relpats-eht.com was an online puzzle created some time in 2006 by a “16-year-old computer geek” (Catallarchy) of the same name. Numerous people tried to solve its final riddle to no avail, before the site was apparently hacked and the puzzle taken down. relpats_eht was eventually persuaded into revealing the final answer on the blog which his website had become, and for a while the site remained just that: a blog. However, on April 8th, 2007, it was replaced by a new puzzle, in the same style as the first. Each of the ten riddles (as opposed to the previous contest’s twelve) gives clues as to the directory of the next: to enter an answer, you type “http://www.relpats-eht.com/answer1”, then “http://www.relpats-eht.com/answer1/answer2”, etc. I say “gives” because the puzzle is not over; the final page’s solution has not been discovered. Who knows, you might be the first one to do so!
Some of the same people as before are trying to solve the puzzle, including those at Model Bridge Design (formerly the Model Bridge Blog).
On the previous occasion on which my site went down, its revival was preceded by a contest, a contest to reach the deepest directory. Some came close, a handful was a mere extended search away, but alas, the contest was compromised by a hacker before anyone could complete it. I feel that, because these circumstances are the same as they were previously, I should impart onto you all a similar contest once more before I bring back my worthless site. Perhaps this too will become another Internet craze, perhaps not. Either way, I don't really care.
In any event, as I stated, this contest will be similar to the one which preceded it -- similar but not the same. Aside from the obvious, that being that the answers have changed, I will also not lie on the first page this time around by telling you there is a prize. Just as there was not one previously, there will not be one now. I don't feel this should be reason for anyone not to participate as anyone who is stupid enough to play the lottery would almost certainly not win and anyone smart enough to win would never play the lottery. Although, I suppose I shouldn't say there is no prize at all if I intend to adhere to honesty, only that the prize will not be monetary as I had intended previously in the miraculous event that someone had actually won.
Drivel aside, the way this contest will work is the same as it was prior; the answer to one page will be Concatenated onto the existing URL. This means that if the first answer was ONE and the second answer was TWO, the address of the third page would be http://www.relpats-eht.com/ONE/TWO/index.html. Unfortunately enough for all of you veterans, I don't think I will make a page as easy as that again. In fact, I won't even use a single capital letter in any answer, just to disambiguate. Without further ado, I will now mention that you have already been told the answer to this page.
The answer to the first riddle is indeed given on this page: the answer to one page will be Concatenated…
. Not only is the word Concatenated
set apart by being capitalized, it is literally given as the answer (by ignoring the rest of the sentence, but such is the style of relpats_eht). Change the word to lowercase, as the instructions say, and type in the answer: concatenated.
How easy it is to spot an outlier. To sort through all that exists and pick out the one item which seems in some way different from all the rest. What could be more mundane or commonplace than to spot the individual which is beyond the outskirts of the group and wandering about aimlessly far away from what is right according to the laws of nature, or at least the English language? It is as common as sighting a flower walking through a path in a rose garden, or is it truly that simple to point out the disparity?
Rambling, incoherent, and ambiguous English is also a trademark of relpats_eht. Here it is used to obscure the outlier
and disparity
in this clue. The sentence about a path in a rose garden
is a literal garden path sentence, and can be interpreted in two ways. It could mean that someone walking through a rose garden is likely to see flowers; but it could also mean that the flowers themselves are walking, which is not common at all. Why not? Simple: to walk, the flower would have to break the laws of nature
by using legs.
Yes, the general rule of the English language is that if it makes sense, you are most likely doing something wrong. How could I avoid putting something into this competition which seems to the majority to make sense, although, in reality, is impossible, all due to the English language? However, almost no one likes English, or at least such is the case on the Internet. So then, what to now?
If someone has a grudge against the English language, they probably like very few natural languages; they all have quirks and ambiguities that let you describe walking flowers. Some languages, on the other hand, are much more precise. For example, the universal language that relpats_eht (and many other Internet geeks) know well: math.
If you insist on math, then we shall do math. One would think fingers alone would suffice for such.
int((1 + 10 * 2 - 5 + 2) / 3)
int
is a function that rounds down any number to an integer; *
and /
mean multiplication and division, respectively. (The syntax is common in programming languages.) Remembering order of operations, the answer seems to be 6; however, that doesn’t work. What is the error? Remember that fingers alone would suffice
; discounting thumbs, we only have 8 fingers. Thus, the 10
is in octal and equals 8 in everyday decimal notation. The real answer is 4.
Congratulations, you have realized that you only have eight fingers. Don't you feel special? In any event, it is most likely about time I began to compound the problems. The answer should be no more than a guide to the true solution. Where is the challenge if there is nothing past step one?
The answer should be no more than a guide to the true solution
recalls a riddle from the first contest, where one riddle was a two-step process involving a hidden image. However, this is only a distraction. The real clue is the last sentence: Where is the challenge if there is nothing past step one?
Where indeed? The only challenge would be starting
the puzzle in the first place, and in fact the answer is starting.
Yes, I lied. That wasn't a two step problem. Although, my laziness and deviance from the truth shortens your path, so you have no real right to complain. Of course, even if you did, your complaints would fall on deaf ears. As long as you are pointlessly whining, I suppose I may as well dredge up a sight from the past to make sure you do not go silent. This shall be definitely apparent as a leap in difficulty, especially if using Internet Explorer. Although, I wouldn't call this one impossibly difficult, as I did the other which was similar in appearance.
695642 4f5277 304b47 676f41 414141 4e5355 684555 674141 414b55 414141 417843 415941 414143 373347 6d5041 414147 466b6c 455156 52346e 4f3263 545767 635652 7a4166 793878 56644e 615455 736749 6e3655 436c4b 4c3947 444c51 6c477a 347365 684b4f 696c65 76416d 616933 695161 474348 2b7745 775949 6f4b46 493969 42366b 6c4941 456532 674f51 64456c 696b49 504372 595650 796771 4e5969 6b494b 544561 4e724e 654a69 5a374e 764a7a 4f3638 743239 323330 7a6544 355a4d 5a7436 2b2b62 2f4d4c 2f2f33 4d624d 724142 2f4139 333336 685243 69622b 643232 4d6441 76774e 774f4f 49344b 523357 346152 305749 655430 6d4564 546b71 486456 7a5737 77444b 687564 355674 5a564a 415468 6b6844 305a31 6d6f69 4d7442 4e7368 695177 79714a 506d56 645032 646c42 6b6f67 674332 78396a 4f7262 674454 736f55 624c2f 493763 676175 2b656c 58322f 504d33 646473 6e676c 653941 695a64 594b54 47476a 6b4557 574d55 355357 39714a 6d4636 502f6e 565338 536e79 77556b 705553 596849 364932 366369 347469 373136 325645 537457 4b6448 464339 704b61 306471 797971 6e6a6b 524169 575572 64436c 564f62 42506c 466a4b 674a72 56786f 6b645a 553875 68435a 472b54 696d45 794558 4d5345 67544e 64756c 646e47 6f5355 4c7043 757035 767448 4a6b45 7a624f 7a7247 4d356f 512b4a 67526b 724365 704a63 6a4f7a 565074 456971 676f6c 786168 496462 7a4d61 45374f 485862 617170 475876 766d73 5a3271 63725a 68366b 6a696d 54304f 724f4c 526f2f 646f6f 6b547a 6e6c75 72765a 566957 4c6b44 493633 586c53 4e2b35 375145 317654 4b6e30 514959 515976 58566f 57447a 5a5247 644d6d 665a4d 716171 6b4d46 37314b 395a76 427633 6f394e 4f4b4e 59566c 74642f 494d4d 793456 53492f 6f524a 4c5769 753633 6b3969 69615a 586d62 487465 385832 684f67 565347 375145 764b73 6b776d 664e4b 37394b 7a6435 2b4c63 393579 592b59 717a63 2b6470 444778 677939 674e56 4b7237 324c33 396d71 356936 395356 583735 354c30 2f634e 386a6b 7a456b 57566f 5a3538 702b2f 655364 577830 586752 574153 2b424f 344172 67444f 415a73 695a57 644235 344350 675757 676173 2f6549 424b39 516937 74392b 594d56 366657 744a66 63304a 6b3638 616c72 4f6f65 586374 41584d 726f39 2b554c 502f44 756838 645a62 4b7745 427872 2f4d6e 2f755a 366150 2f6b72 6a3448 4e5552 712f4d 4c535a 2f3457 732b6d 6f4946 415037 6a434c 41544f 434356 65534e 385253 77434d 384134 634371 326679 65426d 42487a 353661 5a5076 6f356a 594e7a 56455a 487567 75326b 356978 626c35 5a7972 4a6b79 596832 32544b 784d4f 446842 52766a 51434d 383968 31424b 746f42 766e2b 523261 6e5456 413773 4d524e 6b3356 757a61 786c34 684341 543767 684465 353157 4b5638 4c6677 726757 324145 75416e 344562 674158 425565 2f3453 6d6b4f 38422b 344774 674f38 764d54 733153 655841 303932 334955 334d68 48476e 307577 623163 494649 56584b 546f33 64524a 426d6b 68694f 486374 67766c 655674 757674 397776 674c34 4a754f 4d6f73 6d7768 6b6933 67514f 424757 485164 324151 384255 6e5541 334161 63546f 6c7063 4f6857 586e6e 70544f 666751 784b37 634558 637879 486971 437877 4c6d6b 654d37 44534c 344252 594644 616479 6c5735 6e3367 757641 306465 427434 423767 355669 356e39 71635a 2b5853 4c2f70 426171 49735a 58486e 334d6b 49304a 644548 6a4975 786570 5a4d52 46644f 6a3577 6e7562 6f4156 6f4642 526744 666963 51386a 417746 496231 5a717a 634c64 4c3257 5a704e 384479 66576d 335a58 4e415a 576465 5a556e 523758 2f4a32 615873 4b2b4a 4c4163 674673 36364c 654450 6a4138 384276 307237 4e7354 4a3345 6e5474 4a3446 6e4347 626a45 497848 5a5636 517467 384266 784130 77664d 456839 393631 6c4445 326447 537367 7a5a55 706759 48422b 6a4f61 423744 4c6772 334234 416a68 756f76 774d7a 774d33 533734 2f486a 6b635a 385244 4e5351 334174 624679 447750 524174 595563 483234 4c6351 513434 2b6166 657774 433971 5a4d6b 6f4952 555034 686f53 45594d 443247 564142 4e6841 497567 76344f 50795a 4d3938 51644c 334442 4c5075 563250 483978 417343 57306a 754e41 626766 754232 566935 6a6341 5a5942 2f425a 476b41 47426d 726375 2f2b55 2b7764 323570 622f47 6b6f7a 373754 4b4d4b 73334a 694d42 764875 566978 666232 376e32 527a64 4f7a6f 6d5a74 2f4746 732b6a 554379 383773 334a6a 434d54 4a6834 433767 626a64 335469 2f7966 39614e 36612f 31556e 5a4762 364c53 546b65 4a7652 543767 7a4c30 527a6e 337679 584139 354958 304371 4e584e 315732 446b47 427754 426d52 4a4f4f 616b34 724f5a 597868 783938 354664 55785a 52496d 784451 687049 6e784a 426a4d 6c466c 6b6a4a 664e58 55374c 685454 465242 576f2b 6c7250 517471 534857 574d53 4b6b69 5a5078 395063 32614a 556357 724a32 674e6f 6f6f30 335833 725374 6b5378 423569 576e33 337834 773033 327655 753166 673031 313356 446d32 347746 45424c 412b36 4c6645 646848 56314b 61794a 496d36 316e33 315075 7a486d 483638 392f6c 7a5a54 726c52 364c6d 636358 456d68 4c6154 713772 656473 575959 75334f 533077 47584b 4d744b 6a624e 6d5872 32314a 49362b 733572 4b6c6f 627271 2b516d 7a656f 36452b 6b316c 792f4a 6d7967 4c6567 7a5168 5a7374 6e6533 495373 313239 4a7352 552f2b 425944 374b5a 735858 4c6769 774c79 585337 62696c 4c3262 4b2f78 312b61 326f30 6d546b 6f4c30 52557a 546369 574d6a 333865 6d6c64 56636f 744a52 525754 4d6775 5a7859 5a4539 2f5867 792f69 313947 6c2f46 4a436f 635745 64446c 315a65 77484b 746f34 4b5974 454153 647653 585253 36482b 793341 516b30 496d67 656741 414141 424a52 553545 726b4a 676767 3d3d0
This sight from the past
looks a lot like the final page from the previous puzzle, but in fact they’re unrelated. To solve this one, first convert each pair of hexadecimal digits into their corresponding ASCII character; the result looks like Base64 encoding, and it is. A Base64 decoder reveals that many characters look like garbage, but before all the garbage are the letters PNG
. The data is actually a Base64-encoded PNG image. The easiest way to view the image is to use data: URIs (which Internet Explorer doesn’t support). Save the following code with the .html extension:
<img src="data:image/png;base64, iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAKUAAAAxCAYAAAC73GmPAAAGFklEQVR4nO2cTWgcVRzAfy8xVdNaTU sgIn6UClKL9GDLQlGz4sehKOilevAmai3iQaGCH+wEwYIoKFI9iB6klIAEe2gOQdElikIPCrYVPygq NYikIKTEaNrNeJiZ7NvJzO68t29230zeD5ZMZt6++b/ML//3MbMrAB/A9336hRCib+d22MdAvwNwOO I4KR3W4aR0WIeT0mEdTkqHdVzW7wDKhud5VtZVJAThkhD0Z1moiMtBNshiQwyqJPmVdP2dlBkoggC2 x9jOrbgDTsoUbL/I7cgau+elX2/PM3ddsngle9AiZdYKTGGjkEWWMU5SW9qJmF6P/nVS8SnywUkpUS YhI6I26ci4ti7162VEStWKdHFC9pKa0dqyyqnjkRAiWUrdClVObBPlFjKgJrVxokdZU8uhCZG+TimE yEXMSEgTNduldnGoSULpCup5vtHJkEzbOzrGM5oQ+JgRkrCepJcjOzVPtEiqgolxahIdbzMaE7OHXb aqpGXvvmsZ2qcrZh6kjimT0OrOLRo/dookTznlurvZViWLkDI63XlSN+57QE1vTKn0QIYQYvXVoWDz ZRGdMmfZMqaqkMF71K9ZvBv3o9NOKNYVltd/IMMy4VSI/oRJLWiu63k9iiaZXmbHte8X2hOgVSG7QE vKskwmfNK79Kzd5+Lc95yY+Yqzc+dpDGxgy9gNVKr72L39mq5i69SVX755L0/cN8jkzEkWVoZ58p+/ eSdWx0XgRWAS+BO4ArgDOAZsiZWdB54CPgWWgas/eIBK9Qi7t9+YMV6fWtJfc0Jk68alrOoeXctAXM ro9+ULP/Duh8dZbKwEBxr/Mn/uZ6aP/krj4HNURq/MLSZ/4Ws+moIFAP7jCLATOCCVeSN8RSwCM8A4 cCq2fyeBmBHz56aZPvo5jYNzVEZHugu2k5ixbl5ZyrJkyYh22TKxMODhBRvjQCM89h1BKtoBvn+R2a nTVA7sMRNk3Vuzaxl4hCAT7ghDe51WKV8LfwrgW2AEuAn4EbgAXBUe/4SmkO8B+4GtgO8vMTs1SeXA 0923IU3MhHGn0uwb1cIFIVXKTo3dRJBmkhiOHctgvleVtuvt9wvgL4JuOMosmwhki3gQOBGWHQd2AQ 8BUnUA3AacTolpcOhWXnnpTOfgQxK7cEXcxyHiqCxwLmkeM7DSL4BRYFDadylW5n3guvA0deBt4B7g 5Vi5n9qcZ+XSL/pBaqIsZXHn3MkI0JdEHjIuxepZMRFdOj5wnuboAVoFBRgDficQ8jAwFIb1ZqzcLd L2WZpN8DyfWm3ZXNAZWdeZUnR7X/J2aXsK+JLAcgFs66LeDPjA88Bv0r7NsTJ3EnTtJ4FnCGbjEIxH ZV6Qtg8BfxA0wfMEh9961lDE2dGSsgzZUpgYHB+jOaB7DLgr3B4AjhuovwMzwM3S74/HjkcZ8RDNSQ 3AtbFyDwPRAtYUcH24LcQQ44+afewtC9qZMkoIRUP4hoSEYMD2GVABNhAIugv4OPyZM98QdL3DBLPu V2PH9xAsCW0juNAbgfuB2Vi5jcAZYB/BZGkAGBmrcu/+U+wd25pb/Gkoz77TKMKs3JiMBvHuVixfb2 7n2RzdOzomZt/GFs+jUCy87s3JjCMTJh4C7gbjd3Ti/yf9aN6a/1UnZGb6LSTkeJvRT7gzL0Rzn3vy XA95IX0CqNXN1W2DkGBwTBmRJOOak4rOZYxhx985FdUxZRImxDQhpInxJBjMlFlkjJfNXU7LhTTFRB Wo+lrPQtqSHWWMSKkiZPx9Pc2aJUcWrJ2gNooo03X3rStkSxB5iWn33x4w032vUu1fg0113VDm24wF EBLA+6LfEdhHV1KayJIm61n31PuzHmH689/lzZTrlR6LmccXEmhLaTq7redsWYYu3OS0wGXKMtKjbN mXr21JI6+s5rKlobrq+Qmzeo6E+k1ly/JmygLegzQhZstne3ISs129JsRU/+BYD7KZsXXLgiwLyXS7 bilL2bK/x1+a2o0mTkoL0RUzTciWMj38emldVcotJRRWTMguZxYZE9/Xgy/i19Gl/FJCocWEdDl1Ze wHKto4KYtEASdvSXRS6H+y3AQk0ImgegAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==">
Opening the file in a decent web browser like Firefox reveals an image containing the word ellipse.
Did you honestly think I would follow the exact same route twice? Of course not. Some people had almost had that last page finished; I couldn't give out an advantage to anyone with a search engine at hand. Bah, who am I kidding? This whole thing comes down to who is most apt at searching. Oh well, at the very least, I can make the query esoteric to obfuscate the route.
+++++++++ ++++ ++++ +++[>+++++>+++ ++>+++++>+++ +++++>++ +++>+++++>++ +++>+++++>++ +++>+++++<<<<<<<< <<-]>++++++ ++++++++.> +.>.>.>+++ +.>+.>+++++ +++++++++..> +++++.> ++++++++++.> +++.>+++ ++ +++ ++.
The +
s, >
s, and other visible symbols are clearly a computer program written in the esoteric language brainfuck. Running the program in a suitable interpreter outputs red herring
— which is, of course, an actual red herring. It turns out that the whitespace in the program is significant. The spaces, tabs, and newlines form a program in another esoteric language, aptly named Whitespace, which outputs cricket
.
There are no lows I will not sink to; creating a polyglot between two esoteric programming languages is still quite a ways from the bottom by my mark. In any case, I best start wrapping things up here in a bit lest you begin to mold from boredom.
This is a strange clue, but it can be solved. The words wrapping
and mold
refer to the shell used to hold broken bones, which must be wrappped around the bone: a cast.
The problem with this little contest is that it is far too easy to merely brute force the answer. I have not thus far used any hashes or other long cryptic solutions. That just won't do, not at all. Anyone with a dictionary could be on this page, reading these nocuous words. But which hashing method to pick, and what to hash? If the answer isn't painfully obvious, then I suppose I won't be seeing much more of you, nor you of me: it is a win-win situation.
Which hash function to pick?
relpats_eht says himself that hashes just won't do
, so there isn’t a hash at all. Of all the possible methods, none were used; that’s the answer.
First and foremost, I, like all others, am a lazy liar, I suppose. As such, I will cut this shorter than the last and make this page, the tenth page, the final page. The final page, if this is truly to be the end, what choice do I have but to paradoxically cast all laziness asunder and actually put forth some effort toward its regard? How misfortunate.
How amusing it is, to watch the whining and griping of others, to watch the worry and fear spread across their face. Sadistic humor? Not at all. Merely, it is amusing to view the struggle of one with no clarity of mind. A simple choice, yes or no, what could be less complex? Cast your gaze over the vast fields, or perhaps more appropriately, the fallow garden, that is your knowledge, gauge the results, pick the one that makes sense. Yes or no.
There is that which is under your power and that which is not. The process of living, of carrying out that which is assigned to you, is as simple as scraping away all that is in your reach: to continue to make choices until the question drops from your hand and the results turn to another's. What could be easier? And yet, and yet we worry. We have concern for all which we could once control and most of what we could never. Why put forth such time toward emptiness? Will your hope cause some influx in the world? Can there be found any sound reason in degrading the quality of your own life over that which you can not change? I speak not of that self-defeating utterly nonsensical ideology called fate -- how can one possibly be destined for a future without the arcane powers of clairvoyance? but rather of what is truly within reach and that which is not. It is unspeakably convenient to allow your joints to stiffen, or at least, to allow yourself to believe that they have, but it will not be allowed as an excuse. That I can understand, the subconscious truth that you can change your course of events, or at least have some influence; such a truth would undoubtedly weigh heavy on the mind until the trusses buckle or the weight is pushed cross the bridge. Still, however, the question remains. The greatest weakness of humanity, perhaps, that they cannot be swayed by logic, that reason has no force. To worry, to fear about what could be, what might have been, what is -- why bother? Make the choice and cast aside all else: retain your grasp or let go.
To beg for pity, for sympathy, or to point out some injustice, no matter, no one cares. I retract that, it seems most conversations circulate around some form of aforementioned stupidity. Just what more is it than begging for sympathy? They aren't even crying out in the general direction of those who have the ability to grant mercy, merely putting forth some shameful cry for assistance from the magnifying glass to the ants. Why waste such effort, why would you want others to think anything of you out of pity? Event if this is truly some injustice, an event so rare I have yet to hear it, then what good will whining do. Wouldn't the time be better spent doing all in your power to claw through the dirt until you have the power to alleviate your own suffering? Clearly not. A simple choice, yes or no.
There are no true shades of gray, merely dithered shades composed of black and white. The trouble is the lighting and the distance, they irreparably skew the hue of the final product, to what ends has this brought us?
The last page has not yet been solved.