There is in this a confirmation to me of Zodiac’s non interest in sex. I’ve always thought that the slaves in the afterlife idea connotes a sort of sexual service but here we see he wants them seemingly for work, an “easy” life, not sex. There might be something in this to move us closer to Zodiac was a regular joe working a menial job. This is the kind of fantasy of a low level laborer. What occult inspiration did he draw from that needs workers after death?

For years many assumed the cipher was improperly coded or deliberately unsolvable. The fact it took 51 years to solve what is an ingeniously encrypted code suggests Zodiac was in fact quite intelligent and skilled in cryptography, possibly with a military or mathematical background.

To my untrained eye, this seems like a complex code. Does this indicate Zodiac was much more proficient at code making than the 408 seemed to indicate? This one seems far more sophisticated.

To my untrained eye, this seems like a complex code. Does this indicate Zodiac was much more proficient at code making than the 408 seemed to indicate? This one seems far more sophisticated.

I am a little skeptical of this solution. The complexity and the rules are much more liberal for this solution than the 408. The solution is only as good as rules applied. Ted K. developed a diagonal code but the solution was much more clean. The solution would never have been decoded without the key found in his cabin.

This is what I ask Doranchak….

Hi Dave,

Good work with the of the bulk power of modern computer software power and human intervention.

My question is how could the FBI confirm the solution so quickly when your solution takes several leap
Of faiths, much more than one can with the 408 solution.

Another thing. Can such massive brute force computer power we have today along with your powerful AZD
Computer program create….. a false positive solution?

Creating a (false positive) solution for the 408 would be much more difficult because of its simplicity as you
have tried in the past.

There has been comment in the past about the Zodiac making two "nine" references in the Belli letter…especially the second, "no nine," which felt rather contrived (not to mention misspelling "ninth" as "nineth"). Which led to some speculation about the significance of the number 9. Now I wonder if he was hinting at the structure of the 340.

I don’t see any reason to doubt the correctness of the solution. I’m more interested in what this new solution can tell us about the level of sophistication of the Zodiac in regards to cipher making.

Has the key been applied to the last two ciphers ??

For years many assumed the cipher was improperly coded or deliberately unsolvable. The fact it took 51 years to solve what is an ingeniously encrypted code suggests Zodiac was in fact quite intelligent and skilled in cryptography, possibly with a military or mathematical background.

Another interpretation is that any sort of multi-layered ciphering process – it doesn’t have to be sophisticated in any way – is going to be extremely difficult to crack.

To my untrained eye, this seems like a complex code. Does this indicate Zodiac was much more proficient at code making than the 408 seemed to indicate? This one seems far more sophisticated.

I am a little skeptical of this solution. The complexity and the rules are much more liberal for this solution than the 408.

It’s the solution. The rules are few, systematic, and the plaintext is broadly coherent and obviously identifying.

For years many assumed the cipher was improperly coded or deliberately unsolvable. The fact it took 51 years to solve what is an ingeniously encrypted code suggests Zodiac was in fact quite intelligent and skilled in cryptography, possibly with a military or mathematical background.

Another interpretation is that any sort of multi-layered ciphering process – it doesn’t have to be sophisticated in any way – is going to be extremely difficult to crack.

So, based upon the 408 and 340, how would you assess Zodiac’s codemaking skills? Was he a novice? Did he receive some intermediate level training perhaps in the military? Or was he a next level cryptologist with exceptional skills and training?

For years many assumed the cipher was improperly coded or deliberately unsolvable. The fact it took 51 years to solve what is an ingeniously encrypted code suggests Zodiac was in fact quite intelligent and skilled in cryptography, possibly with a military or mathematical background.

Another interpretation is that any sort of multi-layered ciphering process – it doesn’t have to be sophisticated in any way – is going to be extremely difficult to crack.

So, based upon the 408 and 340, how would you assess Zodiac’s codemaking skills? Was he a novice? Did he receive some intermediate level training perhaps in the military? Or was he a next level cryptologist with exceptional skills and training?

Anyone with a cryptography book could have made this cipher, just pulling random encryption techniques fnd layering them makes the cipher that much harder to solve. I’d also argue all of his errors and peculiarities in both the homophonic key and the transposition key show he probably didn’t have any formal training. Like why did he randomly choose to make ‘H’ a one-to-one mapping? They definitely wouldn’t teach that in the military. Same with mappings chosen in the 408, someone with more training probably would have altered the key to display the letter frequencies in his plaintext.

For years many assumed the cipher was improperly coded or deliberately unsolvable. The fact it took 51 years to solve what is an ingeniously encrypted code suggests Zodiac was in fact quite intelligent and skilled in cryptography, possibly with a military or mathematical background.

Another interpretation is that any sort of multi-layered ciphering process – it doesn’t have to be sophisticated in any way – is going to be extremely difficult to crack.

So, based upon the 408 and 340, how would you assess Zodiac’s codemaking skills? Was he a novice? Did he receive some intermediate level training perhaps in the military? Or was he a next level cryptologist with exceptional skills and training?

I think he owned and read at least one book on the subject, and there isn’t much more indication of sophistication beyond that.

Just a minor observation. The "one down, two over" pattern could be thought of as a variation on a "knight’s tour". Chess was relatively popular around that time.

Maybe an oblique clue to Zodiac’s identity might be an interest in chess.

Just a minor observation. The "one down, two over" pattern could be thought of as a variation on a "knight’s tour". Chess was relatively popular around that time.

Maybe an oblique clue to Zodiac’s identity might be an interest in chess.

Actually, damn:

"I am the ZODIAC and I am in control of all things. I am going to tell you a secret. I like friction tape. I like to have it around in case I need to truss someone up in a hurry….I have my real name on a small metallic tape. You see, while you have it in your possession, I want you to know it belongs to me and you think I may have left it accidentally. I am athletic. It could be swim fins, or a piece of scuba gear. But maybe you play chess with me. I have several cheap sets in closets all over. I have my name on the bottom of the lid with the scotch tape….My tape is waiting for me all over California. Do you know me? I am the ZODIAC and I am in control".

Knight’s tour, with the "name on the bottom of the lid with the scotch tape" – seems to suggest the pattern for decryption, with the "one over, two down" pattern, and the strip at the bottom which contained his "name".