awkward's probably on his way to Canada now, everyone else - including vets - are having WTF?!? moments. As far as I know, its something that's never been done in an ARG before... freaking out the players to make them think they went somewhere they weren't supposed to, when in fact they had planned it all along? This kind of mindf*** seems right up their alley.

[Euchre]

[Duckie]

Whoakay guys, from someone who was around from the start, let me give you a summary of what happened

The timeline is:
Doc Awk hacks into Jamie's photobucket. He's under the impression that he's not the first, because it's an easy password. While there, he uploads a picture to "mark his territory". Then he posts on unforums that he broke in, but doesn't believe he was the first. He does NOT post the password on these forums.

Next, I come by. I check the photobucket and Jamie has uploaded a picture saying "you guys need to learn not to mess with other people's pictures.. Jamie"
Here's where you conspiracy nuts come in. If you want to believe that Dr. Awkward is behind all the changes...fine. But I guarantee you, he'd be in supremely hot water for hacking into someone's site and stealing/hijacking the account-- especially if the account is owned by someone with Paramount's muscle backing them. I really don't think he'd be brazen enough to hold on to the account for this long.

Next, weird updates start happening every couple of minutes, fairly frantic scramblings by the PM. The weirdest part of all of this is the posting of "random poem". Google seems to think its original, and by how well it's written, I'd bet money that it wasn't drawn up in five seconds by a panicking temp.

Still, at this point, I can't see them "rewarding" us for tearing a hole in the curtain, so I'm thinking the account just went immediately generic, making it quite firmly OOG.

[deletia]

Good summary, but you missed one step-

For a brief time there were three pictures up, which ended, quite mysteriously, in the letters S I X.


Beautiful S (which became Beautiful Slowers)
Art I (which was Art1eight and became Cool Art)
Guernsey X (which was Guernsey 43 and became Guernsey Weather)

I mention this because if we're going with "in game" for this whole PB experience, then SIX must be important.

[Euchre]

[Kraker]

Hhahahah you guys are all freaking out about something.

Look if the password was indeed paramount, it deserved to be hacked. I'm not saying it's ingame but any decent Puppet Master would know not to make something vital to keeping the ARG a secret have such an easy password.

Awkward, nothing will happen to you.

Good find nonetheless. I'm going to see if I can fool around with the internet web archive to find a previous version of the pictures that were uploaded.

Remember, once it's uploaded, it's there forever. Deletion can only go so far.

EDIT: It's odd, the wayback machine has record of almost all the accounts under s195.photobucket.com/albums/z(#)/(name) except for Jamie's.

It's as if there was not record of it existing (dum dum dum!)