2021-11-08 - Deus Ex Human Revolution - random post-it
(original .ipynb)
In Deus Ex: Human Revolution when you get to Hengsha you eventually break into a dude's apartment, and find a room with a load of post-its including this one which features what appears to be a message in binary:
# there are two potential interpretations of the post-it
# because the final line has a little mark that could be
# nothing or it could be a 1
raw_messages = [
"""
1001001111
00101100
1001110
111010101
101110011
""",
"""
1001001111
00101100
1001110
111010101
1011101011
"""
]
def message_lines(message_str):
return [line.strip() for line in message_str.split()]
def try_format(formatter):
for raw_message in raw_messages:
for output in formatter(message_lines(raw_message)):
print(output)
print("---------------")
# let's test this out for starters, return the raw lines as-is
def identity_formatter(lines):
for line in lines:
yield line
try_format(identity_formatter)
1001001111 00101100 1001110 111010101 101110011 --------------- 1001001111 00101100 1001110 111010101 1011101011 ---------------
# let's start just treating each line as a plain unsigned int
def plain_int(lines):
for line in lines:
yield int(line, 2)
try_format(plain_int)
591 44 78 469 371 --------------- 591 44 78 469 747 ---------------
# let's try just chopping off any characters after 7 bits
# (since that's the shortest line length) and treat that as
# a char
def truncate_to_7_bytes(lines):
for line in lines:
yield chr(int(line[:7], 2))
try_format(truncate_to_7_bytes)
I N u \ --------------- I N u ] ---------------
# same as above but 8?
def truncate_to_8_bytes(lines):
for line in lines:
yield chr(int(line[:8], 2))
try_format(truncate_to_8_bytes)
, N ê ¹ --------------- , N ê º ---------------
# ok let's smash it all together, munch through them 7-bits
# at a time and see what happens
def seven_bit_stream(lines):
stream = "".join(lines)
while len(stream) >= 7:
byte = stream[:7]
yield chr(int(byte, 2))
stream = stream[7:]
# fuck it, yield whatever's left, it'll be unprintable
yield chr(int(stream, 2))
try_format(seven_bit_stream)
I r d w + 9 --------------- I r d w + : ---------------
# as above but 8 instead of 7
def eight_bit_stream(lines):
stream = "".join(lines)
while len(stream) >= 8:
byte = stream[:8]
yield chr(int(byte, 2))
stream = stream[8:]
# fuck it, yield whatever's left, it'll be unprintable
yield chr(int(stream, 2))
try_format(eight_bit_stream)
Ë ' u n --------------- Ë ' u n ---------------
# maybe there's a header of sorts
def skip_some_bits(lines):
entire_stream = "".join(lines)
for n in range(len(entire_stream)-8):
message = []
stream = entire_stream[n:]
while len(stream) >= 8:
byte = stream[:8]
message.append(chr(int(byte, 2)))
stream = stream[8:]
yield n, "".join(message)
try_format(skip_some_bits)
(0, "\x93Ë'un") (1, "'\x96NêÜ") (2, 'O,\x9dÕ¹') (3, '\x9eY;«s') (4, '<²wV') (5, 'ydî\xad') (6, 'òÉÝ[') (7, 'å\x93º·') (8, "Ë'un") (9, '\x96NêÜ') (10, ',\x9dÕ¹') (11, 'Y;«s') (12, '²wV') (13, 'dî\xad') (14, 'ÉÝ[') (15, '\x93º·') (16, "'un") (17, 'NêÜ') (18, '\x9dÕ¹') (19, ';«s') (20, 'wV') (21, 'î\xad') (22, 'Ý[') (23, 'º·') (24, 'un') (25, 'êÜ') (26, 'Õ¹') (27, '«s') (28, 'V') (29, '\xad') (30, '[') (31, '·') (32, 'n') (33, 'Ü') (34, '¹') --------------- (0, "\x93Ë'un") (1, "'\x96NêÝ") (2, 'O,\x9dÕº') (3, '\x9eY;«u') (4, '<²wVë') (5, 'ydî\xad') (6, 'òÉÝ[') (7, 'å\x93º·') (8, "Ë'un") (9, '\x96NêÝ') (10, ',\x9dÕº') (11, 'Y;«u') (12, '²wVë') (13, 'dî\xad') (14, 'ÉÝ[') (15, '\x93º·') (16, "'un") (17, 'NêÝ') (18, '\x9dÕº') (19, ';«u') (20, 'wVë') (21, 'î\xad') (22, 'Ý[') (23, 'º·') (24, 'un') (25, 'êÝ') (26, 'Õº') (27, '«u') (28, 'Vë') (29, '\xad') (30, '[') (31, '·') (32, 'n') (33, 'Ý') (34, 'º') (35, 'u') ---------------
# ok this is nonsense and a waste of time