Breaking the Fermilab Code

Saiyine sends word that the mysterious code received at Fermilab, which we discussed last Friday, has been mostly decoded, inside of two days, by two separate people. The poster at the second link seems to have constructed a more complete rationale for the message.

An additional link.

[legutierr]

Some of the thought process that went into the second solution. http://www.gmilburn.ca/2008/05/16/fermilabs-strange-code-letter/ [gmilburn.ca]

Re:Regarding TFB(A)

[Nazlfrag]

First part is ternary code, I->1, II->2, III->0

1) FRANK@SHOEMAKER@WOULD@CALL@THIS@NOISE

Second part unknown

2) ?

Third part ternary code, II= seperator, same mapping as 1)

3) EMPLOYEE@NUMBER@BASSE@SIXTEEN

It is assumed the three hex symbols are the employee number 0xAFC,

So lets assume the single "word" in the bottom middle of the page is an employee number. If we decode it using the symbols, we get (something)FC. (something) is an undefined symbol, and the only undefined numbers are 1 and A. So the "employee number in base 16" that "frank shoemaker would call noise" is either 1FC or AFC. My guess? Itâ(TM)s AFC (employee number 2812), who works on the AFC (Absorber Focus Coil [ox.ac.uk], a component of a "neutrino factory" current being studied at Fermilab) - a coincidence Frank Shoemaker would call noise. The employee number is reasonable and fits with the established pattern at Fermilab, see this Fermilab newsletter (page 5) [fnal.gov] which states "At 802, with only three digits, Matthews' employee number reflects the length of his 25-year tenure at the Lab".

Hope that helped.

Re:Robert Wilson B-Day : day before letter receive

[Anonymous Coward]

You get:

3103 1132 3232 = 77A = 1914
3112 2231 2233 = 78A = 1930

Wrong, you get:
3113 1132 3232 = 87A = 2170
3112 2231 2233 = 78A = 1930

Oh, but wait ... 2170 is the year BEFORE this code will be cracked, making this a encrypted recursive prophecy. GENIUS.

Re:Middle stanza not a key?

[Anonymous Coward]

I noticed that if you write out the symbols in order, 0-F, with 1 and C missing, if you fill in 1 with the unknown symbol below, "S", then you get IS> as the first three characters in the character map, with 2 being the > symbol.

Perhaps if you remove all the characters except 0 1 and 2 from the middle text those remaining mean something.

Another thing to consider is how many of those symbols are in the ascii table and what their ascii codes are.

The symbol for E, the right angle with a dot at the corner also seems familiar to me. As does the symbol for 2.

I seem to recall there being a code where you would draw a + and an X without dots in the corners, and one of each with the dots, and each portion would map to a letter, that I learned as a kid, but I don't know what the type of code is called and have no idea how to google something like that.

Re:Middle stanza not a key?

[Anonymous Coward]

Well what do you know. I thought like a kid and searched for "secret codes" and found this boy scouts link. I was a memeber of the scouts when I was a kid, so that must be where I learned "pigpen":

http://www.scouting.org.za/codes/pigpen.html

In pigpen, the symbol for E would be B, and 2 would be U.

Unfortunately none of the other symbols seem to match up, so this is likely a dead end.

Re:Message by time travel

[DarkWicked]

I won't spoil the book for you...

Because then we wouldn't purchase it through your affiliate link. Clever !

Re:solved within 7hrs...

[mr_mischief]

It means "low" in several contexts, including the musical meaning like English "bass". It's also used in names.

"Lower Normandy" is "Basse-Normandie". Basse-Terre is the capital of Guadeloupe. Basse Pointe is a city in Martinique. "Basse chiffree" is "figured bass", a particular type of musical notation. There's a city named Basse in Gambia.

"Basse" is a surname, and I think it's been used that way in that spelling in many countries for a couple of centuries at least. The most famous Basse of which I can think is an English poet who is primarily known today for producing (or at least having attrivuted to him) the earliest known poem written in response to the death of Shakespeare.

About that poem "Elegy on Shakespeare": It consists of 16 lines of poem preceded by a dedication. The 16th word starting with just the poetry is "little", while the 16th starting with the dedication is "nye" (which is "nigh" these days). The 16th line is "Honor hereafter to be laid by Thee.", meaning that anyone would be proud to be buried near Shakespeare. The 15th line of the poem (in case you start from the dedication) is "That unto us and others it may bee". William Shakespeare died April 23, 1616.

Whether it's anything to do with the poet or the poem, I have no idea, but it's one possibility.