, Subject: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Wed Sep 22, 2010 11:55 pm
My solution is straight forward. I use three methods for my solution.
1st method – use misspellings in the letter’s text to decrypt each symbol.
2nd method – eliminate all duplicate letters from decrypted cipher text
3rd method – solve simple anagram.
The text in the letter contains five misspelled words, which are listed below. (See the letter/cipher here.) Each letter that is used to misspell the words will then be used to decrypt the symbols in sequence, respectively, with one exception. The very first misspelling in "cerous" is an E, which should be a U. I believe this is a clue to use the misspelling to decrypt the cipher, but to not actually use the E to decrypt the first symbol. I say this because the E is the second letter in the first misspelled word and E is also the second letter in the cipher.
So, here is the order of misspelled words that are seen in the text coupled with the letter used to decrypt each symbol – again, in order.
cerous = curious / 1st cipher symbol = I
meannie = meanie / 2nd cipher symbol = N
doo = do / 3rd cipher symbol = O
teritory = territory / 4th cipher symbol = R
cid = kid / 5th cipher symbol = C
1st part done! We now have a cipher text that reads as follows:
AENINKOMRCNAM
Now, the second part is to eliminate all duplicate letters (this is a legitimate decryption method). The cipher text is now
AENIKOMRC
…and the 2nd part is done!
Finally, we solve the simple anagram.
AENIKOMRC = A MONICKER
Solution: My name is A MONICKER
Keep reading because there is a little more explanation
First, for those of you who may not know what a moniker is, here is the definition:
Notice that the spelling "monicker" may look incorrect but it is an accepted spelling of "moniker". Why did he choose "monicker" as the particular spelling of the word? I believe it’s because of the length of the solution.
"A Monicker" = 9 letters
What is "The Zodiac"? First, it’s an alias used by the killer. It also happens to be a monicker that is 9 letters long.
The solution could just be more shenanigans by The Zodiac (ha ha "The Zodiac" is your monicker – well done) like the 408 cipher, meaning he says there will be pertinent information and then nothing. OR he could be giving a clue to his true identity letting everyone know that he has a nickname to which he is commonly referred.
Bonus:
What other monicker is associated with killer? The mathematical ratio Pi, which taken extended to the 7th decimal place is an anagram for "Zodiac". It’s also 9 fields long, 3.1415926.
That is my solution.
1. Nothing is forced.
2. All methods used are logical and known cryptography methods.
3. Everything works.
4. Best of all, it actually makes sense.
5. Even after removing all "duplicate letters", notice every decrypted symbol is still actually used in the solution.
rand, Subject: Re: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Thu Sep 23, 2010 12:12 am
My solution is straight forward. I use three methods for my solution.
1st method – use misspellings in the letter’s text to decrypt each symbol.
2nd method – eliminate all duplicate letters from decrypted cipher text
I don’t understand why you think that using mispellings in the letter’s text to decrypt each symbol and eliminating all duplicate letters from decrypted cipher text is straight forward. Why these rules and not countless others? If this were the only letter in which Z mispelled words, I might be willing to consider your first rule. But he always mispelled words. So why should his mispellings in this note be indicative of some rule regarding the coded message? And even if it were, why eliminate all duplicate letters from decrypted cipher text. Makes no logical sense to me and is certainly not straight forward. Then you wind up with A MONICKER (not the more common spelling, by the way, which is MONIKER). Why would Z bother to encrypt/encode that message?
, Subject: Re: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Thu Sep 23, 2010 1:10 am
I don’t understand why you think that using mispellings in the letter’s text to decrypt each symbol and eliminating all duplicate letters from decrypted cipher text is straight forward. Why these rules and not countless others? If this were the only letter in which Z mispelled words, I might be willing to consider your first rule. But he always mispelled words. So why should his mispellings in this note be indicative of some rule regarding the coded message? And even if it were, why eliminate all duplicate letters from decrypted cipher text. Makes no logical sense to me and is certainly not straight forward. Then you wind up with A MONICKER (not the more common spelling, by the way, which is MONIKER). Why would Z bother to encrypt/encode that message?
Rand – I know you have your own solution posted. I feel like you are being a little biased towards me in that respect. You obviously just rushed through my post and didn’t even read it fully; otherwise, you wouldn’t have asked your last two questions which I answer in my post. Furthermore, I don’t think you are in a place to question my logic in the solution when yours requires three huge assumptions:
1. Crosshair symbol = T which looks nothing like a T
2. Aries symbol a.) isn’t actually an Aries symbol since it is upside b.) is used to spell out the rest of a word in your "anagram"
3. And finally, you assume that Zodiac’s solution is a) about Nancy Slover and b) didn’t even get her name right.
"I believe that Z mistakenly thought that Nancy Slover’s name was Mary."
If you are satisfied with your decryption logic, even with your assumptions and confusing solution, then trying to discount my work by pointing out a variance in a word that a.) is accepted and correct, and b.) for which I explain, seems a little unreasonable to me. I’m sensing unwarranted hostility from you, and this is why I’m replying in this manner. But to answer your first couple of questions.
The solution methods are "straight forward" in the sense that they are legitimate cryptographic methods and the solutions resolve step by step without having to "fudge" anything. As far as the misspellings are concerned, do you really think Zodiac doesn’t know how to spell "kid" correctly, or even "do" for that matter? Simply put, I believe his misspellings are clues. If someone wants one of their ciphers solved (that are too short to be solved through conventional methods), they either a) give the recipient the key outright or b) give the recipient clues of the key, or to the solution. The "my name is cipher" is too short to be solved conventionally without a key. I believe the misspellings are the key. Again, it makes sense to use the misspellings as the first part of the solution for three reasons:
The cipher is too short to be broken through conventional substitution methods, and most likely requires a key to solve.
Zodiac is obviously not mentally challenged, and should know how to spell words like "kid" or "do" properly.
I believe, as many others do, that the Zodiac left clues in his writings in regards to solving his ciphers.
Zamantha, Subject: My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Thu Sep 23, 2010 1:27 am
z_assay, I think it’s great you are working on the cipher solution. I’ll read this tomorrow morning when I’m awake and able to ponder it.
And Rand….come on…don’t be a thread wrecker….. please let everyone have their say. Sometimes it’s nice to just active listen for awhile
and see how z_assay or any poster plans on telling their thoughts. I learned that "little" secret at a Fortune Management Class……….and I
must say, I’ve learned alot by active listening.
So please z_assay, carry on.
Zincerely, Zam*
morf13, Subject: Re: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Thu Sep 23, 2010 7:23 am
z_assay, I think it’s great you are working on the cipher solution. I’ll read this tomorrow morning when I’m awake and able to ponder it.
And Rand….come on…don’t be a thread wrecker….. please let everyone have their say. Sometimes it’s nice to just active listen for awhile
and see how z_assay or any poster plans on telling their thoughts. I learned that "little" secret at a Fortune Management Class……….and I
must say, I’ve learned alot by active listening.
So please z_assay, carry on.Zincerely, Zam*
I agree, RAND, I dont want to chase you around these threads smacking your bottom like a 2 year old. Some of your proposed " cipher solutions", are filled with incoherent phrases and words. I have no cipher solutions, so I am not biased any one way. But what Zassay wrote makes just as much, if not more sense to me than the solutions you have previously posted!
morf13, Subject: Re: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Thu Sep 23, 2010 7:26 am
My solution is straight forward. I use three methods for my solution.
1st method – use misspellings in the letter’s text to decrypt each symbol.
2nd method – eliminate all duplicate letters from decrypted cipher text
3rd method – solve simple anagram.The text in the letter contains five misspelled words, which are listed below. (See the letter/cipher here.) Each letter that is used to misspell the words will then be used to decrypt the symbols in sequence, respectively, with one exception. The very first misspelling in "cerous" is an E, which should be a U. I believe this is a clue to use the misspelling to decrypt the cipher, but to not actually use the E to decrypt the first symbol. I say this because the E is the second letter in the first misspelled word and E is also the second letter in the cipher.
So, here is the order of misspelled words that are seen in the text coupled with the letter used to decrypt each symbol – again, in order.
cerous = curious / 1st cipher symbol = I
meannie = meanie / 2nd cipher symbol = N
doo = do / 3rd cipher symbol = O
teritory = territory / 4th cipher symbol = R
cid = kid / 5th cipher symbol = C1st part done! We now have a cipher text that reads as follows:
AENINKOMRCNAM
Now, the second part is to eliminate all duplicate letters (this is a legitimate decryption method). The cipher text is now
AENIKOMRC
…and the 2nd part is done!
Finally, we solve the simple anagram.
AENIKOMRC = A MONICKER
Solution: My name is A MONICKER
Keep reading because there is a little more explanation
First, for those of you who may not know what a moniker is, here is the definition:
Notice that the spelling "monicker" may look incorrect but it is an accepted spelling of "moniker". Why did he choose "monicker" as the particular spelling of the word? I believe it’s because of the length of the solution.
"A Monicker" = 9 letters
What is "The Zodiac"? First, it’s an alias used by the killer. It also happens to be a monicker that is 9 letters long.
The solution could just be more shenanigans by The Zodiac (ha ha "The Zodiac" is your monicker – well done) like the 408 cipher, meaning he says there will be pertinent information and then nothing. OR he could be giving a clue to his true identity letting everyone know that he has a nickname to which he is commonly referred.
Bonus:
What other monicker is associated with killer? The mathematical ratio Pi, which taken extended to the 7th decimal place is an anagram for "Zodiac". It’s also 9 fields long, 3.1415926.That is my solution.
1. Nothing is forced.
2. All methods used are logical and known cryptography methods.
3. Everything works.
4. Best of all, it actually makes sense.
5. Even after removing all "duplicate letters", notice every decrypted symbol is still actually used in the solution.
Zassay, no idea if you are wrong or right, but this seems like a really good attempt. If you are right, and the solution is- "Solution: My name is A MONICKER", and since a monicker is a person’s nickname, then that may send someone like ZODE from San Bernardino to the top of the suspect list, since he allegedly used the nickname ZODIAC (and the crosshair symbol too), before anyone ever heard of the serial killer with that name
, Subject: Re: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Thu Sep 23, 2010 8:21 am
Zassay, no idea if you are wrong or right, but this seems like a really good attempt. If you are right, and the solution is- "Solution: My name is A MONICKER", and since a monicker is a person’s nickname, then that may send someone like ZODE from San Bernardino to the top of the suspect list, since he allegedly used the nickname ZODIAC (and the crosshair symbol too), before anyone ever heard of the serial killer with that name.
Agreed. Good attempt, and no more convoluted than most other suggestions I’ve seen (actually, much less so). I’m not a big fan of "eliminating duplicates," but that’s just me. I don’t believe there is an actual name encrypted here, so this fits in with Z’s likely sense of "humor." If Z truly believed that there was any chance of anyone playing his game, simple substitution is out of the question… a key or clues would be necessary. Another possibility of course is that Z knew it would be impossible to decrypt the cipher, actually enciphered his name, and flipped authority the bird while they kept on with their "bussy work."
rand, Subject: Re: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Thu Sep 23, 2010 9:45 am
My solution is straight forward. I use three methods for my solution.
1st method – use misspellings in the letter’s text to decrypt each symbol.
2nd method – eliminate all duplicate letters from decrypted cipher textI don’t understand why you think that using mispellings in the letter’s text to decrypt each symbol and eliminating all duplicate letters from decrypted cipher text is straight forward. Why these rules and not countless others? If this were the only letter in which Z mispelled words, I might be willing to consider your first rule. But he always mispelled words. So why should his mispellings in this note be indicative of some rule regarding the coded message? And even if it were, why eliminate all duplicate letters from decrypted cipher text. Makes no logical sense to me and is certainly not straight forward. Then you wind up with A MONICKER (not the more common spelling, by the way, which is MONIKER). Why would Z bother to encrypt/encode that message?
WHAT IN THIS RESPONSE, WHICH MERELY STATES THE OBVIOUS ABOUT THE LACK OF LOGIC HERE, REFERS IN ANYWAY TO MY SOLUTION!!!!!
SO PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO CRITICIZE SOLUTIONS, AND I’M NOT!!!!! THIS IS GETTING DOWNRIGHT ABSURD!!!!!!!
rand, Subject: Re: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Thu Sep 23, 2010 9:59 am
I don’t understand why you think that using mispellings in the letter’s text to decrypt each symbol and eliminating all duplicate letters from decrypted cipher text is straight forward. Why these rules and not countless others? If this were the only letter in which Z mispelled words, I might be willing to consider your first rule. But he always mispelled words. So why should his mispellings in this note be indicative of some rule regarding the coded message? And even if it were, why eliminate all duplicate letters from decrypted cipher text. Makes no logical sense to me and is certainly not straight forward. Then you wind up with A MONICKER (not the more common spelling, by the way, which is MONIKER). Why would Z bother to encrypt/encode that message?
Rand – I know you have your own solution posted. I feel like you are being a little biased towards me in that respect. You obviously just rushed through my post and didn’t even read it fully; otherwise, you wouldn’t have asked your last two questions which I answer in my post. Furthermore, I don’t think you are in a place to question my logic in the solution when yours requires three huge assumptions:
1. Crosshair symbol = T which looks nothing like a T
2. Aries symbol a.) isn’t actually an Aries symbol since it is upside b.) is used to spell out the rest of a word in your "anagram"
3. And finally, you assume that Zodiac’s solution is a) about Nancy Slover and b) didn’t even get her name right."I believe that Z mistakenly thought that Nancy Slover’s name was Mary."
If you are satisfied with your decryption logic, even with your assumptions and confusing solution, then trying to discount my work by pointing out a variance in a word that a.) is accepted and correct, and b.) for which I explain, seems a little unreasonable to me. I’m sensing unwarranted hostility from you, and this is why I’m replying in this manner. But to answer your first couple of questions.
The solution methods are "straight forward" in the sense that they are legitimate cryptographic methods and the solutions resolve step by step without having to "fudge" anything. As far as the misspellings are concerned, do you really think Zodiac doesn’t know how to spell "kid" correctly, or even "do" for that matter? Simply put, I believe his misspellings are clues. If someone wants one of their ciphers solved (that are too short to be solved through conventional methods), they either a) give the recipient the key outright or b) give the recipient clues of the key, or to the solution. The "my name is cipher" is too short to be solved conventionally without a key. I believe the misspellings are the key. Again, it makes sense to use the misspellings as the first part of the solution for three reasons:
The cipher is too short to be broken through conventional substitution methods, and most likely requires a key to solve.
Zodiac is obviously not mentally challenged, and should know how to spell words like "kid" or "do" properly.
I believe, as many others do, that the Zodiac left clues in his writings in regards to solving his ciphers.
Where in my post do you sense hostility? Why do you bring up my solution? I’ll discuss that with you on my thread (Mary is Mary Tollerton; if you don’t see a t in the crosshair symbol, well, I do, etc.). But it’s irrelevant. Don’t assume I didn’t read your post if I disagree with you. Z mispelled words all the time. I see no reason why this should be a clue to solving this cipher (as I said in my post). You think it’s a logical deduction, I don’t. I see no reason why A MONICKER would be a straightforward solution that makes sense. It doesn’t make sense to me. You think it does, I don’t. So I read your post, I disagree with it and that’s that. No hostility, no rushing through it without reading it, I just don’t accept your logic.
Azazel, Subject: Re: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Thu Sep 23, 2010 10:23 am
Its so wierd that you get accused over and over RAND. It must be everybody else.
rand, Subject: Re: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Thu Sep 23, 2010 10:29 am
It’s called groupthink and a witchhunt — happens all the time. And you say I get "accused" over and over agin. Accused of what precisely? So your response to my response is that others attack me, so why shouldn’t you? There is nothing hostile in my post, but you’re allowed to say that there was because others have called me hostile? Where, btw? There’s nothing about my cipher solution in your post, but you can bring it up and criticize it as if this somehow supports your logic? You can accuse me of not reading your post because you don’t agree with my criticisms. So you restate your argument as if that makes it more convincing. I said: the fact that Z always mispelled words makes it unlikely that it would be a clue to solving this cipher. If this were the only letter he mispelled words, that would be a different story. Your answer to this was that (1) I didn’t read your post and (2) others think that his mispelled words are a clue. Obviously, I know thatt already. And just as obviously, I disagree with that logic.
Zamantha, Subject: Re: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Thu Sep 23, 2010 10:55 am
It’s called groupthink and a witchhunt — happens all the time. And you say I get "accused" over and over agin. Accused of what precisely? So your response to my response is that others attack me, so why shouldn’t you? There is nothing hostile in my post, but you’re allowed to say that there was because others have called me hostile? Where, btw? There’s nothing about my cipher solution in your post, but you can bring it up and criticize it as if this somehow supports your logic? You can accuse me of not reading your post because you don’t agree with my criticisms. So you restate your argument as if that makes it more convincing. I said: the fact that Z always mispelled words makes it unlikely that it would be a clue to solving this cipher. If this were the only letter he mispelled words, that would be a different story. Your answer to this was that (1) I didn’t read your post and (2) others think that his mispelled words are a clue. Obviously, I know thatt already. And just as obviously, I disagree with that logic. [/quote
Actually Rand, I hate being the tough guy….it’s so un Zam like, but…
It’s not that you disagree or have questions. We are all allowed to do that. It’s like you don’t ever give anyone a chance to post their case. Once a new idea or post is made, if you notice you are the first one to disagree, and it happens like in a matter of seconds or minutes, like you don’t take the time to think about what the poster is trying to get across. A few posters have quit posting on boards over the years because of this type of thing. Looks like a lot of time and thought went into z_s working and starting this thread…. and honestly I think he has some good ideas. I’m also hoping Morf erases all these unnecessary posts in this thread, then we can start over. It’s like I know you are really intelligent Rand, but this is a forum sandbox, and we all need to learn to play well with others.
morf13, Subject: Re: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Thu Sep 23, 2010 10:59 amIt’s called groupthink and a witchhunt — happens all the time. And you say I get "accused" over and over agin. Accused of what precisely? So your response to my response is that others attack me, so why shouldn’t you? There is nothing hostile in my post, but you’re allowed to say that there was because others have called me hostile? Where, btw? There’s nothing about my cipher solution in your post, but you can bring it up and criticize it as if this somehow supports your logic? You can accuse me of not reading your post because you don’t agree with my criticisms. So you restate your argument as if that makes it more convincing. I said: the fact that Z always mispelled words makes it unlikely that it would be a clue to solving this cipher. If this were the only letter he mispelled words, that would be a different story. Your answer to this was that (1) I didn’t read your post and (2) others think that his mispelled words are a clue. Obviously, I know thatt already. And just as obviously, I disagree with that logic.
END THIS PLEASE! We are spending too much time on the Rand witchhunt stuff, and this is taking us off the Z case. Lets get back on track.
Azazel, Subject: Re: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Thu Sep 23, 2010 11:07 amGreat work z_assay!
It would make perfect sense in the way I look at Z to give that solution.
And that is giving the police nothing. And himself a sense of being to clever for them.
, Subject: Re: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Thu Sep 23, 2010 1:45 pm
Thanks for the feedback, everyone.
Some more thoughts…
I believe if someone creates a cipher and gives the opportunity for it to be solved, then a key or some type of clue(s) must be given. In the case of the 408 cipher, clues were not needed because the cipher included enough characters that it could be decrypted through conventional substitution methods. Also, I believe that certain "validations" would be supplied so that the decrypter knows they are a.) using the correct key and b.) solves the cipher correctly.
With these assumptions, I believe the "key" of using the correct letters of the misspelled words in the text accompanying the cipher is valid for the following reasons:
1. The first misspelled letter in the first misspelled word is an "E", and is the second letter in the word. The second letter in the cipher is also an "E". I believe this is the first validation that the method of decryption is correct.
2. The solution of "My name is A Monicker" is validated by the number of letters. The solution is 9 letters and the killer’s self-given alias of "The Zodiac" is also 9 letters, which is a moniker. Therefore, the fact that "moniker" is being used in it’s lesser known spelling (monicker) lends credence to the solution, rather than weakens it.
Re: all misspelled words being clues.
I honestly can’t say for sure if ALL of the Zodiac’s misspellings in all of his letters are clues, because I haven’t researched it further. Combined they may say something, or possibly be a clue, or just there to throw people off. What I do believe strongly; however, is that each cipher he gives also includes clues to solve them, either in the actual letter therein, or in previous/succedding letters. For this particular "short cipher", it’s my belief that the clues were contained in the same letter. Futhremore, I find it intelligent and completely believable on the killer’s part to use a common theme to embed a key. If none of the other Zodiac letters contained misspellings, and then all of a sudden this letter did, it would be childs play to solve. We all know he is much more clever than that. The aspect of these mispellings that are seemingly different is the (purposely) increased degree of misspellings. What I mean is, the Zodiac misspells such words as "kid" and "do" (as "cid" and "doo") in this particular letter, which cannot be mistaken as poor education, rushing without proofreading, or what have you.
, Subject: Re: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Thu Sep 23, 2010 2:00 pm
Zassay, no idea if you are wrong or right, but this seems like a really good attempt. If you are right, and the solution is- "Solution: My name is A MONICKER", and since a monicker is a person’s nickname, then that may send someone like ZODE from San Bernardino to the top of the suspect list, since he allegedly used the nickname ZODIAC (and the crosshair symbol too), before anyone ever heard of the serial killer with that name
I agree, Morf. Suspects with nicknames, to which they are typically referred, should be looked at closely if this is indeed the correct solution.
I say "if" because I can’t know for sure, and quite frankly the only true authority on this would be law enforcement. If law enforcement thinks this solution is bogus then I won’t cry over it – I’ll just erase the proverbial chalk board and start from scratch. However, when reading the FBI’s analysis of proposed "solutions", their common complaints are the author’s "forcing" things to fit, and bending their own rules, basically "fudging" the outcome. Also, if the solution isn’t necessarily coherent, the author attempts to create some sort of explanation or background that requires far fetched thinking. My solution makes sense, albeit not to everyone, and goes perfectly with the context of the beginning phrase preceeding the cipher, "My name is…".
rand, Subject: Re: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Thu Sep 23, 2010 3:32 pm"If you are right, and the solution is- "Solution: My name is A MONICKER", and since a monicker is a person’s nickname, then that may send someone like ZODE from San Bernardino to the top of the suspect list, since he allegedly used the nickname ZODIAC (and the crosshair symbol too), before anyone ever heard of the serial killer with that name."
I’m missing something here. Why ZODE and not the Zodiac himself. He was already well known as a serial killer that went by the name Zodiac. So, if the solution is, MY NAME IS A MONICKER, then it would simply be a statement of fact: this letter is from Zodiac the well-known serial killer in the Bay Area. What am I missing?If this is the solution, the importance of it, IMO, is not the killer’s identity (we already knew that his name is a moniker), but rather that it is a CLUE regarding how to solve the 340. He says: "By the way, have you cracked the last cipher I sent you. My Name Is -"
In other words, "here’s how you solve it (idiots!)."
, Subject: Re: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Thu Sep 23, 2010 3:48 pm
If this is the solution, the importance of it, IMO, is not the killer’s identity (we already knew that his name is a moniker), but rather that it is a CLUE regarding how to solve the 340. He says: "By the way, have you cracked the last cipher I sent you. My Name Is -"
In other words, "here’s how you solve it (idiots!)."That is EXACTLY what I’ve thought for several years now. At one time, I thought "zodiac" was the key and tried to jam it into my analysis. But alas, I’m still an idiot.
-tbz
rand, Subject: Re: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Thu Sep 23, 2010 3:57 pmBtw, I meant that Zodaic was saying "here’s how you solve it (idiots)." That’s why I put it in quotes — just in case there’s any confusion on that point.
, Subject: Re: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Thu Sep 23, 2010 4:21 pm
I’m missing something here. Why ZODE and not the Zodiac himself. He was already well known as a serial killer that went by the name Zodiac. So, if the solution is, MY NAME IS A MONICKER, then it would simply be a statement of fact: this letter is from Zodiac the well-known serial killer in the Bay Area. What am I missing?
I believe there are two meanings. "The Zodiac" as a monicker would be a validation that the solution is correct, being that his "killer" alias is "The Zodiac". However, "The Zodiac" isn’t actually his REAL name. The solution can be taken literally that his real name is also a monicker e.g, "Zode".
If this is the solution, the importance of it, IMO, is not the killer’s identity (we already knew that his name is a moniker), but rather that it is a CLUE regarding how to solve the 340. He says: "By the way, have you cracked the last cipher I sent you. My Name Is -"
In other words, "here’s how you solve it (idiots!)."We already knew that his monicker as a killer is "Zodiac"; however, we know nothing of his real name. This solution fits with Zodiac’s tone and ambiguity. People will speculate if he’s referring to his killing alias, or his real name, and that’s what Zodiac finds amusing. Even his answers aren’t clear cut.
As far as the solution being a key to solving the 340, that could very well be. At the same time, I don’t think Zodiac makes anything that obvious. He tends to make things look obvious, but the actual answers seem to be further embedded or hidden upon further inspection. This is all conjecture obviously, but there is not much else to go on. I believe Zodiac also makes another reference to cracking his ciphers, and mentions that when they do "they will have me." If the same logic is applied, then he’s also giving a clue there as well, which I believe he is not.
rand, Subject: Re: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Thu Sep 23, 2010 5:09 pmI believe Zodiac also makes another reference to cracking his ciphers, and mentions that when they do "they will have me." If the same logic is applied, then he’s also giving a clue there as well, which I believe he is not.
The two uses of "cracked" strike me as entirely different. He prefaces the My Name Is cipher with: "By the way have you cracked the last cipher I sent you?" — and follows it with a non-sequitor: My Name Is — and then the cipher itself. The first time he used the word "crack," it was in the context of: Don’t worry, when they crack the cipher they’ll have me. Context is everything here. He isn’t asking: Have you cracked the cipher I sent you? And it wasn’t followed with a cryptic, non-sequitor. Had he done so, then I would agree that the two are similar and should be treated as such. In the My Name Is letter, he seems annoyed or impatient that no one has yet solved the 340 (or, at least, the solution has not been made public), so he wants to move the process along. At least that’s how it strikes me.
You also say: "At the same time, I don’t think Zodiac makes anything that obvious. He tends to make things look obvious, but the actual answers seem to be further embedded or hidden upon further inspection." What do you have in mind here? IMO, Z was far more of a simpleton than people have come to believe after Penn’s book.
, Subject: Re: "My name is" cipher solution by z_assay Sat Sep 25, 2010 9:52 pm
You also say: "At the same time, I don’t think Zodiac makes anything that obvious. He tends to make things look obvious, but the actual answers seem to be further embedded or hidden upon further inspection." What do you have in mind here? IMO, Z was far more of a simpleton than people have come to believe after Penn’s book.
I don’t believe the Zodiac is a simpleton based purely on the fact that he was able to commit several murders without being caught. The most law enforcement has on this guy is one latent fingerprint, and quite honestly, I don’t think they even know for sure it belongs to the Zodiac. He’s voluntarily given law enforcement numerous pieces of evidence and clues via writings and crime scenes. Does this sound like a mere "simpleton" to you? If he got away with one murder, then sure, I’d concede that he may have gotten lucky, but he’s killed 5 people at the very least, and possibly many more.
As far as him making things look obvious, but which are actually quite complex, the easiest example is the 340 cipher. It looks to be another substitution cipher like the 408, yet it has never been cracked. Some interesting patterns have been found within the 340 as well. Could it be complete gibberish; therefore, uncrackable by definition? Sure, it’s possible, but I don’t think that is his MO. I think he gets off knowing additional information is right in front of the police, yet they can’t see it. I think he gets off knowing that he’s outsmarted law enforcement.
Now, where are your supporting arguments to back up your theory that he’s a "simpleton"? I can already tell you that his "misspellings" are neither indicative of his intelligence or education. There are instances of him misspelling words that ANY first grader would know how to spell. There are also some words that he misspells in one letter, and then spells it correctly in another. I think it’s clear that his misspellings are purposeful, and that he uses them to either cover his cleverness, or embed a cryptic layer into his writing.
