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xie posted:I honestly think I do a poor job of explaining it over the internet. Describing this stuff isn't my forte, and I openly admit that the vast majority of the solve was done by someone else. And ignore the post where he broke his wrist trying to dig with a shovel.
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Feb 15, 2015 09:30
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Deteriorata posted:Urban Smurf appears to be deliberately trolling at this point. He may have been serious about some of his insane ideas at some point, but he's gradually turned into a parody of himself as a joke. Unfortunately, he's not really trying any more. His latest posts have nowhere near the insane greatness of his earlier stuff. I thought the insurgent responses to my activities were more the spectacle. Eventually we might see how many trolls it takes to change a light bulb. I shared the Hitchcock poster of the Birds for a few reasons. Its accessible enough as a pop cultural reference and almost fits with a bird placed in the same general area of the picture and in the similar flight pose. How that might lead us closer to a location isnt clear, but it might be interesting to assume image 12 goes with verse 9 and then take a look at the "first chapter" of the book the film is based on. We know from the LotJ that the frozen fire topaz is the Russian prize. The topaz being image 12 as some vague adaptation of a Hitchcock work might compel someone familiar with his work to consider that he also directed a film titled Topaz. Topaz is based on a Leon Uris novel about French and Russian spy poo poo in the Cuban Missile/Bay of Pigs era. Id like to think the LotJ hints put us in some strange context and "frozen fire" seems fitting to the subject of a Cold War or a conflict in escalation. This is probably not how the Secret is designed, but its a difficult problem to tackle knowing whether or not to subject our investigations to pop-culture film, or obscurish books and whatnot for punishingly vague gleanings. Remember though that this book is set in 1982 and there's bound to be unexpected intellectual leaps yet to be taken. There are times we consider the implications of Ayn Rand or Herman Melville, so why not Hitchcock or whatever we might wonder in terms of guessing what Byron Preiss had in mind?
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Feb 15, 2015 16:10
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Deteriorata posted:Urban Smurf appears to be deliberately trolling at this point. He may have been serious about some of his insane ideas at some point, but he's gradually turned into a parody of himself as a joke. Unfortunately, he's not really trying any more. His latest posts have nowhere near the insane greatness of his earlier stuff. Jeez, let the artist work. Was Jackson Pollock trolling when he painted a Soup Can on the Sistine Chapel?
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Feb 15, 2015 16:17
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ExtraNoise posted:Spitballing some ideas for Image 1 being related to Portland instead of San Francisco. I'm not convinced, but there might be something here. I found another picture of the fountain you were suggesting, still not a great angle, but it's something:  And I believe this is on the other side of the wall that the fountain is on:  Seems like an interesting theory, for certain. There's definitely a lot there to connect the image to Portland. There is also a statue of Abraham Lincoln facing North in the South Park Blocks. I know it's been suggested that his profile is outlined in the rocks of image 1. Also, more similarities in tiles used around the park.  I also stumbled upon this while looking through Block Park images, and thought it resembled the hairline, but I think I need a crazy check.  Edit: Just realized the last image is "In the Shadow of the Elm" which was installed 1984, drat. BothSides fucked around with this message at 21:29 on Feb 22, 2015 |
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Feb 22, 2015 21:22
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gas this gbs 1.0 thread. gay broken wrist fag can open a new one when he actually digs something.
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Feb 22, 2015 21:25
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leaving this thread open is better because people who care about forums coolness to a real degree keep coming in here and it's hilarious.
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Feb 23, 2015 14:12
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I haven't got time to read all the pages I missed in this topic, so someone pls tell me: (1) Have any unequivocal leads been found? (2) Did anyone have a brain embolism trying?
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Feb 23, 2015 15:39
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yes, when the 97 inches of snow on the ground melts i have permission to dig in a very promising spot in boston. no guarantees but a ~poo poo ton~ lines up and i'm pretty confident. on every other puzzle: no, not a thing.
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Feb 23, 2015 15:41
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BigBadSteve posted:I haven't got time to read all the pages I missed in this topic, so someone pls tell me: (1) Have any unequivocal leads been found? (2) Did anyone have a brain embolism trying? Even the bad leads are fun to read about, you should catch up.
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Feb 23, 2015 15:49
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xie posted:leaving this thread open is better because people who care about forums coolness to a real degree keep coming in here and it's hilarious. Yeah it'll stay open and as a reminder it's still a no-shitposting zone
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Feb 23, 2015 17:01
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Plafop posted:gas this gbs 1.0 thread. gay broken wrist fag can open a new one when he actually digs something. (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Feb 23, 2015 17:15
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gnarlyhotep posted:Yeah it'll stay open and as a reminder it's still a no-shitposting zone 
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Feb 23, 2015 17:45
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MassaShowtime posted:I'm pretty sure the Montreal one is somewhere in Fletcher's Field or at the base of Mount Royal if its paired with Verse 2. The image has the Montreal Flower in it, refers to Pie IX station (the square with PX1), and if you count that to the end of the green line (21 stops) you get off basically at Mount Royal. The Mount Stephen club has the same weird statue as on the pope dude as well which is right outside the same station. The three stand watch could refer to the three peaks, and the sound of friends in the afternoon would be the tam tam players that surround the George Etienne Cartier statue. The palace could refer to the Crystal Palace that was in Fletcher's Field. I just can't figure out what the gnomes and fays are about but its been a while since I've been there. When i get to Montreal later this year i will be sure to look for it using your info. This is a very VERY good possibility given the info we have so far.
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Feb 23, 2015 18:47
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I just noticed that all the women in these paintings are total "woulds." Hope that helps. Also, I don't know if the dragon on that wall really matches, it's all about the mouth and like you said it's hard to see from that angle. Lately I've been baffling over why the dragon is made of squares. Could it be the squares in this gate, known as "Dragon Gate" in SF? I'm SURE I'm the first one to suggest this, my research and deductions are so mind-bogglingly great https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=e...ed=0CJUBEKIqMA4 Drunk Nerds fucked around with this message at 20:03 on Feb 23, 2015 |
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Feb 23, 2015 19:44
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BigBadSteve posted:I haven't got time to read all the pages I missed in this topic, so someone pls tell me: (1) Have any unequivocal leads been found? (2) Did anyone have a brain embolism trying? While it might not be an embolism, I think it's safe to assume that Urban Smurf has some sort of brain injury.
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Feb 24, 2015 08:28
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Mnemosyne posted:While it might not be an embolism, I think it's safe to assume that Urban Smurf has some sort of brain injury. So are you back or are you still calling it quits on this hunt?
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Feb 24, 2015 14:39
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Urban Smurf posted:So are you back or are you still calling it quits on this hunt? I moved to the opposite side of the county since this thread started, so I'm no longer near any of the locations, unfortunately.
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Feb 26, 2015 08:17
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I'd like to think you're secretly pursuing my Vancouver B.C. or San Juan Island theories.
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Feb 26, 2015 15:42
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Urban Smurf posted:I'd like to think you're secretly pursuing my Vancouver B.C. or San Juan Island theories. I don't think anyone is pursuing your theories but you.
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Feb 26, 2015 15:49
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Urban Smurf posted:I'd like to think you're secretly pursuing my Vancouver B.C. or San Juan Island theories. I liked the San Juan island one. Vancouver not so much. Mnemosyne posted:I moved to the opposite side of the county since this thread started, so I'm no longer near any of the locations, unfortunately. We might be the last 2 people on the site who have original tiny avs from 2002.
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Feb 26, 2015 16:06
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I really want verse 7's "giant pole" to be the 60-foot totem pole outside the cliff house in san francisco. Mark Twain wrote a story about Cliff House. Because then we're just a giant step away. I think the direction of the step has to do with "education and Justice for all to see,," as in you can see something education and something justice related from the dig spot. But I can't find a single other piece of evidence in the picture or verse. Here's as photo of the pole from the prime year of 1983 jlw~~60_57.JPG)
Drunk Nerds fucked around with this message at 17:17 on Feb 26, 2015 |
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Feb 26, 2015 17:12
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Frustratingly, The Chinese Pavilion at Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park has A TON of matches, but no giant pole!
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Feb 26, 2015 17:32
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Has anyone excavated the spot that these stairs lead up to? https://www.flickr.com/photos/31515168@N00/15594963196/ It seems so obvious someone must have done it already. The giant pole (railing) and giant step (staircase) lead up to that patch of rocks and dirt. The railing end looks a lot like the rose base in the image, and the whole thing is near stow lake. Someone has to have done this before. And for the winding staircase that leads from the chinese garden (this image has a chinese theme) to Huntington Falls (which has been depicted in the artwork). Where can I find information regarding those people who requested and got approval to dig in GGP? Edit: Dude I'm feeling it. The excitement of knowing that it HAS to be here, somewhere between strawberry hill and the Japanese tea gardens. Even though people have sleuthed that out a hundred times before me, it's still a rush. I want better pics of the top of that Huntington falls staircase, so I'm going to ask my dozens of SF buddies to do it. Now to read this 65 page Q4T thread. Drunk Nerds fucked around with this message at 18:41 on Feb 26, 2015 |
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Feb 26, 2015 17:36
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DNz, The totem pole can be a good fit in terms of the general feel of the hunt with all the Native Indian content. I dont see specifically why that pole makes sense for the Chinese dragon or pearl aspect, but if you have a strong sense about the area, maybe theres a chance. Keep wrestling with it. Good luck.
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Feb 26, 2015 21:19
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Urban Smurf posted:I'd like to think you're secretly pursuing my Vancouver B.C. or San Juan Island theories. Heh, I'm in a dead zone as far as casks are concerned. San Francisco is about the closest, and even that's 400+ miles away. Unfortunately, I think because SF is so dense and has changed so much over time that it's going to require someone who lives there and is really familiar with the city. On top of that, all my mystery-solving time has been routed to another project; I'm trying to figure out who my unknown father is using nothing but the results of a couple DNA tests. It's time consuming and doesn't leave much room for working on other stuff like this. I keep thinking I should make an ask/tell thread about it, but I'm not sure I have time to do the thread justice. BigFactory posted:We might be the last 2 people on the site who have original tiny avs from 2002. 
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Feb 26, 2015 22:15
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Mnemosyne posted:Heh, I'm in a dead zone as far as casks are concerned. San Francisco is about the closest, and even that's 400+ miles away. Unfortunately, I think because SF is so dense and has changed so much over time that it's going to require someone who lives there and is really familiar with the city. That sounds really interesting!
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Feb 26, 2015 22:20
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Easy, your father is Byron Preiss.
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Feb 27, 2015 01:31
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xie posted:Easy, your father is Byron Preiss. I wouldn't complain about that.
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Feb 27, 2015 02:24
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Mnemosyne posted:On top of that, all my mystery-solving time has been routed to another project; I'm trying to figure out who my unknown father is using nothing but the results of a couple DNA tests. It's time consuming and doesn't leave much room for working on other stuff like this. I keep thinking I should make an ask/tell thread about it, but I'm not sure I have time to do the thread justice. Did your dad leave any puzzles?
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Feb 27, 2015 02:26
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Concerned Citizen posted:Did your dad leave any puzzles? If he did, my mother hasn't told me about them. I'm not 100% sure she knows who he is, though.
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Feb 27, 2015 05:42
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Mnemosyne posted:If he did, my mother hasn't told me about them. It's urban smurf.
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Feb 27, 2015 06:07
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Mnemosyne posted:If he did, my mother hasn't told me about them. Huh, do you think there enough for an A/T thread on this? (not a slight) I got a DNA test myself a while back, turned out I was part Irish. Whoops, I have to hit the parades now. --- The Secret - 2015 edition. Would be pretty cool if Xie snags something before we hit the two year mark.
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Mar 2, 2015 03:27
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I don't have access to the other forum where this stuff is discussed. Is there any progress being made over there or has this whole thing pretty much stalled out?
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Mar 7, 2015 19:42
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BeardMilk posted:I don't have access to the other forum where this stuff is discussed. Is there any progress being made over there or has this whole thing pretty much stalled out? Yeah, things stalled out back in 1983.
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Mar 7, 2015 19:52
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Urban Smurf posted:Yeah, things stalled out back in 1983. Urban can you be more specific with graphs and charts? To add to the thread have the cities all been 100% figured out or is there some controversy on cities. I feel there should be one found in Los Angeles since we are pretty much the entertainment city and he was trying to promote his book.
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Mar 7, 2015 20:15
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Tony Homo posted:Urban can you be more specific with graphs and charts? While I'm pretty sure you're just here to stump for votes in the worst poster of the year thread, I'll bite. Maybe it will rekindle some interest with others. The two solved images contain numbers corresponding with the latitude and longitude of the city in which they have been found. That's the basic clue that most of the unsolved images also seem to contain. In the images where they are no numbers (Image 10, for example), there is strong evidence of the city within the picture (The Milwaukee rebus and the statue of liberty face/map of Manhattan). Obviously, each image has additional corroborating evidence as well, and what I've added below is far from complete. Here's the List: Image 1, San Francisco - The woman has both a 37 and a 38 in her hair and Roman numerals 1, 2, 2 and 1, 2, 3 on her dress. San Francisco is 37.7833° N, 122.4167°W. Other supporting evidence include the front of her dress that matches the outline of Golden Gate Park (sans panhandle, as was nitpicked earlier in the thread), the reverse "G" and "h" that match the Ghirardelli factory, etc. Image 2, Charleston - The lion has a 79, and 80, a 32 and a 33. Charleston is 32.7833° N, 79.9333° W Interestingly, it looks like the 2 is actually upside down when you look at it. This is only important when comparing the technique to the other images. This one is definitely Charleston, of course, because of the exact map image of Charleston Harbor in the mask. There's what may or may not be a crude South Carolina in the tree branch, but that's irrelevant since we know the map is Charleston Harbor. Image 3, Roanoke - No obvious numbers. Roanoke is 37.2667° N, 79.9333° W. I've seen some attempts so shoehorn a match with some of the cracks in the walls, but the numbers don't matter because there is a definite map match of Roanoke Island, the "land near the windows" in Verse 11. Image 4, Cleveland - FOUND - The image contains the stylized "dates" 1442 and 1881. Cleveland is 41.4822° N, 81.6697° W. Also has the outline of the state of Ohio. Image 5, Chicago - FOUND - The windmill contains different variations and reverse versions of 87 and 41. Maybe an 88 and a 42. Chicago is 41.8369° N, 87.6847° W. Also has the reversed outline of the State of Illinois. Image 6, St. Augustine - The image contains a very distinct 2 in the rock.. The 8 next to it is admittedly not as sharp, but it's there. Some theorize that if you play around with it you can use the 2 and flip it so the 2 is used in both the 82 and a 29. Not sure. St. Augustine is 29.8947° N, 81.3144° W. Also, there's the Ponce on the horse on the top Combined with verse 9, which contains the SELOY acrostic and various other words that appear verbatim in specific order on historical markers at the Fountain of Youth Park ("The First Chapter" on the entrance, "Wind Rose", "Shell", "Limestone", "Silver" and "Salt".) The negative space has also proposed as an outline of the state of Florida. Image 7, New Orleans - The clock shows the numbers 19, 29 and 90. New Orleans is 29.9500° N, 90.0667° W. Again notice that Preiss gives us 19, which can be swapped to make 91, providing us with 91/92. Hunters were expected to be using atlases, not internet GPS to the ten-thousandth's decimal. Also, there's the Preservation Hall hangle with the "Preservation" on the clock, and I'm personally convinced that when you put all that together, the boy on the clock is undoubtedly the McDonnough monument in New Orleans. Image 8, Houston - In the leaves of the tree, the 95 and 96 and 30 are very obvious The 29, not so much, but the 2 is pretty distinct. Houston is 29.7604° N, 95.3698° W. Image 9, Montreal - The badge above the legeater contains a 7 and what could be interpreted as a backwards 4. There is a 73 in his hair. The flower can be interpreted a couple ways but it seems to be variations of 4, 6 and 7. It also looks very similar to the Expo 67 logo. Montreal is 45.5017° N, 73.5673° W. Also theres a map of Quebec in his gown. I personally think the left side of his collar (our left) looks like the tip of a maple leaf, also representing Canada. Also, the gold square the legeater is within seems to represent Montreal's Golden Square Mile neighborhood, within which the actual legeater lamp post resides. Also, Preiss definitively said there is treasure in Canada. Image 10 - Milwaukee - No numbers. The woman is juggling a mill stone, a walking cane, and a key, making the rebus "Mill-Walk-Key". The building in the background is a polaroid match™ for Milwaukee City Hall. Image 11 - Boston - Her bracelet contains a two and a four. Some of the cracks in the stone could be a 4. She appears to have a 70 in her sleeve, but that gets a more lukewarm reception around here. There are also the numbers next to the flower that have various interpretations but can be interpreted as a 72 if you flip it. Very similar looking to the way it is done in Image 2. Boston is 42.3601° N, 71.0589°. Image 12 - New York - No real obvious numbers. Some aren't as convinced as others, but the face is a match for the Statue of Liberty, right down to the match of the shadow with many of the iconic photos of the Statue of Liberty. Her dress is a flipped outline of the island of Manhattan with the droplets presumably representing the smaller islands around Manhattan. The bird's head has been matched to the sculptures on the Ferry Building on Ellis Island. Some people have divined a 74 in the water and other numbers. New York is 40.7127° N, 74.0059° W.
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Mar 8, 2015 00:45
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Tony Homo posted:Urban can you be more specific with graphs and charts?
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Mar 8, 2015 04:57
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bonestructure posted:Goddamnit, Urban Smurf, I am going to take my boat out to loving Lighthouse Island at Cape Romain just to hush you up about this lunacy. And do you know why I will be taking a boat? Because Lighthouse Island isn't accessible any other way. There is no bridge, no ferry, it can only be reached by private boat. This is a small, isolated, obscure island most people couldn't even get to and you seriously think Preiss buried a cask there? When can we expect you to boat over to Cape Romain? I have an improvement to my theory for the Charleston area location. A slave named Telemaque won a $1500 city lottery and bought his freedom in November of 1799. He assumed a new name: Denmark Vesey. Over the next 22 years he encouraged slaves to rise up against their masters and as a result of the slave revolt in 1822 a large scale repatriation of freed slaves left SC for a settlement in Africa, later founded in 1847 as the Republic of Liberia. Edward Wilmot Blyden lived and taught in Liberia from 1851 to around 1887. Blyden ran for the office of President in Liberia in 1885 but lost to Hailey Johnson. Shortly after the loss he traveled and according to Abroad in America he arrived in Charleston where the locals were excited to hear news of many relatives who a dozen or more years prior had won their freedom and repatriated to Liberia. Blyden had two children, Edwin and Edwina. On May 13th, 1913, William Tolbert Jr. Was born. His grandparents were among those who originally emigrated from SC in the 1822. Tolbert later became president of Liberia. He was killed in a coup d'etat in 1980 by his his successor Samuel Doe. This sounds like a dry summary of history, but it supplies quite a bit of context relating to slavery in SC and the outcome. We tend to jump to the Civil War as the apex of the topic and forget about the efforts of the slaves themselves and repatriation solution so they could be truly free and govern themselves in the country of their cultural origin. Let me now address the moth wings in image 2. Polyphemus is the moth type. Polyphemus was the name of the cyclops blinded by Odysseus. Remember the name of that slave who gained freedom at the turn of the century? The first four sections of the Odyssey are known as the Telemachy. Telemaque... i think this connection to the Greek tale of Odysseus is important in characterizing the goal of landing on the distant shores of Cape Romain and finding the lighthouse which had its light or "seeing eye" removed.
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Mar 8, 2015 17:39
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Urban Smurf posted:When can we expect you to boat over to Cape Romain? http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1k8craCGpgs
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Mar 8, 2015 17:46
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So here's where I'm at with San Francisco. I think I miiiiiiiiight have made a tiny bit of headway. Been on Google street view all day, and my SF friends say they'll take some pics (I'd say there's like a 75% chance of them flaking.) Pic 1:  Verse 7: At stone wall's door The air smells sweet Not far away High posts are three Education and Justice For all to see Sounds from the sky Near ace is high Running north, but first across In jewel's direction Is an object Of Twain's attention Giant pole Giant step To the place The casque is kept. I think it's right here, on top of Strawberry Hill in GGP:  In the doorway. I think the doorway corresponds to both the pic in the image (the bars are actually the columns on the opposite side, as seen through the door), and "at stone wall's door" Evidence: Picture: The image is from Sweeney Observatory on Strawberry hill, which has a waterfall which flows past the Chinese gazebo into stow lake. It's quite near the Chinese gazebo, the nearest landmark down the hill. Chinese theme for the image. The rocks of the waterfall that comes off this hill resemble the rocks around the lady's head (not so much according to Google street view, but I spent many days near this waterfall as a child, and I recall the rocks being more rounded at the top, like in the image) The blue bird-like shape to the left of her head is a blue heron, Stow lake has blue herons. The 10 orbs in the sky are a nod to the Sweeney Observatory To get to the top of strawberry hill, one must take a staircase that has a winding green railing, which is kind of reminiscent of the curves of the dragon (a stretch, sure, don't crucify me) The coordinate of SF are hidden in her curly locks GGP somewhat matches the rectangular shape of her frock The swirl on the rose stem matches a nearby railing (frankly I find the railing to be too far away for such a slight clue, but w/e, I'm just spitballing) Gh is Great highway, which was not capitalized on maps in the early 1980s. The Verse: At stone wall's door [refers to the arched doorway depicted in the ruins of the observatory, and in the image ] The air smells sweet [Strawberry hill had strawberries ALL OVER up until a few decades ago] Not far away High posts are three [Sutro tower is visible from this point] Education and Justice For all to see [I don't know, but there's a lot to see from the top of Strawberry Hill] Sounds from the sky [dunno] Near ace is high [Highway one cuts through GGP and all but abuts strawberry hill] Running north, but first across [The point where Highway 1 crosses the park is near the hill. Although it turns north-south to cross, so idk] In jewel's direction Is an object Of Twain's attention [gently caress this clue in the eye socket] Giant pole Giant step [curvy green railing, really tall staircase] To the place The casque is kept. There's just one smaaaaaaaaall problem: I'm pretty sure that archway doesn't exist anymore, and may not have existed for 100 years. There are still remnants of the observatory, but they are next to impossible to discern online. I'm gonna need some field recon. I've got lots of friends in SF, so I'm gonna try to get some Strawberry hill pics. Failing that, I'm going up there in August and September for Reunions and stuff. Drunk Nerds fucked around with this message at 01:41 on Mar 9, 2015 |
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Mar 9, 2015 01:30
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