Updates on Red Monday

Following up on the Red Monday site/ARG/campaign/mystery/story/stunt, via search, blogging, poking around, email, phone, and the Unfiction thread, we can see some content development, and maybe an emergent creator.

First, the first page on Red Monday remains the same, but there's a change to its source code.  The remark line about "JC" has been replaced, with the text now reading

<!--
The code is gabriel
noonamimalano -->

It looks like a shout-out to an ARG player, since "noonamimalano" is an IM handle for Scotiobade, an Unfiction forum poster.  So this could be classic puppet master-player interaction.

Second, I received my first email message from the registration page on October 1st:

JC <[email protected]>    
to me
Do me a favor and delete this message after you read it. Get rid of any trace I ever contacted you...

someone got careless in Ontario this weekend and we think there might have been a leak. So watch yourself. If you've already received this update, I'm sorry... just making sure I cover my bases.

Anyways, call me JC.

So Saul told you about the Event? There are still a few details you probably need to be brought up to speed on. Here's our last conversation we had on the subject:

ECHELON CALL LOG:
Pub. L. No. 103-414, 108 Stat. 4279
INCID: 92547 Date: 09/24 Time: 9:57 PM
Phone Access: 206-279-1586

I cached the log at: http://www.red-monday.com/phonelogs/92547.mp3

sorry it's not complete... part of the file got cut off at tne end for some reason

I'll be using the Red-Monday.com drop point to pass docs as I decode them... in the meantime, don't tell anyone else about this... just lay low.

I will contact you again Oct 8, God willing, of course...

~JC


aQXw http://www.research.att.com/viewProject.cfm?prjID=117

Mobilepodcast got one too.

That last link goes to an AT+T page about data mining algorithms.

The sound file purports to be an Echelon intercept, and contains a secretive phone conversation between a man (Saul) and woman (J, a data miner).  "It looks like the date is firming up.  It's going down... November 26th... By then, all the pieces should be in place."  J. mentions someone named "The Prince", who's "already signed off" on something.  She also hopes "the g-man is going to take Red Monday a little more seriously now" - can't tell if g-man means a government agency generically, or the Prince, or some other character.  Further, there's more timeline information, with Saul promising to contact J. "in one more week." 

EDITED TO ADD: "J" and "JC" should be the same person.  The email reads "our last conversation".  Since it's with Saul, the interlocutor must be J.

Third, on October 2nd the Red Monday page hit Digg.  One interpretation is that it appeared, but was quickly buried by... someone.

Fourth, a blogger claims to be the man who gave Red Monday red envelopes to podcasting expo attendees last month.  Is J. Marcus Xavier the author of Red Monday, or just someone contracted to work on part of it? His page does contain a likely self-description:

Profession: Viralcast Producer

That post is from September 30th, so on one level it describes marketing for the game (or story, or whatever).  I've emailed Xavier, and await a reply.  He is of course more than welcome to comment here.

Xavier is also the creator of Silent Universe, a podcast.  I haven't listened to much of the show yet, but do note that there is some language of mystery and intrigue in episode descriptions, not unrelated to ARGery.  The first episode's voice acting sounds similar to that on the mp3 audio sent by email.
(Note that SFFAudio, which posted about Red Monday, is an advertiser on the Silent Universe site.  So there's that connection.)

Silent Universe has a MySpace page.  Nothing too remarkable there, unless the friend named JC is the same JC referred to by the Red Monday front page source code.  Probably not, since one looks male, and the other sounds female.

So, wrapping up: Red Monday has progressed, with some characters emerging (JC, Saul, The Prince, Red Monday as group), some themes (surveillance), dramatic tension, and timeline expectations.  And we may have seen a puppet master show his hand early on, or a hired marketer do something similar.  Or it's another part of the game, perhaps a Red Monday agent, or someone opposed to R.M. trying to solicit allies.

Fun stuff!  We wait for October 8th.

Comments

[Dan]

Here is a decrypt from the mail on 10/8/07.
_________________________
Nyfb, lbh thlf gelvat gb penpx gur pbqr... Lbh boivbhfyl qvqa'g "gev" rabhtu. Ybbx hc Gevsvq Pvcure naq gura rznvy zr bapr lbh'ir oebxra gur zrffntrf. Ol gur jnl, EBG13 vf nobhg nf rnfl nf vg trgf jvgu rapbqvat... vs lbh qba'g trg guvf, guna lbh ernyyl unir ab ohfvarff jbexvat va gur pelcgbtencul vaqhfgel. Znlor lbh arrq gb nfx gur thlf ba gur qrifurq Frphevgl naq Pelcgbtencul Sbehzf arkg gvzr. yby.

uggc://sbehzf.hasvpgvba.pbz/sbehzf/ivrjgbcvp.cuc?g=21349
uggc://jjj.chercjantr.pbz/sbehzf/vaqrk.cuc?f=94960p95r2900876q949o76475967021&fubjgbcvp=63369&ivrj=svaqcbfg&c=1127932
uggc://vasbphyg.glcrcnq.pbz/vasbphyg/2007/10/hcqngrf-ba-erq-.ugzy

also, you guys trying to crack the code ... you obviously didn't "tri"enough.Look up Trifid Cipher and then email me once you've broken the
messages. By the way, ROT13 is about as easy as it gets with encoding ...if you don't get this , than you really have no business working in the cryptography industry. Maybe you need to ask the devshed Security and Cryptography Forums next time. lol.

http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?=21349
http://www.purepwnage.com/forums/index.php?s=94960c95e2900876d949b76475967021&showtop=63369&view=findpost&p=1127932
http://infocult.typepad.com/infocult/2007/10/updates-on-red-.html