From the "I'm not cut out to be an adventurer" Dept.
Well, the jig is up. For those of you who have never read this blog, there is a book that Jen, my girlfriend, gave me called The Da Vinci Code
Read about in it in the following blog archive: More Ciphers? A New Adventure
RECAP: I received the following cryptic blog message after posting about the"Is there no help for the widow's son" message (a reference to the Free Mason's and Mormon's) hidden in the jacket cover:
"As the certified first person in the world to find the secret message on 'The Da Vinci Code,' I welcome you to the small circle of true code breakers. So far the members are Me, Dan Brown, and Jason Kaufman, who designed the dust jacket. You too could be next if you solve the remaining cyphers in 'The Da Vinci Code.' I've been google-ing 'is there no help...' waiting for another keen observer, and so far you are the only one. Good luck with the other cyphers."
I was pretty excited. I went through the book again, but didn't find anything. My first instinct was to take a look at the first word of each chapter. The book highlights the first two words in grey of each chapter. For me, this set off alarms because this seemed odd. (Don't ask me why, but it just seemed that way).
String all 105 letters lead to a mess, so I abandoned that avenue--worked picked up again (DCX Powerplay project) and I soon forgot about this.
Wish I didn't though.
Turns out that there were more ciphers--and I was damn close to one of them.
On the jacket there exists more hidden messages. Messages that were right in front of me. I saw them dozen of times, I just never put together the significance.
The first some weird writing. I must have glanced at a dozen times when looking at the cover.
It didn't look like anything at the time, but when you reflect them (and expand them) you get this:
37º 57' 6.5" North
77º 8' 44" West
The second clue refers to my initial approach. There is a pin wheel on the jacket cover:
It has the following numbers:
20 11 11 68 1 10 11 61 15 5 8 73 11
Take the first letter of each chapter reference and you get the following:
E U U N R S U P I M L B U
What does that spell? Well, since there are pyramids with an eye located in the pinwheel design--it spells a very well known saying featured on the US one dollar bill:
E PLURIBUS UNUM
Out of many, one.
The coordinates yield an area near Langley, Virginia (home of the CIA). If you move degree North, you get the following reference to the KRYPTOS sculpture that stands on the grounds of the CIA headquarters; another great cipher of our times.
In the end, I feel kind of stupid. Apparently I was the first to find the "Is there no help..." message [June 03, 2003] and I he even hinted to me about the Jacket Cover.
I was speaking to Jen about this today on MSN Messenger.
I was lamenting on the fact that I had this enormous opportunity to figure out a puzzle that no one else really knew about it. My initial approach was correct too (at least with the chapter headings). That burns me up. I even saw the coordinates!!! But didn't act.
Am I smart enough?
I told Jen not to count on me if the "Curse of the Inca's" come knocking on her door.
I feel like a failure of sorts.
I tell myself that was just a game; I don't see Jen dumping me because of it.
Oh well, you win some and lose some.
Cheers,
Tai
Posted by taitoh at January 13, 2004 07:53 PMDid you find the next code which "Kryptos" describes a person who knows of a secret transmission. I need that person's initials.
Thanks,
Norm
Posted by: Norm on March 3, 2004 04:43 PMAs for the phrase "is there no hope..." If you don't know what it is, there is no way you can figure it out. Dan Brown has alluded to where the phrase comes from in TDC, but unless you are "in the know" you won't understand. Sorry
Posted by: Gulliver on March 22, 2004 02:38 PMAs for the phrase "is there no hope..." If you don't know what it is, there is no way you can figure it out. Dan Brown has alluded to where the phrase comes from in TDC, but unless you are "in the know" you won't understand. Sorry
Posted by: Gulliver on March 22, 2004 02:41 PMI doubt you were the first person to figure out this code. Remember that not everyone in the world feels the need to broadcast their every breath on a web journal.
Posted by: Ani on April 19, 2004 04:36 PMFair enough Ani.
You are most certainly right in that assertion. I'm sure there were others who saw the code prior to me.
However, I will say that I was probably the first on the net to write about the code. I can take solace in that at least.
Tai
Posted by: Tai on April 19, 2004 10:39 PMHey Tai, thank you. I found the code, too :) But now, I'm trying to find Dan Brown's Digital Fortress's The Ultimate Code. Did you read that one? Did you break the ultimate code?
Posted by: Vedia on April 21, 2004 02:39 PM"is there no help for the widows son" is an old masonic plea. The masons are a brotherhood similar to the templars. Whenever their life was threatened they could say the phrase and other masons were to come to their assistance. I am curious about the Mormon perspective on the Da Vinci Code. Joseph Smith and other Mormon leaders taught that Jesus was married...Mormons believe marriage is essential to highest salvation. Smith was also a mason. A friend told me that on mormon temples you can see five pointed stars and that the "V" shape and the inverted "V" are important to Mormons who have been to the temple. Does anyone know anything about this?
Posted by: amicus on May 6, 2004 11:56 AMFirst off, of course Smith was a mason. If you look back at the history that was Joseph Smith's life before he was met by Moroni and recieved the tablets, he tried every religion, and not until he found that there we none to be found to satisfy what he felt was the truth, then he was visited by the angel. Second of all, the V shape vould be applied to many other things. As an example there is the star of David, more than once does a V show on there, and upside down sideways and diagonal none the less. There are hundreds of interpretations to everything that is happening in this book, and I am sure that Brown wrote it just in that manner so that people would talk about it... just a thought.
Posted by: Bob on May 18, 2004 05:01 PM