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Fermilab Calls For Code Crackers

atrocious cowpat passes along a call for help from symmetry magazine, the joint publication of Fermilab and SLAC, noting: "Could be just plain gibberish, it could be something like those wonderfully weird letters to the Mount Wilson observatory, or it could be a message from aliens who just happened to have gotten their hands (tentacles/exoskeleton) on a fax machine." "A little over a year ago, the Fermilab Office of Public Affairs received a curious letter in code (4.4-MB image here). It has been sitting in our files all that time and we haven't had much of a chance to look into breaking the code, nor are we particularly expert at this!"

50 of 392 comments (clear)

  1. Clearly.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's Dr. Emma Russells formula for cold fusion.

    1. Re:Clearly.. by sammyF70 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Though I seriously can't believe she missed her error in the 2nd part. Too bad, she was really doing well until that.

      --
      "DRM is like the Ford Pinto: it's a smooth ride, right up the point at which it explodes and ruins your day."-C.Doctorow
    2. Re:Clearly.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      To me, it looks like a pen and paper version of the green lantern version of asteroids...

    3. Re:Clearly.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      The message reads "I should have used ROT13"

    4. Re:Clearly.. by CrazedWalrus · · Score: 3, Funny

      I think it's Digital Fortress.

      Fortunately, the Slashdot Hive Mind has a safety shutdown when the story rolls off the front page.

    5. Re:Clearly.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      it's... 42!!!!!!

  2. Well obviously... by clonan · · Score: 4, Funny

    The Roswel aliens that were stranded on earth brainwashed some NEC employees who planted the code in all fax machines to send the fax to fermilabs who then posts it on the internet (which would be invented in 40 years) and thereby transmitted to mars...

    Makes perfect sense!

  3. I'm not positive about my translation by Eevee · · Score: 5, Funny

    But it seems he's from Nigeria and wants help tranferring money out of the country.

    1. Re:I'm not positive about my translation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      And he wants you to "Drink More Ovaltine"

    2. Re:I'm not positive about my translation by Hinhule · · Score: 4, Funny

      Really?
      I got an "ASCII" version of goatse :-/

    3. Re:I'm not positive about my translation by spazdor · · Score: 3, Funny

      me too! And apparently we suxor?

      --
      DRM: Terminator crops for your mind!
    4. Re:I'm not positive about my translation by sveard · · Score: 3, Funny

      But why do they call it Ovaltine? The mug is round. The jar is round. They should call it round tine.

    5. Re:I'm not positive about my translation by somersault · · Score: 2, Funny

      Shouldn't they call it Ovarietine then?

      --
      which is totally what she said
  4. Hmmm... by Omicron32 · · Score: 5, Funny

    4.4MB image link on the front page of Slashdot? I sense a great disturbance in the force...

    1. Re:Hmmm... by mapkinase · · Score: 4, Funny

      Well, right now I do not sense no nothing except "Loading..."

      --
      I do not believe in karma. "Funny"=-6. Do good and forbid evil. Yours, Oft-Offtopic Flamebaiting Troll.
    2. Re:Hmmm... by Sechr+Nibw · · Score: 3, Funny

      For the price of 100 gold, I will identify this cryptic item.

  5. Interesting... by wile_e_wonka · · Score: 5, Funny
    Very odd indeed! I received this cryptic message (which it seems I've seen before):

    Error!
    Could not connect to remote server

    You tried to access the address http://www.symmetrymagazine.org/breaking/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/fnalcodeletter.jpg, which is currently unavailable. Please make sure that the Web address (URL) is correctly spelled and punctuated, then try reloading the page.
  6. Re:WTF slashdot? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    I clicked on this article and a popup advertisement came up. What the hell?? Means you started Internet Explorer instead of your usual browser. WTF were you thinking?

  7. Re:Well, obvious stuff: by spydum · · Score: 4, Funny

    Agreed, first grouping is probably base-3, 2nd is key with the index being hex, and 3rd grouping is base-2.. and if I convert it out.. it ends up drawing an image of the goatse.cx guy... damnit!

  8. Mathamatically speaking.... by hengdi · · Score: 5, Funny

    There are 113 symbols, each of which is either 1, 2 or 3 strokes. So it is essentially a 113 digit base 3 number.

    This limits the amount of information that the message is trying to pass.

    For example, using base 26 - all the letters - means we could convey the same information in ??? digits.

    Oh damn it. I'm too drunk and Google ain't working for me. Perhaps someone could give a value for ???

    But I'm betting it won't be very many digits. I.e. this message is very short.

    1. Re:Mathamatically speaking.... by mr_mischief · · Score: 5, Funny

      Jose Cuervo Especial, 750 ml, 12-pack case.

      Mystery solved!

      Damn, Google has us spoiled.

  9. It's a trap! by Mortiss · · Score: 4, Funny

    Crackers do not fall for this trap. It is an obvious attempt to spread the Snow Crash!

  10. Strange... by BlueStrat · · Score: 4, Funny

    It seems to be some sort of construction/zoning notice. Something about a hyperspace-bypass being put in...

    Cheers!

    Strat

    --
    Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
  11. Okay, let's do this! by The+Insane+One · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just let me get a pencil and some paper.

    "All your base are belo"

    Oh crap.

  12. I've seen this before by Crash+McBang · · Score: 5, Funny

    The translation comes out as:

    My name is Kosh Naranek.

    I am writing this brief letter to bring to your attention a business offer which we believe you might find attractive.
    Mrs Maria Garibaldi; wife of one a wealthy Martian executive (Late Mr. Michael Garibaldi) seeks a business assistance from a reliable and reputable businessman to invest and manage funds to the tune of 15 Million Credits...

    --
    To put a witty saying into 120 characters, jst rmv ll th vwls.
  13. I've managed to decipher the final section... by DirtySouthAfrican · · Score: 5, Funny

    It reads "Use only Genuine Interocitor Parts". Seems gibberish to me.

  14. Myst - Riven by aarenz · · Score: 2, Funny

    This is the code from the final puzzel in Myst episode called Riven. Not really, but it looks quite similar in function. Someone who was able to master that game without a guide book would be able to figure this one out in a flash.

  15. So by Shivetya · · Score: 2, Funny

    this is how to beat Guitar Hero IV on hard?

    other than being a freak or having a pet spider to help you out?

    --
    * Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
  16. I've seen this before.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's obviously Woodstock. He's telling Snoopy about encryption.

  17. I think it says... by Uncle+Focker · · Score: 4, Funny

    'PC Load Letter'? What the fuck does that mean?

  18. the strokes are music (?) by Ralph+Spoilsport · · Score: 3, Funny
    To me, the strokes look like a clapping pattern. I sat and clapped it out at my desk here, and if done at a fairly brisk pace, the top section is an interesting and often asymmetric rhythm.

    Parts of it clap out to sound like "apocalypse in 9/8, (co-starring the delicious talents of Gabble Ratchet)" by Genesis from Foxtrot

    But the whole thing is scattered enough that it comes out like more of a one handed improv or approximation of Steve Reich's "Clapping Music".

    The bottom section is less rhythmically active, but sounds more "even", kind of "rock and roll" ish.

    The middle part is a dull cipher, similar to Nugsoth.

    That's all I've got.

    RS

    --
    Shoes for Industry. Shoes for the Dead.
  19. Re:Well, obvious stuff: by azzuth · · Score: 5, Funny

    That's funny, when i converted it and then etch it onto a vinyl i got Rick Roll'd

  20. B E S... by mcmonkey · · Score: 4, Funny

    U R E T O D R I N K Y O U R O V A L T I N E

    --
    "Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted!"

    Everyone's a critic.

  21. Score two points for the sender by memnoch37 · · Score: 2, Funny
  22. Re:Source? by esocid · · Score: 2, Funny

    My plan finally worked. One long year of waiting has paid off. It's just nonsense I made up to get some people to try and crack it.
    Cheers.

    --
    Absolute power corrupts absolutely. indymedia
  23. Re:Not Cheere.. by arthurpaliden · · Score: 3, Funny

    But rather, "So long and thanks for all the fish".

  24. I'm pretty sure it's for my broken office light by SomeoneGotMyNick · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's a tempo guide for the person who's messing with the fluorescent ceiling light in the corner of my office. I swear the light is flickering to the same cadence as the tick marks on the page.

  25. DNA sequence? by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 5, Funny
    1. Four DNA characters: A, C, G, T
    2. Four character sequences: |, ||, |||, (space)
    3. Determine character mapping.
    4. ...
    5. Velociraptor.
    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  26. Re:Well, obvious stuff: by baffled · · Score: 5, Funny

    You're thinking waaay too deep.

    Turn the page 90 degrees clockwise.

    It says 'Hi'

  27. Re:The raw numbers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well this is obviously the handiwork of a drunk perl coder trying to be minimalistic.

  28. Re:4th stanza by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 3, Funny

    What a coincidence! That happens to be the combination to my luggage!

    Sorry, had to do it. :-D

  29. Re:Well, obvious stuff: by funaho · · Score: 4, Funny

    The world's first rickroll-by-fax?

  30. The decoded message by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Remember to drink your Ovaltine!

  31. It's a receipt by Bogtha · · Score: 2, Funny

    See those three symbols on their own? An S, followed by a triangle, followed by a three-pronged character? Well if you look in the table directly above those three characters, you'll see that the triangle translates to F and the three-pronged character translates to C, giving S.F.C. altogether.

    Clearly the Roswell Greys were on their way home from picking up a Spacetucky-Fried Chicken takeaway when they crashed here.

    --
    Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
  32. All your base... by marcus · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...are belong to us.

    Even I can see that.

    Obviously, these Fermilab folks don't get to go outside at all.

    --
    Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement.
    - W. Wriston, former Citibank CEO
  33. Re:Google recruiting? by 2names · · Score: 2, Funny

    If you MD5 the whole thing and divide by the binary representation of the date they found it, it comes out as:

    J O H N T I T O R

    --
    "I'm just here to regulate funkiness."
  34. as if... by whopub · · Score: 2, Funny

    4.4MB image link on the front page of Slashdot? I sense a great disturbance in the force... as if the whole world was about to be slashdot...
  35. Re:Well, obvious stuff: by BrainInAJar · · Score: 2, Funny

    I got a piece of spam that read exactly like that!

  36. Oh NO! by Satanboy · · Score: 2, Funny

    It's a Cookbook!

  37. Re:Context? by Garridan · · Score: 4, Funny

    All this reminds me of my algebra prof's (apparently) favorite poem: "One-one was a racehorse, and One-two was one too. One-one won one race, and One-two won one too."