Thoughts...on the Mystery Box..

[LosT]

How 1337 do you really think you are?

Where do you get your power? Speed kills.

Stripped of your colors one at a time, you are left with nothing.

Open the box.

LosT

[Voltage Spike]

Re: Thoughts...on the Mystery Box..

Where do you get your power?

Hmm, so we have to assemble our own power supply. I'm guessing an ATX (ITX?) power supply and some extra wires might be helpful.

Speed kills.

An accelerometer? Don't drop the mystery box?

Speed? As in a car ... or perhaps a car battery?

You have me intrigued with this comment.

Stripped of your colors one at a time, you are left with nothing.

Again, I think this is a reference to the color of the wires on a standard power supply.

Open the box.

I should have jumped on this sooner. I used to work heavily with hardware and schematics, love puzzles, and I've been impressed by you (LosT) many times in the past (especially given your recent troubles). Unfortuntately, I know nothing about lockpicking[*] (and I don't own a Dremel) and don't have a team so I wouldn't want to waste your time. Still, I might have to show up and watch it play it out.
[*] Skynet, are you still out there? Need a room and an at-con challenge?

[LosT]

Re: Thoughts...on the Mystery Box..

I'm !not going to talk about naught (not one bit, it wouldn't be fair).

Sum of you just don't get it- the contest is way too easy. Especially if you are 31337.

LosT

[Voltage Spike]

Re: Thoughts...on the Mystery Box..

I'm !not going to talk about naught

Translation: you are going to talk about nothing?

hehe, very clever. I love it.

[Kai]

Re: Thoughts...on the Mystery Box..

Anyone else printing these "hints" out to bring with them?

heh

Voltage Spike, if you want to join a team, mine only as myself and one other. My electronic background doesn't extend much beyond Heath kits (man I used to love those as a kid) and basic computer hardware. I do have minor abilities with basic physical lock, and I also have a Dremel.

[TheCotMan]

Re: Thoughts...on the Mystery Box..

Anyone else printing these "hints" out to bring with them?

I was going to ask that too.

I was also going to ask, "what happens if a clue is lost due to the sucky hardware of the present frorums box?

We've got around 2 daily backups, and 1 daily offsite copy of backups each day, but that is no guarantee for saving posts. (Rumor has it that we may be close to having mods test the new forum box.)

...

I also liked Lost's last clue. There are many ways that the above lines could be used as hints.

[Kai]

Re: Thoughts...on the Mystery Box..

I was going to ask that too.

I was also going to ask, "what happens if a clue is lost due to the sucky hardware of the present frorums box?

We've got around 2 daily backups, and 1 daily offsite copy of backups each day, but that is no guarantee for saving posts. (Rumor has it that we may be close to having mods test the new forum box.)

...

I also liked Lost's last clue. There are many ways that the above lines could be used as hints.

!not != not
naught = 0
!not naught = 0?
not one bit = how many?

I don't know, I'm lost now, or !not.

Anyway Cot, if the boards go down, I'm blaming you!!!!

heh

[TheCotMan]

Re: Thoughts...on the Mystery Box..

!not != not
naught = 0
!not naught = 0?
not one bit = how many?

Well, there is suggestion of boolean math, and masking. Use of the 31337 could be a description of bit fields to "not" or bits to switch, or be unrelated.

It could even be a table index, or something as simple as part of a combination for a combination lock. The clues will likely be of greater value once you are in the context of solving the mystery box-- (Guessing.)

Any of you watching that Reality TV show with that "Ex-Cia Guy" that mention Defcon as a place he's attended? (In his bios anyway... Jackalope brought this up.) Anyway, they have provided a number of different puzzles, and "spy-like" data hiding. Some of the puzzles are amusing.

I don't know, I'm lost now, or !not.

I don't think you can be LoST, since he is running the event. You can be someone else. Why not try being Kai? ]:>

Anyway Cot, if the boards go down, I'm blaming you!!!!

heh

Well, the boards being now is not really my fault. I am hundreds of miles away from them. The old forums are reportedly having serious hardware problems that risk data loss, and the new forums have so much newly installed software, patches, and enhancements, all of the bugs have not been worked out... So we are stuck... Do we use the old crap-testicular-cancer-ridden old server that might stay up for a few days, or might not, ... or do we go with something that is not well tested, and has some known problems that we might be able to avoid (even though there are probably hidden problems that we don't know about.)
?

I think DT is getting tired of packing up trucks and rebooting servers, and I'm getting tired of killing a box just by importing data into a DB.

[Kai]

Re: Thoughts...on the Mystery Box..

hahaha

Guess I better get start copying down the hints then!

As far as the 31337, I was asSUMing it had something to do with another word in the post, but you're right, should be closer to making sense once we get our hands on these things.

[LosT]

Re: Thoughts...on the Mystery Box..

Who says it has anything to do with anything? Maybe I'm just insane and rambling on and on. Going in circles. Right back where I started from. Maybe I'm color blind, and wandering in a sea of paint. Maybe I'll resonate with nothing to say. I think I'll just go have a bowl of cereal.

;)

LosT

[Kai]

Re: Thoughts...on the Mystery Box..

Who says it has anything to do with anything? Maybe I'm just insane and rambling on and on. Going in circles. Right back where I started from. Maybe I'm color blind, and wandering in a sea of paint. Maybe I'll resonate with nothing to say. I think I'll just go have a bowl of cereal.

;)

LosT

hahahaha

Just wanna say thanks for doing this LosT. This sounds like it's going to be a fun puzzle.

[LosT]

Re: Thoughts...on the Mystery Box..

Yeah, but sometimes there is no substitute for a good non-metallic hammer.

LosT

[hckhckhck]

Re: Thoughts...on the Mystery Box..

how many bits would you be eating in that bowl? I don't think I'm all that 1337.
I think I'll wait to taste the rainbow before I guess much more, but I'll pack a speedometer.

My teammates dropped out but I'm up for the challenge
Any other loners are welcome.

hck

[LosT]

Re: Thoughts...on the Mystery Box..

how many bits would you be eating in that bowl? I don't think I'm all that 1337.
I think I'll wait to taste the rainbow before I guess much more, but I'll pack a speedometer.

My teammates dropped out but I'm up for the challenge
Any other loners are welcome.

hck

If you team is withdrawing from the competition I need to know about it ASAP, so that an alternate team may be assigned.

LosT