[Discussion] Semiotics Contents: Image/Symbols

[QtheC]

Another possibility is that Steganography is involved. The file LIGATURES.jpg is 198 KB while the file AMALGAMATIONS is only 180 KB.

I ran a program called stegdetect on both and both came back negative, but LIGATURES.jpg reported “Corrupt JPEG data: 7971 extraneous bytes before marker 0xda” … that might mean some information is hidden in the file. I have not paid attention to the OpAphid ARG, so I am not sure if Stegged files have been used before in it.

Any Steg gurus out there?

[QtheC]

If you "sharpen" AMALGAMATION.jpg using a tool like Irfanview, a round symbol with a dot in the center and two legs pops up in the lower right corner - exactly in the same place as the same symbol in the foreground in LIGATURES.jpg

I'm not sure what this means, but it does encourage the idea that one image might be filtered with the other somehow.

I'm thinking they made LIGATURES first, then kept the same background and just placed a new layer on top of it (without removing the symbols from LIGATURES) to create ALMAGAMATIONS.

I doubt there's anything special to be found there, but that's just me. Good luck to those who try.

If that were true, I think all the LIGATURES symbols would pop out with the "sharpen" is applied to AMALGAMATIONS, but that is not the case. I think the images share some layers in common certainly, and am still leaning toward a combination of filtering and layering them to pull out some result.

[Nieriel.Manwathiel]

some things i've noticed in thge 3-symbol pic....



in the upper-right, it almost looks like hair. i don't think this has been pointed out.



2 things; a dot (maybe nuthin) and what looks like a road. survellence? i circled both things.

edit - i was able to make the road more viewable

addition...


in the lower-right, where the skull is, i saw something peculliar; reletively distinct shapes around the skull. i think this may be from a surrealist painting because the quality of the objects do not match the realism of the skull.
behind skull to right (outline resembles a bowling pin): looks almost like a guitar case with a red cross emblem; the name of that type of cross escapes me right now. i circled the large general shape and the symbol on it.
above and to the left of the skull: these look freakishly similar to the playing cards on alice and wonderland; squarish, one seems to have 2 hearts on it, the one on the left looks thinner as if viewed from the side.
object around the skull: looks like (no flames!) a tv or sumthin; i outlined where i saw the "screen" to be.

the skull and the things around it obviously don't match up, so i'm thinking a borrowed pic. didn't crowley do art, or sumthin? perhaps surrealism artists who were influenced by crowley or are somehow linked to him.

should i stop now?

edit; this is very similar to the cross emblem i'm sreeing, except the style i'm thinking of sorta dips in more along the outstreching lines and it more rounded on all four ends and is red. gah; why can't i think of it??



edit-- fine, i'll stop you KNOW you see screenshots in my pics.

[mod edit: fixed broken link to fit the page]

[tiltingwindward]

Something I just have to say, because it has not yet been said on this thread. Never, ever, at any point in this game, has steganography or pictorial analysis lead us anywhere. EVER. Every time we get a picture, we start doing this overanalyzing thing, and steganography comes up, and every time we come to the realization that there's nothing to find. Sometimes, we are even told by OpA that there is nothing there and that steganography is useless. I encourage everyone to analyze the pictures if it makes you happy...but don't expect to find anythink to make the puzzle make sense of all sudden. It's been made pretty clear in this game that steganography is not one of the tools in our toolbox.

On a slightly less ranting note, I just want to say that I am incredibly pleased and proud with the way we all worked together on this puzzle. I've seen posts by the oldest of the old guard and the newest of the new, and they have almost all been relevant and directed toward finding the solution. This is the way we should work puzzles...together. Good job, guys.

[Michelle]

I think everyone is reading too much into this (as usual, haha).

You can pretty much see anything in that image if you try hard enough, or if you're pre-exposed to the idea (think of cloud shapes.. they're just clouds, but if someone says "loook! it looks like a bunny!" suddenly it looks like a bunny).

[Ziola]

You saw a bunny? I didn't see a bunny...

[Lurker]

If you "sharpen" AMALGAMATION.jpg using a tool like Irfanview, a round symbol with a dot in the center and two legs pops up in the lower right corner - exactly in the same place as the same symbol in the foreground in LIGATURES.jpg

I'm not sure what this means, but it does encourage the idea that one image might be filtered with the other somehow.

I'm thinking they made LIGATURES first, then kept the same background and just placed a new layer on top of it (without removing the symbols from LIGATURES) to create ALMAGAMATIONS.

I doubt there's anything special to be found there, but that's just me. Good luck to those who try.

If that were true, I think all the LIGATURES symbols would pop out with the "sharpen" is applied to AMALGAMATIONS, but that is not the case. I think the images share some layers in common certainly, and am still leaning toward a combination of filtering and layering them to pull out some result.

Good point. Perhaps, then, the symbols from LIGATURES are not all on the same layer? I haven't tried picking it apart to find out. You'd know better than I.

If they're not, then maybe they designed AMALGAMATIONS on top of an unfinished LIGATURES. Artists - in my personal experience of knowing one anyway - do tend to keep several "copies" as they progress through to completing a layered image. Maybe after finishing LIGATURES they wanted to do the second one with the same background but the most incomplete copy was one with that symbol already there.

But this is all speculation. I see it as a pretty good possibility (I've seen similar happen), but since we can't know without you guys discovering something or the PM telling us, I'm not going to speculate further. I hate to do it when I know I can't find out for sure.

I think everyone is reading too much into this (as usual, haha).

You can pretty much see anything in that image if you try hard enough, or if you're pre-exposed to the idea (think of cloud shapes.. they're just clouds, but if someone says "loook! it looks like a bunny!" suddenly it looks like a bunny).

Right there with you. I tried telling myself to see different shapes and it worked.

[Ruberic]

*blinks*

Its over already? Wow, good job guys.

Did anything I do actually help this time...or was I totally off once again?

By the way...I agree with tilting. Overviewing this image reminds me of the month long debate that was held on the Warpylol vidoe (is there an image in the back seat???? GOSH what a mess that was).

Good job guys! I only wish I could ever be of some help eventually.



-Ruberic

[PinkoLady]

No, but there definitely is a distinct figure on the bottom right of the corner-- initially I would have thought it was way overthinking, but there's definitely something in that corner if nowhere else. My boyfriend even sees it, and he thinks this stuff is crazy.

The skull especially, is fairly distinct. The white lines that exist in that area, in distinct forms--like a circular one around the skully-- are completely inconsistent with the rest of the picture.

Just because this hasn't been part of the puzzle before, doesn't mean it couldn't be now.

[TheRebirth]

In the picture I see a dog above the m thing. It looks like a doggy to me. I like doggies! I have a dog, her name is Gracie.

[TheRebirth]

Do you see the ear flopped over and the... and the dog like face! Doggy faces are so cute!

[lookyz]

Def. nothin in the pic. I looked mostly for fun (I like to fiddle a bit with images).

They're not layered file types, so can't be pulled apart. There is a faint angelic image over the Theta/Pi in Ligatures (symol covers feet) that looks like it may have been embossed...

but, again, I could see a five dollar bill if I stared at it long enough.

If we were supposed to see something, we would've gotten PSD files with layers.


To me, it feels like "hey, they all like the tachyon theme so much, I bet they'd love some wallpapers"

[TheRebirth]

No!! Somethings growing on the doggy! Its killing the dog!!

[Slappy]

when you emboss the image the top right symbol changes a little, prolly nothin ::shrugs::

[TheRebirth]

Does anyone see the dieing doggy?! I swear he's there! He must mean something! Dogs are mans best friends!