Not a Real Code Ring
One of my coworkers is a finalist in the Da Vinci Code Quest. He received a “cryptex” in the mail, which is a heavy metal tube with all kinds of knobbly bits, a faux brushed gold finish, and five letter wheels that spin like a numerically-challenged combination lock. He tells me he’s one of only 10,000 people to receive one. Given it’s heft and the prevalence of sharp edges, I’m glad to know that only a limited number of these deadly weapons have been made available to the general public.
From what he tells me, the idea is to twiddle the letter wheels around and around until you “unlock the secret of the Da Vinci code.” Personally, I though the secret was “write enough quasi-religious twaddle to tick off Jerry Falwell so you can sell millions of copies”, but there aren’t enough letters for that.
After a bit of mucking about, he finally figured out that the word GRAIL opens the box. After sliding out a lock-and-tumbler affair, he found inside a tiny slip of paper that told him he was “a finalist,” and it referred him to a website address for more information. I’m afraid I don’t have the website address to pass on to you — apparently, I’m not worthy.
I decided to mess around with the cryptex and see if any other words would do the unlocking trick (and yes, if you must know, I started out by spelling the most vile five-letter word I could think of). I hit on another combination in under one minute. I don’t remember for sure, but I think the word was WSTGL, which undoubtedly would prove something to me if only I were a little smarter.
After a bit more experimentation, we figured out that the cryptex will open for any word that ends with the letter “L”. Apparently all that complicated lockwork is dependent on a single tumbler setting. Kind of a bum cryptex, if you ask me. It’s about as secure as a combination lock that opens anytime you stop on the number 10.
However, given the religious controversy surround The Da Vinci Code, I find it highly appropriate that the secrets of the universe are available simply by raising a little “L”.
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Wow, pair that with your Jesus action figure and the world could be yours.
Sorry, but the cryptex denies the fundamental truth of my Jesus action figure. If I put them together in the same toybox, one of them would be smiting the other inside of five minutes.
The existance of the tumbler proves that this is not just “entertainment” but actual events and an attempt to bring about the END OF THE WORLD! I’m gonna write a book about this and how if you give each letter in Devinci’s name a certain number and then add, subtract and multiply and divide by just the right number you’ll get the original recipe for fruit cake. Satanic.