LOST ARG Notes--
Well, today the LOST Alternate Reality Game starts in North America, most likely during the commercials on the US broadcast. It remains to be seen whether the Canadian broadcast (which has different commercials) will run the ARG-related material as well. ('Lost' Game Lets Fans Hunt for Clues: Mysteries of Castaways' Island to Be Revealed in Interactive Challenge)
However, the UK got a jump on the ARG and people are already trading info, and since I'm unwilling to wait for tonight (since I've never been involved in an ARG as it played out), I've dived straight in as well.
First notes on first clues:
http://thelostexperienceclues.blogspot.com/ is one of the first sites rearing its head to collect clues together. Frankly, I doubt it's fan-run. Either way, I need to go back and look at it a bit more, since there's lots there I haven't had a chance to explore yet.
So, the UKers received a phone number to call (0800 66 66 40) which somehow gave them clues to use on http://thehansofoundation.org/
I ran over and after much fuzting about with Flash and screen sizes, goddammit, got the site to run correctly. It's pretty damn neat. I took notes while I was going through the site, and don't really have time right now to make them more coherent, so I'm going to slap them up now and come back and fix later. Stupid work thing. ^_~ Messing with time for more interesting pursuits.
Notes on The Hanso Foundation site:
Mental Health Appeal - clinics around the world - eradicate mental health problems by end of the century. There's a box "inquire today!" where you can input info about yourself, but so far general info just gets a "Sorry, Connection Timed Out" response. Related to Hurley's clinic?
Electromagnetic Research Initiative - island connection for sure. (Duh.)
Eradication of disease - Rose and Locke. Check.
Mathematical Forecasting Initiative - 108?
Joop (Subject 626) is 105 yrs. old as of Sept. 21, 2005. "Harvested" in 1900s by British Explorers. Certain there is a shadow of a man on webcam, but can't get him to fully appear. Scribbling on webcam image?
Board of Directors has a login screen, says it's restricted content. There's also a member without a picture -- Liddy Wales. Libby?
Picture of Alvar Hanso kinda sucks. Obscures features.
Newsletter section, after inputting screen name:
Hello Galadriel? Can you read this?
Yes.
gotta go.
Lots of drawing in the background.
Newsletter section, after inputting "breaking strain" as pw:
Hello breaking strain? Okay, it's me, Persephone.
What's the password?
breaking strain
Last login:
Welcome to Dharma
PERSEPHONE: You are logging in now...
PERSEPHONE: Check it out and check back for updates.
PERSEPHONE: Gotta go! See you later...
User PERSEPHONE logged out
Joop goes crazy, either here or if you go and enter "breaking strain" in his corner to communicate with him. Screen switches to dark screen. Hole? Connect the circles (clicking) gives you letter within iris - hard to read - need to use mouse to scroll back and forth.
Transcript first letter:
GWC
Global Welfare Consortium
Rue Grande 1623
1221 Geneva 27
Switzerland
19 September 2005
To: Dr. Roderick Johnson, M.D., Ph.D., Clinical Director, Centers for Disease Control
From: GWC Executive Committee
Re: Violation of Ethical Guidelines/The Hanso Life-Extension Project
CC: Mr. Peter Thompson, Vice President, General Counsel, The Hanso Foundation; Hugh McIntrye, Vice President and Communications Director, The Hanso Foundation.
Dr. Johnson:
We have received word of an unfortunate and most alarming issue in the past days concerning research operations by The Hanso Foundation in the Sub-Saharan region of Afriac. Sadly, we have exhausted our mandate as a watchdog organization and must petition you for a formal investigation.
It has come to our attention that a new strain of meningococcal disease has been reported in the coastal villages of the United Republic of Tanzania. This strain is particularly alarming in that it has successfully breached the simian/homo-sapiens barrier.
As the enclosed documentation and correspondence demonstrates, we have repeatedly asked the Executive Board of The Hanso Foundation for assistance in determining the possible correlation between the outbreak of this transgenic disease and the research being conducted on primates in their Experimental Station in Zanzibar. As our requests have been met with utter and complete disregard, we feel we have no other choice than to demand your immediate intervention.
As The Hanso Foundation is using primates to research gene therapies intended for human use, the correlation should be obvious.
Considering the alarming nature of this outbreak and the mounting death toll it is imperative that The Hanso Foundation immediately open the doors of their Experimental Station for inspection and, should a link be found between their work and this disease, cease and desist their activities immediately.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Lives are at stake.
[Signature is clickable]
Monsieur Jacques Maillot
Director General, GWC Executive Committee
Transcript second letter:
GWC
Global Welfare Consortium
Rue Grande 1623
1221 Geneva 27
Switzerland
25 September 2005
To: Dr. Roderick Johnson, M.D., Ph.D., Clinical Director, Centers for Disease Control
From: GWC Executive Committee
Re: The Hanso Life-Extension Project
Dr. Johnson:
Please consider this a formal apology for the heated and alarmist tone of our previous correspondence, as well as a formal request for the withdrawal of former Director General Jacques Maillot's request for an intervention into the affairs of The Hanso Foundation.
In the time since Monsieur Maillot's letter, GWC's inspection team has been welcomed with open arms into The Hanso Foundation's Experimental Station in Zanzibar. Our thorough examination of the Station has made it clear that the benign, non-invasive research being conducted there could not have possibly resulted in the outbreak of a transgenic virus.
Because we appreciate the CDC's willingness to intervene when lives are at stake, the last thing we want is to abuse our close relationship with your organization -- or sound alarms before the need is absolutely clear.
Once again, please accept our apologies, and our appreciation of your dilligent response to our correspondence.
[Signature]
Mr. Peter Thompson, Acting Director
General Global Health Consortium.
Mr. Peter Thompson is both circled and clickable -- gives you woman's voice saying/writing on screen --
The Hanso Foundation, setting world speed records for subverting authority.
That's all I've got so far. Feel free to link, but do let me know where if you do, so I can check and see what other people have to say, eh? Thanks!
However, the UK got a jump on the ARG and people are already trading info, and since I'm unwilling to wait for tonight (since I've never been involved in an ARG as it played out), I've dived straight in as well.
First notes on first clues:
http://thelostexperienceclues.blogspot.com/ is one of the first sites rearing its head to collect clues together. Frankly, I doubt it's fan-run. Either way, I need to go back and look at it a bit more, since there's lots there I haven't had a chance to explore yet.
So, the UKers received a phone number to call (0800 66 66 40) which somehow gave them clues to use on http://thehansofoundation.org/
I ran over and after much fuzting about with Flash and screen sizes, goddammit, got the site to run correctly. It's pretty damn neat. I took notes while I was going through the site, and don't really have time right now to make them more coherent, so I'm going to slap them up now and come back and fix later. Stupid work thing. ^_~ Messing with time for more interesting pursuits.
Notes on The Hanso Foundation site:
Mental Health Appeal - clinics around the world - eradicate mental health problems by end of the century. There's a box "inquire today!" where you can input info about yourself, but so far general info just gets a "Sorry, Connection Timed Out" response. Related to Hurley's clinic?
Electromagnetic Research Initiative - island connection for sure. (Duh.)
Eradication of disease - Rose and Locke. Check.
Mathematical Forecasting Initiative - 108?
Joop (Subject 626) is 105 yrs. old as of Sept. 21, 2005. "Harvested" in 1900s by British Explorers. Certain there is a shadow of a man on webcam, but can't get him to fully appear. Scribbling on webcam image?
Board of Directors has a login screen, says it's restricted content. There's also a member without a picture -- Liddy Wales. Libby?
Picture of Alvar Hanso kinda sucks. Obscures features.
Newsletter section, after inputting screen name:
Hello Galadriel? Can you read this?
Yes.
gotta go.
Lots of drawing in the background.
Newsletter section, after inputting "breaking strain" as pw:
Hello breaking strain? Okay, it's me, Persephone.
What's the password?
breaking strain
Last login:
Welcome to Dharma
PERSEPHONE: You are logging in now...
PERSEPHONE: Check it out and check back for updates.
PERSEPHONE: Gotta go! See you later...
User PERSEPHONE logged out
Joop goes crazy, either here or if you go and enter "breaking strain" in his corner to communicate with him. Screen switches to dark screen. Hole? Connect the circles (clicking) gives you letter within iris - hard to read - need to use mouse to scroll back and forth.
Transcript first letter:
GWC
Global Welfare Consortium
Rue Grande 1623
1221 Geneva 27
Switzerland
19 September 2005
To: Dr. Roderick Johnson, M.D., Ph.D., Clinical Director, Centers for Disease Control
From: GWC Executive Committee
Re: Violation of Ethical Guidelines/The Hanso Life-Extension Project
CC: Mr. Peter Thompson, Vice President, General Counsel, The Hanso Foundation; Hugh McIntrye, Vice President and Communications Director, The Hanso Foundation.
Dr. Johnson:
We have received word of an unfortunate and most alarming issue in the past days concerning research operations by The Hanso Foundation in the Sub-Saharan region of Afriac. Sadly, we have exhausted our mandate as a watchdog organization and must petition you for a formal investigation.
It has come to our attention that a new strain of meningococcal disease has been reported in the coastal villages of the United Republic of Tanzania. This strain is particularly alarming in that it has successfully breached the simian/homo-sapiens barrier.
As the enclosed documentation and correspondence demonstrates, we have repeatedly asked the Executive Board of The Hanso Foundation for assistance in determining the possible correlation between the outbreak of this transgenic disease and the research being conducted on primates in their Experimental Station in Zanzibar. As our requests have been met with utter and complete disregard, we feel we have no other choice than to demand your immediate intervention.
As The Hanso Foundation is using primates to research gene therapies intended for human use, the correlation should be obvious.
Considering the alarming nature of this outbreak and the mounting death toll it is imperative that The Hanso Foundation immediately open the doors of their Experimental Station for inspection and, should a link be found between their work and this disease, cease and desist their activities immediately.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Lives are at stake.
[Signature is clickable]
Monsieur Jacques Maillot
Director General, GWC Executive Committee
Transcript second letter:
GWC
Global Welfare Consortium
Rue Grande 1623
1221 Geneva 27
Switzerland
25 September 2005
To: Dr. Roderick Johnson, M.D., Ph.D., Clinical Director, Centers for Disease Control
From: GWC Executive Committee
Re: The Hanso Life-Extension Project
Dr. Johnson:
Please consider this a formal apology for the heated and alarmist tone of our previous correspondence, as well as a formal request for the withdrawal of former Director General Jacques Maillot's request for an intervention into the affairs of The Hanso Foundation.
In the time since Monsieur Maillot's letter, GWC's inspection team has been welcomed with open arms into The Hanso Foundation's Experimental Station in Zanzibar. Our thorough examination of the Station has made it clear that the benign, non-invasive research being conducted there could not have possibly resulted in the outbreak of a transgenic virus.
Because we appreciate the CDC's willingness to intervene when lives are at stake, the last thing we want is to abuse our close relationship with your organization -- or sound alarms before the need is absolutely clear.
Once again, please accept our apologies, and our appreciation of your dilligent response to our correspondence.
[Signature]
Mr. Peter Thompson, Acting Director
General Global Health Consortium.
Mr. Peter Thompson is both circled and clickable -- gives you woman's voice saying/writing on screen --
The Hanso Foundation, setting world speed records for subverting authority.
That's all I've got so far. Feel free to link, but do let me know where if you do, so I can check and see what other people have to say, eh? Thanks!