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smile

Just a little brainstorm

- I'm trying to figure out exactly what you can insert into the difference engine? Numbers?

- reason being, the 9 computers are numbered, perhaps if they are rearranged alphabetically, and then entered as the number listed on the card... this could result in a number ( 471359628 )

- Only problem is, and it seems to be the problem with everyones idea, is theres different ways to interpret the acutal names of the computers, so to remove the variables - only something like the date when they were issued would work?

Of course, we could have actually solved the puzzle, when the website is released to enter details from the cards, it could well have 9 spaces for the computers names, but I doubt it Wink

.... carry on Smile

**Posted:** Tue May 03, 2005 10:36 am

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" If Ignorance is Bliss, take this smile from my face "

buff · Veteran Joined: 23 Sep 2003 Posts: 106

It's a blue card, it "must" be more difficult than that. At least - that's what I would assume based on the difference between the other cards and comparing that to the ranking list of cards.

**Posted:** Tue May 03, 2005 10:48 am

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"Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?"

"Do you really want to know what hides behind the kurtain?"

POTUS

Smile wrote:

**Posted:** Tue May 03, 2005 11:27 am

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Now that you've found another key ~ what are you going to play?

smile

Erm, well I arranged he names of the computer alphabetically - and then wrote the numbers down that appeared in the pictures of them ( 1 through 9... ) It looked like :

4 - Altair
7 - Apple II
1 - Atari 2600
3 - BBC Micro
5 - Commodore 64
9 - NeXT Cube
6 - Nintendo Ent. Sys.
2 - Sinclair ZX81
8 - Sinclair ZXSpect.

I figured that numbers would index before letters on the Sinclairs... - anyway like I said - it was just an idea that seems obvious but no one had thought of Smile

... it's probably nothing - but the numbers are there for a reason I feel.

**Posted:** Tue May 03, 2005 3:39 pm

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" If Ignorance is Bliss, take this smile from my face "

buff · Veteran Joined: 23 Sep 2003 Posts: 106

...which of course chucks my theory out of the window...

Very Happy

**Posted:** Tue May 03, 2005 8:11 pm

_________________
"Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?"

"Do you really want to know what hides behind the kurtain?"

POTUS

Ok, I feel stupid. I read your post. Got excited. Then forgot what I had read.

**Posted:** Tue May 03, 2005 10:41 pm

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Now that you've found another key ~ what are you going to play?

jbd · Decorated Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 295

Er, [SOLVED]? I got excited when I thought someone finally got this, but I see no change. Are we just giving up and waiting to see if our specs work in the blanks, then?

**Posted:** Wed May 04, 2005 1:39 am

Mima · Decorated Joined: 17 Feb 2005 Posts: 260

How about using the version numbers/letters to try and work a solution. I'm not a cryptographer so would need help, but:

2600
zx81
A/B/B+ (I think we are not sure of version on this one)
8800b
?
?
IIe? (not sure)
spectrum (does this have a further version)
Does this have a version?

**Posted:** Wed May 04, 2005 9:41 am

buff · Veteran Joined: 23 Sep 2003 Posts: 106

The other solved cards have had very clear answers, in other words - we've known when an answer have been found. Seems strange it would be different for this one...

**Posted:** Wed May 04, 2005 10:27 am

_________________
"Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?"

"Do you really want to know what hides behind the kurtain?"

Rob_Riv · Unfettered Joined: 17 Feb 2005 Posts: 350

**Posted:** Wed May 04, 2005 3:23 pm

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"I suggest something involving a corkscrew, a 9 volt battery, and a colony of fire ants. I'm not sure what one could do with those things, but whatever it is it'll be excruciatingly painful." - Ankit Jain (Spankit) on Ryandrew's punishment.

buff · Veteran Joined: 23 Sep 2003 Posts: 106

Only that that should be the essence, yes - but on the other hand, this is a blue card and therefor it should be harder, yes?

But a puzzle which doesn't tell you that you've reached the solution isn't much of a puzzle, now is it?

On the other hand, Occams Razor might be useful here Wink

**Posted:** Wed May 04, 2005 8:48 pm

_________________
"Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?"

"Do you really want to know what hides behind the kurtain?"

Der_loki

not sure if this is relevant - but when closely looking at this card for inspiration, i noticed that on picture 8 just over the zx spectrum there seems to be another image/banner with the letters T , O faintly in the background - now is this supposed to be there or is it a printing mistake. you can also see something in the background of the ataria in pic 1....

any thoughts? is it just me?

**Posted:** Fri May 06, 2005 9:04 am

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ah ha!!!

James Lyon · Veteran Joined: 22 Mar 2005 Posts: 92 Location: Edinburgh

**Posted:** Fri May 06, 2005 9:48 am

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James Lyon

www.20six.co.uk/james_lyon
(Will update shortly. Promise.)

buff · Veteran Joined: 23 Sep 2003 Posts: 106

Just another WILD SPEC (in the words truest meaning!):

In Pattern Recognition by William Gibson, one of the characters, Voytko collects Sinclair Spectrum Z81. And during Project Syzygy, the info pointed towards that book as well. Probably nothing...

Just some worthless fact.

**Posted:** Mon May 09, 2005 7:30 pm

_________________
"Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?"

"Do you really want to know what hides behind the kurtain?"

Rob_Riv · Unfettered Joined: 17 Feb 2005 Posts: 350

**Posted:** Tue May 10, 2005 1:18 pm

_________________
"I suggest something involving a corkscrew, a 9 volt battery, and a colony of fire ants. I'm not sure what one could do with those things, but whatever it is it'll be excruciatingly painful." - Ankit Jain (Spankit) on Ryandrew's punishment.