# It's an Enigma. Part II: After the Math Riddle **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 15, 2009, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832 "2009-06-15T14:20:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832/61 "2009-06-17T11:25:30Z")
> [@](#): > > “the security desk at 1055 thomas jefferson street, in Washington DC” The lady who answered said the envelope wasn’t there anymore. She remembered it had been left there by an Alex, but that’s all. \*\*\* Ponder ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832/62 "2009-06-17T12:17:05Z")
> [@](#): > > 5 “The deli at the corner of 121st and Manhattan Ave, in New York I City” The Google street view isn’t high-res enough to do more than confirm there’s a grocery-deli there, unfortunately. I tracked down two different business names and numbers for that location. One was disconnected, the other answered but he didn’t speak much English, sounded suspicious, refused to confirm I had reached the right location and hung up on me. \*\*\* Ponder ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832/63 "2009-06-17T12:28:10Z")
> [@](#): > > 3 (This is in Spanish) Something about “Ask Curtis in the Starbucks store #2 ??? 32 on Peachtree St. in Atlanta”? Surely somebody can translate that way better. I’m actually ashamed of that attempt 🙂 I couldn’t find an online resource that gave Starbucks by store#, not even their corporate site. There’re a bunch of Starbuckses on Peachtree in Atlanta. One of them is at 2333 Peachtree. (Is that the number in the file? It’s hard to make out.) I called that one, she’d never heard of Colin Curtis (I think that’s the name) nor did she know anything about an envelope left there. \*\*\* Ponder ---
**Author:** ![kjckjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e36b37/32.png) [@kjckjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kjckjc)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832/64 "2009-06-17T12:28:57Z")
> [@Ponderoid](#): > > “Alex Epsten” A clear anagram of “Latex Penes”! Ummm…errrr…ok, I got nothin’. But it would be a good band name. ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832/65 "2009-06-17T12:52:57Z")
I’ve subscribed to this thread because it is incredibly fascinating. And because I’m astounded that people have both the time and the energy to figure this stuff out. It seems to me that the only way this whole thing can be solved is through a community like the Dope. I wonder if other online groups are working on this. For example, the missing DC envelope. But I suppose someone there could simply have fallen victim to their own curiosity and opened the envelope and pocketed the dollar. I have not read the first thread (Part I). Is it necessary or helpful to read it? ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832/66 "2009-06-17T13:36:02Z")
> [@kjckjc](#): > > A clear anagram of “Latex Penes”! Ummm…errrr…ok, I got nothin’. > > But it would be a good band name. I came up with that one, too. Another (maybe more likely possibility 😉 ) is “Next Please.” Not like that really makes any sense, but there it is. **Algernon** , there’s a LOT of fascinating stuff in the first thread, especially **pulyakamell** ’s cracking of an interesting cipher. Definitely check it out if you think _this_ is fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832/67 "2009-06-17T13:52:19Z")
It’s possible the cut-out letters are a red herring, and the critical letters are the big letters to the left of George’s portrait, or something else that differs from bill to bill. Those large numbers are also found at the beginning and ends of the serial numbers. Another thing that differs from bill to bill is the Federal Reserve bank location. You find that in the small print around the large letter. So it’s possible that: #8 is “A” (from **CMiller** ) #9 is “G” (from **Here Come Dots** ) And #6, **ntucker** , could you please call that person back and ask them if they still have the bill, and if they do, what’s the large letter and reserve bank? Also get the serial number. It’s possible those numbers will be needed later to crack a future puzzle. \*\*\* Ponder ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832/68 "2009-06-17T14:24:27Z")
Other things that differ: [ol] [li]The series year#, [/li][li]Names of the 2 officials who signed the bills[/li][li]Hi… Nope. Just can’t do it. ;)[/li][li]4 single digits just inboard of the big 1’s at the corners. They should match each other on the same bill.[/li][li]2 small capital letters, in the upper left and lower right, in between the corner digits and the 1’s. They should match each other on the same bill. [/li][li]Those small capital letters are accompanied by small numbers that won’t match each other. [/li][/ol] The rest of these aren’t likely to be significant, but who knows. Better safe than sorry. \*\*\* Ponder ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832/69 "2009-06-17T14:28:45Z")
> [@Ponderoid](#): > > Those large numbers are also found at the beginning and ends of the serial numbers. Oops, I goofed on that. They don’t always match the number in the Federal Reserve location stamp, so there are more letters that need to be collected. ETA: And there’s a small number on the reverse side, to the lower right of the big “ONE”. \*\*\* Ponder ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832/70 "2009-06-17T14:33:27Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > That’s bloody good work, there! > > So, we’re now at [noparse]www.-----T-DT-.com[/noparse]? According to [this page](http://www.morewords.com/), there isn’t any single word matching that pattern, and so far, I didn’t have any luck splitting it up, either (except for the obvious split -----t-d, which yields a ton of results). > > EDIT: [noparse][www.AddictedTo.com](http://www.AddictedTo.com)[/noparse] works, but that’s probably not it… Though it’s not what you’d expect it to be, either. 😉 Yeah, I tried a bunch of possibilities, including [addictedto.com](http://addictedto.com), with no luck. I also found a repository of all websites registered with [Dreamhost.com](http://Dreamhost.com) (where [itsanenigma.com](http://itsanenigma.com) and [simianagent.com](http://simianagent.com) are registered) since April 11 (which is when [itsanenigma.com](http://itsanenigma.com) was registered), and tried looking for all domain names containing the letters itsanenigma, as well as all 10-letter domains with at least two Ts and a D. To the first query, I only found “[itsanenigma.com](http://itsanenigma.com)” and “[simianagent.com](http://simianagent.com).” To the latter query, I couldn’t find anything that looked like our webpage. I’m brute forcing a couple other possibilities, but the most obvious ones didn’t seem to work. This is making a huge assumption that the website has been registered since April 11 at [dreamhost.com](http://dreamhost.com). That may not at all be the case. ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832/71 "2009-06-17T14:39:17Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I also found a repository of all websites registered with [Dreamhost.com](http://Dreamhost.com) (where [itsanenigma.com](http://itsanenigma.com) and [simianagent.com](http://simianagent.com) are registered) since April 11 (which is when [itsanenigma.com](http://itsanenigma.com) was registered). Link? ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832/72 "2009-06-17T14:49:57Z")
> [@Ponderoid](#): > > It’s possible the cut-out letters are a red herring, and the critical letters are the big letters to the left of George’s portrait, or something else that differs from bill to bill. Those large numbers are also found at the beginning and ends of the serial numbers. Another thing that differs from bill to bill is the Federal Reserve bank location. You find that in the small print around the large letter. I don’t think the cut outs are red herrings, because there haven’t been any red herrings yet (doesn’t mean whoever’s doing this couldn’t throw one in, I guess). I initially thought the the serial numbers of the bills could be something, but I’m betting it HAS to be the cut-outs. It’s the only thing the orchestrator of this puzzle can control. Otherwise, someone (or someoneS) would have to collect bills until they had exactly the ones they needed. Sure they could go and get $50 worth at a bank an go through them all, but I don’t think so. No, I think it the cut outs. And I think it only makes sense that it’s not another “It’s an Enigma” anagram. If it were, I think it’d be way to easy to brute force. And like **Algernon** , I’m fascinated by this thread, and subsrcribed hoping to witness the resolution, but also to see if I could lend a hand in any way. I love this type of stuff. PS - did anyone else notice that all of the books they referenced on the Twitter pages were on the iPhone Classics app? It was probably just done that way as a universal point of reference, but we know whoever put this together is an iPhone user. ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832/73 "2009-06-17T14:58:20Z")
> [@Ponderoid](#): > > I couldn’t find an online resource that gave Starbucks by store#, not even their corporate site. There’re a bunch of Starbuckses on Peachtree in Atlanta. One of them is at 2333 Peachtree. (Is that the number in the file? It’s hard to make out.) I called that one, she’d never heard of Colin Curtis (I think that’s the name) nor did she know anything about an envelope left there. > > \*\*\* Ponder Yeah, I’ve listened to it some more and it definitely\* says “Ask for Colin Curtis in the Starbucks ?? building number 2333 on Peachtree Street in Atlanta.” Where the ?? marks are is a word (or two) I don’t quite understand. Something “quede” or “queden” (is/are)? \*I do admit my Spanish is very rusty. ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832/74 "2009-06-17T14:59:35Z")
> [@Shark\_Sandwich](#): > > I don’t think the cut outs are red herrings, because there haven’t been any red herrings yet (doesn’t mean whoever’s doing this couldn’t throw one in, I guess). You’re probably right. But for those of us attempting to collect the information over the phone, it won’t hurt to be thorough, just in case. And even if that extra info isn’t critical to cracking the website address, it’s possible that the puzzle creator used some or all of the varying letters & numbers as keys for a future stage of the puzzle. I’m not going to be able to call the Baltimore location back this afternoon. (Housemate is taking her cellphone with her). Could someone else please try after 2pm (EDT)? Just punch the address into google; you’ll find the grocery store’s name and number easily. I’m not sure, but I think there’s a board rule about posting that info directly. I tried to call the bar in NYC, but didn’t get an answer. That one is easily googled too. I suspect they won’t be open until sometime in the afternoon. I know someone I might be able to implore to go visit the two NYC locations if necessary, but it will help if we can confirm envelopes in one or both locations first. \*\*\* Ponder ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832/75 "2009-06-17T15:08:21Z")
> [@zut](#): > > Link? [Just go through here.](http://www.nsspy.org/archive/dreamhost.com/2009-04-11/1.html) I manually changed the URL for each date, and cut and pasted the results. ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832/76 "2009-06-17T15:37:43Z")
I tried to brute force the URL by writing a script that contained 10 characters, and 3 characters had to be D, T, & T. The only hit was [www.drportrait.com](http://www.drportrait.com). The URL is registered, but the page hasn’t been created yet. So they may have registered somewhere else, or on a earlier date than the 11th. ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832/77 "2009-06-17T16:23:05Z")
> [@troub](#): > > **Algernon** , there’s a LOT of fascinating stuff in the first thread, especially **pulyakamell** ’s cracking of an interesting cipher. Definitely check it out if you think _this_ is fascinating. Thanks for the tip. I’ll go do some reading. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832/80 "2009-06-17T16:55:22Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t think the cut outs are red herrings, because there haven’t been any red herrings yet (doesn’t mean whoever’s doing this couldn’t throw one in, I guess). I initially thought the the serial numbers of the bills could be something, but I’m betting it HAS to be the cut-outs. It’s the only thing the orchestrator of this puzzle can control. Otherwise, someone (or someoneS) would have to collect bills until they had exactly the ones they needed. Sure they could go and get $50 worth at a bank an go through them all, but I don’t think so. No, I think it the cut outs. And I think it only makes sense that it’s not another “It’s an Enigma” anagram. If it were, I think it’d be way to easy to brute force. Not necessarily… The riddler could have built a puzzle out of the serial numbers, not vice-versa. They might, for instance, be used as a one-time-pad to encrypt something. ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832/81 "2009-06-17T17:19:41Z")
Plugged the new letter in and got two hits: [www.dstmonline.com](http://www.dstmonline.com) and [www.zoetdesign.com](http://www.zoetdesign.com). Neither looks like a lead. ---
**Author:** ![sadrobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@sadrobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sadrobot)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832/82 "2009-06-17T18:02:35Z")
I’ve been following this for a while but I haven’t been able to contribute anything until now. Looking at the images of the dollar bills I noticed the Federal Reserve Bank numbers (one is to the left of the seal). If you place the cut-out letters into their corresponding bank number location in the domain you get this: www.D\_\_\_N\_T\_\_\_.cm From there it wasn’t too hard to find: [http://www.demonetise.com/](http://www.demonetise.com/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-an-enigma-part-ii-after-the-math-riddle/499832.md?page=5)