Forums

CHICAGO UPDATE

Monique

Monique

Staff

from MacHeist HQ
9 posts

Agents:

This just in...

WORST.AGENTS.EVAR!!!

I see you've *finally* cracked the code. I'm seriously concerned about the caliber of your agents if it took you this long to do so. Worse, you stuck out like sore thumbs.

They're watching closer than ever and it's just not safe now. If they find out I'm leaking this, my fate will be the same as poor Mr. Bradford's.

I need to plan my next steps *very* carefully. Sit tight and I'll do what I can to get you the info you need...

Monique

December 19, 2007 7:55 am
Photo678

Photo678

Automaton Tech

from quaint little town in PA
332 posts

PWNT!

December 19, 2007 7:58 am
Adrammelech

Adrammelech

Big Game Hunter

from Gallifrey
626 posts

hahaha

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December 19, 2007 7:59 am
davedelong

davedelong

Tinkerer

29 posts

WORST.AGENTS.EVAR!!!

For someone who seems to be a person in an influential position somewhere (since he's able to leak us information and is worried about getting killed for it), you'd think he'd know how to spell.... wink

[edit]Oh word... I'm no longer a liar, but a pickpocket![/edit]

By reading this, you have given me brief control of your mind.

December 19, 2007 8:18 am
Dreamer_uk

Dreamer_uk

Automaton Tech

from UK
261 posts

SO we have another code to crack?
I can't belive that the spelling is wrong by accident.

Dare to keep your dreams alive, now in purple

Every New Beginning comes from some other beginnings end!
See Purples shine at the team site: www.macheist.co.uk

December 19, 2007 8:25 am
huntercereal

huntercereal

Gearhead

95 posts

Dreamer_uk wrote:

SO we have another code to crack?
I can't belive that the spelling is wrong by accident.

No I just think he's really a 15 year old girl

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December 19, 2007 8:33 am
susanabra

susanabra

Automaton Tech

from Denmark
147 posts

I spelled a helluva lot better than that when I was a 15-year-old girl (or 8, for that matter.)
Found Évariste Galois, a 15 year old mathematician on Wikipedia...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galois

- a nerd of a different color

December 19, 2007 9:10 am
susanabra

susanabra

Automaton Tech

from Denmark
147 posts

That leads to a whole can of mathematical worms that I don't understand, even with a mathematician looking over my shoulder. Something about group theory...

- a nerd of a different color

December 19, 2007 9:31 am
huntercereal

huntercereal

Gearhead

95 posts

hehe I just meant that 15 year old girls are all "OMG, The Hills tonight was like the BEST EPISODE EVAR!!!"

It's not important. It's just slang, or puposeful emphasis to diss someone or something.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=evar

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December 19, 2007 9:31 am
susanabra

susanabra

Automaton Tech

from Denmark
147 posts

Does this mean I don't have to learn mathematical group theory? I was kinda getting into it! wink

- a nerd of a different color

December 19, 2007 9:39 am
abjupa

abjupa

Automaton Tech

from Norway
171 posts

WORST.AGENTS.EVAR!!!

I see you've *finally* cracked the code. I'm seriously concerned about the caliber of your agents if it took you this long to do so. Worse, you stuck out like sore thumbs.

So, in future street mission, the agents should also act like agents?
Not wandering around looking confused, waving with the material for anyone to see?

Put on your trenchcoat, hat and sunglasses guys, so you don't stick out! smile

wikihow (dot) com (slash) Be-a-Secret-Agent
wink

-lover
And part of the mean, green, heisting machine! GO Green Monkeys!

December 19, 2007 10:57 am

GusDoeMatik

Tinkerer

from Illadel
33 posts

What was in the DMG?

December 19, 2007 10:58 am
Warbrain

Warbrain

Moderator

from Chicago
6,969 posts

Yea, we suck...

Speaking of which: my legs still hurt.  Knees on down.

Website | Twitter
PM me

December 19, 2007 11:38 am
rahein

rahein

Tinkerer

from London
28 posts

This is supposed to be fun, right? Tritzing about in the freezing cold following, to borrow a phrase from R. F. Capon, an invisible man wearing a hat is a *different* definition of fun.

Kudos to you, warbrain, and the rest of the intrepid band who dashed about the windy city.

Maybe we need to have a Scooby-van in every city in the world, staffed with the team from Spy Kids to succeed. ;-)

Macintsoh - drinking upstream from the herd

December 19, 2007 11:49 am
awojtowski

awojtowski

Gearhead

from Oshkosh, WI
72 posts

I need to plan my next steps *very* carefully. Sit tight and I'll do what I can to get you the info you need...

Seems that he has been able so far to get the info to us with no trouble. Plus I can't imagine Warbrain and crew sticking out like sore thumbs.

December 19, 2007 12:03 pm
Warbrain

Warbrain

Moderator

from Chicago
6,969 posts

awojtowski wrote:

I need to plan my next steps *very* carefully. Sit tight and I'll do what I can to get you the info you need...

Seems that he has been able so far to get the info to us with no trouble. Plus I can't imagine Warbrain and crew sticking out like sore thumbs.

But we did.  How many people do you see randomly walking around in a group in the middle of Grant Park at 6-7 o'clock at night?

Website | Twitter
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December 19, 2007 12:09 pm

nlmiller

Urchin

9 posts

I need to add to the thanks to the on-the-ground crew out in Chicago.  I was safe and warm following along in the forums, and still went to bed before they were done.  Good work, guys!

December 19, 2007 12:09 pm
LostOne

LostOne

Automaton Tech

from Illinois
117 posts

Warbrain wrote:

Yea, we suck...

Speaking of which: my legs still hurt.  Knees on down.

Same. That was a hell of a lot of walking.

December 19, 2007 12:52 pm
macpug18

macpug18

Sky Pirate

1,144 posts

Guys, not sure how or if this fits in, but doing a Google for 'worst agents evar' (as Monique spelled it), brings up The Society of Voluptuaries and the 20 worst agents list.  Doing a quick scan, nothing jumped out at me....like I said, probably nothing, but you never know.....

You've just read my signature

December 19, 2007 12:58 pm

GusDoeMatik

Tinkerer

from Illadel
33 posts

I just got my iMac and my Powerbook is out of commission right now, so I haven't installed the Adobe CS3 suite in it yet...  But I was wondering if anyone checked the Metadata in the PDF to see if there are any clues to future items...  You need Adobe Acrobat Professional in order to read the Metadata....


Also Warbrain and his team did freeze his ass off, waste his time down there, and tried to keep us updated and figure out clues at the same time...  Sitting in your warm cozy house drinking a cup of cocoa in front of your Mac criticizing and complaining what you would have done or what they did wrong isn't cool...  They did keep us posted they did try...  One of you cozy home solvers created a false trail for these guys to follow.... It was cold out there and they were wasting there time following a false trail... That Twitter J8D4W9R5 bullsh!t.....

I give it to Warbrain and his team thank you.....

December 19, 2007 3:42 pm
steve017

steve017

Tinkerer

from Japan
17 posts

Anybody else notice that most of this message was not from Monique but someone else? Who is this person? What exactly are they leaking? The RDF? The PDF? Is there more here than just calling us names?

December 19, 2007 3:53 pm
nre999

nre999

Automaton Tech

from B'ham WA
182 posts

GusDoeMatik wrote:

I just got my iMac and my Powerbook is out of commission right now, so I haven't installed the Adobe CS3 suite in it yet...  But I was wondering if anyone checked the Metadata in the PDF to see if there are any clues to future items...  You need Adobe Acrobat Professional in order to read the Metadata....


Also Warbrain and his team did freeze his ass off, waste his time down there, and tried to keep us updated and figure out clues at the same time...  Sitting in your warm cozy house drinking a cup of cocoa in front of your Mac criticizing and complaining what you would have done or what they did wrong isn't cool...  They did keep us posted they did try...  One of you cozy home solvers created a false trail for these guys to follow.... It was cold out there and they were wasting there time following a false trail... That Twitter J8D4W9R5 bullsh!t.....

I give it to Warbrain and his team thank you.....

Warbrain is my hero - all the nit-picking and finger pointing is useless.  Lest we forget it is in the Directorates BEST interest to keep us moving forward.  In order for something of this magnitude to play out - It has to move in a somewhat straight line.  Thus, OUR team dead a HECK of a job out there and I, for one, feel that everyone who has contributed deserves some respect - especially those that went out in the real world.

That being said - no metadata at all for the PDF file.

"Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem"  - all things being equal, the least complicated of all solutions is the preferable one (Occam's Razor).

December 19, 2007 3:53 pm

thegodfaza

Gearhead

from Wausau, WI
93 posts

I know who it is. Judging by the way he said that first line, the man we are after is... Comic Book Guy.

Leading the Revolution

December 19, 2007 3:54 pm
steve017

steve017

Tinkerer

from Japan
17 posts

Yeah, but it wasn't in Klingon.

December 19, 2007 3:57 pm

GusDoeMatik

Tinkerer

from Illadel
33 posts

nre999 wrote:
GusDoeMatik wrote:

I just got my iMac and my Powerbook is out of commission right now, so I haven't installed the Adobe CS3 suite in it yet...  But I was wondering if anyone checked the Metadata in the PDF to see if there are any clues to future items...  You need Adobe Acrobat Professional in order to read the Metadata....


Also Warbrain and his team did freeze his ass off, waste his time down there, and tried to keep us updated and figure out clues at the same time...  Sitting in your warm cozy house drinking a cup of cocoa in front of your Mac criticizing and complaining what you would have done or what they did wrong isn't cool...  They did keep us posted they did try...  One of you cozy home solvers created a false trail for these guys to follow.... It was cold out there and they were wasting there time following a false trail... That Twitter J8D4W9R5 bullsh!t.....

I give it to Warbrain and his team thank you.....

Warbrain is my hero - all the nit-picking and finger pointing is useless.  Lest we forget it is in the Directorates BEST interest to keep us moving forward.  In order for something of this magnitude to play out - It has to move in a somewhat straight line.  Thus, OUR team dead a HECK of a job out there and I, for one, feel that everyone who has contributed deserves some respect - especially those that went out in the real world.

That being said - no metadata at all for the PDF file.

I agree and thanks for checking...

December 19, 2007 3:59 pm
l0k1

l0k1

Automaton Tech

from oregon
274 posts

hmm ... well, i tried scanning the barcode in box revision 9.pdf into delicious library, but i didn't have any luck.  anybody else tried this?

..::01101001::01101101::01110100::..

December 19, 2007 4:19 pm
Kriana

Kriana

Staff

from Somewhere over the rainbow...
348 posts

yup. no luck. Even tried a book to make sure it wasn't just me, or the printout or something. The book scanned fine, and the bar code on the  packaging did not.

someone in IRC mentioned the possibility that it was "128". I'm not sure what that means exactly, and I couldn't find anything online that appeared to be able to read it.

Twitter

December 19, 2007 4:25 pm
ptoal

ptoal

Automaton Tech

from Ontario, Canada
214 posts

l0k1 wrote:

hmm ... well, i tried scanning the barcode in box revision 9.pdf into delicious library, but i didn't have any luck.  anybody else tried this?

I tried using several barcode scanners.  I think the image quality is too low, and it would need to be cleaned up.  Also, it's possible that it has been mangled intentionally, or it was never a real barcode.

This bugs me, too.  Anyone want to try a photoshop "sharpen", and run it by a barcode scanner?  I tried this one http://www.evological.com/evobarcode.html, with all the formats turned on, but no luck.

-Wolf

In theory, theory and practice are the same, in practice, they are not.

December 19, 2007 4:25 pm
bullet

bullet

Automaton Tech

from Howell, MI
187 posts

ptoal wrote:
l0k1 wrote:

hmm ... well, i tried scanning the barcode in box revision 9.pdf into delicious library, but i didn't have any luck.  anybody else tried this?

I tried using several barcode scanners.  I think the image quality is too low, and it would need to be cleaned up.  Also, it's possible that it has been mangled intentionally, or it was never a real barcode.

This bugs me, too.  Anyone want to try a photoshop "sharpen", and run it by a barcode scanner?  I tried this one http://www.evological.com/evobarcode.html, with all the formats turned on, but no luck.

-Wolf

I scanned the barcode today with no issue.  It reads the same as the text printed below it... spacing and everything...

December 19, 2007 4:32 pm
ptoal

ptoal

Automaton Tech

from Ontario, Canada
214 posts

bullet wrote:
ptoal wrote:
l0k1 wrote:

hmm ... well, i tried scanning the barcode in box revision 9.pdf into delicious library, but i didn't have any luck.  anybody else tried this?

I tried using several barcode scanners.  I think the image quality is too low, and it would need to be cleaned up.  Also, it's possible that it has been mangled intentionally, or it was never a real barcode.

This bugs me, too.  Anyone want to try a photoshop "sharpen", and run it by a barcode scanner?  I tried this one http://www.evological.com/evobarcode.html, with all the formats turned on, but no luck.

-Wolf

I scanned the barcode today with no issue.  It reads the same as the text printed below it... spacing and everything...

Yeah, I just did the same thing (wish I had known you were trying it as well, since it was a bear for me to get my handheld scanner hooked up to my wife's laptop).

They match up perfectly.

-Wolf

In theory, theory and practice are the same, in practice, they are not.

December 19, 2007 5:31 pm
strack

strack

Tinkerer

10 posts

What about doing a shift on the barcode? You know, a=d, d=h, etc.?

It seems like it should be a clue, considering there aren't a lot of bar codes for products that are letters. Usually they are numbers.

Just tried it, doesn't seem to work.

December 19, 2007 6:11 pm
bricklayer

bricklayer

Tinkerer

from Los Angeles, CA
36 posts

I'm curious because I don't remember this being discussed since Warbrain braved the midwest winter, but did the RedEye have any significance to the heist? I have a friend who works there and I'm sure he'd love to know.

December 19, 2007 7:02 pm
nre999

nre999

Automaton Tech

from B'ham WA
182 posts

strack wrote:

What about doing a shift on the barcode? You know, a=d, d=h, etc.?

It seems like it should be a clue, considering there aren't a lot of bar codes for products that are letters. Usually they are numbers.

Just tried it, doesn't seem to work.

The thing about product codes for barcodes is that all published materials (including software) have to follow an international standard which puts the barcode number length at 13 or 14 digits depending on which standard you are using.

long story short - while that is a valid barcode, it is too long to be something legitimate.

"Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem"  - all things being equal, the least complicated of all solutions is the preferable one (Occam's Razor).

December 19, 2007 7:08 pm
LostOne

LostOne

Automaton Tech

from Illinois
117 posts

bricklayer wrote:

I'm curious because I don't remember this being discussed since Warbrain braved the midwest winter, but did the RedEye have any significance to the heist? I have a friend who works there and I'm sure he'd love to know.

No.  It was just a way of being identified.

December 19, 2007 7:24 pm
ikeb

ikeb

Gearhead

from Atlanta, GA
55 posts

Is there anything new to do with any of this?

- me

December 20, 2007 12:56 am
incarnate

incarnate

Tinkerer

from New York NY
13 posts

first mini heist was in the city of brotherly love (philly) and the second ins in the windy city (chicago) maybe a trend ?? Big apple next maybe (nyc) who knows

December 20, 2007 1:29 am
spyker3292

spyker3292

Sky Pirate

from WI
1,728 posts

beer city next wink (milwaukee)

Tweet! | Flickr
Go Green Monkeys Go!

December 20, 2007 2:56 am
Warbrain

Warbrain

Moderator

from Chicago
6,969 posts

spyker3292 wrote:

beer city next wink (milwaukee)

Nah, we were too close to you this past time.  Should've come down!

Website | Twitter
PM me

December 20, 2007 3:25 am
MooseOnAMission

MooseOnAMission

Gearhead

from UK
60 posts

Can't find the metadata on the PDF using Acrobat Pro, but that might be just me. Someone else should clarify.

Customer: I'm running Windows Vista
Tech: Yes.
Customer: My computer isn't working now.
Tech: Yes, you said that.

December 20, 2007 12:12 pm
kfchow

kfchow

Tinkerer

40 posts

ptoal wrote:
l0k1 wrote:

hmm ... well, i tried scanning the barcode in box revision 9.pdf into delicious library, but i didn't have any luck.  anybody else tried this?

I tried using several barcode scanners.  I think the image quality is too low, and it would need to be cleaned up.  Also, it's possible that it has been mangled intentionally, or it was never a real barcode.

-Wolf

This is a real barcode... I used the laser barcode scanner. It print out same as the readable character.. AFMXFF MTZEDHLJGHWDWQI smile

And then cut it make a box wink

MacHeist smile

December 20, 2007 1:32 pm
doctor

doctor

Automaton Tech

from Minnesnowta
279 posts

Is the box big enough to be the container for the circuit boards seen earlier?

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December 20, 2007 3:04 pm

GusDoeMatik

Tinkerer

from Illadel
33 posts

MooseOnAMission wrote:

Can't find the metadata on the PDF using Acrobat Pro, but that might be just me. Someone else should clarify.

They checked the metadata on the PDF but there was none....

December 20, 2007 3:18 pm
muya

muya

Automaton Tech

from San Diego, CA
267 posts

two things about the box. it's huge, like 17 inches. and it's got a weird clipping mask in it. if you open it in illustrator, you will see several layers and an odd clipping mask.

don't know if it's anything.

Grim Statistic #43 - 100% of all heroin addicts start out on milk.
http://www.macheist.com/bundle/u/31116/

December 20, 2007 4:14 pm
mwschmeer

mwschmeer

Tinkerer

from Kansas
49 posts

What is all this stuff about barcodes and PDFs?  What the hell, people?  None of this is referenced anywhere on the forums!  Where are images of the software box?

----
The pen is mightier than the sword . . . unless the pen is a BIC.

December 20, 2007 4:42 pm
madalice

madalice

Tinkerer

23 posts

muya wrote:

two things about the box. it's huge, like 17 inches. and it's got a weird clipping mask in it. if you open it in illustrator, you will see several layers and an odd clipping mask.

don't know if it's anything.

Yeah i noticed that too. if you remove the mask, the handle of the swatter is faded out. The rest of the handle is in another layer and once that mask is removed, it looks like the original illustration had motion drawn with it. Also the mask looks something like an arrow.

no comment

December 20, 2007 4:43 pm
zaydia

zaydia

Automaton Tech

from Washington, DC
224 posts

mwschmeer wrote:

What is all this stuff about barcodes and PDFs?  What the hell, people?  None of this is referenced anywhere on the forums!  Where are images of the software box?

Its in the chicago heist thread - the miniheist.

All's quiet in the Amazon.

December 20, 2007 6:25 pm
mwschmeer

mwschmeer

Tinkerer

from Kansas
49 posts

zaydia: no, it's not.  There's not a link to the PDF, etc.  Nothing.

----
The pen is mightier than the sword . . . unless the pen is a BIC.

December 20, 2007 6:50 pm
mwschmeer

mwschmeer

Tinkerer

from Kansas
49 posts

My bad.  It's in The Front, not the Back Room.  Why is that?

----
The pen is mightier than the sword . . . unless the pen is a BIC.

December 20, 2007 6:52 pm
zaydia

zaydia

Automaton Tech

from Washington, DC
224 posts

mwschmeer wrote:

My bad.  It's in The Front, not the Back Room.  Why is that?

Because it isn't a spoiler - its a recap. There aren't puzzles to solve on  your own.

All's quiet in the Amazon.

December 20, 2007 8:37 pm
epifany

epifany

Big Game Hunter

from Dallas, Texas
554 posts

The barcode actually looks more like a product license that you would find on a Microsoft product.

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December 21, 2007 7:09 am

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