Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Understanding binary code

[My apologies -- but this article doesn't want to keep its formatting]

Mr. Farmer’s solution of the IKLP long code produced two lines of binary code: line 7 and line 55, which he said combined to form the familiar smiley face (<.

Line 7 solution: 1010-101-11-0 converted to the < symbol.
Line 55 solution: 0010-100-01-0 converted to the ( open parenthesis.

No one on the forum challenged his conversion, and since I had absolutely no knowledge of binary code, I assumed it was correct. In the meantime, I've done some research. The best tutorial on binary code I have found is Translating Binary into Text.

Basically, binary text is read from right to left, not from left to right as we read words or numbers. Each position in the binary has a fixed valued. A 1 in that position means the value is present; and a 0 in that position means it is not. Starting from the right, the first position has a value of 1, the second position a value of 2, the third position a value of 4, the fourth position a value of 8, the fifth position, a value of 16 – and so on, multiplying by two to get each successive value.

01 as binary code represents the decimal 1 because 1 signifies that the value 1 is present, and the 0 signifies that the value 2 is not present. 001 also represents the number 1, as does 0001.

Here are more examples:

  • a) 100 = 4; reading from right to left, the 1 is not present, the 2 is not present, but the 4 is present.
  • 000100 also = 4 – the leading left zeroes are meaningless
  • 100000 = 32; reading from right to left, the 1 is not present, the 2 is not present, the 4 is not present, the 8 is not present, the 16 is not present, the 32 is present
  • 0010 = 2; reading from right to left, the 1 is not present, the 2 is present, and the leading left zeroes are meaningless

Now for more examples, which require adding the present values to determine the conversion:

  • 11011 = 27; reading from right to left, the 1 is present, the 2 is present, the 4 is not present, the 8 is present, the 16 is present, so you add 1+2+8+16=27
  • 110 = 6; reading from right to left, the 1 is not present, the 2 is present, the 4 is present, so you add 2+4=6
  • 010101 = 21; reading from right to left, the 1 is present, the 4 is present, the 16 is present, so you add 1+4+16=21.
  • 10110 = 22; reading from right to left, the 2 is present, the 4 is present, and the 16 is present, so you add 2+4+16=22.

Here is one way of converting decimal to binary. (source)

Example 1: Convert 98 from decimal to binary.

1) Divide 98 by 2, making note of the remainder. Continue dividing quotients by 2, making note of the remainders. Also note the star (*) beside the last remainder.

Division---->Remainder, R
98 / 2 = 49----->R=0
49 / 2 = 24----->R=1
24 / 2 = 12----->R=0
12 / 2 = 6------>R=0
6 / 2 = 3------->R=0
3 / 2 = 1------->R=1
1 / 2 = 0------->R=1*

2) The sequence of remainders going up gives the answer. Starting from 1*, we have 1100010. Therefore, 98 in decimal is 1100010 in binary.

To check your answer, read from the right: 1 is not present, 2 is present, 4 is not present, 8 is not present, 16 is not present, 32 is present, 64 is present. Add 2+32+64=98.

Fortunately, we have converter sites on the internet, where you simply plug your number in and it produces the binary code, or vice versa.

Back to Mr. Farmer’s solution. I went to a couple of these converter sites and plugged in his translation of his binary code solutions for lines 7 and 55. (livephysics, roubaixinteractive, snarkles)

Line 7 solution:
1010-101-11-0 which Mr. Farmer translated to <.

00111100 which, according to the converter sites, is the binary code for <

Reading from right to left, they clearly don’t match up.

Line 55 solution:

0010-100-01-0 which Mr. Farmer translated to the open parenthesis (.

00101000 which is the binary code for the ( according to the converter sites.

Reading from right to left, the codes do not match. The binary code is embedded in Mr. Farmer’s solution, but does that count, since binary code is read from right to left?

Perhaps Mr. Farmer can explain why his solutions don’t match the binary codes produced by the converters.

-------------------------

Checking our work by reversing the process:

The binary code 111100 converts to a decimal value of 60, which is the decimal value for <: reading from right to left, the 1 is not present, the 2 is not present, the 4 is present, the 8 is present, the 16 is present, and the 32 is present. Add 4+8+16+32=60.

The binary code 101000 converts to a decimal value of 40, which is the decimal value for ( open parenthesis: reading from right to left, the 1 is not present, the 2 is not present, the 4 is not present, the 8 is present, the 16 is not present, the 32 is present. Add 8+32=40.

Source for ASCII

Monday, August 4, 2008

When will the games end?

Many of you may have been following the discussion on OPORD Analytical's forum, based on the claims by its owner, Mr. Chris Farmer, to have cracked the IKLP code. For those of you who haven't been, this is a brief background.

IKLP Code & Rhymes

From March 22, 2005 through August 6, 2006, a poster using the handle "I Killed Laci Peterson" posted 544 messages on the Fratpack forum. As is often the case, the handle was shortened to the acronym IKLP when addressed by other members. The 544 messages mostly consisted of rhymes about the Laci Peterson case, presented as "clues" to the identity of the murderer, and taunts and jabs directed at specific members of Fratpack.

IKLP outrightly claimed to be Laci's abductor and murderer, not only by the handle but in the content of many of the rhymes.

The rhymes plainly exonerated Scott Peterson by describing him as the one who took the rap for IKLP. IKLP says the way to commit the perfect crime is to have someone take the blame for it. IKLP also specifically used the word "frame" and said the MPD didn't need to frame Scott because IKLP did such a good job.

The rhymes also gave detail on how the crime went down, all of which eliminates the Medina burglary as a plausible explanation for Laci's abduction:

Laci did not go for a walk that morning
Laci never left her house
Laci opened the door to someone that she was not afraid of
Laci was drinking coffee when she was hit from behind
Laci was gagged and bound

IKLP described Laci as being alive for "days" and taking a pleasant drive with her.

IKLP described Laci as "rolling her eyes" and suggests that she was decapitated so IKLP could continue to look at her face. IKLP says specifically that he only removed Laci's head, which he still has.

Finally, IKLP said emphatically that Laci was never in the Bay and ridiculed the notion of cement anchors.

In the rhymes, IKLP used language suggesting he was a serial killer.

Besides the rhymes, IKLP posted a short code and a long code. The short code, a single line of numbers, he said was a "clue for who remain on my list," and the long code, 7 lines of numbers as well as various arithmetic signs, contained the number needed "if you want to talk."

Reportedly, both codes remained unsolved.

Enter Chris Farmer, OPORD Analytical
Now enter Mr. Chris Farmer, who claims to have cracked the Zodiac codes and identified the Zodiac serial killer. Whether he has or not remains to be seen, as that case is still officially unsolved. You can review Mr. Farmer's works and accolades at OPORD's website. You can also view the forum where he presented his solutions to the IKLP codes.

On November 24, 2007, Mr. Farmer published his solution the short code: EDITE, which is Portugese for Edith.

Farmer said he was simultaneously working on the long code, which he isolated as 69 lines of code, and he published his solution on December 6, 2007: 2 lines of binary code (the 7th and the 55th lines) that made a smilie face. Farmer opined that the IKLP code is a prank.

On December 10, 2007, Farmer decided to take another look at the long code. That’s when he noticed that IKLP ignored the digit in the 100s place. But, it shouldn’t have made any difference in his solution, because he was mimicking IKLP’s process, even if he didn’t know at the time why IKLP did what he did. Over the coming months, there is not activity on this thread.

On April 16, 2008, allegedly after noticing news reports about the "smiley face" serial murders, Farmer again took up interest in the IKLP code and now considers it probably authentic.

On June 28, 2008, Farmer added together the two lines of binary code and added a couple of other processes to derive a 7-digit phone number: 755-1212. Without explaining why, he tacked it onto the 650 area code and produced a phone number belonging to an attorney in Daly City, CA, which is south of San Francisco and north of Redwood City (where Scott's trial took place). Farmer said: "Pretty clever, but solved by one of the top analytical minds in the United States."

Farmer also posted this as his "final comment" on July 16, 2008:

1) I cracked the code submitted by IKLP to the internet.

2) I believe the code is well constructed and created by an individual of higher intelligence.

3) I believe the code points to clues that the author of the code is a lawyer.

However, Farmer continued to work with the code, in combination with some of IKLP's rhymes. He pointed to a solar clock at the Cesar Chavez Park and drew lines from that clock to the two points where the bodies were found. He then superimposed that "azimuth" onto a map of Modesto. On July 19, 2008, Farmer concluded that the “smiley face” solution matched the solar clock. “That is what it was intended for.” He also posted that he is convinced he has “solved this case,” and has “enough evidence now to exonerate Scott.”

He focused on surveyors and said the phone number for a surveryor in Modesto name Daly mirrors the 755-1212 phone number he derived from the code (yes, he shows the process he used). He directed the forum members “to really think hard about whether or not folks saw a surveyor in the neighborhood about the time Laci went missing. IKLP talked about seeing Laci "through the door", her door, so it had to be in a location nearby her residence.”

Of course, the members volunteered information about Nickerson, the building inspector at the Medina's on the morning of the 24th. One member saw an address in the two lines of binary code:

Building Safety
1010 Tenth Street, 3rd Floor
[Directions](209) 577-5232

Since Nickerson was at the Medina’s the morning of the 24th, and worked out of that building, he became a prime suspect. Farmer postulated on how Nickerson was able to get Laci into his vehicle, and that the Medina burglars were patsies setup to take the fall for Laci's abduction, even going so far as to plant evidence to link the Medina burglary to Laci's abduction.

After that, discussion followed multiple paths of inquiry: u4sky (aka Solve) led everyone back to the Albany bulb and Robert Berringer, and theforeigner (skov) tied Nickerson to the Robert Holloway case (chop shop gang).

On July 22, 2008, a member named "Billie" posted an accusation that there was a collusion between skov and Farmer, with Farmer providing the solution that skov already knew he would provide.

Farmer responded by saying it didn't matter if the code was a prank, that it had energized the discussion on the case.

Then on July 24, 2008, Farmer revealed that there is something that he has not yet revealed: "You see, I think two major crimes happened to Laci Peterson, not just her murder. As I look into this further, I will provide you the details. >>> I am working the IKLP code in relation to another line of inquiry. When I complete that research I will post my results for all of you to consider.I strongly believe that we will be able to exonerate Scott Peterson based upon the evidence we are gathering here at OPORD so keep the information coming."

On July 25, 2008, Farmer posted: "What we are dealing with, I believe, is a serial killer that I am from this point forward naming "The Mona Lisa" killer."

The discussion soon centered on Kim McGregor, the video camera that she stole from the Peterson's home on Covena, and the very short clip on the video dated January 19. On July 26, 2008, Farmer opined that McGregor may have turned on Scott when she heard about Amber Frey.

Only July 30, 2008, Farmer promised his completed report would be published in pdf format on the forum. He said it contained "smoking gun" evidence.

He published the 44-page report late Friday, August 1. This is the link.

The report implicates Robert (Rabbit) Berringer, a resident of the Albany Bulb at the time of Laci's disappearance. Citizen Q had already implicated Rabbit in the evidence he sent to Judge Delucchi in January 2004, so it didn't seem reasonable to me that IKLP would go to the trouble to put Berringer's identity in a code that required the best anlytical mind in the country to crack, and then post that code on Fratpack forum.

In addition, Farmer required external data in order to derive the Berringer solution -- data not within the code itself. Where did he get that external data? Off a picture of Berringer.

So, the "solution" to the IKLP codes has taken us from EDITE to the smiley face serial killer gang to the building Inspector Nickerson in connection with the chop shop gang to Robert Berringer.

I wasn't the only one that smelled a rat. Billie, who by the way is decidely on the Guilty side of the fence regarding Scott Peterson, called Farmer out. On August 3, 2008, I made my farewell post on OPORD's forum as a reply to Billie. Both posts have since been deleted. Both our memberships have been deleted, as well as other persons who have questioned Farmer's solutions.

Billie wrote:

What kind of game are you playing Chris. (Does it have a name?) I've noticed the game before. In fact, after a while, I started a word document that I named: "What Chris did is under their nose and they still don't see it - amazing"

Marlene wrote:

I'd also like to know what kind of game you are playing, Chris? Many of us came to this forum because we genuinely hoped you were able to crack the IKLP code, and we've seen nothing but a circus. First one solution, then another, then another, then another, and now still another is forthcoming.

This isn't an internet game, and it's not a reality show. A woman and a baby have been murdered; the husband/father is on death row. Two families have been emotionally and financially devastated. Millions of dollars have been spent, and likely millions more will be.

Many people, myself included, have spent literally thousands of hours trying to find evidence that will prove what we know to be true -- that Scott Peterson is factually innocent.

And you come on the scene, with your self-proclaimed genius, and lead us around like fools.

You have not produced one single thing that can be used in Scott Peterson's defense. If the IKLP code is authentic and does hold the key to solving the mystery of who murdered Laci and Conner, you have contaminated it by showing how easily it can be manipulated to produce the desired result. If that was your purpose, May God have mercy on you.

But rest assured, we will continue our efforts. We have already proven Scott did not murder Laci and Conner. We'll leave it to the Investigators to prove who did.

I'll say goodbye by quoting a Scripture:

"Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness;"

Marlene

Is Farmer on the right track? Is he using a legitimate inquiry process to solve this case?

You be the Judge and the Jury. I have provided you with a brief summary of the events as they transpired, along with my biased interpretation. I have provided the links so you can read for yourself. I always do that. I've never claimed to have secret information, I've never proposed "evidence" without giving the links for anyone interested to thoroughly investigate the accuracy of my interpretations, and I've never claimed the need for superior intelligence to uncover the evidence I have presented. In fact, quite the contrary -- I've repeatedly said anyone can do what I did.

Is there any validity to the IKLP code and rhymes? If there is, and if IKLP is indeed the murderer or someone with inside information, and someone does crack the code, I certainly hope that we don't see it published on a public forum on the internet. The only people who should see such evidence are Scott Peterson's appellate attorneys.