Cryptos

[kuang]

Nope, we're waiting to see if the last set of levels will be created...

[Cryptos]

Hello again!

Hi everyone.

We're very sorry about the huge delay in the completion of Cryptos, but we're happy to announce that with the end of school rapidly approaching we are resuming work on everyone's favourite web puzzle. Those of you who have accounts on our forum will be notified by e-mail when the next few levels are up.

Happy Holidays,

The Cryptos Team

[pkticker]

Yippee!!!!!!!!

I knew Santa Claus would come through for us! Thanks for the update, Cryptos...

Now if I can just get that enigma machine I asked for...

[kuang]

Excellent, looking forward to it!

Good luck with wrapping everything up at school!

[Cryptos]

I knew Santa Claus would come through for us! Thanks for the update, Cryptos...

Now if I can just get that enigma machine I asked for...

I wouldn't count on it; WWII machines cost in excess of $10,000.

[rootbeer674]

nyone get anything

[kuang]

Nope, just trying to get my brain back into gear after a hectic christmas day

EDIT:

Is anyone else working on the new one yet? I have a few ideas, but haven't managed to nail anything down.

[pkticker]

*gulp* $10,000???

I wouldn't count on it; WWII machines cost in excess of $10,000.

Hmm... well... maybe I can get a genuine Little Orphan Annie decoder ring, or a nice replica instead.

[pkticker]

Nope, just trying to get my brain back into gear after a hectic christmas day

EDIT:

Is anyone else working on the new one yet? I have a few ideas, but haven't managed to nail anything down.

I was thinking the "rhymingly yours" had something to do with it, but I haven't been able to find anything about codes or ciphers that rhyme.

Maybe I'm just waaaaay out of practice.

[kuang]

My current thinking is that the word rhyme suggests a keyword when considered alongside the subject of the email, as I can't find a cipher named after the word I have in mind.

[kuang]

I think that 'in case of emergency' and 'rhymingly yours' may refer to the word 'mayday', especially as it also rhymes with J.J. as well as itself. This may be a key, as I can't find a cipher with that word in the name. 'Simple' could refer to a simple substitution, which seems likely as there aren't enough vowels for it to be a transposition. There's a definite split between the first and last halves of the message, where most of the repeats are in the first half. (26 letters in text, 16 unique with duplicates. Not used - bhjoruvxyz). Is the length of 26 characters relevant? It's too short for a frequency analysis and none of the common pairs or letter frequencies seem to give a meaningful answer.

Urgh. Braindead.

[kuang]

That depends on how you use it, and with what cipher. Do you use it as one key, or split it into two, for example.

[pkticker]

*frustrated*

Ok, tried that with one word at a time - did the 2nd word with the results - and didn't come up with anything legible in any cipher. Tried both words together and came up with bupkus too.

Even tried it in Enigma since there's 3 letters per word. Nada.

I guess we're trying the wrong word for a keyword. *sighs*

ETA: tried it as 1 word too and no luck.

I've Googled "Mayday" and "In case of emergency" and even "break glass" to try to find a good keyword. I thought there might have been a rhyming word to do with emergencies or breaking glass. I tried ICE, which is the acronym for "In case of emergency," but like most of the other keywords that have been tried so far, it's too short for a simple substitution, and I can't figure out what other kind of cipher would work.

I think I'm so out of practice I may never figure this thing out. *sigh* Now I'm remembering the downside of Cryptos... FRUSTRATION!

[kuang]

What cipher are you trying to use this keyword with?

I was considering if the phrase 'well educated' had any significance, and dug this up from wikipedia about the origin of the words 'rhyme'

"The word comes from the Old French rime, derived from Old Frankish language *ri:m, a Germanic term meaning "series, sequence" attested in Old English and Old High German, ultimately cognate to Old Irish rím, Greek ἀριθμός arithmos "number"."

Probably me being too clever for my own good, but still food for thought

[kuang]

Well, I'm definitely working on the sleep angle. I'll have another look tomorrow when I can see straight