Adventures in New Phone Lines: The Musical

Mash Up

Tachyon updated her profile with the message: "OMFG. I need to find a better phone line."

When Tachyons phone ((213) 814-2839) was called, A message of jumbled up song clips is heard:
Listen here

There are 13 song clips:

1. Weezer - Pink Triangle
2. Sneaker Pimps - Six Underground
3. Rob Base - It Takes Two
4. Dashboard Confessional - Age Six Racer
5. Third Eye Blind - Losing A Whole Year
6. Blind Melon - Three is a Magic Number
7. Nine Inch Nails - Down In It
8. Smashing Pumpkins - Zero
9. Metallica - One
10. Coheed and Cambria - Three Evils
11. Tsunami bomb - Negative One to Ten
12. Hole - Use Once and Destroy
13. Violent Femmes - Add It Up

When the numbers from the titles and songs are reversed you get (310) 933-6263.

It's a voicemail message from “brother”.
Listen here

"So you've figured out my little mash-up, well done. 
Bad news is I can't get online still, I've spent forever
on the phone with AOL tech support. She kept telling me 
to right click and I was like 'listen lady, I've written
out the word click over 100 times now and it's still doing 
nothing how many more times do you want me to write it.'
She said maybe I don't have the right software and I was like
'look, I got the software brand new double bagged and
everything.' So she tried to redirect me to another line.
What's up with that? Worst of all though I think I’m going
out of my mind. I’ve been to like 100 computer stores this 
week and none of them sell a keyboard or computer with an 'any
key' on it. I hope you're doing well, mom and dad said if 
you aren't back in a couple weeks I can keep your stuff."

Craigslists and Algebra

When the message is looked over… a certain line stands out from the rest…

So she tried to redirect me to another line. What's 
up with that? Worst of all though, I think I'm going
out of my mind. I've been to like eight different
computer stores this week. None of them even sell a 
computer or keyboard that has an "any key" on it.

When that sentence is put together, you get the URL:
http://anotherline.redirectme.net

Which takes you to Craig list post:
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/x/wst/mis/235437163.html

The Craigslist post was titled:
How could a righteous babe like you be lonely? - m4w

Love spreads her arms, waits there for the nails
I forgive you boy, I will prevail
Too much time to take, some cross to bear
I'm hiding in the trees with a picnic, she's over there
Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah
She didn't scream, she didn't make a sound
I forgive you boy, but don't leave town
Cold black skin, naked in the rain
Hammer flash in the lightning
They're hurting her again
Let me put you in the picture
Let me show you what I mean
The messiah is my sister
Ain't no king man she's my queen
I have a dream, I've seen the light
Don’t put it out, say she's alright
 Yeah she's my sister...

To solve:

Pulled scource code
Hex to ASCII
Base64

A. Song #6: Count every instance where the number # in the title is mentioned.
B. Song #4: Count every *female* vocal mention of summer.
C. Song #10: Count the number of times there is a mention of "pull the trigger."
D. Song #2: Before the first time one hopes to fall from grace, add up the number of separate instances a male appears to issue a count-off.
E. Song #9: Total the number of things specified as being taken (taking quantity into account).
F. Song #8: Total the # of times her numerical worth is mentioned.
G. Song #9: Total # of instances that the # in this song's title is mentioned.
H. Song #3: Total every 2 that is mentioned, before it's time to get loose.
I. Song #3: Add up the 1's mentioned. Any 1 counts, but "ones" don't.
J. Song #7: # of times the song title is mentioned.
K. Song #5: Total the days of each year, as if the mention of each counts as a seperate loss. Take into account that there'd be two leap years. Days in bed never count as a loss. Each mention gains you an additional week. All combined, how many days are lost?
L. Song #6: Add up every number mentioned that is NOT the # in the title of the song.
M. Song #13: How many times is the title repeated in the song. And then? See title.
N. Song #12: "Might as well," how many times?
O. Song #11: Total the # of things music saves you from.
P. Song #1: The song's title is repeated how many times in the song?
Q. Song #3: Add 1 to the # mentioned in the song title. How many times is *that* # mentioned in the song?
All done with that part? Redirect to what we do if it's wack...

If it's wack...put it back

This led to the Craig list post:
http://putitback.redirectme.net

Which led to:
http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/x/mis/235420629.html

Craigslist post:
Her? Mm-hmm. And him? Mmmm-hm. That makes sense. - m4w

faded in the blackout you left me in
it's safer on the outside
I'm swimming in
this kerosene it's hard to breathe
statics got me down
I can't sleep
I'm disconnected
everything went wrong
and certain stars
are sad and bruised like
someone's cheating heart
U. Divide A by B, and then subtract C.
V. Multiply D squared by E, and then add F.
X. X equals G.
Y. Subtract I from H, then divide the remainder by J.
Z. Add M to N, then separately add O, P, and Q.
Multiply the two totals. Subtract *that* total 
 from the sum of adding K to L.
Work it.
Lay it down "UVZXY"
Then flip it (or reverse it).

Scalare created a Spreadsheet in order to help sort the math:

---

The puzzle was solved (refer to spreadsheet above). From this, the number (310) 933-5901 was found.

The VM on this number was:
http://www.acidfingers.com/music/voicemail-11-16.mp3

TRANSCRIPT:

*Numbers dialed* (10033)
They've had me shadowed since I got your signal 
two weeks ago.
I've had to stay put.
I'm pretty sure they're monitoring my lines so I 
can't use my phone or the computer.
I'm at a payphone right now.
I just cant seem to shake these guys for very 
long.
I was able to hit up an internet cafe and go online.
Looks like you made a few friends.
I tried passing along the message to that kid.
It turns out he hasn’t shown up for his JC classes 
in over a week.
His mom says he’s on a camping trip.
Black Lincoln just came up the street, it might be a 
while
*Numbers dialed* (411)
Hi, information?
I was wondering if you might be able to direct me 
to a store that sells a keyboard or computer that 
features an "any key?"
Well, I've been trying to install AOL but it keeps 
saying press "any" key but I don’t see an "any" key.
Oh, so you mean I can press any key.
They should really be a little more clear about this.

*Beep*

Profile Update

Tachyon updated her profile to say:

For my "Brother":

Now I've got "It Takes Two" and "Three is a Magic 
Number" stuck in my head. OMFG, I hate you! BTW, 
nice movie quotes, dork!”

10033

The numbers 10033 have been solved as a YouTube account.

The videos on Brother's YouTube page are several months old, but the tags seemed to have had hexidecimal code in them. The hexidecimal translates into a set of anagrams:

From 3-2-1 Contact, we have:
43 4c 41 4e 47 4152 434c 49 44
Which translates into:
CLANGARCLID
Which anagrams into:
CALLING CARD

From Sparks Are Flying, we have:
49 53 494e 56 4f 4944
Which translates into:
ISINVOID
Which anagrams into:
DIVISION (although we aren't completely sure about that right now. It makes the most sense.)

From Misdirected. Lost Visual in the Burn Out, we have:
48 45 53 4554 4c 49 47 4854 4f 56 4552 44 4547 52 4545
which translates into:
HESETLIGHTOVERDEGREE
Which anagrams into:
DOES HE EVER GET THE GIRL (Lyric line in the Dashboard Confessional song "This Ruined Puzzle")

Notes

How could a righteous babe like you be lonely? - Adventures in Babysitting
Her? Mm-hmm. And him? Mmmm-hm. That makes sense. - Better Off Dead

Companion Video

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