Recommended Posts

* must mean: "Windows Vista Ultimate"

^ Guess the winner of the game will win a free copy of Microsoft Vista Ultimate.

Whilst I think that it's likely a pun on Vista Ultimate, simply recieving that as a grand prize isn't what I'd expect... I see something a million times grander - as many times greater as there are stars in the... or grains of sand on a beach.

I think people shouldn't have hit back at your suggestion as rudely/harshly as they did.

Hey, LaughingSquid got an Acer Ferrari laptop from MS with Vista Ultimate and the Loki letter inside.

Update 3: Microsoft Sent A Free Laptop With Windows Vista

Guess this pretty much cinches the link between this game and MS Vista.

Nice laptop, btw. My hubby bought one last Christmas. Makes a the sound of the car's engine when you turn it on. Mmmmmmmm, nice.

And all he can talk about is Apple. Microsoft should have sent it to someone that deserves it, not someone that is more excited about Leopard. What about Paul Thurott or Mary J Foley - someone that posts about Microsoft.

AND... Does anyone think that it's strange to see that the Seattle, Washington timer runs out just before the Vista launch??? Seattle/Redmond being Microsofts home ground...

Edited by mrmckeb

Hmmm, Interesting - Hey Microsoft can we all have a free laptop ? Or even a copy of Vista Ultimate - Even just email a valid activation key and I'll gladly take time to download a copy. Thanks in advance.

Back to the VanishingPoint.

It could be something extra than just Vista Ultimate - what are the ultimate extras they have been promising, it is likely than less than a thousand have seen them.

Also Microsoft research has been working on a 3d photo viewer that fits nicely with the concepts in this puzzle , the demo is fun but a polished version would be awesome - could that have a connection with this. Microsoft has been very busy and has a lot of new software to present at the moment, it would not have been hard to hide another item from the world with all this activity in house and in public - Any ideas ?

And a big hug to the guys at unFiction its nice to see co-operation amongst peoples for a change - too much rivalry and bitching normally with things like this, given the prize is sure to be big and as it looks anyone who takes a part could win here in some way this is great to see and experience.

Keep it all up its real fun and I just wish I had a box to check out and add to the party, alas I doubt MS know who or where I am even if they can make up puzzles like these finding me would for sure be a big puzzle just now - but good luck - if your feeling lucky 42 /MS send me a prezzie !

Novastart -

I don't think it would just be the photoviewer - but if it was part of a bigger project (Photosynth) or even just a link or clue to solve moving to something else. What if all these clues lead us to some add on extras for Vista, the viewer could be one, but there will for sure be many. Then again may be the winner will see all the places listed and have a photo shoot at them all for inclusion with the program.

I know its unlikely but sometime you just need to think out of the box, there will be people out there listening who are connected to this who may well give us a further nudge in the correct direction if we wander too far away or come kinda close so any comments help do they not.

Just a thought how many have seen Photosynth > not seen a beta anyplace and so why not, if it had there 3d image creation stuff in it it would sure top photoshop and don't forget photoshop cs 3 is due soon they need some publicity (MS) for there image software or it could just be swallowed by all the Vista Hype.

I think Vista here may be a red herring though as its just too simple a thing to head for.

Thoughts

I have a hunch and if I'm right this could be the new cipher...Unfortunately there is no decrypter key for it, I'll start working on it in the morning... but if anyone wants to get a head start...be my guest. Maybe someone will get lucky and find the next page. That would be something...one of my hunches leading us out of what is so far a standstill.

possiblenewcipher.jpg

It might help if you mentioned where you found it.

Here are the ROTs:

ROT-0 rcada-84c2wnue

ROT-1 sdbeb-84d2xovf

ROT-2 tecfc-84e2ypwg

ROT-3 ufdgd-84f2zqxh

ROT-4 vgehe-84g2aryi

ROT-5 whfif-84h2bszj

ROT-6 xigjg-84i2ctak

ROT-7 yjhkh-84j2dubl

ROT-8 zkili-84k2evcm

ROT-9 aljmj-84l2fwdn

ROT-10 bmknk-84m2gxeo

ROT-11 cnlol-84n2hyfp

ROT-12 dompm-84o2izgq

ROT-13 epnqn-84p2jahr

ROT-14 fqoro-84q2kbis

ROT-15 grpsp-84r2lcjt

ROT-16 hsqtq-84s2mdku

ROT-17 itrur-84t2nelv

ROT-18 jusvs-84u2ofmw

ROT-19 kvtwt-84v2pgnx

ROT-20 lwuxu-84w2qhoy

ROT-21 mxvyv-84x2ripz

ROT-22 nywzw-84y2sjqa

ROT-23 ozxax-84z2tkrb

ROT-24 payby-84a2ulsc

ROT-25 qbzcz-84b2vmtd

Edited by konamouse

It might help if you mentioned where you found it.

That's what I was thinking...

...What if all these clues lead us to some add on extras for Vista, the viewer could be one, but there will for sure be many...

Sounds plausible, I also thought about this earlier on. What if Microsoft is going to unveil more about Vista than anyone could ever have imagined? Well, more than we expected.

- Photo/Video applications?

- GUI addons (see Stardocks secret project)?

- Games (we have been told to expect more)?

- A music editing application?

Checking my RSS today, I noticed Mitch Denny has a key. Probably new. http://notgartner.wordpress.com/2006/12/27...0-the-unboxing/

cipherkey4 according to his post (same one inzenity got). But more importantly, he got a laptop. Looks like they are sending them to bloggers.

/me thinks about starting a blog.......

Edited by konamouse

Oh, I got the box from Loki in the mail and had been solving it but got stuck on the sound file until reading this thread.

You got the box with the immortalizeme key? Did you get the same video as the others? Any other details?

Edited by Doug Stockwell

Just had a thought about the picross puzzle (3scap3grav1ty) that was solved. The puzzle is 20 squares across (the same as the original 20x3 message), and the solution is binary so could include a cipher key.

using the first 3 lines of the picross doesn't look so hopeful, but I haven't tried any letter/key rotations on it.

cipher key:

00000000000010000000

01010101100110110110

01111111001100101111

results in:

gvz16c0enym33o6qj-odw;-loe

Just a random thought...

Just had a thought about the picross puzzle (3scap3grav1ty) that was solved. The puzzle is 20 squares across (the same as the original 20x3 message), and the solution is binary so could include a cipher key.

using the first 3 lines of the picross doesn't look so hopeful, but I haven't tried any letter/key rotations on it.

cipher key:

00000000000010000000

01010101100110110110

01111111001100101111

results in:

gvz16c0enym33o6qj-odw;-loe

Just a random thought...

it is too long a word for being a key.. as any 15-letter long word, doesnt result in anything when input to the vanishingpointgame.com site

Just had a thought about the picross puzzle (3scap3grav1ty) that was solved. The puzzle is 20 squares across (the same as the original 20x3 message), and the solution is binary so could include a cipher key.

using the first 3 lines of the picross doesn't look so hopeful, but I haven't tried any letter/key rotations on it.

cipher key:

00000000000010000000

01010101100110110110

01111111001100101111

results in:

gvz16c0enym33o6qj-odw;-loe

Just a random thought...

I did some quick analysis. The only 4 letter or longer word I could find (from a US English dictionary) in that sequence was "edvpdn [bodice] okf", and this was after rot:12, shift:2, num:2, and reversing the string.

So neat to see all the speculating going on in here. But you may not want to overthink this.

There is a definate pattern that has been set up. Puzzle boxes & laptops -> message w/ a cipher key. Solve the cipher, input the key, get a puzzle. Solve the puzzle you get a page of information.

I'm pretty confident that 42 doesn't go off on tangents with their puzzles. Be careful with 'red herrings'.

I have a hunch and if I'm right this could be the new cipher...Unfortunately there is no decrypter key for it, I'll start working on it in the morning... but if anyone wants to get a head start...be my guest. Maybe someone will get lucky and find the next page. That would be something...one of my hunches leading us out of what is so far a standstill.

-- snipped image --

These are simply parts of the cipher which have not yet been used in a key. I think this approach will not work because as we have already seen, some keys do overlap.

Do the laptops have hidden messages in them?

The folks who have reported getting laptops have gotten Loki's letter with the laptop. And then they get a puzzle box with the same letter, the USB card (that has the movie and the cipherkey) according to what we have seen posted so far. I suspect we'll see more of the same show up online over the next week (hence "search" for the tag "vanishingpoint" and we'll find people posting about their new laptops from MS marketing and strange puzzle boxes).

I think the laptops have Vista Ultimate on them.....is that what you mean by a hidden message? :whistle:

dude thats not fair i want a laptop to or something how come frog gets a box and then a laptop?

i am realy jelous. and people from vanishingpoint.com if you read this send me something k ty in adwance :D

Maybe when you learn to spell or not spam it every 2 pages. :rolleyes:

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Glow 26.9 by Razvan Serea Glow provides detailed reporting on every hardware component in your computer, saving you valuable time typically spent searching for CPU, motherboard, RAM, graphics card, and other stats. With Glow, all the information is conveniently presented in one clean interface, allowing you to easily access and review the comprehensive hardware details of your system. Glow provides detailed information on various system aspects, including OS, motherboard, processor, memory, graphics card, storage, network, battery, drivers, and services. The well-organized format ensures easy access to the required information. You can export all the gathered data to a plain text file, facilitating sharing with others for troubleshooting purposes. No installation needed. Just decompress the archive, launch the executable, and access computer-related information. Glow runs on Windows 11 and Windows 10 64-bit versions. Glow 26.9 changelog: New Features The processor hardware detection engine has been significantly enhanced beyond traditional Intel and AMD architectures. Native support is now available for modern platforms such as Apple Silicon (M-Series) and the newly introduced NVIDIA Spark. In addition, all ARM-based processors can now be accurately distinguished between ARM32 and ARM64 architectures, providing precise hardware reporting. This marks a major milestone for Glow's hardware detection capabilities. The RAM manufacturer identification algorithm has been expanded. JEDEC vendor codes for popular brands such as Patriot, PNY, Team Group, GeIL, Lexar (Longsys), and Asgard/Gloway have been integrated into the database. This significantly reduces the likelihood of incorrect or "Unknown Manufacturer" results and improves overall hardware detection accuracy. New Public IP Address and Internet Service Provider (ISP) features have been added to the Network section. To ensure reliability, this information is retrieved from the trusted service ipwho.is. When Hiding Mode is enabled, no requests are sent and these features remain hidden, as they may expose sensitive information. The search engine used in the Installed Drivers, Installed Services, and Installed Applications sections has been enhanced. You can now perform more flexible and accurate searches using initials, partial matches, and loosely arranged character sequences. The TS Preloader loading bar has been rebuilt using our modern TS Custom Controls graphics library, developed entirely in-house. As a result of this infrastructure upgrade, the loading bar now features smooth rendering and rounded corners that align with the visual style of Windows 11. [TS Updater] A new validation algorithm has been added to check whether the target application is currently running before the update process begins. Bug Fixes Resolved a condition that could prevent TS Preloader from shutting down safely during rare application crash scenarios. Fixed a text alignment issue in the Network section affecting the display of DNS addresses. Alignment is now rendered correctly. [TS Updater] Fixed an issue that could prevent the updated application's executable "*.exe" file from being located after the update process. [TS Updater] Fixed a bug that could leave outdated "*.sha256" files in the application directory after an update. [TS Updater] Fixed a rare issue that could cause subfolders to be moved into the root directory after an update. [TS Updater] Fixed an issue during the first launch that could cause flickering and a temporary white window appearance due to Windows Defender interactions. Changes A small improvement has been made to the internet connectivity detection algorithm. Connectivity checks are now performed in the background with minimal impact on the user interface thread. The keyboard shortcuts in the top menu have been reorganized and simplified to provide a consistent experience across all Türkaysoft applications and to avoid potential conflicts with standard Windows shortcuts. The TS Preloader splash image has been updated with a Türkiye-themed stadium design to celebrate Türkiye's qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup—its first appearance in 24 years. Congratulations, Türkiye! The TS Custom Controls module has been updated to version 26.6, delivering improved stability and a more polished visual appearance. [TS Updater] The application icon has been redesigned to provide a more modern and refined look. Note: Always unzip the program before using it. Otherwise you may get an error. Download: Glow 26.9 | 1.8 MB (Open Source) Links: Glow Homepage | Screenshot | Github Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • DWARF mini review: the world's smallest smart telescope for night and day sky captures by Steven Parker DWARFLAB reached out to me asking if I was interested in checking out the DWARF mini, which is a portable astronomy telescope designed for amateur astronomers. Why do I say it's for amateurs? Well, for starters, it's not what you'd call "high end"; it's more of a professional-grade starting point for amateurs serious about capturing what's up there in our night and day skies. A typical amateur astronomer is most likely thousands of dollars deep into the hobby, and I will make no claims that this DWARF mini (at a fraction of the cost) could replace it all, okay? Well, if you read on, it will be clearer what I am trying to convey. Disclosure: DWARFLAB provided a free sample without any editorial input or review pre-approval. I have always been interested in looking up and observing the night sky. I see satellites crossing the sky above my garden most nights, and I am always looking at the moon. Yeah, I have a 200MP camera on my phone, but at 200X zoom, AI takes over and makes the pretty moon pictures that I snap, the DWARF mini does not, you get an actual true picture of what you can barely see with the naked eye. Before we start, let's share the highlights of the DWARF mini in bite-sized format: Pocket-Sized & Ultra-Lightweight Weighing just 1.85 lbs (840g), the DWARF mini easily fits into a backpack or large pocket. Its all-in-one, compact design makes it the ultimate grab-and-go digital telescope for hiking, camping, or traveling to dark-sky locations. Intuitive App Control & Built-in Sky Atlas Go from unboxing to your first shot in just 3 minutes! The DWARFLAB App provides a seamless experience with an interactive star map. Simply select your target and start exploring without the steep learning curve of traditional setups. Auto GOTO & 360° Pivot Freedom Enjoy pinpoint automated tracking with full 360° rotation. Powered by a high-sensitivity Sony IMX662 sensor (1/2.8-inch, 2.9μm pixels), it captures amazing, low-noise astro details, bringing faint nebulas and star clusters to life with stunning clarity. Pro-Level EQ Mode & Long Exposure Unlock advanced deep-space imaging with Equatorial (EQ) Mode. Supporting impressive single-frame exposures up to 90 seconds and featuring built-in light pollution filters, it easily cuts through city glow to reveal intricate celestial structures. Smart Cloud Processing & All-Ages Fun Effortlessly enhance your raw data with integrated cloud processing for professional-grade results. Perfect for beginners, kids, and adults, this telescope makes exploring and sharing the wonders of the universe an exciting, family-friendly adventure. The packaging is a pretty minimal affair with the outer box opening like a flap to reveal the plastic mould of the DWARF mini sitting in it. Below, the Sun filter, charging cable, cleaning cloth, and documentation can be found. DWARFLAB also provided a Mini Hydraulic Tripod ($89.99), and I highly recommend getting it if you plan on purchasing the DWARF mini, as it fully supports the motorized tracking feature of the telescope; plus, at 840g, the weight of the telescope, you will need a tripod that supports more than the weight of a smartphone anyway. What's in the box DWARF Mini Smart Telescope × 1 Sun Filter x 1 Type-C to Type-C Cord x 1 Cleaning Cloth x 1 User Guide With that out of the way, here are the full specs: DWARF mini Dimensions (DWH): 60.70 mm x 100.38 × 183.61 (2.39" x 3.95" x 7.23") Weight: 840g (1.85lbs) Aperture diameter: 30 mm (telephoto), 3.4 mm (wide angle) Image Sensor: SONY IMX662 1/2.8" (Telephoto) OmniVision OS02K10 1/2.8" (Wide-angle) Focal length: 150 mm (telephoto), 6.7 mm (wide-angle) Equivalent focal length: 1016 mm (telephoto), 45 mm (wide-angle) Shutter Speed: Tele - 1/10000-90s, Wide - 1/10000-30s Maximum exposure time: 90s (telephoto & wide-angle), Both in EQ mode Rotation range: Lens: 225°, Base: 360° Effective Pixels: 2.07M Maximum Resolution: 1920 × 1080 (Telephoto & Wide-angle) Built-in filters: Astro, Dark, Duo-Band (Telephoto), Astro (Wide-angle) Output: JPG, FITS, TIFF, MP4 Shooting Mode: Photos, Videos, Astronomy, Burst Shooting, Time-lapse Photography Storage: 64 GB Battery: Built-in 7000 mAh, supports external USB charging Charging Port: Type-C NPU: 1 TOPS Features: WiFi, NFC NFC One-Touch Connection Astronomy Post-Processing/Appointment Shooting/Astronomy Mosaic Wi-Fi Transmission Range: 15m (open environment) Color: Black Compatibility: iOS & Android smartphones/tablets Warranty: 2-years (24-months) MSRP: $399 Design Charge port On/off button Lens On the DWARF mini itself, it is a pretty minimal affair. On one side, there is a Type-C USB port to charge the non-removable 7000 mAh battery, and on the other side, a large button to power on or off the telescope. The button is flanked by an LED that is green when connected via the DWARFLAB app, or lights up red when being powered off. Below the button, there are four LEDs that indicate battery power. The DWARF mini does not have any sharp edges as all sides are rounded off; it has a good heft to it, but the weight of it feels quite balanced in the hand, so it isn't top or bottom-heavy. On the front there is the DWARFLAB logo which is quite small and there are no other markings on it. The tripod offers full 360° rotation of the motorized base, which allows for tracking for the time-lapse mode, but also for the 90-second captures of nearer objects in the sky, such as the Sun or the moon. Usage To get started, simply power on the DWARF mini and open the DWARFLAB app, tap on Connect, and it will scan for the DWARF mini over the Wi-Fi network. The device supports both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, as well as Bluetooth for discovery, so connection issues were minimal in my experience with it. As previously noted in the specs, the DWARF mini will stay connected with a phone or tablet up to 15 meters in an open environment, such as a backyard. Lighting status Powering on: The green circular light will rotate and breathe in turn Powering off: The red circular light is gradually extinguished Connecting: Green light strip rotating Connected: Green light strip solid/always on 4 lights 1= 0-25%, 2= 25-50%, 3= 50-75%, 4= 75-100% battery power To view the full lighting status, such as tracking mode and connection failure, you can check the user guide on the official DWARFLAB page. DWARFLAB app Above, you can see the steps undertaken to connect the DWARFLAB app to my Galaxy S26 Ultra. Weirdly, I got an alert that a firmware update failed to get uploaded to the DWARF mini the first time, but upon retrying, it worked. Then place the DWARF mini outside, make sure your smartphone or tablet is connected to it, and then head back inside, because you can manage it from the comfort of your home. Simply enter the Atlas tab in the app and search for what you want to capture, and then tap on the camera icon; the DWARF mini will then attempt to track the object and give you a live view right on your connected device. Results I've had the DWARF mini since April, but even though my garden is south-facing, I had a lot of trouble trying to capture a good image of the moon. In the end, it was possible after I took it with me on a trip to my parents in Southend, UK, at the end of May. Here is a capture of the moon, resulting from 20 stacked images over a 90-second exposure. What you are seeing here is not AI-assisted. A good example of what I mean is the latest flagships with their 200MP cameras claiming to capture things like closeups of the moon, and while they are not as good as the above example on the DWARF mini, the resulting image on smartphones is actually AI-assisted above 30X zoom. Here is an example of a similar shot at the moon at 200X zoom using an HONOR Magic8 Pro. The difference is clear. Next, here we have a shot of the daytime moon. Here is a shot of Arcturus, the red giant star, which is the fourth brightest in the night sky. As previously mentioned, it could be a bit clearer, but clouds passing in front of it muddied the shot a bit. The Sun The DWARF mini also ships with a sun filter, meaning you can take great shots of the sun as well. Tracking Sun Resulting (stacked) shot Live zoom The pictures themselves are limited to Full HD, and some of the examples actually came out in HD (1280x720), but this is because the standard telescopic result is in 720p while "Wide" is in 1080p. Above you can see how in the app the Sun is tracked, the resulting capture, and Live zoom. I have only scratched the surface of what is possible with this telescope; I found several examples online of shots of the Milky Way, among others, such as nebulae and galaxies. All of this requires patience and knowledge, although if you know what you are looking for, simply enter it in the Atlas tab in the DWARFLAB app, tap the camera icon, and the telescope will attempt to track it. Conclusion The good The DWARF mini definitely places itself in a price point that makes astrology accessible to anyone looking to get started in the hobby. Say you want to have a closer look at the moon, simply enter it in the Atlas, and the Live view also lets you zoom in and snap pictures. The bad Some issues I came across while operating the DWARF mini were that it sometimes failed to connect unless I held my smartphone right next to it, and finding and tracking sometimes took several attempts to get it calibrated. I discovered that it helped if I sort of positioned and pointed the telescope in the general area it was supposed to detect, but this obviously wouldn't work with objects you can't see with the naked eye; more testing is required for that. Another bit of advice is to ensure that the lens is clean. While making the examples of live zooming on the sun, I discovered that the telescope lens and sun filter were not completely clean, and only after cleaning with a microfiber cloth was I able to get a decent shot of the sun. Where to buy and a coupon Okay, $399 is not cheap for a side hobby, but nor is a $1,500 smartphone flagship that you'll most likely have for a couple of years. This is a one-time entrance into astrology, and it won't become obsolete in one year like a smartphone. It's a thumbs up from me. The DWARF mini is available to buy right now in the U.S. and U.K. at the links below. DWARF mini for $399 on the official site DWARF mini for $399 on Amazon U.S. Use the NEOWIN5OFF coupon code for an additional 5% off at checkout (expires June 21) As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Adobe Acrobat Reader Dis Continued
    • The name, you mean? If so, it's actually the objects common name. There's another one called NGC 7293 which is also known as Helix Nebula (because we're looking at a helix structure top down) but other times also known as the Eye of God. You'll understand when you see it
    • Welcome to Neowin! Enjoy your stay!
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Month Later
      lamborghiniv10 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      lamborghiniv10 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Reacting Well
      X-No-file earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • One Month Later
      pestcontrol46 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      pestcontrol46 earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      505
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      272
    3. 3
      Skyfrog
      75
    4. 4
      +Edouard
      71
    5. 5
      FloatingFatMan
      69
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!