unforum

[clalonde]

bump

[jlandgr]

Hmmm, it is of course a possibility that the key is as long as the ciphertext. However, I found it odd that ENCODING (not decoding) the string I arrived at "driving north", i.e. starting from the bottom (where there is, more to the point, the word "case" ) with "XXX", which is in a block (odd) gives "unity" and some gibberish. So, XXX would be part of the Vigenere key, the ciphertext starting with the last X, in that theory. However, it is possible, even likely, that the rest ("gibberish") needs either a longer Vig key (then, you'd have to start the key with "XXXXX" to preserve the "encoding" of "Unity") applied to the original ciphertext or the deciphered, scrambled part has to be deciphered in a second stage, with a key perhaps arrived at through the letters in the "drive north" text. Perhaps 7/8 means "start at 7th letter, count 8 and use these as a key" (though I've tried without success, but you get my point).
I spent quite some time on this but am out of ideas at the moment.

[johnny5]

[edit] SOLVED!
Base 36 strikes again.

[jlandgr]

Great find, j5!
*slaps myself on the head for not thinking of this after getting the starting point correct and the 7/8 reference, but not thinking of "driving" on the original wordsearch grid*
I still wonder, though, whether the keyword "unity" (or its base36 equivalent) will have some significance in the future? I found it an odd coincidence, finding this word with "XXX" as a key. But coincidences to happpen, or it was just a red herring to lure us off the right track. Worked for me, I must admit *blush* , if that was the "case" ...

[HitsHerMark]

So Virgil put up a big honkin wordsearch puzzle on his website, and the "reward" is a timetable for the Uffizi Hiest?

What an odd duck.

[johnny5]

[HitsHerMark]

*looks up at the thread subject*

Oh man, DUH!

I'm going back to studying. I'll see you all Tuesday.

[missphinx]

johnny5 = amazing
Great job, again!

So, if we assume (big assumption) that the job started March 1 and the work is on schedule, we're already at the end of week 14, more or less. Can that be right? With Gunter running around the U.S.? - I guess he's had plenty of time to supervise from afar. Ack!

[nhansard]