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This text was received after someone dropped an email to the dinah@projectsyzygy.com address (from the [[Marketing Weekly]]). Received an autoresponse back:
{{Season0}}


    On 5 Mar 2004, at 00:29, xxxx wrote:  
This text was received after someone dropped an email to the dinah@projectsyzygy.com address (from the [[Marketing Weekly]] ad):
 
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'''On 5 Mar 2004, at 00:29, xxxx wrote:'''
      
      
    I don't think I have anything more to add, except for the requisite  shout-outs to the immersive
I don't think I have anything more to add, except for the requisite  shout-outs to the immersive fiction community all over the  web and  around the world (you know who you are). Anyone reading this should  know that it's going to get a lot harder and a lot more fun.  You ain't seen nothing yet.
    fiction community all over the  web and  around the world (you know who you are). Anyone reading
 
    this should  know that it's going to get a lot harder and a lot more fun.  You ain't seen nothing yet.  
[[AADAA|One last thing - it all begins with AADAA...]]
      
      
    One last thing - it all begins with AADAA...
xxxx
      
      
    xxxx
'''On 5 Mar 2004, at 00:13, xxxx wrote: '''
      
      
What a cool idea.  I love it.  All we'd need to do is sanitise our email exchange by removing reference to things like xxxx and then put it online somewhere.  This could be the last email of our exchange we publish.
      
      
Unless of course you follow this one with a witty reply that our  hard-core cryptographer friends would enjoy ;)
      
      
    On 5 Mar 2004, at 00:13, xxxx wrote:  
xxxx
 
'''On 4 Mar 2004, at 23:58, xxxx wrote:'''
      
      
    What a cool idea.  I love itAll we'd need to do is sanitise our email exchange by removing reference to things like xxxx and
Actually, yeah, I think you are probably right. As long as the puzzle   isn't *ridiculously* easy, then people aren't going to think worse of it (especially if you put 'Easy wasn't it?' as a more difficult one!). Simple substitution is a nice way to go.
    then put it online somewhereThis could be the last email of our exchange we publish.
 
Now I'm wondering what sort of code to use for the 'easy wasn't it' thing...   
      
      
    Unless of course you follow this one with a witty reply that our hard-core cryptographer friends would enjoy ;)
It occurred to me this evening that a nice reward for ultra-hardcore cryptographers would be to see this exchange of emails - it wouldn't actually reveal anything at all about xxxx, and they'd probably appreciate the thought that's gone into the ad puzzle. Perhaps we  could encrypt a key in the ad that would unlock these emails on the  web  somewhere. Or maybe not. Just another random idea 
      
      
    xxxx
xxxx  
 
'''On 4 Mar 2004, at 23:48, xxxx wrote:'''
      
      
Fair point. I've been thinking about this a lot this evening. It's a tricky balance we're trying to strike.
      
      
The code at the moment is laughably easy to crack but that's the point. I think 99% of people reading the ad will  feel pretty pleased with themselves for cracking a Caesar  shift or  simple substitution cipher. The image I have is of people stumbling across our ad while flicking through a stack of job ads  in a coffee shop. They'll be intrigued by it but unless they have a hook to start  solving it quickly I think they'll give up and  probably won't give it another thought.
Alternatively if they immediately see a way in and manage to solve  it  on the back of a napkin within five or ten minutes then I think they'd be very likely to check out the site and more importantly  mention it  to other people.
      
      
    On 4 Mar 2004, at 23:58, xxxx wrote:
In hindsight a simple substitution cipher probably makes more sense  than a Caesar shift - particularly if we leave the web address  format  as it is. This provides the easy way in to give the average  person a  foothold of four letters.
      
      
    Actually, yeah, I think you are probably right. As long as the puzzle  isn't *ridiculously* easy, then people aren't going to
It'll be a different matter when the game is live and people are xxxx but in this instance I think a Vigenere cipher would require too much effort for the average person. Obviously we wouldn't want to recruit anyone for the full-time team who'd struggle to decode a Vigenere cipher but this is a great opportunity to get a lot of people chatting about  the concept and the  site itself.
    think worse of it (especially if you put 'Easy wasn't it?' as a more difficult  one!). Simple substitution is a nice way to go.  
 
If the puzzle is too complex then  we lose all that and the fact we gain an average of higher quality submissions probably doesn't offset it.  
      
      
    Now I'm wondering what sort of code to use for the 'easy wasn't it'  thing... 
You're right in that we don't want to look like lightweight puzzle designers so a way around this might be to hide a much more complex  code in the background that acknowledges the very important but tiny minority of ultra smart folks. Perhaps something as simple as "Easy wasn't it?"
      
      
    It occurred to me this evening that a nice reward for ultra-hardcore  cryptographers would be to see this exchange of emails -
Any thoughts??
    it wouldn't  actually reveal anything at all about xxxx, and they'd probably  appreciate the thought that's gone into the ad
    puzzle. Perhaps we  could  encrypt a key in the ad that would unlock these emails on the  web  somewhere. Or maybe not. Just
    another random idea 
      
      
    xxxx
Cheers
      
      
xxxx
      
      
'''On 4 Mar 2004, at 18:38, xxxx wrote: '''
      
      
    On 4 Mar 2004, at 23:48, xxxx wrote:
Hi all,  
      
      
    Fair point. I've been thinking about this a lot this evening. It's a  tricky balance we're trying to strike.  
I think the text of the ad is perfect, but I have some comments on other aspects.  
      
      
    The code at the moment is laughably easy to crack but that's the  point. I think 99% of people reading the ad will feel pretty
Firstly, I think a Caesar shift is too easy - I mean, even I could figure that one out! If people are interested in the ad, then they'll be willing to put at least a few minutes work into it - and if they're not interested in the ad, it won't be because the cryptosystem is too hard, it'll be because it just looks like gibberish. So I don't feel there's anything wrong with knocking it up a notch and using, say, a simple substitution cipher. These are  easily broken using frequency analysis or brute force, but it's a step up from Caesar.  
    pleased with themselves for cracking a Caesar shift or simple substitution cipher. The image I have is of people  stumbling
    across our ad while flicking through a stack of job ads  in a coffee  shop. They'll be intrigued by it but unless they have a 
    hook to start  solving it quickly I think they'll give up and probably won't give it  another thought.  
      
      
    Alternatively if they immediately see a way in and manage to solve it on the back of a napkin within five or ten minutes then
Another possibility is using a Vigenere Cipher, which is essentially a Caesar cipher done twice, using a keyword to determine the shift.  It's much more difficult to brute force without the keyword and very  very difficult for short texts, which obviously this one is, so we should make the keyword available. A possible scenario would be to encode the majority of the text in a Vigenere Cipher (which is immune to frequency analysis) and encode the keyword (written in Braille or  morse code or baudot) with a simple substitution cipher or something similar.
    I think they'd be very likely to check out the site and more importantly mention it to other people.  
      
      
    In hindsight a simple substitution cipher probably makes more sense  than a Caesar shift - particularly if we leave the web
Whichever system is used, it would be a mistake to write out the web address in the usual 'http://www....com' format, simply because it'd be very recognisable and thus provide an easy shortcut to crack the  puzzle (and that would be no fun for  anyone). To be totally safe, I  would write it out as 'visit  projectsyzygy dot com' so there isn't any strange punctuation to give the
    address format  as it is. This provides the easy way in to give the average person a foothold of four letters.  
game away.  
      
      
    It'll be a different matter when the game is live and people are xxxx but in this instance I think a Vigenere cipher would require
So - if you went for the Vigenere route, here is how I would do it  (and obviously there are many other ways, many of which are undoubtedly better):
    too much effort for the average  person.  Obviously we wouldn't want to recruit anyone for the  full-time team  who'd struggle to
    decode a Vigenere cipher but  this is a great  opportunity to get a lot of people chatting about  the concept and the  site itself.
    If the puzzle is too complex then  we lose all that and  the fact we gain an average of higher quality  submissions probably
    doesn't offset it.
      
      
    You're right in that we don't want to look like lightweight puzzle  designers so a way around this might be to hide a much more
1. In a corner or on the border of the ad, the phrase 'You're always  a day away' is written in morse or braille or baudot. Optionally, it  is encoded via a simple substitution cipher, or  maybe just a Caesar  shift.  
    complex  code in the background that acknowledges the very important but tiny minority of ultra smart folks. Perhaps something
    as simple as "Easy wasn't it?"
      
      
    Any thoughts??
2. This phrase is obviously from the song 'Tomorrow' in the movie  'Annie'. Thus the keyword is 'Tomorrow' - it's not hard to figure out.
      
      
    Cheers
3. From there, if you recognise that the main text is encoded in  Vigenere, it is trivial to decode it using the keyword.
      
      
    xxxx
You could always highlight some of the letters in the text and use  them as a keyword for a future puzzle on the web - we wouldn't even  need to decide on them beforehand, we could just design the future puzzle around them.
      
      
My reasoning for making the puzzle a bit harder and more circuituous is because it involves the 'player' a little more and thus will give  them a bit more satisfaction on completion and also convince them  that we are not lightweights when it comes to cryptography.  Furthermore, if anyone did want to write a story about it, it's more interesting this way.
      
      
Of course, it is entirely possible that making the puzzle harder  will  put people off, which is clearly not the goal. However, it will be cracked by *someone* in short order, and the answer and  instructions  will then be put on the web for all to see.
Success! 
xxxx
      
      
      
      
    On 4 Mar 2004, at 18:38, xxxx wrote:  
'''On 4 Mar 2004, at 16:32, xxxx wrote: '''
      
      
    Hi all,
Here's a first stab at text for the ad that will be going into the press over next week or so. I'm planning to put it into Marketing Week and then play it by ear after that.
      
      
    I think the text of the ad is perfect, but I have some comments on other aspects.
If anyone has any suggestions or improvements then give me a shout asap since we're hoping to get this finished by midday on Monday. Might be nice to hide a deeper clue in there somewhere as well.  Any suggestions? Perhaps we could very subtly highlight some of  the  letters (tiny dot above or below) to spell out a new message.  Or we  could partially hide the 'I can see you' Braille text  somewhere  within the design around the edge of the text? Not very imaginative though!
      
      
    Firstly, I think a Caesar shift is too easy - I mean, even I could  figure that one out! If people are interested in the ad, then
I currently think that the best plan would be for the first  sentence to be unencrypted to hook people's interest and then encode the rest of the text via a caesar shift (including the web address obviously!) With a bit of luck it should get picked up and commented on by the   mainstream press.
    they'll be willing to put at least a few minutes work into it -  and if  they're not interested in the ad, it won't be because
    the cryptosystem is too hard, it'll be because it just looks like  gibberish. So I don't feel there's anything wrong with
    knocking it up a notch and using, say, a simple substitution cipher. These are  easily broken using frequency analysis or
    brute force, but it's a   step up from Caesar.  
      
      
    Another possibility is using a Vigenere Cipher, which is essentially a Caesar cipher done twice, using a keyword to determine the
Cheers
    shift.  It's much more difficult to brute force without the keyword and very  very difficult for short texts, which  obviously
 
    this one is, so we  should make the keyword available. A possible scenario would be to encode the majority of the text in a
xxxx
    Vigenere Cipher (which is immune  to frequency analysis) and encode  the keyword (written in Braille or  morse code or baudot)
|}
    with a  simple substitution cipher or something  similar.
   
    Whichever system is used, it would be a mistake to write out the  web  address in the usual 'http://www....com' format, simply
    because it'd  be very recognisable and thus provide an easy  shortcut to crack the  puzzle (and that would be no fun for  anyone).
    To be totally safe, I  would write it out as 'visit  projectsyzygy dot com' so there isn't  any strange punctuation to  give the
    game away.
   
    So - if you went for the Vigenere route, here is how I would do it  (and obviously there are many other ways, many of which are
    undoubtedly better):
   
    1. In a corner or on the border of the ad, the phrase 'You're  always  a day away' is written in morse or braille or baudot.
    Optionally, it  is encoded via a simple substitution cipher, or  maybe just a Caesar  shift.
   
    2. This phrase is obviously from the song 'Tomorrow' in the movie  'Annie'. Thus the keyword is 'Tomorrow' - it's not hard to
    figure out.
   
    3. From there, if you recognise that the main text is encoded in  Vigenere, it is trivial to decode it using the keyword.
   
    You could always highlight some of the letters in the text and use  them as a keyword for a future puzzle on the web - we
    wouldn't even  need to decide on them beforehand, we could just design the future puzzle around them.
   
    My reasoning for making the puzzle a bit harder and more  circuituous is because it involves the 'player' a little more and
    thus will give  them a bit more satisfaction on completion and also convince them  that we are not lightweights when it comes
    to cryptography.  Furthermore, if anyone did want to write a story about it, it's more  interesting this way 
   
    Of course, it is entirely possible that making the puzzle harder  will  put people off, which is clearly not the goal. However,
    it will be cracked by *someone* in short order, and the answer and  instructions  will then be put on the web for all to see.
    Success! 
   
   
    xxxx
   
   
    On 4 Mar 2004, at 16:32, xxxx wrote:
   
    Here's a first stab at text for the ad that will be going into the press over next week or so. I'm planning to put it into
    Marketing Week and then play it by ear after that.
   
    If anyone has any suggestions or improvements then give me a shout asap since we're hoping to get this finished by midday on
    Monday. Might be nice to hide a deeper clue in there somewhere as well.  Any  suggestions? Perhaps we could very subtly highlight
    some of  the  letters (tiny dot above or below) to spell out a new message.  Or we  could partially hide the 'I can see you'
    Braille text  somewhere  within the design around the edge of the text? Not very imaginative though!
   
    I currently think that the best plan would be for the first  sentence  to be unencrypted to hook people's interest and then
    encode the rest of the text via a caesar shift (including the web  address  obviously!)
    With a bit of luck it should get picked up and commented on by the  mainstream press.
   
    Cheers
   
    xxxx

Latest revision as of 18:08, 13 March 2007

PERPLEX CITY, SEASON ZERO
Project Syzygy
Life without cards


This text was received after someone dropped an email to the dinah@projectsyzygy.com address (from the Marketing Weekly ad):

On 5 Mar 2004, at 00:29, xxxx wrote:

I don't think I have anything more to add, except for the requisite shout-outs to the immersive fiction community all over the web and around the world (you know who you are). Anyone reading this should know that it's going to get a lot harder and a lot more fun. You ain't seen nothing yet.

One last thing - it all begins with AADAA...

xxxx

On 5 Mar 2004, at 00:13, xxxx wrote:

What a cool idea. I love it. All we'd need to do is sanitise our email exchange by removing reference to things like xxxx and then put it online somewhere. This could be the last email of our exchange we publish.

Unless of course you follow this one with a witty reply that our hard-core cryptographer friends would enjoy ;)

xxxx

On 4 Mar 2004, at 23:58, xxxx wrote:

Actually, yeah, I think you are probably right. As long as the puzzle isn't *ridiculously* easy, then people aren't going to think worse of it (especially if you put 'Easy wasn't it?' as a more difficult one!). Simple substitution is a nice way to go.

Now I'm wondering what sort of code to use for the 'easy wasn't it' thing...

It occurred to me this evening that a nice reward for ultra-hardcore cryptographers would be to see this exchange of emails - it wouldn't actually reveal anything at all about xxxx, and they'd probably appreciate the thought that's gone into the ad puzzle. Perhaps we could encrypt a key in the ad that would unlock these emails on the web somewhere. Or maybe not. Just another random idea

xxxx

On 4 Mar 2004, at 23:48, xxxx wrote:

Fair point. I've been thinking about this a lot this evening. It's a tricky balance we're trying to strike.

The code at the moment is laughably easy to crack but that's the point. I think 99% of people reading the ad will feel pretty pleased with themselves for cracking a Caesar shift or simple substitution cipher. The image I have is of people stumbling across our ad while flicking through a stack of job ads in a coffee shop. They'll be intrigued by it but unless they have a hook to start solving it quickly I think they'll give up and probably won't give it another thought.

Alternatively if they immediately see a way in and manage to solve it on the back of a napkin within five or ten minutes then I think they'd be very likely to check out the site and more importantly mention it to other people.

In hindsight a simple substitution cipher probably makes more sense than a Caesar shift - particularly if we leave the web address format as it is. This provides the easy way in to give the average person a foothold of four letters.

It'll be a different matter when the game is live and people are xxxx but in this instance I think a Vigenere cipher would require too much effort for the average person. Obviously we wouldn't want to recruit anyone for the full-time team who'd struggle to decode a Vigenere cipher but this is a great opportunity to get a lot of people chatting about the concept and the site itself.

If the puzzle is too complex then we lose all that and the fact we gain an average of higher quality submissions probably doesn't offset it.

You're right in that we don't want to look like lightweight puzzle designers so a way around this might be to hide a much more complex code in the background that acknowledges the very important but tiny minority of ultra smart folks. Perhaps something as simple as "Easy wasn't it?"

Any thoughts??

Cheers

xxxx

On 4 Mar 2004, at 18:38, xxxx wrote:

Hi all,

I think the text of the ad is perfect, but I have some comments on other aspects.

Firstly, I think a Caesar shift is too easy - I mean, even I could figure that one out! If people are interested in the ad, then they'll be willing to put at least a few minutes work into it - and if they're not interested in the ad, it won't be because the cryptosystem is too hard, it'll be because it just looks like gibberish. So I don't feel there's anything wrong with knocking it up a notch and using, say, a simple substitution cipher. These are easily broken using frequency analysis or brute force, but it's a step up from Caesar.

Another possibility is using a Vigenere Cipher, which is essentially a Caesar cipher done twice, using a keyword to determine the shift. It's much more difficult to brute force without the keyword and very very difficult for short texts, which obviously this one is, so we should make the keyword available. A possible scenario would be to encode the majority of the text in a Vigenere Cipher (which is immune to frequency analysis) and encode the keyword (written in Braille or morse code or baudot) with a simple substitution cipher or something similar.

Whichever system is used, it would be a mistake to write out the web address in the usual 'http://www....com' format, simply because it'd be very recognisable and thus provide an easy shortcut to crack the puzzle (and that would be no fun for anyone). To be totally safe, I would write it out as 'visit projectsyzygy dot com' so there isn't any strange punctuation to give the game away.

So - if you went for the Vigenere route, here is how I would do it (and obviously there are many other ways, many of which are undoubtedly better):

1. In a corner or on the border of the ad, the phrase 'You're always a day away' is written in morse or braille or baudot. Optionally, it is encoded via a simple substitution cipher, or maybe just a Caesar shift.

2. This phrase is obviously from the song 'Tomorrow' in the movie 'Annie'. Thus the keyword is 'Tomorrow' - it's not hard to figure out.

3. From there, if you recognise that the main text is encoded in Vigenere, it is trivial to decode it using the keyword.

You could always highlight some of the letters in the text and use them as a keyword for a future puzzle on the web - we wouldn't even need to decide on them beforehand, we could just design the future puzzle around them.

My reasoning for making the puzzle a bit harder and more circuituous is because it involves the 'player' a little more and thus will give them a bit more satisfaction on completion and also convince them that we are not lightweights when it comes to cryptography. Furthermore, if anyone did want to write a story about it, it's more interesting this way.

Of course, it is entirely possible that making the puzzle harder will put people off, which is clearly not the goal. However, it will be cracked by *someone* in short order, and the answer and instructions will then be put on the web for all to see.

Success!

xxxx


On 4 Mar 2004, at 16:32, xxxx wrote:

Here's a first stab at text for the ad that will be going into the press over next week or so. I'm planning to put it into Marketing Week and then play it by ear after that.

If anyone has any suggestions or improvements then give me a shout asap since we're hoping to get this finished by midday on Monday. Might be nice to hide a deeper clue in there somewhere as well. Any suggestions? Perhaps we could very subtly highlight some of the letters (tiny dot above or below) to spell out a new message. Or we could partially hide the 'I can see you' Braille text somewhere within the design around the edge of the text? Not very imaginative though!

I currently think that the best plan would be for the first sentence to be unencrypted to hook people's interest and then encode the rest of the text via a caesar shift (including the web address obviously!) With a bit of luck it should get picked up and commented on by the mainstream press.

Cheers

xxxx