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mindputty · Boot Joined: 09 Sep 2006 Posts: 14 Location: South Korea

[TRAILHEAD] 0z

**Posted:** Sun Jun 26, 2011 8:05 am

mindputty · Boot Joined: 09 Sep 2006 Posts: 14 Location: South Korea

102 views and nobody is interested? Really?

**Posted:** Tue Jun 28, 2011 1:02 pm

Zobot257

It looks sorta fun but there's not enough for me to go on so far. Would you mind sharing your correspondences with us? Right now there doesn't seem to be much to do except watch...

**Posted:** Tue Jun 28, 2011 2:04 pm

mindputty · Boot Joined: 09 Sep 2006 Posts: 14 Location: South Korea

Thanks Zobot... I knew I was doing something wrong...

Here's some more that I've collected since my last post:

One of the first "clues" that I decoded was a string of binary numbers on Nathanael's homepage. The clue, when decoded (from Binary Converter) reads:

zerozee has begun once m0ar! This is a global innernet zame to introduce topics around artificial intelligence & existentialism (both literally/figuratively). To play you must find clues 1-25! First person to find 0-393-05236-2 wins $101

Stupidly, I didn't expand the whole post on the facebook post, so I only copy-pasted up to ...m0ar, and posted a question about that (since other posts on his page mention that if someone posts, they can get more info or clues). He replied by saying that I figured out what "m0ar" meant and posted a link to this:

http://onlineslangdictionary.com/meaning-of/moar

and this:

http://www.m0ar.org/234#.TgQ-ViYzr70.facebook

He also explained that the m0a are a kind of flightless bird in New Zealand. I don't think that's really a clue though. Seems kind of off-topic.

Another post on his main page says that he is going to win a Nobel Prize and actually states the time that he will do that. The message is:

I am going to win a Nobel prize 11:01 pm PST u can't always her want u want but sometimes u her what u need San matron CA 94403 bar off El Camino real California usa

Sadly, I live in South Korea, so I can't make it out to that bar and investigate. I would love to though... I checked out Google Earth, and the road seems to be really long, and there are several bars located along it. (perhaps someone living close enough can check it out, or at least find out what bar he's talking about, and why it relates to a Nobel Prize?)

Following this, a new post appeared from Nathanael that read:

I HAVE HAD IT. FOR THE SAKE OF HUMANITY 0Z WILL LEAD THE WAY. WAR IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH DEMOCRACY. TIME TO PROTEST. TIME TO RESET...

...that accompanied a picture of a news story about the U.S. government releasing a bunch of oil from their reserves in order to drive down oil prices. Is Nathanael giving control to the AI, 0z? Is this a clue about how computers "protect" humans because humans are destroying themselves (oil and the economics of the world)? Is this AI going to wage war?

Following this, I received a friend request from someone called "Leia Sillah". She sent me the link to the youtube video (see my first post), and told me to warn nathanael. Of what, she didn't say. I posted the video on his wall with a warning, but he only responded that the whole thing was a fake facebook account and that he didn't know what I was talking about (despite having replied to my previous posts).

Leia Sillah then told me that I had contacted the WRONG Nathanael Horton, (by searching through Nathanael Horton's friends, I found ANOTHER Nathanael Horton, who could in fact be the real one - it would fit, since he's a programmer and game designer) and that it was ok I screwed up (after all, I am only human). I think this is hinting at the fact that Leia is in fact the artificial intelligence called "AI MAEVEN".

Next post, Leia Sillah commented that she has hacked Nathanael Horton's facebook account, and that "z0 AI RAEVEN" has been temporarily neutralized. Could that in fact be a kind of anti-MAEVEN that she if fighting with? She also mentions that humanity has less time than estimated and that we should act quickly...

FINALLY, Nathanael Horton posts that "z0 has begun" with a link to a countdown timer, here:

Countdown Timer

At the time of this post, there is only 6 days, 9 hours, 45 minutes left before something terrible happens to humanity...

There seems to be a new character involved as well... someone called ZeroZee Mathison who posted under the countdown.

Along the way, I've also come across some other information. Nathanael sent me a picture of a pirate kite stuck in power lines with the message "ARRRGGGGGGGggghhhh". This picture also is found on the website of "Horton Electronics",

By following certain links on Nathanael's Facebook wall, I have also come across these sites that have information relating to AI, economics, and Turing Tests...

https://sites.google.com/site/nathanaelcarrollhorton/

and

http://hubpages.com/hub/0z-decryption-sequence-complete

FINALLY, I can't remember where I found the link, but I also stumbled across the Horton Electronics homepage, here:

http://www.hortonelectronics.com/

which has the same picture of the pirate kite sent to me from Nathanael, and a "proof" section which seems to be about how software cannot be patented because it is just math.

PHEW! Now you know everything I do! I think the important things at this point are to figure out what is going to happen in 6 days, and to figure out what "0-393-05236-2" means (cuz that's where the prize lies). XD

Edit: Embedded insanely long link. -SpaceBass

**Posted:** Wed Jun 29, 2011 4:47 am

Lystella · Unfettered Joined: 02 Feb 2010 Posts: 394

0-393-05236-2 is the IBSN for the book Man Who Knew Too Much: Alan Turing and the Invention of the Computer, who was the person featured on the video linked from the first post.

**Posted:** Wed Jun 29, 2011 6:58 am

Ogawa

**Posted:** Wed Jun 29, 2011 11:36 pm

mindputty · Boot Joined: 09 Sep 2006 Posts: 14 Location: South Korea

I imagine he probably had to pull it all together at the last minute because of the Taco Bell thing... In any case, I don't often get to be in on an ARG at the very first bit, so it is still exciting. Smile

@Lystella - wow. Good job on that one! Seems to make sense with the Turing reference. So, we have to find that book? I am not sure I understand. Surely, there are thousands of editions published... Hmmm.... my guess is that since this one is based in San Mateo, CA, it probably is a local thing around there. Anyone in the area who can investigate that?

**Posted:** Thu Jun 30, 2011 11:56 am

Lystella · Unfettered Joined: 02 Feb 2010 Posts: 394

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by edition. The book was described to be a biography.

**Posted:** Thu Jun 30, 2011 12:05 pm

mindputty · Boot Joined: 09 Sep 2006 Posts: 14 Location: South Korea

Sorry... what I meant was copy. I am working on the assumption that the task is more than just figuring out that it IS a book, because then the game would be over too quickly. After all, Nathanael mentioned that whoever found it would win. Do we need to find a specific copy of that book?

**Posted:** Thu Jun 30, 2011 2:34 pm

Lystella · Unfettered Joined: 02 Feb 2010 Posts: 394

Ah gotcha! That's a good point you bring up; I'm not quite sure of the answer tho. I'm not in the area either.

**Posted:** Thu Jun 30, 2011 3:23 pm

mindputty · Boot Joined: 09 Sep 2006 Posts: 14 Location: South Korea

Perhaps we can find some ARGers in that area who are willing to help. OR, we can find some internet friends who would be interested in learning what ARGs are all about! Smile

**Posted:** Fri Jul 01, 2011 12:59 am

Serpent · Boot Joined: 28 Jun 2011 Posts: 58 Location: Missouri

So I just got a friend request from someone named ZeroZee Mathison. LINK :
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002573464263&sk=wall

Did anyone else get the same thing?

**Posted:** Sat Jul 02, 2011 9:09 pm

mindputty · Boot Joined: 09 Sep 2006 Posts: 14 Location: South Korea

Yeah, ZeroZee Mathison seems to be another player in the game. Perhaps another "personality" of the AI 0z.

**Posted:** Tue Jul 05, 2011 12:35 am

Ogawa

So what happened when the countdown hit zero? I completely forgot about it. Shocked

Also: I've requested to add ZeroZee as a friend on FB. No response yet. I noticed he's been promoting the SCVNGR app, as well as this very thread. Speaking of which, he had this to say before linking to uF:

**Posted:** Fri Jul 08, 2011 12:07 am