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Crazy conspiracy email? Lots of odd pictures.

BeltaineBeltaine BOO BOO DOO DE DOORegistered User regular
edited April 2012 in Debate and/or Discourse
I'm not going to post this thing in it's entirety because there are well over 50 images in the email. Mostly maps, and pictures of ruins and relics, and the title screen of a video game titled "Inazuma Eleven 2: Ventisca Eterna"

Here is a ZIP file containing the original photos for you forensic types.

Here is the final image which is the only one that has any somewhat meaningful text.

WorldMap2.jpg

It came from: [email protected]
With the subject: 718655087923

I know there are ways to hide text in .jpg files. Could this be something like that? It's just really bizarre, and a quick Google search show that lots of people have been receiving this same email from the same sender.

Anybody else get it?

XdDBi4F.jpg
PSN: Beltaine-77 | Steam: beltane77 | Battle.net BadHaggis#1433
Beltaine on
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Posts

  • TejsTejs Registered User regular
    Seems to me it's the beginning of the robot overlord based on the psuedo-random sentence construction.

  • BeltaineBeltaine BOO BOO DOO DE DOORegistered User regular
    So, does this mean the Internet has become self-aware?

    XdDBi4F.jpg
    PSN: Beltaine-77 | Steam: beltane77 | Battle.net BadHaggis#1433
  • Mad King GeorgeMad King George Registered User regular
    With the constant mentions of Japan, maybe a Japanese name generator (Pretty Magic Fun Time Go!) became self-aware...

  • Gandalf_the_CrazedGandalf_the_Crazed Vigilo ConfidoRegistered User regular
    Do you want to see the inside of pants in Iran?

    I know I do.

    PEUsig_zps56da03ec.jpg
  • MalkorMalkor Registered User regular
    I never get cool e-mails like this. It's always extend that, or you're so sexy this...

    For once I want the internet to send me something so cryptic, yet compelling that I can't ignore it :(

    14271f3c-c765-4e74-92b1-49d7612675f2.jpg
  • FeralFeral MEMETICHARIZARD interior crocodile alligator ⇔ ǝɹʇɐǝɥʇ ǝᴉʌoɯ ʇǝloɹʌǝɥɔ ɐ ǝʌᴉɹp ᴉRegistered User regular
    A better exchanging system?

    Should be based on stone age software?

    I think this is a spam email for Bitcoin.

    every person who doesn't like an acquired taste always seems to think everyone who likes it is faking it. it should be an official fallacy.

    the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
  • Gandalf_the_CrazedGandalf_the_Crazed Vigilo ConfidoRegistered User regular
    Hey Feral.

    Let us start fleshly. :winky:

    PEUsig_zps56da03ec.jpg
  • FeralFeral MEMETICHARIZARD interior crocodile alligator ⇔ ǝɹʇɐǝɥʇ ǝᴉʌoɯ ʇǝloɹʌǝɥɔ ɐ ǝʌᴉɹp ᴉRegistered User regular
    Hey Feral.

    Let us start fleshly. :winky:

    I'll meet you in the pants of Iran.

    every person who doesn't like an acquired taste always seems to think everyone who likes it is faking it. it should be an official fallacy.

    the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
  • BeltaineBeltaine BOO BOO DOO DE DOORegistered User regular
    101 images total. working on converting it to HTML.

    XdDBi4F.jpg
    PSN: Beltaine-77 | Steam: beltane77 | Battle.net BadHaggis#1433
  • spool32spool32 Contrary Library Registered User regular
    edited April 2012
    Definitely pants of Iran caught my attention.

    spool32 on
  • BeltaineBeltaine BOO BOO DOO DE DOORegistered User regular
    edited April 2012
    HTML conversion is up

    Some of the photos got corrupted it seems, I'll clean it up a little later.

    Beltaine on
    XdDBi4F.jpg
    PSN: Beltaine-77 | Steam: beltane77 | Battle.net BadHaggis#1433
  • FeralFeral MEMETICHARIZARD interior crocodile alligator ⇔ ǝɹʇɐǝɥʇ ǝᴉʌoɯ ʇǝloɹʌǝɥɔ ɐ ǝʌᴉɹp ᴉRegistered User regular
    Beltaine wrote: »
    HTML conversion is up

    I looked at your HTML conversion and as soon as I was done, I got a phone call from a little girl saying, "You will die in seven days."

    Should I be worried?

    every person who doesn't like an acquired taste always seems to think everyone who likes it is faking it. it should be an official fallacy.

    the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
  • WinkyWinky rRegistered User regular
    edited April 2012
    So is this an arg or some sort of bizarre spambot hiccup?

    EDIT:
    Looking at it, it could very easily be an Assassin's Creed 3 arg.

    EDITEDIT:
    For instance, there are a number of da Vinci paintings in the set of images.

    Winky on
  • Gandalf_the_CrazedGandalf_the_Crazed Vigilo ConfidoRegistered User regular
    I feel like I just uploaded the Intersect.

    This motherfucker seems to know what's up:
    download_043.php

    PEUsig_zps56da03ec.jpg
  • WinkyWinky rRegistered User regular
    edited April 2012
    That painting, for instance, is totally by da Vinci.

    The upward pointing finger is a fairly prevalent motif in Renaissance paintings.

    EDIT:
    It's of St. John the Baptist, da Vinci painted it late in his life in France, I think.

    Winky on
  • Gandalf_the_CrazedGandalf_the_Crazed Vigilo ConfidoRegistered User regular
    Winky wrote: »
    That painting, for instance, is totally by da Vinci.

    The upward pointing finger is a fairly prevalent motif in Renaissance paintings.

    So what you're saying is, Dan Brown was right.

    PEUsig_zps56da03ec.jpg
  • iguanacusiguanacus Desert PlanetRegistered User regular
    I feel like I just uploaded the Intersect.

    that or it's like in the Assassin's Creed games and we need to find the hidden object and/or message...


    Shit, the Templars are real!

  • WinkyWinky rRegistered User regular
    Messed with the colors to make it more readable:
    124dlc2.jpg

    On second thought, it might just be a conspiracy hoax thing written by someone with poor english comprehension rather than an arg. It seems too politically charged and poorly made to be an arg :P.

  • Linespider5Linespider5 ALL HAIL KING KILLMONGER Registered User regular
    Well, you know, redundant honeypots don't necessarily sound like such a bad thing.

    If you know what I mean.

  • either,oreither,or Registered User regular
    It sounds like people have been receiving this email for about 6 months. There was a Reddit thread about it from that time anyway, where one of the commenters posted information about the dysgo domain name holder. FBW Films in Atlanta Georgia? But that doesn't really clear anything up.

    steam_sig.png
    3DS friend code: 4811-7214-5053
  • BeltaineBeltaine BOO BOO DOO DE DOORegistered User regular
    download_059.php

    This is the path a pair of Russian TU-95 bombers flew into Japanese airspace a couple years ago.

    XdDBi4F.jpg
    PSN: Beltaine-77 | Steam: beltane77 | Battle.net BadHaggis#1433
  • tuxkamentuxkamen really took this picture. Registered User regular
    I really do wish I could get VSL to stop throwing up on its shoes, but those images (if they are indeed the originals) definitely have things hidden within them.


    Games: Ad Astra Per Phalla | Choose Your Own Phalla
    Thus, the others all die before tuxkamen dies to the vote. Hence, tuxkamen survives, village victory.
    3DS: 2406-5451-5770
  • Gigazombie CybermageGigazombie Cybermage Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    edited April 2012
    Holy shit, that's awesome. It sounds like the beginning of some insane mind screw anime.

    Edit: Viral advertising perhaps?

    Gigazombie Cybermage on
  • Boring7Boring7 Registered User regular
    It's a leftover message from Deus, providing part of the impetus that will utlimately lead to his creation and allow him to deliver himself outside of time via the Deep Resonance and become one of the greatest and most terrible Horrors that came to destroy everything and bring an end to the 4th world.

  • BeltaineBeltaine BOO BOO DOO DE DOORegistered User regular
    tuxkamen wrote: »
    I really do wish I could get VSL to stop throwing up on its shoes, but those images (if they are indeed the originals) definitely have things hidden within them.

    I posted a zip file of the originals in the OP. All I did was add "XX-" to the beginning of each filename, where XX = the order it appeared in the email.

    XdDBi4F.jpg
    PSN: Beltaine-77 | Steam: beltane77 | Battle.net BadHaggis#1433
  • Evil MultifariousEvil Multifarious Registered User regular
    This reads very much like a raw machine translation into English.

  • NocrenNocren Lt Futz, Back in Action North CarolinaRegistered User regular
    Boring7 wrote: »
    It's a leftover message from Deus, providing part of the impetus that will utlimately lead to his creation and allow him to deliver himself outside of time via the Deep Resonance and become one of the greatest and most terrible Horrors that came to destroy everything and bring an end to the 4th world.

    So you're saying I should avoid the stock market during any major IPOs. Got it!

    newSig.jpg
  • Gabriel_PittGabriel_Pitt (effective against Russian warships) Registered User regular
    I'm dumping all of my Renraku shares as we speak.
    Feral wrote: »
    I looked at your HTML conversion and as soon as I was done, I got a phone call from a little girl saying, "You will die in seven days."

    Should I be worried?
    Let us know how you feel 8 days from now.

  • Boring7Boring7 Registered User regular
    Might be a good idea to avoid any arcologies while you're at it.

  • Donkey KongDonkey Kong Putting Nintendo out of business with AI nips Registered User regular
    I am frequently suffering of unusable software and pray to japanese jesus daily.

    Thousands of hot, local singles are waiting to play at bubbulon.com.
  • christianchristian Registered User regular
    The glitched JPEGs are a conceit often employed in ARGs.

    I'm looking through their contents with XVI32, but I'm not finding any coherent information around the glitch-points. In the corrupted picture of a bird, I found " ZIT " near its glitching point, but that is so small that it might be random noise.

  • DrezDrez Registered User regular
    edited April 2012
    Guys, I've deciphered it.
    "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine."

    Drez on
    Switch: SW-7690-2320-9238Steam/PSN/Xbox: Drezdar
  • Fallout2manFallout2man Vault Dweller Registered User regular
    edited April 2012
    There actually was some guy recently who came forward online claiming to be the "real" emperor of Japan. I've seen a lot of esoteric websites begin using software terminology to refer to psychological states of either individuals or groups as well so this actually fits in with that. The "pants of Iran" line makes me think it's more likely satire though. It's fascinating what you'll find when you take a plunge into the darker side of the internet if you can manage. (just keep yourself grounded lest the abyss swallow your sanity whole! ;p) This is probably something to do with whomever's claiming to be emperor, and says hopes to overthrow the peoples "Controlling the global economy through financial tyranny."

    Fallout2man on
    On Ignorance:
    Kana wrote:
    If the best you can come up with against someone who's patently ignorant is to yell back at him, "Yeah? Well there's BOOKS, and they say you're WRONG!"

    Then honestly you're not coming out of this looking great either.
  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    The message in the OP image could be a word puzzle; if it is, we'd probably need the key to solve it.


    This looks kinda-sorta like a viral marketing camapaign... but man, those are some bad production values if that's the case. Maybe that's the idea?

    With Love and Courage
  • Fallout2manFallout2man Vault Dweller Registered User regular
    The Ender wrote: »
    The message in the OP image could be a word puzzle; if it is, we'd probably need the key to solve it.

    This looks kinda-sorta like a viral marketing camapaign... but man, those are some bad production values if that's the case. Maybe that's the idea?

    Speaking of Viral Marketing campaigns, maybe this is one? No one to this day can tell me WTF it's for. I've posted this before, but thought I'd try again. Does anyone maybe recognize the actors? It's only the first minute of footage, the rest is just the regular interview.

    On Ignorance:
    Kana wrote:
    If the best you can come up with against someone who's patently ignorant is to yell back at him, "Yeah? Well there's BOOKS, and they say you're WRONG!"

    Then honestly you're not coming out of this looking great either.
  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    ...Actually, no, I don't think it's a puzzle. The sentences and paragraphs are too structured.
    Making the exchanging system based on metals is a bad idea. And it should be based on stone age software. Because bronze age had
    been an age of destruction. Software in the bronze age is unusable. Let us recall the software of stone age. And we will start the system
    cleanly.

    These are just metaphors, with clear relationships between the different subjects of the paragraph. I think the author is saying, "Coinage/currency is bad. We should go back to bartering raw commodities."

    With Love and Courage
  • christianchristian Registered User regular
    edited April 2012
    Okay, I used Search By Image on Google to figure out what the images are depicting, and it seems to be a mixture of famous archaeological sites and obscure photos. The obscure photos led me to spammy-looking blogs in other languages, which contain uncorrupted versions of the images. This might just be a spam network trying to game search-results for some reason. If it's an ARG puzzle, it's either terribly-made or obscure.

    EDIT: Actually, hmm. Upon image-searching more of these, I'm getting the vibe that this email was composed by some sort of schizophrenic Japanese person, especially considering the "Dear world community" diatribe. It seems to be a bunch of random images from several vaguely-related sources, put together in a basically arbitrary manner, and yet implied by the author to be very significant. This is how some schizophrenic people will go about developing a mythos, after they lose their reality-checking abilities.

    christian on
  • Linespider5Linespider5 ALL HAIL KING KILLMONGER Registered User regular
    christian wrote: »
    This is how some schizophrenic people will go about developing a mythos, after they lose their reality-checking abilities.

    That is a fascinating turn of phrase. I'm pretty sure it wasn't your intention, but the way you make it said, reads as though myths are a side effect of schizophrenia. It's kind of a nihilistic sledgehammer to Joseph Campbell's entire body of work, but, then again, that just leads me down some impossible road of figuring out which world myths are schizophrenia-based and which are not.

  • christianchristian Registered User regular
    Oh, indeed, I meant the personal-fantasy sort of mythos, not mythology. Ought to have clarified.

  • RchanenRchanen Registered User regular
    Nocren wrote: »
    Boring7 wrote: »
    It's a leftover message from Deus, providing part of the impetus that will utlimately lead to his creation and allow him to deliver himself outside of time via the Deep Resonance and become one of the greatest and most terrible Horrors that came to destroy everything and bring an end to the 4th world.

    So you're saying I should avoid the stock market during any major IPOs. Got it!

    Captain Chaos! NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

    This is wild shit. I could easily use it for a SR campaign. Get this email and all of sudden the MIB are kicking down your door.

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