• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 02:09
CEST 08:09
KST 15:09
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
TL.net Map Contest #21: Voting10[ASL20] Ro4 Preview: Descent11Team TLMC #5: Winners Announced!3[ASL20] Ro8 Preview Pt2: Holding On9Maestros of the Game: Live Finals Preview (RO4)5
Community News
Chinese SC2 server to reopen; live all-star event in Hangzhou12Weekly Cups (Oct 13-19): Clem Goes for Four0BSL Team A vs Koreans - Sat-Sun 16:00 CET6Weekly Cups (Oct 6-12): Four star herO85.0.15 Patch Balance Hotfix (2025-10-8)80
StarCraft 2
General
Chinese SC2 server to reopen; live all-star event in Hangzhou RotterdaM "Serral is the GOAT, and it's not close" Weekly Cups (March 17-23): Clem Bounces Back DreamHack Open 2013 revealed The New Patch Killed Mech!
Tourneys
$1,200 WardiTV October (Oct 21st-31st) SC2's Safe House 2 - October 18 & 19 INu's Battles #13 - ByuN vs Zoun Tenacious Turtle Tussle Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament
Strategy
Custom Maps
Map Editor closed ?
External Content
Mutation # 496 Endless Infection Mutation # 495 Rest In Peace Mutation # 494 Unstable Environment Mutation # 493 Quick Killers
Brood War
General
Is there anyway to get a private coach? BW General Discussion BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ BSL Season 21 OGN to release AI-upscaled StarLeague from Feb 24
Tourneys
300$ 3D!Community Brood War Super Cup #4 [ASL20] Semifinal B Azhi's Colosseum - Anonymous Tournament [Megathread] Daily Proleagues
Strategy
Current Meta Roaring Currents ASL final [I] Funny Protoss Builds/Strategies BW - ajfirecracker Strategy & Training
Other Games
General Games
Path of Exile Nintendo Switch Thread Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Dawn of War IV ZeroSpace Megathread
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion LiquidDota to reintegrate into TL.net
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Community Thread SPIRED by.ASL Mafia {211640}
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread The Chess Thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine Russo-Ukrainian War Thread Men's Fashion Thread
Fan Clubs
The herO Fan Club!
Media & Entertainment
Anime Discussion Thread Series you have seen recently... [Manga] One Piece Movie Discussion!
Sports
2024 - 2026 Football Thread TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023 MLB/Baseball 2023 Formula 1 Discussion NBA General Discussion
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
SC2 Client Relocalization [Change SC2 Language] Linksys AE2500 USB WIFI keeps disconnecting Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
The Automated Ban List Recent Gifted Posts
Blogs
Our Last Hope in th…
KrillinFromwales
Certified Crazy
Hildegard
The Heroism of Pepe the Fro…
Peanutsc
Rocket League: Traits, Abili…
TrAiDoS
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 1202 users

Any code breakers in TL? - Page 6

Forum Index > General Forum
Post a Reply
Prev 1 4 5 6 7 8 Next All
Cite
Profile Joined August 2010
Australia251 Posts
March 30 2011 04:01 GMT
#101
I think they are more interested with this line

"“Even if we found out that he was writing a grocery list or a love letter,” Olson said, “we would still want to see how the code is solved. This is a cipher system we know nothing about."

rather than the results as well they probably very well know it is nothing related to his murder.
synapse
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
China13814 Posts
March 30 2011 04:06 GMT
#102
On March 30 2011 09:41 Slithe wrote:
I find it really hard to believe that the FBI would not be able to at least roughly decipher this if it's some variety of substitution cipher. They've had so much time to work on it.

Yeah, this. I get the feeling that this is all just a massive trolling attempt, though of course we may never know
:)
GambleVII
Profile Joined August 2010
126 Posts
March 30 2011 04:07 GMT
#103
Wouldnt he have to be able to write this all down, so the code is something he had in his brain.
Or there would be traces of how to write using his code at his house.

He either wrote the code from memory (wouldnt that be hard as hell) or somewhere there is evidence of how to write the code somewhere.

Smart may have the brains but Stupid has the balls
aztrorisk
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
United States896 Posts
March 30 2011 04:10 GMT
#104
Wouldn't it be cool if somebody in TL solved it and TL gets some publicity
A lock that opens to many keys is a bad lock. A key that opens many locks is a master key.
Caller
Profile Blog Joined September 2007
Poland8075 Posts
March 30 2011 04:14 GMT
#105
i think an interesting point to start is that there is no z in any of these notes. None whatsoever. If this was a straight-up substitution then we should be seeing a letter that isn't z missing. But instead z, one of the least common letters, is missing. Instead, there are numbers.

Secondly is the use of parantheses in weird places. This is a person who has been writing encrypted notes to himself for 40 years. He would need to be able to read these notes very quickly if he in fact did intend to read them. The fact that every set of parantheses is closed says something.

You should also note that he uses periods, but no commas, parantheses, but no brackets or ampersands or exclamation points and question marks: also no colons. So why would he use plus signs and dashes?

Another thing to look at is his overuse of the letter e. I think the letter e is supposed to signify a space/stop to the line, rather than have any intrinsic meaning in itself.

~just some thoughts
Watch me fail at Paradox: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=397564
lovenugget
Profile Joined March 2011
1 Post
March 30 2011 05:06 GMT
#106
i felt like contributing...

P1

(MNDMUNEA8SE-N-STAUNARE) ((ACSM)))
TFRNENI1NSENPBSERCBBNSENPRSE1NC
PRSENMQSEBPREHLDWLDNCBE (TFXLFTCXLNCBE)
AL-PRPPITXLYPPIYNCBEMGKSEINCDRCBRNSEPRSE
WLDRCBRNSEN706NENTXSE-C8SLE-CLTRSEWLDNCBE
ALWLDNCBETSMELISERLSEVRGLSNEASNWLDNCBE
(NOPFSENLSRENCBE) NTEGDDMNSENCURERCBRNE
(TENETFRNENCBRTSENCBE1NG)
(FLRSEPQSEONDE71NCBE)
(CDNSEPQS6ONSDE74NCBE)
(PQTSGPQSEONREDE75NCBE)
(TFNQCMSPSOLEMRDELUSETOTEWLDNINLDNCBE)
(194WLD'SNCBE) (TRFXL)

NOTES

ALPNTEGLSE-SE ERTE
VLSEM7SE-CTSE-WSG-FRTSE
PNRTRSEONPRSEWLDNCBE
NWLDXCRCMSPNEWLDSTSMEXL
DULMT6T6TUNSENCBEXC

(MUNSA1STENMUNARSE)
KLSE-LKSTE-TRSE-TRSE-MKSEN-MRSE
(SAE6NSESENMRSE)
NMNLCBRNSEPTE2PTEWSREBRNRE
8SGLECLGSEJUNUTXEDKQSEPSESHLE
651MTCSEHTLSENCUTCTRSNMRE
99.84.32UNEPLSEUCBSEAOLTSENSKSENB'SE
DNMSENRSE1NRNTRLERCBRNSENTSRCRONG
LSPNSENGSPSEMKSERBSENCBGAUXLR
HMCRENMRENCBE 1/2MUNDDLSE
D-W-M-4MPL XDRLX

this person really doesn't like their 'n''s it seems. terrible handwriting.
i found it hard to distinguish between L's and C's in the letters. i find lines 9 10 and 11 to be the most interesting.
Issor
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
United States870 Posts
March 30 2011 05:10 GMT
#107
So, I'm not sure if this has been mentioned here, but here's a reddit thread with some possible insight:

http://www.reddit.com/r/crypto/comments/ge3sq/fbi_wants_public_help_solving_encrypted_notes/c1mxjn5

Of note: INC seems to indicate paragraph breaks. Similarly, NCBE seems to indicate linebreaks. I think you can probably safely consider these to not be part of the code.


I would not be surprised to find out that individual lines are encrypted differently, or that page 1 contains and encrypted key for solving page 2 (or parts of it, and vice versa).

Regardless, this is very interesting for those of us with even a passing interest in cryptography. Hope to see this develop.
BisuDagger
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
Bisutopia19289 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-03-30 05:22:22
March 30 2011 05:20 GMT
#108
first 3 lines of the 2nd note:
Planet Legs see ret
elvs mets sect sew frets
purse ret drones weld NBC

Meaning:
I see elven legs from a planet. In the met(or mid) sections there are sew(or sewn) frets and a purse with drones weld( or wielding) NBC (the TV station).
note: he says ret twice from what I decipher, so he also thinks he's a ret paladin.
ModeratorFormer Afreeca Starleague Caster: http://afreeca.tv/ASL2ENG2
Grobyc
Profile Blog Joined June 2008
Canada18410 Posts
March 30 2011 05:44 GMT
#109
Ehh I took cryptography when I was in school, but I don't remember a lot of it and I'd probably be too lazy to try it to be honest haha. I don't think it's undoable if it hasn't been discovered by now. Look at Kryptos for example.
If you watch Godzilla backwards it's about a benevolent lizard who helps rebuild a city and then moonwalks into the ocean.
B.I.G.
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
3251 Posts
March 30 2011 10:41 GMT
#110
this sounds like a job for.....


C.S.I LIQUID
roborama
Profile Joined March 2011
1 Post
March 31 2011 00:54 GMT
#111
I don't know if this helps but here is info about the "victim" (Ricky) from 1999 StL today archives

- high school drop out
- on disability welfare
- fathered "at least" four children (guess he wasn't THAT disabled...)
- served 11 months for rape (statutory)
- had heart/lung ailments
- last seen alive at a hospital when he went in for medicine about 4 days before his body was found


So, I can't help conclude that this has to be a "simple" code...or this guy was some sort of savant masquerading as a bum (but one that was effective with the ladies).

Could he be mentioning his rape victim over and over again and hence the repetitive text?

Somehow I bet these are simple song lyrics that he just sribbled which have nothing to do with anything...
Trezeguet
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
United States2656 Posts
March 31 2011 01:07 GMT
#112
These are the lyrics to Smells like teen spirit, or at least what he understood of them.
Vain
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
Netherlands1115 Posts
March 31 2011 01:20 GMT
#113
On March 30 2011 12:25 dacthehork wrote:
Guys

Breaking it down from his handwriting is pointless

He uses different variations of writing a letter significantly, for instance E vs a more rounded backwards 3. He also does the same with very many letters.

So make sure when transcibing it to give each variation of writing style on each letter a unique symbol


I also noticed that the E seems written in 2 way's. It would be very odd for a person to write the same letter different so what seems an e could actually be another letter.

Why didnt he just like to write clean instead of encrypting stuff
Battle.net 2.0 is a waiter and he's a dick
Too_MuchZerg
Profile Blog Joined February 2008
Finland2818 Posts
March 31 2011 01:23 GMT
#114
The thing with these cyphers makes it harder is: language it uses. I could easily make extremely hard code that nobody english speaking could break. I guess its based on english language after all. What if this guy taught spanish secretly to himself (changes from little boy code to older mans code, so you cant compare different codes).

If I would make code I would make it like this:

1. Use language that is not mainstream
2. Make it backwards
3. Add random words and other language words to mix it up
4. Make fake code
5. Use fake code to hide real code information (so that fake code information could be real)
6. Use same code every paper/code you write (indicating it could be cypher key when its not)
7. And so on...

No way nobody could cypher that unless I reveal it.
BlackyChan
Profile Joined February 2011
United States27 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-03-31 01:39:30
March 31 2011 01:35 GMT
#115
Heh.

Just so happens I live 10-15 minutes from where his dead body was found. Don't remember ever hearing about this though.

EDIT*

Link to stltoday article mentioned above:

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_ad567e00-5b13-11e0-8ed4-00127992bc8b.html
Traveler
Profile Blog Joined September 2009
United States451 Posts
March 31 2011 01:38 GMT
#116
On March 31 2011 10:23 Too_MuchZerg wrote:
The thing with these cyphers makes it harder is: language it uses. I could easily make extremely hard code that nobody english speaking could break. I guess its based on english language after all. What if this guy taught spanish secretly to himself (changes from little boy code to older mans code, so you cant compare different codes).

If I would make code I would make it like this:

1. Use language that is not mainstream
2. Make it backwards
3. Add random words and other language words to mix it up
4. Make fake code
5. Use fake code to hide real code information (so that fake code information could be real)
6. Use same code every paper/code you write (indicating it could be cypher key when its not)
7. And so on...

No way nobody could cypher that unless I reveal it.


Or you could use a computer program to generate a lot of 1 time pads, and then encrypt everything that way. Only way the code can be broken is by someone in possession of a copy of the pad used to encrypt whatever note it was...

The problem with this note is that it really can be a lot of things. My top guess is some kind of transposition cipher.
Can you ever argue in favor of something without first proving it?
Zidane
Profile Blog Joined July 2008
United States1689 Posts
March 31 2011 01:44 GMT
#117
Reddit is beating us?!
Bill Murray
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
United States9292 Posts
March 31 2011 01:52 GMT
#118
Letter frequencies are great and all, but this is definitely not a simple substitution cypher. Plus, Ricky, and what he wrote about, might not directly be using E eleven point whatever percent of the time.

+ Show Spoiler +
Apparently, he liked E way more than that!
University of Kentucky Basketball #1
Xtal
Profile Blog Joined February 2010
Haiti385 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-03-31 02:06:20
March 31 2011 02:03 GMT
#119
On March 31 2011 10:07 Trezeguet wrote:
These are the lyrics to Smells like teen spirit, or at least what he understood of them.


i lol'd

edit: we need that 170 IQ kid on this
Have you ever heard the story, about the Zergling and the Probe? The Probe didn't make it across the creep.
Jum
Profile Joined March 2011
United States3 Posts
March 31 2011 02:15 GMT
#120
On March 31 2011 10:35 BlackyChan wrote:
Heh.

Just so happens I live 10-15 minutes from where his dead body was found. Don't remember ever hearing about this though.

EDIT*

Link to stltoday article mentioned above:

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_ad567e00-5b13-11e0-8ed4-00127992bc8b.html


This sounds strange. The article says that Ricky McCormick had health problems and that the police do not know how he died. No stab wounds or signs of a struggle?

A man wanders out into a field and just dies with codes in his pocket? That he wrote?

As far as the code goes: I am glad there are so many people interested in this. I thought I was the only one. I noticed the E is often paired with only a certain set of letters.

I can only guess each line is actually a word. When the lines indent, I think that is the end of a sentence? Anybody think this could be something?

Also, look it up on Wikipedia, the pictures of the codes are much clearer when you zoom in.
Send a maniac to catch one...
Prev 1 4 5 6 7 8 Next All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
PiGosaur Monday
00:00
#54
Liquipedia
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft: Brood War
Shuttle 878
Aegong 41
Noble 27
Purpose 10
Icarus 6
NotJumperer 5
League of Legends
JimRising 760
Counter-Strike
Stewie2K654
Coldzera 269
Other Games
summit1g7868
WinterStarcraft396
C9.Mang0357
Tasteless159
Mew2King96
Trikslyr15
Organizations
Other Games
gamesdonequick881
Counter-Strike
PGL260
Other Games
BasetradeTV110
StarCraft: Brood War
UltimateBattle 16
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 14 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
• sooper7s
StarCraft: Brood War
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
Dota 2
• WagamamaTV323
• Ler24
League of Legends
• Lourlo1505
• Stunt409
Upcoming Events
Replay Cast
3h 51m
OSC
9h 51m
Tenacious Turtle Tussle
16h 51m
The PondCast
1d 3h
OSC
1d 5h
WardiTV Invitational
2 days
Online Event
2 days
RSL Revival
2 days
RSL Revival
3 days
WardiTV Invitational
3 days
[ Show More ]
Afreeca Starleague
4 days
Snow vs Soma
Sparkling Tuna Cup
4 days
WardiTV Invitational
4 days
CrankTV Team League
4 days
RSL Revival
4 days
Wardi Open
5 days
CrankTV Team League
5 days
Replay Cast
6 days
WardiTV Invitational
6 days
CrankTV Team League
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

Acropolis #4 - TS2
WardiTV TLMC #15
HCC Europe

Ongoing

BSL 21 Points
ASL Season 20
CSL 2025 AUTUMN (S18)
C-Race Season 1
IPSL Winter 2025-26
EC S1
Thunderpick World Champ.
CS Asia Championships 2025
ESL Pro League S22
StarSeries Fall 2025
FISSURE Playground #2
BLAST Open Fall 2025
BLAST Open Fall Qual
Esports World Cup 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall Qual

Upcoming

SC4ALL: Brood War
BSL Season 21
BSL 21 Team A
BSL 21 Non-Korean Championship
RSL Offline Finals
RSL Revival: Season 3
Stellar Fest
SC4ALL: StarCraft II
CranK Gathers Season 2: SC II Pro Teams
eXTREMESLAND 2025
ESL Impact League Season 8
SL Budapest Major 2025
BLAST Rivals Fall 2025
IEM Chengdu 2025
PGL Masters Bucharest 2025
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2025 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.