On February 23 2013 08:38 Nyarly wrote:
Third mail is out !
It might be a few days old, i'm not checking the website every morning, but no one seems to have noticed it before so here it is :
+ Show Spoiler +
FROM:
DR. TALEN AYERS
TO:
DR. TALISE COGAN
Picture : http://eu.battle.net/sc2/static/images/blackstone/screenshots/03-baneling.jpg
Zergling Dissection
I wanted to send you a quick note summarizing my findings in this morning's procedure. The dissection of the zergling-baneling series mutations (A through RR) created more questions than answers, and I wanted to see if your conclusions matched my own.
The specimen Subject L seems to have successfully absorbed the genetic material of the thermophilic pseudo-fungi of Cask, whereas the earlier specimens (A through K) were experiencing various degrees of rejection in areas where the foreign tissue had grown. Subject L seems to represent a biological watershed moment for the species, a point at which the xenocellular chemistry was integrated and accepted by the astoundingly receptive zerg cells.
The adaption and almost purposeful speed towards the new habitus evidenced by the post-watershed individuals were significant. Although the mutations visible in subjects A through K were minimal and subtle, the mutations in subjects M through RR were varied, complex, and even dramatic. It is almost as though there is recognition within the zerg biome, on a cellular level, that the hurdle has been overcome. Are the cells singing to one another? Ha! The instances of wild and unexpected mutation after that point are almost incalculable.
The notes provided by Dr. Branamoor regarding the timing and frequency of this outbreak of new zergling type "baneling" were remarkably insightful. It seems as though they were taken by a researcher in the field – a witness to the manifestation. I wonder if we could be put in contact with this individual. I like the way he thinks.
TA
FROM:
DR. TALISE COGAN
TO:
DR. TALEN AYERS
Picture : http://eu.battle.net/sc2/static/images/blackstone/screenshots/03-hydralisk.jpg
RE: Zergling Dissection
Thank you for your summary, Dr. Ayers. I neglected to mention this in the lab, but I have great respect for your work. Your Xenobiological Basics was required reading in my lectures at TU. As for your conclusions, I concur with them on most counts. However, I disagree with the latter part of your second statement – the point where you attribute the increased degree of mutation to cellular "recognition." Frankly, and with all due respect, I find your thesis absurd. It is far more probable that the increased mutation is tied to some element in the zerg process we have yet to uncover, possibly linked to the controlling "Alpha Zerg" individual, be it hive queen or cerebrate. Until we can locate and dissect an Alpha, our findings will have a significant blind spot, and will thus leave room for questionable theories like your singing cells. We are analyzing a decapitated body, Dr. Ayers. Once we find the head, our conclusions will make sense.
As for your third point, I think the research notes provided are sufficient for us to proceed with tissue analysis. They seem to evoke speculation as farfetched as your musical organelles, and I'd rather not waste our resources in that direction. That said, I take umbrage at your assumption that this researcher is male. No gender-specific attribution was given in the summary provided by Dr. Gentry, and I'm sure that Dr. Branamoor has included any data we might find useful in his subsequent revision.
Next on our task list: a series of hydralisk bodies recovered from a failed experiment by a Dr. Loew on Thys. Apparently she attempted to get into their heads. We may be able to shed some light on our blind spot after all.
TC
Are people still interested in this stuff ? :p
Third mail is out !
It might be a few days old, i'm not checking the website every morning, but no one seems to have noticed it before so here it is :
+ Show Spoiler +
FROM:
DR. TALEN AYERS
TO:
DR. TALISE COGAN
Picture : http://eu.battle.net/sc2/static/images/blackstone/screenshots/03-baneling.jpg
Zergling Dissection
I wanted to send you a quick note summarizing my findings in this morning's procedure. The dissection of the zergling-baneling series mutations (A through RR) created more questions than answers, and I wanted to see if your conclusions matched my own.
The specimen Subject L seems to have successfully absorbed the genetic material of the thermophilic pseudo-fungi of Cask, whereas the earlier specimens (A through K) were experiencing various degrees of rejection in areas where the foreign tissue had grown. Subject L seems to represent a biological watershed moment for the species, a point at which the xenocellular chemistry was integrated and accepted by the astoundingly receptive zerg cells.
The adaption and almost purposeful speed towards the new habitus evidenced by the post-watershed individuals were significant. Although the mutations visible in subjects A through K were minimal and subtle, the mutations in subjects M through RR were varied, complex, and even dramatic. It is almost as though there is recognition within the zerg biome, on a cellular level, that the hurdle has been overcome. Are the cells singing to one another? Ha! The instances of wild and unexpected mutation after that point are almost incalculable.
The notes provided by Dr. Branamoor regarding the timing and frequency of this outbreak of new zergling type "baneling" were remarkably insightful. It seems as though they were taken by a researcher in the field – a witness to the manifestation. I wonder if we could be put in contact with this individual. I like the way he thinks.
TA
FROM:
DR. TALISE COGAN
TO:
DR. TALEN AYERS
Picture : http://eu.battle.net/sc2/static/images/blackstone/screenshots/03-hydralisk.jpg
RE: Zergling Dissection
Thank you for your summary, Dr. Ayers. I neglected to mention this in the lab, but I have great respect for your work. Your Xenobiological Basics was required reading in my lectures at TU. As for your conclusions, I concur with them on most counts. However, I disagree with the latter part of your second statement – the point where you attribute the increased degree of mutation to cellular "recognition." Frankly, and with all due respect, I find your thesis absurd. It is far more probable that the increased mutation is tied to some element in the zerg process we have yet to uncover, possibly linked to the controlling "Alpha Zerg" individual, be it hive queen or cerebrate. Until we can locate and dissect an Alpha, our findings will have a significant blind spot, and will thus leave room for questionable theories like your singing cells. We are analyzing a decapitated body, Dr. Ayers. Once we find the head, our conclusions will make sense.
As for your third point, I think the research notes provided are sufficient for us to proceed with tissue analysis. They seem to evoke speculation as farfetched as your musical organelles, and I'd rather not waste our resources in that direction. That said, I take umbrage at your assumption that this researcher is male. No gender-specific attribution was given in the summary provided by Dr. Gentry, and I'm sure that Dr. Branamoor has included any data we might find useful in his subsequent revision.
Next on our task list: a series of hydralisk bodies recovered from a failed experiment by a Dr. Loew on Thys. Apparently she attempted to get into their heads. We may be able to shed some light on our blind spot after all.
TC
Are people still interested in this stuff ? :p
On February 15 2013 05:10 Nyarly wrote:
http://eu.battle.net/sc2/en/blackstone/
new mail!*
*It's a personnal log
+ Show Spoiler +
# 02 PERSONAL LOG
DR. TALEN AYERS
Personal Log
Ludwig van Beethoven said, "Tones sound, and roar and storm about me until I have set them down in notes." It is wisdom I have carried throughout my career.
Beethoven was a brilliant composer who has been largely forgotten by the vagabond Earthlings who have taken root here in the Koprulu sector. But I open this log with his words in the vain hope that my work here may someday match, in scientific form, the stirring musical legacy that great soul left for humanity.
No, modesty has never been one of my strong suits. Modesty didn't pull me out of the drafty one-room farmer's shack I was born in. Modesty didn't win me top honors at Tarsonis U and a double PhD at Korhal Academy, nor did it help my seminal work become the first treatise on xenobiology to be made an Augustgrad Times bestseller. Modesty has its place: comfortably stuffed in the throats of those not ambitious enough to take a big, toothy bite out of the universe.
Sadly, it was this selfsame lack of modesty that brought me here. How could the ever-seeing eyes of the Dominion ignore the undeniable efforts of my mind? A mind Michael Liberty called "an interplanetary treasure" in his UNN exposé. How could the Dominion Armed Military Nonsense resist putting my invaluable neurons to work for them?
There I was, publishing valuable insights for the poor masses to consume... and there I was, not helping the D.A.M.N. fools turn knowledge into weapons. Granted, my work wasn't being shared entirely out of benevolence; the poor masses were making me rich. According to Ken, my agent, sales of Ayers on Aliens had already hit 10 million.
That was only one week before I was aggressively recruited from my bedroom. By a ghost. Yes, I know it sounds like a Dickens novel. But, unlike Scrooge's nocturnal abductor, my ghost was armed with a knife, a rifle, and the ability to telekinetically make me lose control of my bladder. They can do that, right?
Regardless, here I am. The Blackstone facility is cramped, stuffy, and it has an appalling lack of windows. The project head is so arrogant that I am surprised they were able to fit his enormous cranium into this tiny little asteroid. To make matters worse, I seem to have made a poor impression on good Dr. Branamoor, and he is now committed to making my time here even more unbearable. Surprisingly, I find it difficult to dwell on my current state of discomfort, due to the incredible resources we have at our disposal. I have worked in some of the most prestigious laboratories in the Koprulu sector and have never seen tools with the power and precision at my fingertips. Nor have I seen such an abundance of rare and unique samples of alien tissue. Rumor has it that Branamoor has connections in the black market, and I don't care to know any more than that. This assignment has given me access to complete specimens of zerg larvae, and I have witnessed things that have sent my imagination soaring. Wonderful things. Possibilities for healing the human race beyond anything dreamt of in our wildest fiction.
http://eu.battle.net/sc2/en/blackstone/
new mail!*
*It's a personnal log
+ Show Spoiler +
# 02 PERSONAL LOG
DR. TALEN AYERS
Personal Log
Ludwig van Beethoven said, "Tones sound, and roar and storm about me until I have set them down in notes." It is wisdom I have carried throughout my career.
Beethoven was a brilliant composer who has been largely forgotten by the vagabond Earthlings who have taken root here in the Koprulu sector. But I open this log with his words in the vain hope that my work here may someday match, in scientific form, the stirring musical legacy that great soul left for humanity.
No, modesty has never been one of my strong suits. Modesty didn't pull me out of the drafty one-room farmer's shack I was born in. Modesty didn't win me top honors at Tarsonis U and a double PhD at Korhal Academy, nor did it help my seminal work become the first treatise on xenobiology to be made an Augustgrad Times bestseller. Modesty has its place: comfortably stuffed in the throats of those not ambitious enough to take a big, toothy bite out of the universe.
Sadly, it was this selfsame lack of modesty that brought me here. How could the ever-seeing eyes of the Dominion ignore the undeniable efforts of my mind? A mind Michael Liberty called "an interplanetary treasure" in his UNN exposé. How could the Dominion Armed Military Nonsense resist putting my invaluable neurons to work for them?
There I was, publishing valuable insights for the poor masses to consume... and there I was, not helping the D.A.M.N. fools turn knowledge into weapons. Granted, my work wasn't being shared entirely out of benevolence; the poor masses were making me rich. According to Ken, my agent, sales of Ayers on Aliens had already hit 10 million.
That was only one week before I was aggressively recruited from my bedroom. By a ghost. Yes, I know it sounds like a Dickens novel. But, unlike Scrooge's nocturnal abductor, my ghost was armed with a knife, a rifle, and the ability to telekinetically make me lose control of my bladder. They can do that, right?
Regardless, here I am. The Blackstone facility is cramped, stuffy, and it has an appalling lack of windows. The project head is so arrogant that I am surprised they were able to fit his enormous cranium into this tiny little asteroid. To make matters worse, I seem to have made a poor impression on good Dr. Branamoor, and he is now committed to making my time here even more unbearable. Surprisingly, I find it difficult to dwell on my current state of discomfort, due to the incredible resources we have at our disposal. I have worked in some of the most prestigious laboratories in the Koprulu sector and have never seen tools with the power and precision at my fingertips. Nor have I seen such an abundance of rare and unique samples of alien tissue. Rumor has it that Branamoor has connections in the black market, and I don't care to know any more than that. This assignment has given me access to complete specimens of zerg larvae, and I have witnessed things that have sent my imagination soaring. Wonderful things. Possibilities for healing the human race beyond anything dreamt of in our wildest fiction.
On February 07 2013 11:06 GizmoPT wrote:
[Cameron Dayton @CameronDayton Writer, Story Developer, and Transmedianero for Blizzard Entertainment -- charting daily flights to the worlds of Warcraft, Diablo, Starcraft, and beyond.]
Cameron Dayton @CameronDayton
'Project Blackstone' is a 'StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm' Tease http://shar.es/YbXjs via @sharethis
Cameron Dayton @CameronDayton
Blizzard's Project Blackstone website live, StarCraft related and maybe a lead-in to Heart of the Swarm: http://neo.ly/UBDhen via @neoseeker
[Cameron Dayton @CameronDayton Writer, Story Developer, and Transmedianero for Blizzard Entertainment -- charting daily flights to the worlds of Warcraft, Diablo, Starcraft, and beyond.]
Cameron Dayton @CameronDayton
'Project Blackstone' is a 'StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm' Tease http://shar.es/YbXjs via @sharethis
Cameron Dayton @CameronDayton
Blizzard's Project Blackstone website live, StarCraft related and maybe a lead-in to Heart of the Swarm: http://neo.ly/UBDhen via @neoseeker
On February 07 2013 00:14 Dante.StarCraft wrote:
Of course I do.
Here is a very short summary of what's pertinent to this from Flashpoint, which will make things a bit easier to understand:
+ Show Spoiler +
Of course I do.
Here is a very short summary of what's pertinent to this from Flashpoint, which will make things a bit easier to understand:
+ Show Spoiler +
After rescuing Kerrigan on Char, Raynor, Valerian and the rest of the Raiders take off to Deadman's Port, with Mengsk right behind them. Once there, they meet up with Narud, who works with Valerian. Raynor's bartender, Cooper, betrays them, and the merceneries there nearly have them captured, but with the help of Mira Han, they escape. Narud wants to take Kerrigan to a Moebius lab, but she is reluctant. She caves in eventually.
Once there, she is put in a lab. But Narud betrays them. It is revealed that he is working with Mengsk, who still wants Kerrigan dead. Raynor and Valerian evade capture, and Mengsk opens fire on the docked Hyperion, with Cooper seizing the opportunity to escape to his employer. Kerrigan senses something is wrong from her lab, and kills a ghost sent to assassinate her. She starts to regain her strength, killing Hybrids that Narud sends after them. They all escape. Now Narud is with Mengsk.
Valerian proposes they go to Umoja. Having accidentially killed Annabelle (one of the female Hyperion crew members, whom you can spot in WOL), Kerrigan agrees that she needs to be studied. The book ends on Umoja, with Kerrigan alone in her chamber, swearing revenge on Mengsk.
The HOTS opening cinematic begins there. The lab Kerrigan is in is on Umoja.
This is why I am so certain Blackstone and Kerrigan is not directly related. The scientists in Project Blackstone are going to be working on Hybrids.
Once there, she is put in a lab. But Narud betrays them. It is revealed that he is working with Mengsk, who still wants Kerrigan dead. Raynor and Valerian evade capture, and Mengsk opens fire on the docked Hyperion, with Cooper seizing the opportunity to escape to his employer. Kerrigan senses something is wrong from her lab, and kills a ghost sent to assassinate her. She starts to regain her strength, killing Hybrids that Narud sends after them. They all escape. Now Narud is with Mengsk.
Valerian proposes they go to Umoja. Having accidentially killed Annabelle (one of the female Hyperion crew members, whom you can spot in WOL), Kerrigan agrees that she needs to be studied. The book ends on Umoja, with Kerrigan alone in her chamber, swearing revenge on Mengsk.
The HOTS opening cinematic begins there. The lab Kerrigan is in is on Umoja.
This is why I am so certain Blackstone and Kerrigan is not directly related. The scientists in Project Blackstone are going to be working on Hybrids.
On February 06 2013 15:11 Shade_CsT wrote:
LOOK WHO I FOUND ON TWITTER !!
https://twitter.com/RedellQuinton
https://twitter.com/HelekBranamoor
https://twitter.com/Adjutant3327
https://twitter.com/VeraLangridge
https://twitter.com/LeahAMartine
https://twitter.com/PamelaGFoster
https://twitter.com/TalenAyers
https://twitter.com/LeeTreicher
https://twitter.com/DanielRothfuss
It's them !
Blizzard is having fun
LOOK WHO I FOUND ON TWITTER !!
https://twitter.com/RedellQuinton
https://twitter.com/HelekBranamoor
https://twitter.com/Adjutant3327
https://twitter.com/VeraLangridge
https://twitter.com/LeahAMartine
https://twitter.com/PamelaGFoster
https://twitter.com/TalenAyers
https://twitter.com/LeeTreicher
https://twitter.com/DanielRothfuss
It's them !
Blizzard is having fun
On February 06 2013 15:13 Nerevar wrote:
Additionally, there are these mesages:
Additionally, there are these mesages:
On February 06 2013 15:09 CSL_James wrote:
Guy on reddit found out the password is: Y7_$0>0k_3<$m
Guy on reddit found out the password is: Y7_$0>0k_3<$m
On February 07 2013 15:31 Ch3rry wrote:
Go to this site: http://www.fourmilab.ch/javascrypt/javascrypt.html
Enter this as key: BLACKSTONE
Enter this as Cipher text:
+ Show Spoiler +
Hit Decrypt button.
Go to this site: http://www.fourmilab.ch/javascrypt/javascrypt.html
Enter this as key: BLACKSTONE
Enter this as Cipher text:
+ Show Spoiler +
?HX?cec27e03c51e1b18bc89e78003788ed0e87080f64da416cffda68f0d2cb3e9893ef5bcf00613 b5dfdbb3827240a2d6f3ebc0ff1989fa2187c016722f53d141d2a7cd6f678118d6d425eecca627a4 a85138180a6fbe74934ab51c31aa15811d06ca320390ee5781cd233ae7377a8d807caeeefe7267c4 c6c9ca032124e1db8f361c3b4918a3931c119bcc3ac62ecbf4e09f7a95223d0bbe9f53415920db1b a3eb8f2bc85dc0e2e7a46d40b9c908777f59ea6197851569301788f38ea07b07e2245f92cc95a67a 621726d5631c77fa637b4cd15daaa1a77de5e82e7ebcb73ca6803927adf975864c96b94e13aa542a d63be8f0e6ad1558aa4e7eaba0567751050ad858459ec4c0fbef5ce9aab20500fade?H
Hit Decrypt button.
Back in November Blizzard registered a few new domains, among them a mysterious "Project Blackstone". People speculated it could be Diablo 3-related, but with the site launch it is clearly SC2-related.
What could this be about? Is this some type of Heart of the Swarm alternate reality game similar to the ones Valve has done in the past?
http://us.battle.net/sc2/en/blackstone/login