# Need Help from NYC Dopers! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 19, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-from-nyc-dopers/500334 "2009-06-19T21:14:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**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 19, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-from-nyc-dopers/500334/1 "2009-06-19T21:14:03Z")
[Mods: Wasn’t real sure where to put this, so if this forum isn’t appropriate, please feel free to move it to wherever you see fit]. We need a little help from the NYC Dopers. A bunch of us in GQ have been following an elaborate puzzle that some anonymous source started, and we need some help with the resolution. It’s involved ciphers, layered audio tracks, and locations of envelopes around the country that contained clues (thread starts [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=519716), and then goes to [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=521161)). The detail and complexity of this puzzle is/was pretty substantial, and it’s been a blast to follow, but apparently we’re down to endgame. The last clue is a date, a time, and a location in Manhattan (June 20th, 8pm). What we need is someone to show up and find out what this all about. So I implore you, NYC Dopers. Do any of you have some free time tomorrow night, to help us wrap this thing up? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-from-nyc-dopers/500334/2 "2009-06-19T21:21:20Z")
I got nothing better to do. Should I bring my camera? ---
**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-from-nyc-dopers/500334/3 "2009-06-19T21:34:54Z")
Definately bring the camera ---
**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 19, 2009, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-from-nyc-dopers/500334/4 "2009-06-19T21:50:45Z")
Awesome, **friedo** , thanks. I can’t guarantee it isn’t going to be a waste of your time, but if you’ve been following the other thread, you can see why we’re so desperate for someone to show up there. If you show up and it’s Trump standing there with a big fat check, buy the house a round of drinks, will ya? I’m looking forward to your follow-up post. ---
**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-from-nyc-dopers/500334/5 "2009-06-19T22:15:52Z")
Does friedo have all the necessary info? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-from-nyc-dopers/500334/6 "2009-06-19T22:17:17Z")
> [@JFLuvly](#): > > Does friedo have all the necessary info? I don’t – can someone bring me up to speed? I haven’t been reading those threads. I can slog through them tomorrow morning if necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-from-nyc-dopers/500334/7 "2009-06-19T22:55:19Z")
[QUOTE=friedo] I don’t – can someone bring me up to speed? I haven’t been reading those threads. I can slog through them tomorrow morning if necessary. [/QUOTE] OK, I haven’t contributed but I’ll try to summarize: Member **Here Come Dots** started a thread saying “someone I follow on Twitter just starting posting some kind of code. Can anyone help?” The simple code in the tweets pointed to newspaper boxes in a few cities. Thread participants recovered CDs from a couple of the boxes, which contained clues that led to some on-line clues, including some clues provided by interaction with a different Twitter account. The on-line stuff culminated in a list of retail locations in several cities. Various thread participants reported visiting several of these locations and finding envelopes (marked ‘clue’ or similar) with dollar bills inside. Markings on the bills, combined with earlier clues, led to a website with a sattelite photo of an urban block. Notably, the website was evidently set up to notify the author when the picture was first downloaded, because the site was quickly modified to include a date and time. Thread participants identified the photo as a location in NYC and we’re waiting to see who’s there. The final picture also now includes text “I’ll be there. Just look for the hottest woman in the bar, and tell her you’d like to introduce her to the guy wearing an Enigma nametag. That’ll be me.” (many of the clues included various anagrams of ‘its an enigma’.) In the meantime, suspicion has been raised about some thread participant’s innocence. \*\* Sadrobot\*\* posted a couple huge critical leaps in solving the latest round. More suspicious, IMHO, is **Here Come Dots** , who started the whole thing. There’s been no explanation of who the original twitter clue-poster is or why **HCD** followed them. **HCD** only started posting in April, making several Manhattan references. In the latest puzzle thread they said that they were near the location in Chicago and then quickly posted a scan of the clue from that location after “getting back to their desk”. Finally, Alex Schoenbaum from Austin, TX has been identified as registering websites involved in the puzzle, in case you want to throw out a name. The puzzle took a few threads, culminating in this one: [It's an Enigma. Part II: After the Math Riddle - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=521161), which I think has a link to the previous one. So, questions to start with: Why? It appears that multiple people were involved, so doing this on a whim or just for fun seems unlikely. I fear this is some hideous ‘guerilla marketing’ scheme, but hope for something more interesting. Who? Are **Here Come Dots** , **Sadrobot** and/or other, more subtly hinting, thread participants involved? What other people distributed the CDs and clues? Why us? Was this aimed only at the Dope, or did other communities get a chance and whiff on it? (We need to know if there are bragging rights here. Not that I helped at the time, but I’m not above bragging about other’s work). ---
**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-from-nyc-dopers/500334/8 "2009-06-19T23:34:15Z")
friedo, What we need is for someone to show up at 8:00 PM tonight at what we believe to be the cibar lounge at 56 Irving Place between east 17th and east 18th streets. When you arrive the instructions said " I’ll be there. Just look for the hottest women in the bar, and tell her you’d like to intrduce her to the guy wearing an Enigma nametag. that’ll be me." ---
**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 20, 2009, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-from-nyc-dopers/500334/9 "2009-06-20T01:04:37Z")
> [@JFLuvly](#): > > friedo, > > What we need is for someone to show up at 8:00 PM tonight at what we believe to be the cibar lounge at 56 Irving Place between east 17th and east 18th streets. When you arrive the instructions said " I’ll be there. Just look for the hottest women in the bar, and tell her you’d like to intrduce her to the guy wearing an Enigma nametag. that’ll be me." Not tonight though. The 20th, right? ---
**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-from-nyc-dopers/500334/10 "2009-06-20T01:30:20Z")
Yes sorry, my bad, Saturday night. I’m a day ahead of myself ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-from-nyc-dopers/500334/11 "2009-06-20T03:38:21Z")
Yeeeaachhh. I hate bars. But I will go, anyway. For Science. You people owe me. ---
**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-from-nyc-dopers/500334/12 "2009-06-20T16:16:42Z")
I could probably send you out a lump of Eastern Canadian coal for your troubles. ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-from-nyc-dopers/500334/13 "2009-06-20T19:16:51Z")
Man, that was my old neighborhood, and what’s more, I like bars. Sorry I can’t be of service! ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-from-nyc-dopers/500334/14 "2009-06-21T00:35:30Z")
I got free nachos. More details when I get home later tonight (going to a friend’s bday bash first) ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2009, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-from-nyc-dopers/500334/15 "2009-06-21T01:05:47Z")
[Here’s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=521779) the answer to your questions. I’ve closed this thread and the one started tonight by **Here Come Dots** to explain what he did and why. **samclem** Moderator General Questions