.: Random Code Solved!!! :.

[Ausheteru II]

Random Code Solved!!!

When the Angelic Rod was released, there was a bit of random code hidden in Panagrammic's post. While at first glance it seemed to be random, to a trained eye, it was obviously a bit of hexadecimal code.
Here is the code:
525231 98cae840e8d0ca40c6dedae0d8c2d2dcd2dcce40c6dedadacadcc6ca42

So what does it mean?
Well I did some poking around and found this thread about it. In this thread were a few clues to solving the code. Here they are in cronological order:

Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 6:49 pm

OneOfLittleHarmony

We know a few things. It's 64 characters long and written in hexadecimal. So it's 256 bits of information....

So from this post we glean that its obviously hexadecimal, if we hadn't already figured that out...


Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 5:40 pm

OneOfLittleHarmony

I'm surprised no else has figured this out yet.

So I will give a clue:

52535231
86c2dc40c2dcf2dedcca40d0cac2e440eae67e
C_a_n_ _a_n_y_o_n_e_ _h_e_a_r_ _m_e_?_

Underscores added by me.

Ok, so OneOfLittleHarmony cracked the code, but how? I myself tried a straight hexadecimal conversion and came up with nothing. So I simply asked and someone was kind enough to post the answer:


Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 11:30 pm

AySz88

86 c2 dc 40 c2 dc f2 de dc ca 40 d0 ca c2 e4 40 ea e6 7e
C_ a_ n_ __ a_ n_ y_ o_ n_ e_ __ h_ e_ a_ r_ __ m_ e_ ?_

Halve each pair of numbers, then ASCII Hex. Here's the actual message decoded:

52 52 31
29 29 18
). ). CAN

98 ca e8 40 e8 d0 ca 40 c6 de da e0 d8 c2 d2 dc d2 dc ce 40 c6 de da da ca dc c6 ca 42
4c 65 74 20 74 68 65 20 63 6f 6d 70 6c 61 69 6e 69 6e 67 20 63 6f 6d 6d 65 6e 63 65 24
L. e. t. _. t. h. e. _. c. o. m. p. l. a. i. n. i. n. g. _. c. o. m. m. e. n. c. e. $.

"Let the complaining commence"

Not sure whether " ) ) cancel" means anything ("end message"?), and I'm guessing maybe the $ means "end of string" (like in Linux regular expressions), but the rest is pretty self-explanatory.

But wait, theres more!!!  

[Ausheteru II]

.: History :.

Why are developers embedding secret messages in their code? While reading in a different thread (still looking for that thread) on the subject I learned the following:

Gaia had told the developers to be more serious while posting. Apparently the developers had been having some fun in their posts and putting inside jokes and things in them. So around the time of "Bieber Fever" Gaia told them to stop. Around that time this post appeared in the developers alerts:

Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2011 12:56 pm

[NPC] Bildeau

Guild Modifications

// humor-module: off
// metaphor-overlay: off
// content-checked-by: customer service, marketing, exec staff
// content-not-checked-by: writers (REASON: couldn't make bail)

begin change-notification.
code-section: guilds.
modification ecc0f4a887fccfdffe16135702c926ebc47aeb3e (+15 lines / -11 lines): Put guild notifications back in the bubble.
modification d4fa22ab4ef356a2bbb87ff4d36a86191bc2eaf5 (+63 lines / -1 line): Now give notification if someone replies in your guild thread.
modification 29a86cd91f768f0f887ba6277fb766465a0912d1 (+184 lines / -102 lines): Guilds quote notifications
end code-section.
end change-notification.

I haven't converted the hex in this message yet, but the "// humor-module: off" is obviously a reflection of the dev's frustration. Apparently they were feeling like they were just supposed to be a bunch of robots. Then they started with the messages:

Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 2:12 pm

Panagrammic

Post History Modifications

Various modifications done per request from a random sampling of user feedback from different Gaia forums.

• Sort order has been changed from using the forum ID as primary key to using timestamp as primary key.
  
• Exact time of posting is now displayed, rather than a vague and informal time-period referent
  
• Icon for a thread with new replies is now distinguished from the icon for a thread without new replies by a distinctly symmetrical 7x7 starburst pattern, with predominantly red and orange tones. Exact hex values can be provided for persons with downlevel visual receptors.
  

01001000010001010100110001010000

Nothing seemingly special, but if you highlight the bottom of the post, you find the following:
01001000010001010100110001010000
It's binary code, converted to text it says; "HELP"
It's the start of the secret messages, probably as a new way for the dev's to have a little more fun.

The next few messages with code are the ones that have already been solved:

Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 1:21 pm

Panagrammic

Bugs Fixed This Week

• Fixed JS error on Journals landing page. Had no impact but still created a JS err.
  
• Fixed Journals landing page (only visible when logged out) links to profiles and posts
  
• Migrating post history into global search and deprecating old post history page
  
• removed extraneous fonting in nli welcome, per writers
  
• Removed tag system dependency on user interests, not needed since we have searching of interests through the new search system
  
• LIHP announcement link markup improved
  
• SVNetworks/Event Overrides: cleaned up template markup
  
• XHTML validation: improved ad template validation
  
• Making sparkles suck less.
  
• Macy's store shows for new user sometimes..and can't click on enter or go to other store
  
• fixes to the db monitor script
  
• Removed debug code that spit out "HELLO" at the bottom of some topic history pages
  
• Quote notifications in guilds
  
• Notifications when someone posts in your guild thread
  
• Guild Messages should go back in the bubble
  
• Layout, display improvements based on user feedback on Post History
  
• Query changes the "&" to amp
  

52535231 86c2dc40c2dcf2dedcca40d0cac2e440eae67e

86 c2 dc 40 c2 dc f2 de dc ca 40 d0 ca c2 e4 40 ea e6 7e
C. a. n. _. a. n. y. o. n. e. _. h. e. a. r. _. m. e. ?.

Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 3:53 pm

Panagrammic

Angelic Rods Granted
All angelic rods have now been granted to everyone that should have received them.

Lots of information and caveats below:
- only users that had logged in since 2010 were on the grant list
- rods for newly qualifying fishers will be granted on a weekly basis
- if you're coming back to the site after over a year, you'll need to fish again to show up and be checked for the weekly angelic rod grant.

There were some questions about the exact qualifications. For reasons of gameplay we would prefer not to divulge exact numbers, but we will say this:
- the rod does not require particular fish to be caught, nor does it depend on winning a trophy, nor does it depend on random events. It's fair from the standpoint that if you land enough fish, you'll get it.
- fish in any lake you want -- there aren't requirements that are tied to specific lakes
- the Gaia Fishing forum is converging pretty quickly on a fairly accurate guess, so if you're really interested there are some pretty canny guesses as to the requirements.

525231 98cae840e8d0ca40c6dedae0d8c2d2dcd2dcce40c6dedadacadcc6ca42

98 ca e8 40 e8 d0 ca 40 c6 de da e0 d8 c2 d2 dc d2 dc ce 40 c6 de da da ca dc c6 ca 42
L. e. t. _. t. h. e. _. c. o. m. p. l. a. i. n. i. n. g. _. c. o. m. m. e. n. c. e. !.

 

[Ausheteru II]

.: Reserved 2 of 2 :.  

[Ausheteru II]

OneOfLittleHarmony

O_o;;;

In ascii, it is ! not $.


525231
98cae840e8d0ca40c6dedae0d8c2d2dcd2dcce40c6dedadacadcc6ca42
Let the complaining commence!


Also, you can't halve 31, so it is a slightly different type of code, of which I've yet to realize.

Hey, welcome to my guild! Yeah, I didn't actually translate the $, I simply copied the translation from AySz88. I haven't had the time to actually translate much of this myself, but if I get a chance to do that today, I will. If I figure out the 31 mystery I'll let you know. Thanks for all your help with this.  

[Ausheteru II]

OneOfLittleHarmony

I don't think the hex in the humor off post is code for something, solely because it doesn't have the correct frequency of English. Perhaps modded, but not simple code at the very least.

Yeah, I keep running into dead ends. I've tried using the "(+15 lines / -11 lines)" as a clue for a possible variation to the code. I've still come up with nothing.

As for the 31 being halved, maybe thats not supposed to be halved.

52 53 52 31
R. S. R. 1.

52 52 31
R. R. 1.

I know it doesn't make a word, but it could mean something. It may be worth considering. The fact that they are the same, only one is missing an "S", is the only reason I say it could mean something.  

[Ausheteru II]

OneOfLittleHarmony

I am not quite sure how you're getting R and S. I was thinking it could be 454 and 44, in straight ascii, with 31 being the unit separator, but that doesn't really make sense unless he mistyped. I have a feeling it is supposed to be a clue how to solve the rest.

Ask and ye shall recieve... lol
.: Hexadecimal Converter :.