k4
kryptosrevisited
Now you’re talkin’! So you can see what I was alluding to when I
suggested that maybe we’ve already seen it’s plaintext.
Now this is a stretch, but hear me out — I’ve been toying with this
idea for a number of years.
When I was a kid, I used to write lovely little notes to my parents.
Sometimes I would hide a secret message within my notes, and ask them
to solve my riddle. The technique involved my writing the secret
message first and then building a second message around it. The second
message would contain clues that implied there was something more to
the letter, and if they could do a little word sleuthing, would
realize my message contained instructions on how to read the secret
passage. It involved counting off every x characters in the letter to
read the new one. Sometimes I would substitute “you” for “u” or “see”
for “c.”
The reason I mention this is because the biggest giveaway in my notes
was how the final text was worded. It was always awkward sounding,
because I had to force the outer message — it was constrained —
limited to my inner message. I would spend hours adjusting the inner
and outer messages until it was done. When other kids were out playing
baseball, I was writing steganographic messages for my mom and dad to
discover. I was probably six years old when my dad presented me with a
little puzzle — he said there was a barrel, and upon looking inside he
replied: OICURMT. My dad would ask, “What was in the barrel?” After
several minutes, I’d reply, “Nothing.”
From the first day I ever read K2, I was reminded of those childhood
ciphers I’d invent. I am well aware that I have always projected my
own experience onto interpreting the Kryptos Sculpture, and so I’ve
always been willing to abandon an idea in time if nothing came of it
(temporary abandonment is the only antidote to k4 syndrome). K2, to
me, has always sounded forced. I know the official story is that k2
was written to sound like a Morse Code transmission. I’ve been a
little skeptical, to say the least.
We know there is steganography. I’ve described a particular kind of
steganography that I had never heard before.
We know palimpsest is going to play a role. My childhood inventions
were a kind of palimpsest. If another message is embedded somehow, it
would be virtually invisible. It would be decorated with passage
debris, and the subtle shading of meaning in my outer messages would
make it difficult for my parents to know that another message existed.
I had to help them by shedding a little light on the subject. In that
absence of that light, there was the illusion that I wrote somewhat
uninteresting notes for no reason at all.
K1, a qlu. K2, a palimpsest. k3, decoding instructions. k4, the
combination.
I think I know how to solve this puzzle, because I’ve figured out most
of the combination.
I’m going to share something with you that I may later regret, but
here goes.
K4 doesn’t contain the message. In fact, k4 doesn’t exist where most
people are looking.
K4 is a grid for removing passage debris. I think — removing all of k4
in conjunction with a couple other things is how we will suddenly “see
something.”
Ok? Take a look at KR and YP down there at the extreme right in what
people are calling k4.
It’s your first clue. Overlay the tableau onto this. You will notice
that KR and YP (and Q,L,U and S,D) also coincide.
Off to a good start. Hopefully before you do this, you get your matrix
set up correctly, because we’ll be looking at how this table fits in
with the misspellings and other things. (now do you see why I proposed
the word is DISPARATELY?) *wink*
Before I continue, count off how far apart each of these “coinciding
characters” are. I wonder what the odds are that this 10-10-10-10…
pattern is a coincidence. Talk about a play on words there! I think
you know what I’m suggesting.
The line between the KR and YP shows an SO.
Looks like the tail end of KRYPTOS in reverse. Remember, the tableau
is backwards. It’s a pretty big clue.
Overlay the table again to coincide the SO, but make sure your table
is backward (the orientation should be SOTPYRK) There are other
orientations you should try (not just forward and backward, but
rotating that tableau too). You’ll find some interesting things.
Look at all the letters that coincide. On this backward version.
Exciting? Maybe. Maybe not.
I’m hoping that you’re using this as a guide to also remove characters
throughout the matrix — not just at “k4.”
I wrote some programs a couple years ago to speed up my palimpsest
theory. At first I saw the outline of a sideways question mark at this
step… and I’ve seen other anomalies, but I also think I could be just
seeing things.
Here’s to telling more than I wanted to.
kryptosrevisited
is a followup. No big. Posted here for the record. Gary Phillips'
original ideas that date back to 2003/04. These ideas were posted by
me years ago and have remained undisputed in originality.
Between subtle shading and the absence of light:
(Between "slight of words" and a lack of knowledge that this is so)
lies the nuance of iqlusion.
(lies the subtle differences in meaning, and those meanings may not be
detected).
Slowly, disparately slowly,
(slowly, carefully, and in unrelated ways,)
the remains of passage debris that encumbered the lower part of the
doorway,
(the remaining text of the palimpsest at the bottom that was not
scraped away during the reuse process)
was removed.
(was taken out -- the misspellings previously include this "debris.")
With trembling hands I made a tiny breach in the upper left-hand
corner,
(I discovered the YA_R anomaly in the upper left-hand corner of k3,)
and then widening the hole a little, I inserted the candle and peered
in.
(?? widening the whole -- or inserting "THECANDLE" in between YA and
R)
[peer: to put on the same level?]
Hot air escaping from the chamber caused the flame to flicker,
(Could be a reference as to why YA_R is raised -- shadow forces?,
or, hot air/flame could reference a derrogatory statement toward a
chamber
of people -- that's really stretchin' the idea IMO)
but presently details of the room within emerged from the mist.
(this stage of the puzzle is complete. mist can mean "an obscure
document")
Can you see anything?
***
Also noting here that palimpsest immediately precedes palindrome.
Abscissa is near absence. Variations in meanings -- our main tool is
a dictionary!
***
YATHECANDLER
Could read, "yet he can't lear?n" Assuming my QLU theory is valid --
again, this is a stretch. I haven't played around with this enough to
even remotely suggest this is what is going to happen. I'm tossing
around ideas.
More soon.
kryptosrevisited
I think to be the most obvious clue overlooked thus far. So it's
going to be a Rosetta stone afterall.
kryptosrevisited
Time. The Dunwich Horror. Love the parallels to JS's Kryptos.
Howard's Journal of Discoveries in 1920's. Not Howard Carter!
Interesting. I found the palimpsest!!! It's eating gotta be eatin'
them alive, which is funny, cuz they're in the cafeteria.