April 14th, 2008
Spy games
I still find invisible ink entertaining. Similarly secret codes and hidden messages – especially intentionally hidden ones.
I also have a particular fondness for the word ‘cipher‘.
Just so you know. There are no hints or hidden messages in this post… that would be going too far, John Nash far.
Feel free to do this as a solo or group effort.
So, tell me what the answer is…
Ty on 
Ben on
The first panel is just a substitution cipher.
abmejst there
is truth in
everything
stop dkfuqh
I tried plotting the lines in the second panel but I got nothing and I have no idea about the second one.
“Fuzzy Math”
Always the answer!
there is truth in everything…
more to learn i hope
I should probably mention it’s a three-stage puzzle, with each answer acting as the cipher for the next…
…and that I’ve thrown in a little mis-information too… don’t want no counter-spies looking at my codes.
i also tried to plot the points, and a friend of mine used the third panel as the plane in which to analyze the coordinates (i.e. (4,4) = R), but we haven’t gotten anywhere with that yet. once i finish this damn theology paper, i’ll get back to it
good luck to everyone else trying to break the code, hopefully my friend’s idea about the second panel describing the third helps.
You bastard.
Have you ever read my work? Serioiusly, I can barely tie my own shoes let alone figure that out.
I think I hate you.
I have spent all day looking at information laden maps, pages and spreadsheets.
I figured out how to work the code.
I had to convince my mind that you don’t think like I do about cartesian co-ords.
Bah. Cracked the first panel then got stuck on the third being the key to the second, rather than, as you now say, the other way around. Bah again. And double bah. Would have posted yesterday but felt bad about spoilers.
Well I got the first part. And then I thought what with the stop and all it must have to do with telegrams but then I got sidetracked researching about telegrams and telegraphers and teleprinters. It’s a marvelous world, the one starting with tele- that is.
Find out anything particularly interesting on telegrams?
I learned about teleprinters and Baudot code. Which is pretty cool, because up until now I had just assumed that a telegram = morse code. Also people apparently were able to telegraph (telegram…telefie…) pictures. They had a special name for that, which I have since forgotten.
That’s pretty cool… like a fax machine?
Whilst checking up on the subject, I stumbled across ‘Numbers Stations’ of wikipedia… very odd.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numbers_station
My sweetheart writes epistletory novels, and there are sometimes large chapters full of telegrams. Telegrams, he says, are the best fun.
As a side note, if I ever get text messaging on my cell phone, I will text not in chatspeak but in telegram shorthand. This should make communication interesting.
OK, first hint…
The first panel is a substitution cipher… but that is just a red herring, and a clue in itself. The answer you are looking for is a number… and that number should gide you through the second panel.
*guide*
We’re not spelling it ‘gide’ anymore? When the hell did that happun?
Fastest reply eva!
Adam, you can spell anthing anyway you like.
Yeah, I’m at work…. not working. It’s almost realtime.
What the spelling or the replying?
Where do you work?
I’ll order a courier to come and deliver some large office furniture.
I’m not sure, but I think all spelling is realtime… I meant the replying.
I’m not allowed to say exactly where I’m working at the moment…
I’ll send you some pictures perhaps.
The furniture would be very welcome.
I noticed a few people were coming here from Webcomics.com looking for an answer… and I think enough time has passed without anyone giving one, so I’ll do it for you.
I did say it was intentionally obscure though…
If you use the substitution cipher on the first cell, replacing each number with its corresponding letter, you get some junk (just like in DNA) followed by the phrase ‘There is truth in everything’… which is a snidey hint that you should just add all of those numbers together to get 596
596 is the key to the next cell…
So:
5. (3,2)(2,4)(4,3)
9. (2,2) (1,3) (2,4)
6 (2,3)(1,3)
If you were to plot those co-ordinates in that order in the final cell, you get the answer…
I think the second one is a matrix, right? Sadly, thats about all I remember from pre-calc… hopefully Ill re-learn this stuff in the Fall…
the answer is not violence
Woohoo, well done.
*Luminus scores a massive amount of geek points*