The internet mystery that has the world baffled

The Telegraph ^ | 25 Nov 2013 | Chris Bell

[Chode]

One evening in January last year, Joel Eriksson, a 34-year-old computer analyst from Uppsala in Sweden, was trawling the web, looking for distraction, when he came across a message on an internet forum. The message was in stark white type, against a black background.

[Oratam]

I thought it looked like the logo for Led Zeppelin's old record label:

<

I saw that dude on the back of a lot of denim jackets in high school.

[Army Air Corps]

Check your FR Mail.

[Chode]

no swearing... ya might get the Zot!

[pbear8]

Invented by Al Gore.

[Chode]

there's a real blast from the past

[Daffynition]

Steganography

[tang-soo]

By multiplying them together, the solvers found a new prime and a new website: ...

Uhm, no!

[Redcitizen]

The answer is 42.

(Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy)

[Army Air Corps]

Even more examples here.

[SargeK]

The product is not prime. The factors are.

[Chode]

yeah, but i can't read it...

[Chode]

and it only took 88 posts... 8^)

[BenLurkin]

Wouldn’t be easier just to find the person posting these and beat the answer out of him?

[Chode]

thx... there was a movie about same out last year that was so bad i had to turn it off after after a few minutes

[Chode]

i think finding him/them would prolly be harder than solving the cypher

[dynachrome]

Supposedly, this book is chock full of crypto stuff. You have to have the original copy which is in Italian,ancient Italian, Latin, Hebrew, who knows what

‘Hypnerotomachia Poliphili”

Published in 1499, this standard of the Renaissance is here translated for the first time into English. The text apparently is difficult, and earlier efforts to produce an English-language text were abandoned. Essentially a romance, this tells the story of protagonist Poliphilo’s quest for the love of Polia.

English translation:
http://www.amazon.com/Hypnerotomachia-Poliphili-Strife-Love-Dream/dp/0500285497/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385437629&sr=1-1&keywords=Hypnerotomachia

[BenLurkin]

Probably wouldn’t be easy — and I personally would have no idea of where to start. Best bet is if the joker made the mistake of bragging about it to someone.

BUT...the entire thing is just an elaborate gag if there are only clues and no actual answer to be solved. If that’s the case, then finding the culprit would, needless to say, be easier.

[Chode]

damn...

[Chode]

they way i read it there was no "answer" but certain people were chosen as worthy and sent private email communications for further contact

[Chode]

good night all...