ARG Puzzle with 3.5 BTC Private Key Prize, Game Over

[5w00p]

arg, I apologize for any insinuating comments i posted.

you and the rest of the team here are doing great.

[xELx]

However, I don't expect anything more at this point.
She has been spoonfeeding us since the begining to the point where she is not challenging us enough.

Sorry but it's the truth.

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxw3aeRJ4J1r34xmno4_250.gif

New update from OP.

[arg]

I expected as much. She thinks it's bleeding obvious.

[mirth23]

@ pongo

The Doge pic was a joke m8.

the doge pic was a joke, but there was a real dogecoin symbol in the Crops.jpg morse code.

I just got back from doing a lot of rotational cyphering involving the time codes (as single and as double digits), probably replicating whatever arg did yesterday. using the base 62 alphabet hinted in Crops.jpg, it meant that most shifts were invalid due to invalid base58 characters but I did get a few valid private keys, none of which were the correct wallet. Think I'll back away from the keys for a bit, I've been too close to this for the last couple days and probably can't see the forest for the trees.

edit: I will say that I will be very, very surprised if the final answer doesn't involve the use of the base62 character map that's described in the Crops.jpg morse... no clue why it would be there otherwise.

[arg]

it meant that most shifts were invalid due to invalid base58 characters but I did get a few valid private keys

Huh? You shouldn't have been able to do that, a random set of characters beginning with the right byte has a shockingly small chance of being a private key. It's like one in 2^32 due to the checksum.

no clue why it would be there otherwise.

Ditto the numbers "outlined" on the right hand side of the image.

[shorena]

However, I don't expect anything more at this point.
She has been spoonfeeding us since the begining to the point where she is not challenging us enough.

Sorry but it's the truth.

New update from OP.

I am about to search for my old x-files books here.... tunguska, crop circles, area 51, wow signal

[mirth23]

it meant that most shifts were invalid due to invalid base58 characters but I did get a few valid private keys

Huh? You shouldn't have been able to do that, a random set of characters beginning with the right byte has a shockingly small chance of being a private key. It's like one in 2^32 due to the checksum.

ahem, allow me to restate: i got some apparently fine looking keys in proper base58 form that the python bitcoin libs happily transformed into private keys and public addresses, but a real bitcoin wallet failed to load properly.

no clue why it would be there otherwise.

Ditto the numbers "outlined" on the right hand side of the image.

yeah, definitely.

I guess I am back on the thought that if the 51 char string is not something we can shift into a private key, then it must be some kind of 37337 clue and we're looking for a spoon in a haystack with bitshifts and the like.

[hoba]

the doge pic was a joke, but there was a real dogecoin symbol in the Crops.jpg morse code.

The last morse code after WOW is ..--.  ---, while --- is probably simply accidently a valid morse character and ..--. is not a valid character at all.

Edit: ok, i was wrong, here you can find the code for Dogecoin symbol: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse_code

[arg]

I guess I am back on the thought that if the 51 char string is not something we can shift into a private key, then it must be some kind of 37337 clue and we're looking for a spoon in a haystack with bitshifts and the like.

We have only 41 characters on the right, and 51 characters above. I can't make heads nor tails of what the aim is even meant to be. Even they were the same length I would be slightly happy, but as it is I can do nothing with them. Not even a clue what is going on in the OPs mind with this one.

[Prospero]

New update from OP.

Besides removing the double hash hint? What was the new update?

[roert]

OK, it's a bitcoin related puzzle.

So far, we needed mostly sha256. A privat-key is a 256bit number. We have a picture with MANY "1" and "blank".  My idea: Try to convert the first/last/whatever 256 "bit" of this 2dimensional lndx and 7oLVE it ...

Do you know what I mean? Has anybody did that?

[shorena]

New update from OP.

Besides removing the double hash hint? What was the new update?

The picture with neo beeing asked "what truth?"

https://gs1.wac.edgecastcdn.net/8019B6/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxw3aeRJ4J1r34xmno4_250.gif

the doge pic was a joke, but there was a real dogecoin symbol in the Crops.jpg morse code.

The last morse code after WOW is ..--.  ---, while --- is probably simply accidently a valid morse character and ..--. is not a valid character at all.

I cant find the original for "there was a real dogecoin symbol in the crops.jpg" so I quote this.

How can a dogecoin symbol be in a morsecode? What morsecode table did you use?

OK, it's a bitcoin related puzzle.

So far, we needed mostly sha256. A privat-key is a 256bit number. We have a picture with MANY "1" and "blank".  My idea: Try to convert the first/last/whatever 256 "bit" of this 2dimensional lndx and 7oLVE it ...

Do you know what I mean? Has anybody did that?

I understand you, but AFAIK the data was not edited by OP. This would assume that she generated a private key off of the Wow! signal data. I read that argument somewhere. Not sure, just give it a try, I dont think it will help us because one of the hints was "crops + wow" so IMHO we still need to use the base62code. tl;dr I agree with mirth your approach would not use that code.

edit: I will say that I will be very, very surprised if the final answer doesn't involve the use of the base62 character map that's described in the Crops.jpg morse... no clue why it would be there otherwise.

[mirth23]

the doge pic was a joke, but there was a real dogecoin symbol in the Crops.jpg morse code.

I cant find the original for "there was a real dogecoin symbol in the crops.jpg" so I quote this.
How can a dogecoin symbol be in a morsecode? What morsecode table did you use?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse_code , search for Đ

[Prospero]

New update from OP.

Besides removing the double hash hint? What was the new update?

The picture with neo beeing asked "what truth?"

https://gs1.wac.edgecastcdn.net/8019B6/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxw3aeRJ4J1r34xmno4_250.gif

Thanks. OP is totally encouraging hoarding hints, which is a violation of the ARG commandments

[jc01480]

AAaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

[mirth23]

For posterity, here's a concise list of the puzzles we've solved to get this far.

PUZZLES

1: Dark Wallet Portrait - http://imgur.com/Uc6VAnV
2: Contra puzzle - http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/File:InvisibleEndermen.jpg
3: mindthecraft - bit ly/mindthecraft
4: Minecraft server puzzle
5: Onion.7z - bit .ly/1juqeCj
6: File 0 / Hint.jpg
7: File 1 / Elements.jpg
8: File 2 / Algo.jpg
9: Dungeons of Daggorath
10: Again.7z / Space.mp4 - bit ly/1rWkJl7
11: Crops.jpg
12: Wow.JPG

SOLUTIONS


1:
morse code of dots, bottom to top, right to left
take the first letter of each word
==> THEY CAN NOT ATTACK WHAT THEY DO NOT SEE

2:
overlay enderman image over original image
==> isolated characters in the original puzzle image
eliminate "contra" from the top
remove "ba" from the bottom (from the konami cheat code)
==> [Suspicious link removed]/mindthecraft

3:
[Suspicious link removed] address led to a QR code. a simple scan led to:
==> http://qr.w69b.com/g/mCPqjdJx6
this page has binary that can be converted to an IP address for a Minecraft server
==> minecraft 54.201.109.162

4:
find 4 quadrants of a QR code hidden in Minecraft server, convert to QR
==> bit .ly/1juqeCj
note: the server is now down, so this step can't be repeated

5:
use public bitcoin key (1HXUobwcB19cGDrghuh42HDdJdJvrJUEra) as password
==> File 0

6:
strip out repeating texture, turn to cyan
image is from Tomb of Horrors D&D module
password is sha256(sha256('Tomb of Horrors'))
==> File 1

7:
dice pictures are platonic solids, corresponding with classical greek elements
password is sha256(sha256('fireearthairetherwater'))
==> File 2
SHORTCUT: a QR code was hidden in the PhotoshopThumbnail that goes to step 12

8:
one name for this arrangement of points in a triangle is a tetractys
password is sha256(sha256('Tetractys'))
==> DoD

9:
some sound files were added with a spectrally encoded QR code
(note: there were some additional unexplained text mods to various files, as well as one additional changed sound file that included some unidentified music)
==> http://qr.w69b.com/g/t2lFujr0I
That included a Cory Doctorow quote and a link to Again.7z
==> http://[Suspicious link removed]/1rWkJl7

10:
the mp4 is padded with 2147129 of data
when this data is extracted and then bit shifted by 100, it's a 7z file.
note: this may be the only step in the game that required some code
the password is based on the characters on the rocket in the video
password is: sha256(sha256('ODY55EY 8081-VA015'))

11:
compare against the original image at http://kodczasu.pl/files/crabwood5_163.jpg
we find that the internal rings have been modified
results in morse code that resolves as: 0=0A=10BABYA=36WOWÐS
google fu of "wow alien" leads to the Wow! Signal, which had intensity 6EQUJ5
there is another 7z hidden in Crops.jpg, in this case you can just rename the file to crops.7z and open it directly with some 7z tools
password is: sha256(sha256('6EQUJ5'))

12:
?!

[Kprawn]

Only reason for not getting more hints, may be, because we are at the end of the road. Revealing more hints, would spoil the ending. 

I printed all those images and using them as templates, on top of each other, thinking that if they layers together, they might reveal a new picture or a pattern.

So far, no pattern emerge. *sob.

[micaman]

There is no spoon.
My excitment is now turned into agony...

[Kprawn]

What is up with the "Long" "Lat" "Deg" in that picture? {Gps coordinates possibly?} Have anyone looked into that? {Google earth?}

I will try some combinations, maybe it reveals a location.  ?

[Kangaderoo]

What is up with the "Long" "Lat" "Deg" in that picture? {Gps coordinates possibly?} Have anyone looked into that? {Google earth?}

I will try some combinations, maybe it reveals a location.  ?

You will need to know astronomy for this.
basically we are looking at 50 antenna's showing a integrated signal strength over 12 seconds. (last column, 12 sec interval)
the other columns are needed to know a direction in space you are looking at, etc, etc..
there is nothing random at the right hand side......