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 Forum index » Archive » Archive: General » Old News & Rumors
(trailhead) Nothingbutalaptop calls for help
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UnfetishedFeet
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 		(trailhead) Nothingbutalaptop calls for help
(Was "I'm not sure what this is...Got an e-mail")
The email sent me here.... nothingbutalaptop.blogspot.com It was from janega.janegaSPLATgmail.com

It read:

Quote:
Please, this man seems to be in geniune trouble. He has reached out to online communities here at nothingbutalaptop.blogspot.com. I'm not sure how long he can go in there without going insane.... HELP HIM



??? Seems kinda-argish to me. what do you guys think?

[edit - updated the thread title - kona]

PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 11:49 pm
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konamouse
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Joined: 02 Dec 2002
Posts: 8010
Location: My own alternate reality

 		If you think you have a trailhead, it's nice to title the thread you are starting with a good description of the topic - makes it easier for potential players to find it. Smile

So, what did you find at that blogspot? I'm not the kind to go to a website from anonymous sources (I'm too suspicious of malware and stuff like that) but if you went there, what did you see on the page?

edit to add: okay, seems something, edited the topic title to reflect
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 12:14 am
Last edited by konamouse on Tue Dec 01, 2009 7:44 am; edited 1 time in total
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UnfetishedFeet
Guest


 		What I saw
Two posts, the first a description of his situation and personal isnight so to say from him (lol) and the second contained the text from a document on the laptop he has. In the text is supposedly some code for a door to the room he's that i guess needs to be entered for him to exit the room. Don't worry, there's nothing malicous about the site.

PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 12:25 am
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Saffity
Boot

Joined: 19 Nov 2009
Posts: 25

 		I emailed Johnathon... I'm new at these things so I'm not sure if I'm on the right track but it seems to make sense.

Quote:
Hi Johnathon,

I just saw your blog and I'd like to help you... I've read through the letter that was on your laptop and all I've been able to figure out is that the "four quarters combine" clue seems to mean that the number may equal 100, but I'm not sure. I'm going to ask some people I know for help too.

Hold tight we'll get you out of there.

-Linda


PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 10:12 am
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Six
Unfettered


Joined: 09 Nov 2009
Posts: 340

 		Alter His Finds. Don't Decode Alphabets. Four Quarters Combine. I Find Daylight.


Don't decode Alphabets = 26?

Four Quarters combine = 100? 1?

The other two confuse me. I think the last may have something to do with either dawn or daylight savings.

PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 10:28 am
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Saffity
Boot

Joined: 19 Nov 2009
Posts: 25

 		Alter his finds almost seems like a clue to us... to alter what Johnathon finds in the room or on his computer...

PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 10:40 am
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jessie1326
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Joined: 17 Sep 2009
Posts: 260
Location: Illinois, U.S.A.
Six wrote:
Alter His Finds. Don't Decode Alphabets. Four Quarters Combine. I Find Daylight.


Don't decode Alphabets = 26?

Four Quarters combine = 100? 1?

The other two confuse me. I think the last may have something to do with either dawn or daylight savings.


They almost sound like anagrams, but I don't know what of.

PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 11:28 am
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Six
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Joined: 09 Nov 2009
Posts: 340

 		I tried anagrams, no luck.

PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 12:23 pm
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OneEyedGod
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Joined: 23 Apr 2009
Posts: 238
Location: Germany

 		The hints in the letter say:

Quote:
everything has a value, every value has a place, and everything is at the begining.


So i sent him a mail, that he should try to use the numbers equal to the first letters of the four sentences in all combinations possible.
Only the first letters in every sentence because the code can only consist of 8 digits (four numbers with 2 digits each) and the first letter of every word woul give 12 numbers.

A = 1
D = 4
F = 6
I = 9

This is my interpretation of the hints but maybe i´m wrong with this.

PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 12:57 pm
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morelaak
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Joined: 22 Dec 2006
Posts: 161
Location: Lexington, KY

 		sent this email.

Quote:
John,

Some friends asked me to try to help you get out of your predicament. First of all, try to keep your first clue in mind: everything has a value. There is an answer to this, and we will find it. So don't panic.

Let's start from the beginning, shall we? Alter His Finds. if you've been locked in a room with a computer and internet access, this mysterious man obviously wanted you to seek outside help. The fact that the letter suggests you already have the code means you must have some form of information on your laptop. It may not be part of the code, or it may not be code at all. all i want you to do right now, is take a look through your computer and pick out anything and everything that seems odd, or like it might be important. Either post this stuff on your blog and notify me, or send me copies and i'll distribute to my friends so we can figure this stuff out.

The important thing is to not panic, John. We're here to help.

Here's a link, in case you feel the need to panic.
http://image.wetpaint.com/image/1/7rJOMS6piSJXJm3dRj2XwA66672/GW236H315
big friendly letters, right?

Hang in there,
Morelaak


waiting. Surprised

EDIT: quick response, this guy's ready to go with this...

Quote:
The document was the only file on the computer that was out of place, everything else is just basic program files for Windows and the like....The only other 'odd' thing could be the name of the user...Allendorf.


http://www.squidoo.com/allendorfcipher

used in the movie National Treasure, the Allendorf Cipher was created by the freemasons. gonna shoot an email back here in a bit, gotta find a place to camp out and ARG for a while.

EDIT: sending this to him.

Quote:
John,

That's wonderful news. The Allendorf cipher was used by the Freemasons during the early years of American History. We have a sense of what we're dealing with now.

An Allendorf cipher is fairly simple, but nearly impossible to crack without the key document. The cipher itself is completely innocuous; a simple letter, written from one person to another. The strength is in the key, which is often a one-time key, never to be used again, which ensures the Allendorf cipher's robustness. The key document looks like a big list of sets of numbers, arranged as such:

xx-yy-zz

The first digit (xx) refers to the page, the second digit (yy) refers to the line on that page, while the last digit (zz) refers to the beginning letter of a word. Each number corresponds to a different letter, and when the key is put together, it reads as a different message.

You haven't seen anything resembling a key file on the computer, have you?

Best of Luck,
Morelaak


Even though it's a game, i love trying to make in-game characters feel more at ease... Razz

Aside from that, we have an idea of what we might be working with now. I'm wondering if the first clue (everything has a value, every value has a place, everything starts at the beginning) might be referring to the Allendorf cipher. just an idea.

RETURN OF THE EDIT: quick response again.

Quote:
No, the letter is the only out of place file....But that is good news! So each key consists of 3 numbers, each used to find the place of the letter your looking for.... It's a good start! THANK YOU SO MUCH


ergh... the caps sounds a little sarcastic... i wonder if he's getting anxioius? Razz

PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 2:17 pm
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kevrock
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Joined: 26 Jul 2007
Posts: 320

 		Message traffic...

Quote:
kevrock to apparentsuicide

Johnathan,

I saw your post and I'm working on figuring out the code. Hang in there.

A couple questions:

In the letter, I believe your name has been misspelled as Johnathon Warnor, correct? Is it supposed to be Johnathan Warner?

If that's the case, were the other typos in the letter posted on your blog also in the source file on the laptop?

--Kevin

Quote:
John Warnor to me

My last name is in fact Warnor. I didn't do anything but copy and paste to the blog.

Quote:
kevrock to John

I think the passcode is 1984.

The typos in the letter spell O'Brien, the protagonist of the novel.

--Kevin

Quote:
John Warnor to me

I tried it and it didn't work....Who is O'brien? IS it he who put me in here?


OK, so look at the typo'd words in the letter:

Quote:
techonology
Tchnology
youself
i'd
Oviously
clues,the
begining


O-E-R-I-B-N and the comma-space error. I translated this to O'Brien, the protagonist of Orwell's 1984.

So maybe that's the source document for the cipher. I'm gonna go track down a copy at the used book store across the street.

PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 3:26 pm
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morelaak
Decorated


Joined: 22 Dec 2006
Posts: 161
Location: Lexington, KY

 		kevrock,

Went ahead and filled him in on the details of 1984.

Quote:
John,

My friend Kevrock emailed you a few moments ago, referring to a book, 1984, and it's protagonist, O'Brien. If this is accurate, and pertains to your circumstances, things may have just taken a darker turn. While Kevrock is tracking down a copy of the book (he thinks it might be the source document for the cipher), i'll fill you in a bit.

George Orwell's 1984 was written in 1948 and described a future dystopia where the government used aggressive advances in technology to subdue and control the masses. Have you ever heard the quote "Big Brother is Watching You"? That came from 1984. The main character, O'Brien, tries over the course of the novel, to dissent and rebel, but is ultimately destroyed for it. There's a wikipedia entry for the plot if you want something to do while you're waiting for us to figure this out, but i warn you, the story does not end well for O'Brien.

We'll get back to you when we have some more concrete evidence.

Luck,
Morelaak


gonna see what he has to say about that.

EDIT: response

Quote:
Wow.... That doesn't sound very promising. I know this may not be the time for jokes, but I'm a generally light-hearted person, so I will make one....Maybe it safer for me in this room then out there! hahaha....Ok maybe it wasn't so funny. I find the connection to the book very interesting and it makes me quite paranoid, but in my opinion, i don't think the book itself has anything to do with the code. I've gotten as far as this... Using an Allendorf cipher ussually refers to page, line, word, but maybe in this case considering the only text I have is the letter it refers to line, word, letter??? Just a thought on my part....and in that case, we are looking for four, 3 number keys. Maybe the first clue was meant to help me find them?


yeah, i thought this might be his response... the Allendorf works best with books and long letters and the such. In this digital age, we don't come across long things anymore. Looks like he wants us to hurry along.

he's also pointing us back to the first clue... so lets work on that.

The letter says he has the code. To find the code, we need to use the clues we were given. considering that its hidden in the computer, we need to do something with these

Everything Has A Value: most likely referring to some form of numeric system, since everything in a numeric system has a value (even zero)
Every Value Has A Place: could be referring to place value? again a basic quality of numeric systems.
Everything Starts At The Beginning: binary maybe? i'm not sure.

Just off the top of my head that's what i come up with.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number

I'm gonna start scanning this, see if i can connect any dots.

PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 3:38 pm
Last edited by morelaak on Tue Dec 01, 2009 3:52 pm; edited 1 time in total
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AUZ505
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Joined: 07 Mar 2008
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 		I think there is a reason why each of the "clue sentences" consists of three letters.
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 3:42 pm
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Saffity
Boot

Joined: 19 Nov 2009
Posts: 25

 		If you put each of the letters from the final clue lines to numbers it's as follows:

1-8-6
4-4-1
6-17-3
9-6-4

Not sure if it lines up with anything in the letter... I'm looking but it's not working.

PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 3:49 pm
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AUZ505
Unfictologist


Joined: 07 Mar 2008
Posts: 1599
Location: Germany
kevrock wrote:

OK, so look at the typo'd words in the letter:

Quote:
techonology
Tchnology
youself
i'd
Oviously
clues,the
begining


O-E-R-I-B-N and the comma-space error...


"Obviously" has no missing "B" or the PM has corrected it in the meantime.
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 3:51 pm
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