Crack the clues 2

Posted by David on Nov 11th, 2008

Was reading the weekly computing paper when I came across a red page with just a small print in the bottom right edge, in reverse it said Genius Wanted search for Crack the Clues 2. So I did.

Found Intels Crack the Clues 2 puzzle.

Now I love puzzles and could not resist this challenge.

4 puzzles to solve using a blog by a guy called Cypher, and his answers to a stupid competence assessment.

Puzzle 1 was easy as I created a Cypher Decoder ages ago which I used for the old Perplex City puzzles. Basic alpha shift or Caeser cypher.

Puzzle 2 is a little more complicated but there are hints;

View source?
View the source of the assessment and you will see a list of things on line 22.

MOLAR, ANODE, CAUSTIC, ENTROPY, SATURATED, ENDOTHERMIC, SUPEROXIDE, NOBLE, CATHODE, ISOTOPE, ALKALI, COVALENT, TITRATION, HALOGEN, PASCAL, ALLOTROPE, COLLOID, ACTINIDE, ELECTROLYTE, XENON, HETEROGENEOUS, EFFUSION, ISOMER, ANHYDROUS, ION, CATALYST, PRECIPITATE, SUBLIMATION, ACETIC, HYDRAZINE, OCTANE, ANALYTE, REDOX, AXIAL, EQUILIBRIUM, LANTHANIDE, SIGMA, HYDROFLUORIC, VALENCE, INERT, AMORPHOUS

What happened to Cypher last night? Have you seen someone else who may be suffering a similar ailment?
Cypher's eyes went red and there is a red eyed man in the background of the Assessment page.

Why is it 'column after row', rather than just 'row after row'? Perhaps he's trying to point to a location?
Opening this in PhotoShop revealed that the red eye was at position 38x22.

I did also check position 38x22 on Google Maps and it is the Red Sea.

Item number 38 in this list is HYDROFLUORIC
Character 38 is the letter S of SATURATED

After some ASCII manipulation, I'd nearly cracked it.
Is this another code? What kid of ASCII manipulation???
ASCII code for S is 83
ASCII code for H is 72

Don't forget the answer to the assessment - which question number is it that's right?
Answer to the assessment question is 1. Intel Active Management Technology.

Something stands out in the blog - what does it refer to?
Looking in the source code of the blog shows that some words are coloured differently;
both tasks added up

OK so putting this together we get;

A list of stuff
The number 1
And possibly the word; HYDROFLUORIC

What next....

Still pondering....

puzzles cypher codes COMMENTS (0) Nov 11th, 2008