talkmagic.co.uk

I encoded both messages using the same algorithm and key.

Well I think we can safely assume that Talkmagic is the key, so we just need to identify the algorithm used to find the answer...

Ted wrote:The answer will be given on the first of December, either by the winner or myself.
No April fool or other prank. It's actually quite basic encryption. And that's a clue...

By basic encryption, do you mean BASIC or possibly Visual Basic Encryption...

EDIT: I think this was probably encrypted using XOR in VB, the Hex may or may not be required to conversion to binary before running through decryption and of course, as stated, Talkmagic is the cypher?

I am not sure I understood, but I also tried XOR (VB shouldn't really matter and Hex or binary neither). Anyway I'd like to stress that Ted said that the clue is TalkMagic, not talkmagic nor Talkmagic, it could very well be case sensitive.

You guys are getting close.

MiKo wrote:I am not sure I understood, but I also tried XOR (VB shouldn't really matter and Hex or binary neither). Anyway I'd like to stress that Ted said that the clue is TalkMagic, not talkmagic nor Talkmagic, it could very well be case sensitive.

Right VB should not matter but the XOR generally uses binary so the hex string would need to be converted to binary before being run through the XOR decryptor?

So the XOR decryption would be based upon: 11101101101000100010110111001100011100000101001110011000000000000000

However when I try and run it through a decryptor it says the length is too short.

No more secrets!

WAHOO!

Did I win?

Yes. Yes you did. Well done. Your prize will be sent out this weekend. Congratulations!
If you want to explain the solution to all please do so.
And please PM me your address.
T.

Good job! Now I can sleep again

Ted wrote:Yes. Yes you did. Well done. Your prize will be sent out this weekend. Congratulations!
If you want to explain the solution to all please do so.
And please PM me your address.
T.

I allowed my excitement to overcome my logic and got hung up on binary conversion for far too long.

To summarise briefly;

I immediately recognised the "code" as some form of hex.
I saw that all the simple encryptors had been tried so started thinking about more complicated encryptors.
Ted said "basic encryption".
The most basic encryption I have ever used is XOR (eXclusive OR), a substitution algorithm.
Last time I used it was for binary conversion strings so I got side tracked for ages.
Then I compiled the code incorrectly so I entered the encoded string in the encoder rather than the decoder (hence too short).
Realised my mistake, recompiled "TalkMagic" was the cypher and "No more secrets!" is the resulting message.

I have never felt like so much of a geek in all my life! Apart from that time when I was in the cinema watching X-Men and Wolverine complained about the outfits and Cyclops said "What would you rather, yellow spandex?" resulting in me laughing loudly, by myself, as no one else got the joke.

Ted wrote:Yes. Yes you did. Well done. Your prize will be sent out this weekend. Congratulations!
If you want to explain the solution to all please do so.
And please PM me your address.
T.

Yay! Congrats Ant!

May we know what the prize is?

Madelon Hoedt wrote:

Ted wrote:Yes. Yes you did. Well done. Your prize will be sent out this weekend. Congratulations!
If you want to explain the solution to all please do so.
And please PM me your address.
T.

Yay! Congrats Ant!

May we know what the prize is?

I do not know yet.

I have just given my address and been sent the slightly disturbing message that he will "Be in touch."

Are Blacks Ops people coming to my house to abduct/kill/vegetabilise me?

Well done: if you want more material to brag about, you beat a professional discrete mathematician (and btw, I got the joke )

I've properly nerded out and set my celebration on my Facebook status. The sense of achievement I feel is absolutely pathetic.

If anyone other than Tomo in my friends list has the slightest clue what I am on about I will be seriously astounded.