THE LOCATION OF THE BOMB [PT2]

9/17/2019

In a previous article we concluded that the 32 character code mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle on June 26th 1970 stated "P.S. The Mt. Diablo code concerns 4 Radians and 5 inches along the radian", based upon the clues the Zodiac Killer gave us in the Little List Letter on July 26th 1970. This led to an area somewhere between Ingleside and Daly City on the south edge of San Francisco. The Zodiac drew us a bus bomb diagram on April 20th 1970, suggesting he was going to place two photoelectric switches on an embankment or hillside on the right side of the road. He stated it was to be set up early in the morning when the sun was rising in the east. The images below show the El Camino Real by Outer Mission, heading south, with the April 20th 1970 'Bus Bomb' diagram superimposed over it. The hillside to the right is the type required to place his two photoelectric switches - one by the roadside and the other higher on the banking. Any school bus heading along this road for early morning assembly, would have the sun rising in the east (shining left to right in the image below).

If the Zodiac Killer had any intentions of blowing up a school bus (which is unlikely), then he would be targeting the schoolchildren on their way to school in the morning. If the children were being bussed in from other parts of San Francisco for this particular school (St. Thomas More Catholic School), then traveling from the north and east, the bus driver could be using Highway 101 and Interstate 280 in the direction shown by the red line below (recommended on Google maps). The blue circle is 4 radians (+ magnetic north), and 5 inches from Mount Diablo, satisfying the 32 character cipher and Zodiac's statement of "P.S. The Mt. Diablo code concerns Radians + # inches along the radians". The highway under the blue circle is traveling south with the sun to the east in the morning - and is heading toward St. Thomas More Catholic School (just 1.37 miles away).

The Zodiac Killer stated on April 20th 1970 "I am mildly cerous as to how much money you have on my head now. I hope you do not think that I was the one who wiped out that blue meannie with a bomb at the cop station. Even though I talked about killing school children with one. It just wouldn't doo to move in on someone else's teritory. But there is more glory in killing a cop than a cid because a cop can shoot back. I have killed ten people to date. It would have been a lot more except that my bus bomb was a dud. I was swamped out by the rain we had a while back. The new bomb is set up like this. Sun light in early morning. A + B are photoelectric swiches when sun beam is broken A closes circut. B opens circut, which makes B the cloudy day disconect so the bomb won't go off by accid. PS I hope you have fun trying to figgure out who I killed".

The choice of words the Zodiac used at the beginning of this communication were unfortunate, had his target been children from St. Thomas More Catholic School. The school was named after Thomas More, an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He was also a Chancellor to Henry VIII, and Lord High Chancellor of England from October 1529 to 16 May 1532. He was sentenced under the Treasons Act 1534 and decapitated with an axe. Therefore, it was very unfortunate that the Zodiac Killer should state "I am mildly cerous as to how much money you have on my head now".

There are several other schools in this area between Ingleside and Daly City, but we must remember that it is the bus he was targeting, not the school. Therefore, we should prioritize the roadways in this area (shown by the red rectangle), from the perspective of a bus traveling south, with its left side facing east.

THE LOCATION OF THE BOMB [PART ONE]
THE LOCATION OF THE BOMB [PART THREE]

Rubislaw 32 link

9/17/2019 07:25:30 am

Little List Letter : '' Radians and inches along the radians ''

Naturally,we are in to the realms of ''fantasy'',now...with a generally accepted ''phantom bomb''.

Interesting,pehaps,that the first ''Radians'' is spelled with a capital ''R''....possibly making it different,from ''radians'' [?].

A ''Radion'' is a scalar field in higher dimensional spacetimes.Also featured in DC Comics.

The angle of heel,of a sea going vessel,is calculated,using radians and inches.Possible allusions to Hunter's Point shipyard [?]....which specialized in ''radiation'' fittings,to vessels,like nuclear submarines.

Suggestions,in the Zodiac's ''imaginery'' world [?].

Richard

9/17/2019 09:52:07 pm

Certainly in the realms of fantasy, but possibly more importantly discovering areas of familiarity the Zodiac felt comfortable in. If this was his target area, why? He focused on San Francisco police officer Brian McDonnell on February 16th 1970 in the Upper Haight neighborhood in this communication, but stated it wouldn't do to move in on someone elses territory. So was this his territory? If he had preselected a bus route, then he probably had a school in mind. Choosing an area (even in his mind) could indicate an area that he felt comfortable in, that he chose in preference to others. It doesn't get us substantially forward in the case, but can paint a picture of the killer's geographic comfort zone, such as Presidio Heights and Ingleside towards the eastern section of San Francisco. A man who may have frequented Union Square for the theatre, but preferred to operate on the eastern side. Vague, I know - but small steps sometimes lead places.

Rubislaw 32 link

9/17/2019 08:14:54 am

...yes,there is a match,of sorts,in ''Zodiac logic'',with a ''rad''.

In physics,a ''rad'' is a unit of radiation dosage.

In mathematics,a ''rad'' is shortened form,of writing ''radian''.

Could infer really,that the Zodiac was ''applied'' in his science education....as opposed to ''pure'' [?].

He merely ''flirted'' with terminology...not always bothering to understand ''absolute meaning''.

And,it suited his purposes,to play around,with the ''language''....treating it as ''jargon''.

Rubislaw 32 link

9/17/2019 09:06:52 am

...and,if we examine the Zodiac's ''pi*sy'' bomb diagram...it is nothing more than a poor man's version of something by ''Heath Robinson''.

At least,Heath Robinson had an interesting imagination.

The light sensitive mirror,would have needed to be on the scale of an averagely large Billboard....to have any hope of working.....as opposed to the ''shaving mirror'' effort,suggested by the Zodiac.

One senses that the Zodiac ''copped a snoop'' at ''The Anarchist's Cookbook'' [?]....and then,he was ''off and running''....with his,often,''tedious'' imagination.

9/17/2019 10:23:30 am

"I am mildly cerous"
Cerous comes to us as the element Cerium
The isotopes between 140Ce and 144Ce inclusive occur as fission products of uranium.
143Ce has a half-life of 33.04 days
Many applications for Cerium are helpful in bomb making
It is highly sensitive to bright light for one.

"Due to the chemical similarities of the lanthanides, chemical separation is not usually required for their applications, such as the mixing of mischmetall into steel to improve its strength and workability, or as catalysts for the cracking of petroleum" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerium#Occurrence_and_production

Cerium is a chemical element with the symbol Ce and atomic number 58
Z=26, O=15, D=4, I=9, A=1, C=3, Zodiac=58

Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt that lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Ceres is also where we derive the word Cerous.
Ceres is the 33rd largest body in the solar system
The dwarf planet itself is named after the Roman goddess of agriculture
The robotic NASA spacecraft Dawn entered orbit around Ceres on 6 March 2015
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rubislaw 32 link

9/17/2019 12:34:08 pm

Nicely illustrated,BB,as the Zodiac,as a wannabe Chemist and Astro-Physicist [?].

On the matter of the Zodiac,as a wannabe explosives expert :

The Bus Bomb Letter,November 9th 1969 :

In the wake of Paul Stine's successful execution,the Zodiac offers up a new cipher,the ''340'',and....considerations to a bomb...at the time,he referred to,as his ''Death Machine''.

'' Take one bag of Ammonium Nitrate fertilizer....set the shit off and will positively ventalate anything that should be in the way of the blast.''.

Then,moving on to June 26th 1970,with the Button Letter,that included the 32-character cipher...and Phillips Map.

The map...could we be looking at a ''clock timer'' [compass],and Mag.N actually standing for Magnesium Nitrate...an essential ingredient in Pyrotechnics [?].

Then...moving on,to September 1975,with a typed letter,sent to the SF Examiner,from Temple,Texas.....and extorting Randolph Hearst.

As '' Brig.General Matrix '',and,quite probably alluding to Brig.General Jack D.Ripper,from ''Dr.Strangelove''....as follows :

''Now Gentlemen,let me tell you how to make an A-Bomb.....when you fire off the shell,the explosive charge instantaneously joins the two subcritical masses.....and you have a great big flash....''.

A pattern emerging,perhaps [?].

The Zodiac ''evolving'' all the way through,to one that was now ''offering'' the possibility of a ''nuclear'' threat.

Shawn

9/17/2019 03:22:49 pm

"Cerous comes to us as the element Cerium"

My name is?

ElementCerium

9/18/2019 09:16:39 am

The 17 rare-earth elements are cerium (Ce), dysprosium (Dy), erbium (Er), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), holmium (Ho), lanthanum (La), lutetium (Lu), neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), scandium (Sc), terbium (Tb), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and yttrium (Y). They are often found in minerals with thorium (Th), and less commonly uranium (U).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare-earth_element

Particles from DB Cooper's necktie were examined under an electron microscope finding several of these extremely rare elements.

9/18/2019 03:18:20 am

I totally agree with your line of thinking, Richard. His geographic comfort zone could be a result of living in a specific area, or working in a specific area. He might have even attended a specific school in the target zone.

There is one other thought I did have, and that goes back to the Mikado. It's quite a stretch, reading into it, but there is a Willow Street in San Francisco. Imagining he had some connection to Willow Street, say east of Van Ness Avenue, it is only a little over 1 mile to Union Square.

Richard

9/18/2019 04:12:08 am

Yes JD, and it's actually even closer if you measure with the nearest points - only 935 metres.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Willow+St,+San+Francisco,+CA,+USA/@37.7817383,-122.4132214,15.29z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x808580962df70127:0xe663c2a61581cc6d!8m2!3d37.783155!4d-122.4225854

9/18/2019 04:40:14 am

And, of course, I'm now thinking of something else entirely different regarding the Mikado / Exorcist quote. Throughout 1973, the city of San Francisco was examining an $825,000 suicide prevention barrier project for the Golden Gate Bridge.

In the 22 December, 1973 San Francisco Examiner, S. I. Hayakawa wrote an article regarding the project. He discusses cultural differences between Japan and the U.S. regarding suicide -- suicide carried out due to a sense of duty and honor, and suicide as an act of desperation. He mentions the ancient feeling that the dead are still present. They are "kami" and haunt the air that you breathe.

If Zodiac was an ardent reader of newspapers, and found some interest in Japanese culture, I imagine he probably read S. I. Hayakawa's article. I wonder if the Mikado quote was some offhand thought regarding those who jumped off the bridge into the watery suicides grave below, and nothing more.

9/18/2019 04:43:48 am

I don't know. I still think he used quotes comprised of hidden information regarding himself. I like the Willow St. idea.

9/18/2019 04:53:24 am

Sorry to be jumping back and forth, here. Just coming across different ideas.

Rubislaw 32 link

9/18/2019 05:05:42 am

A worthy contributon,JD....which brings me back to being ''slightly annoying'' [...sorry,Richard...],and introduce the Zodiac's ''financial'' clew to the location of his ''wretched'' bomb.

The study of ''Japanese Candlestick Financial Analysis''...which forms the basis,of all modern world trading,in the Western world.

I KEEP IT HEELED IN AT
CANDLESTICK PARK

Yes..as ''Houston Control'' used to say,out of microphone's way :

''Light that Candle''

And,the Zodiac imagined that stadium,going up in flames...like a Roman Candle.

9/18/2019 09:45:52 am

Thanks, Rubislaw. I just had another idea. I think Kevin Robert Brooks had it with " To Kill ! " at the end of the Exorcist letter. At the time I sent the comment about the suicide barrier I didn't even think about an alternative. What if what looks like the word "to" isn't that at all. This is another stretch, but what if that o is actually an a. And the t is actually part of another letter. Put the two l's on either end of the t and you have the letter M. Kami -- the dead are still present, haunting the air that you breathe. Perhaps a veeery looong stretch, but an idea just the same.

Rubislaw 32 link

9/18/2019 11:38:05 am

Indeed JD.I try not to trample on other's perspectives....but,I have to admit that,I am not one to physically ''move around'' the Zodiac's work.

Our ''entitlement'' is to imagine and ruminate...but the Zodiac's legacy,is ''sacred'',and should be left untouched....save ruminate over,what counter intelligence ''might'' have done,to it.

I can only give my interpretation,of the Exorcist letter,which is the Zodiac offering clues that he had elected to become '' DB Cooper - The Extortionist '',in the time he had been absent,from his arena of terror.

The Zodiac imagines,like DBCooper,jumping out of an aircraft....but this time,over San Francisco Bay.The ''Doodle'',is his ''Bird's-eye'' view of a nuclear submarine,being attended to,by Tugboats and support vessels.

As a sarcastic aside,to the real fate of the real hijacker,'' DB Cooper'',the Zodiac writes :

'' He plunged himself into the billowy wave,and an echo arose from the suicide's grave.''

And further,as a ''boasting'' aside,directed at the ''SFPD'' who,in the shape of Toschi and Armstrong,exposed the Zodiac of ''not'' being the killer of Karl Werner's three victims.....earmarks '' 37 victims''

'' 37'' - The official number of ''hijacked victims''...of DB Cooper.

9/18/2019 11:27:59 am

JD - I think you may have pointed-out the answer here to the Exorcist letter jumble with Kami

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kami

"kami...possessing positive and negative, and good and evil characteristics."
Kami is the Japanese word for a god, deity, divinity, or spirit.
Kami is a Japanese spirit worship broadly. Essentially "Animism encompasses the beliefs that all material phenomena have agency, that there exists no hard and fast distinction between the spiritual and physical (or material) world and that soul or spirit or sentience exists not only in humans, but also in other animals, plants, rocks, geographic features such as mountains or rivers or other entities of the natural environment. Animism may further attribute a life force to abstract concepts such as words, true names or metaphors in mythology. Some members of the non-tribal world also consider themselves animists (such as author Daniel Quinn, sculptor Lawson Oyekan and many contemporary Pagans)".
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animism
The Zodiac mixed in religious notions with his art project.
Perhaps the five canon killed represented the five grains of rice in the Amaterasu myth.

9/18/2019 01:46:02 pm

BB - thanks for the extra information. I hadn't even looked into the word past what was in the newspaper article. The more I think about it, the more it works for me, as far as the timing of the Exorcist letter in relation to the article and the oriental style lettering for an oriental word / concept. If he was referring directly to that specific article, then S I Hayakawa's definition adds a haunting / taunting tone to the end of the letter. In addition, the "exclamation point" would fit onto the side of the o / a as the stem.

But then again, Kevin may have had it right with To Kill. Or, neither one of us has made a valid guess.

9/18/2019 01:51:14 pm

Rubislaw, I see where you are coming from. It was certainly put forth that DB Cooper could have drowned after his daring jump. With the idea that he was an airplane enthusiast, the extortion angle, that very well could have been the source of 37. Sparked his imagination...and more?

Rubislaw 32 link

9/18/2019 03:22:34 pm

Thanks for the feedback,JD.These ''perspectives'' don't always come ''overnight'',not least ''all aspects'',in one go.

I have always seen the submarine/tugboats as the doodle....but recognize that the Zodiac may have intended it to appear ambiguous,and lending itself to a short message,like ''To kill''.

The DB Cooper aspect came later....but now,with ''time frame'' also,makes a whole lot of sense.The longer one studies the Zodiac,I believe,the more one realizes that he was primarily,an extortionist...that felt inclined to commit murder,to further his cause...and for a brief time,only.

But later on....the murder ''came back'' [...1978...],because he realized that ''extortion'',wasn't enough for him.

9/18/2019 02:04:08 pm

All this aside, we've gotten off the main point of the article, which was not my intention. The area Richard has narrowed down in the red rectangular area is very significant. With the radians / inches, bus bomb diagram, and other clues, Zodiac directed everyone to a specific geographic area. As Richard was pointing out, it most likely has more personal meaning to him than just some place to plant a bomb. Even if Candlestick Park was a target, real or supposed, that would also could have personal meaning as well.

Rubislaw 32 link

9/18/2019 03:34:55 pm

Of course there will be alternatives,for others,as well as Richard.

It is just important,I believe,to not lose sight of the fact that,''The Zodiac'' was an elected ''persona'',adopted by an ''actual'' real person,who felt inclined to slip into a fantasy world,for the purposes of engendering ''fear''.

That ''real person'' was not a great sports fan...but enjoyed the ''now'' of culture and politics.The choice of Candlestick Park was,primarily,because it was part of San Francisco.With the clues,primarily,based on ''current affairs'' pertaining to San Francisco.....The SF 49'ers....and The Beatles.The rest of the clues and clews....fell in,behind.

Just a game.

Richard

9/18/2019 03:48:21 pm

"P.S. The Mt. Diablo code concerns Radians + # inches along the radians".
To me, this phrase is key. He made a deliberate effort using an arrow to point at the hashtag before the word inches. We know for a fact (even shown in the Stine police report and editions of Tim Holt), when #5 is used, it signifies "number". If the Zodiac inserted this before inches, he is actually telling us a number is to be inserted here, such as 5 inches. In other words, the number and measurement must go hand in hand. It would be no use adding a number and then removing the inches. The reason he never placed a hashtag before the first radians, is because he had already given us to 4 radians by the bold, black circle on the crosshairs. The Zodiac also knew that 4 and 6 inches would drop into the sea, and only 5 inches was possible to land in San Francisco - and therefore he just inserted a hashtag, to effectively tell us to add 5 here. The reason I believe that numbers existed in the solution, is because of this hashtag. If the "number" insertion was irrelevant and not present in the 32 character code, then we would have to assume he added the hashtag for no reason whatsoever.

Richard

9/18/2019 03:58:42 pm

Of course, everybody has to come to their own conclusions and I certainly wouldn't force this down anyone's throat and declare the cipher solved. But if the hashtag was meaningless, or meant something else entirely. I'm all ears. Every time I see #1, #2 or #3 for example, it always signifies number.
ie: http://www.zodiackiller.com/StineReport2.html

Rubislaw 32 link

9/18/2019 04:10:07 pm

I agree that the ''hash tag'' remains an enigma,that has yet to be fully explained,Richard.

For me,something [#] that still ''bugs''.

9/18/2019 02:45:14 pm

Also, the Exorcist drove out evil kami from the little girl in the movie.
Kami being singular or plural.

The pantheon of kami, like the kami themselves, is forever changing in definition and scope.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kami

Like the Zodiac would threaten to kill if unheeded.
Kami can cause destruction when disrespected.

Cherry street signifies the end for the Zodiac. The same way the Cherry blossoms represent the fleeting nature of our lives for the people of Japan.

During World War II, cherry blossoms took on a similar meaning for Japanese pilots who painted their kamikaze warplanes with the flower imagery before embarking on suicide missions to “die like beautiful falling cherry petals for the emperor”.

https://notwithoutmypassport.com/cherry-blossom-meaning-in-japan/

Rubislaw 32 link

9/18/2019 06:40:42 pm

Just returned to look at the ''hash tag'' business.

The Zodiac writes,the following :

Radians & inches along the radians

Then....as we presume,he realizes that it would be relevant,for him to insert '' # '',in front of '' inches ''.

The Zodiac is now happy that it reads :

Radians & # inches along the radians

What made the ''correction'' appear more relevant,to the Zodiac ?

At the very least,I would suggest that,he wanted to indicate that he was referring to a specific quantity of inches.

But,he had deemed that,he would keep to himself the specific quantiy of those inches,to which he was referring.

So...instead of stating an arbitrary amount of inches [...without hash tag....],he has indicated that there is a specific quantity [....with hash tag....],that he had,in mind.

[...not that I am any further,in solving this little conundrum...]

Rubislaw 32 link

9/18/2019 07:08:56 pm

I know this sounds ''trite'' of me to say...and doesn't really solve anything,but...

If it is the case that '' # '' = Number

Then,'' # '' = No. [..the shortened form,for '' Number ''...]

So...the line could read :

Radians & No.inches along the radians

Hence : '' Just Radians ''

[...just a thought...]

Rubislaw 32 link

9/18/2019 07:43:57 pm

......a further,if of any relevance,close to the end of the ''Little List'' lyrics,and written on the same page,as follows :

''...the task of filling up the blanks,I leave up to you..''

And compared to the original lyrics :

''The task of filling up the blanks,I'd rather leave to you.''

Rubislaw 32 link

9/18/2019 09:17:09 pm

To note :

If anyone does want to attempt a solution to the 32 Character cipher,one should be,at least taking advantage of,what the Zodiac was offering,as clues....albeit him being very mean,cryptographically.

These are,that the following are identical plaintext letters or numbers :

1st and 26th characters
2nd and 32nd characters
6th and 14th characters

For a cipher this short,it would be considered ''simply cheating'',if the Zodiac were to employ characters,with polyphonic properties.

For the Zodiac's ''408'',he deployed 8 characters,with polyphonic properties.In essence,a 51:1 ratio.

There are just 32 characters,in this cipher.

Rubislaw 32 link

9/18/2019 09:31:15 pm

And further,on an estimation basis,I calculated that the Zodiac employed a 56.66 : 1 ratio,on his ''340'',for polyphonic deployment.

So, 51:1....then just over 56:1

You get the approximate ''picture''.

Richard

9/19/2019 12:53:33 am

In the past I have suggested "San Francisco International Airport" which is 32 characters in length, so this isn't an attempt at dismissing other peoples ideas, because I am disagreeing with myself now. The Zodiac wrote "The map coupled with the code will tell you where the bomb is set". If the code was "San Francisco International Airport" or "Candlestick Park" or any other location, then we wouldn't need the map. We would already have the answer. By stating "The map coupled with the code will tell you where the bomb is set", Zodiac is telling us that by applying the code to the map we will find the bomb. The map is the framework, area and starting point over Mount Diablo - so that when we "couple" it with the code (ie:radians and inches) we find the location. If the code had the location we wouldn't need the map. We know the map cannot solve the code, and we know we cannot solve the code with 29 unique characters - because in such a format we can fill in the blanks as we choose and literally make it read anything. On that basis, the only way we can get the answer to the code, is if Zodiac gives us it - which I believe he does.

The 18 characters at the foot of the 408 are gibberish, the 340 may be designed as "no cipher", and the 13 Symbol cipher and 32 Symbol cipher are effectively fill in the blanks as you choose, leading to the notion that the answer to all lie in later communications. "P.S. The Mt. Diablo code concerns Radians + # inches along the radians" being such an example. These radians and inches would be useless without the map, and the map would be useless without the directions of radians and inches, hence the Zodiac telling us that "coupling" them would give us the answer. As stated, if the code contained the location we wouldn't need the map, and we cannot solve the code using the map (because it's just a map with crosshairs). But with a map and useful directions in the code, we would now have the complete picture.

Richard

9/19/2019 03:17:23 am

And just to make it clear, I don't mind people vehemently disagreeing with my ideas and hope they state as such. I'm not a Zodiac snowflake who starts crying and blubbering when someone disagrees, and won't run off to my safe space and start quivering uncontrollably. Or get angry for that matter. There are too many of these types in the Zodiac scene. If I or anybody disagrees, it's imperative we be honest and just say so. In essence, I don't claim the above is 100% the correct answer, I just I have a strong suspicion. But don't know for sure. Everybody is entitled to their own opinions as you stated above Rubislaw, and should freely post accordingly. You believe the Candlestick Park angle, while I believe the radians and inches angle, and probably never the twain shall meet. I see no problem with that and welcome disagreement. Anyway, I'm off to blubber like a big baby in anticipation of your disagreement.

Rubislaw 32 link

9/19/2019 04:19:18 am

I remain ''cheerful'' about any disagreements,Richard,and really there is no ''big thing'' about it.

I've just spent time,putting a keen cipher enthusiast's mind at rest,having been ''put off'' by a well known Zodiac contributor...who professes to be an expert.Not difficult to guess,to whom I refer [?].

These so called ''computer scientists'' are the ''scourge'' of the Zodiac internet....and should be banished from cryptographic existence.

If there is one historical fact,that the Zodiac ciphers teaches us...it is that a couple of crossword puzzle addicts,were the first to make any meaning out of a Zodiac cipher.

There is ''no'' elitism,provided we adhere to the basic requirements.

And..switching our computers off,is the first basic requirement.

Rubislaw 32 link

9/19/2019 03:42:59 am

Pertinent thoughts from you,from my perspective,Richard...and I do agree with you,on such matters as the final 18 characters of the ''408'',as being gibberish.I suspect,at the outset,the Zodiac ''had intentions'',that he would ''engineer'' those characters to mean something....but he ended up,using the final part as a sort of ''correcting bay'' for his main message....and the final 18 ended up,as a potential anagram,for many outcomes....which doesn't count,as having a definitive solution.

But back to Z32....a general observation,the Zodiac probably had,made the solution,too baffling,with not enough cryptographic clues to the cipher,itself,to be provable,at a level of ''high probability''.And the expression ''high probability'' is not so arbritary,in that this phenomenon of the 32 character cipher,could be subject to,for example,''significance'' tests,which have well tested results,in the specific subject of ''mathematical statistics''.

But,to keep things simple....if we say,buy into the assurance,from the Zodiac that the solution to the ''code'' could be gleaned from the ''coupling'',,,,and as you point out,''we'' the potential solver,''should'' expect clues from the map,as well,in order to find a solution.

And yet,we ''might'' be facing the prospect of a ''clock timer'' and a shortened form,for Magnesium Nitrate.....with the only ''map associated'' clue,that the ''timer'' had been placed,directly over Mt.Diablo.

So...if there is one ''fact'' that ''we'' can be sure of,with the map...is that Mt.Diablo has some bearing in this conundrum.

Then...on to the ''Little List'' letter,with further clues,that indicate that the Zodiac did actually have a target,in mind....but he was now baffling us,with ''radians and inches''.in realtion to Mt.Diablo.with ''Mt.Diablo'' being the only sure fact,that we could glean from the Phillips map,in the first place.

The whole project had become a ''dog's breakfast'' of an originally interesting idea....and we just have to make the best of it,if we desire to find a solution,to ''that'' code.

With the ''code'' specifically,the notion of ''polyphonic substitution'' for a cipher of only 32 characters,in length,is ''unacceptable'' in even basic cryptograpy.A bit like expecting to convince others,that you are ''juggling'',when only throwing ''two'' balls,up in the air.And the Zodiac,himself.....albeit a ''homebrew'' self-taught cipher maker,would have known this....and known that,he would have been ''laughed out of town'',had he dared to employ ''basic cheating'',for a cipher,this short....at a later date.

Richard

9/19/2019 04:02:39 am

That is a good point - why did he choose Mount Diablo rather than any other starting point? Was the MagN significant to the solution or simply Magnetic North. Of course, Mount Diablo is 3,849 feet and visible from the Bay Area, has "Diablo" or devil in the title and "the Mount Diablo meridian, established in 1851, is a principal meridian extending north and south from its initial point atop Mount Diablo in California". So, as a reference point for Zodiac, it may be the obvious choice, with a specific X point from which to begin. These must be factored in when considering his choice.

Richard

9/19/2019 04:05:50 am

Also the clock face as you allude. Why not 12, as opposed to zero. Was this significant to the starting point of the radians or some other technique.

Richard

9/19/2019 04:18:15 am

My biggest question, is just suppose my solution was correct - then why didn't he seem to correlate the 32 characters to the solution in any way. Did he just pluck 32 characters out of thin air, and if so, why. It would all appear rather pointless that being the case. Even a different solution would struggle to have any meaning with 29 unique characters in it's design. Was the Zodiac really that lazy to create the time consuming Mt Diablo map and code, and Little List extras, yet just dump a load of characters together that meant nothing. Strange indeed?

Rubislaw 32 link

9/19/2019 04:28:06 am

Some of these ''ponderables'' may not have answers,in the Zodiac's ''world''.

I do think that '' 0 '' instead of '' 12 '' is a good point,with a possible answer.

''Zero'' being the point at which the ''Magnesium Nitrate'' is ''ignited'' [?].Thereby ''possibly'' confirming further that the so called ''compass/clock'',was actually intended as an explosives ''timer''.

The Zodiac was just ''naughty'',to have placed the ''timer'',directly over Mt.Diablo,on the Phillips map [?].

Richard

9/19/2019 04:30:16 am

Again, coming back to the clock face reference, there is much discussion regarding the Zodiac symbol and watches, and here in the 32 symbol code he adds the Omega sign (which is a brand of watch) for the first and last time. If you are going to insert a brand new symbol into your codes after 750+ characters thus far, one would like to think Zodiac inserted it for a reason, especially considering the clock face over Mount Diablo.

Omega (capital: Ω, lowercase: ω; Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the 24th and last letter of the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numeric system/Isopsephy (Gematria), it has a value of 800. The word literally means "great O" (ō mega, mega meaning "great"), as opposed to omicron, which means "little O" (o mikron, micron meaning "little").

9/19/2019 10:26:43 am

Richard and Rubislaw 32
These clock faces and brand of watches idea is intriguing.
Another possibility for the Omega symbol is for the Ohm
"One of the most important contributions of the British Association was the establishment of standards for electrical usage: the ohm as the unit of electrical resistance, the volt as the unit of electrical potential, and the ampere as the unit of electrical current. A need for standards arose with the submarine telegraph industry."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Science_Association#Electrical_standards
Don Cheney worked for Fluor as a Mechanical Engineer
"The mechanical engineering field requires an understanding of core areas including mechanics, dynamics, thermodynamics, materials science, structural analysis, and electricity."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_engineering
Cheney was a-lot smarter than he looked. He successfully set up ALA as the Zodiac. Effectively enough to divert attention of the authorities and marginalize and stress-out to death ALA.

Rubislaw 32 link

9/19/2019 10:50:52 am

I certainly believe that the Zodiac was a graduate in mechanical engineering,BB.

They use a fair amount of mathematics...but don't really know its theory.

Under-graduates in mathematics study mechanical engineering,to a reasonably high standard.They find ''the sums'' easy...but struggle to understand what is going on.

Interesting that Don Cheney was a mechanical engineer.I don't think many believe that Cheney was the Zodiac.

Possibly,too much ''personal'' between him and Arthur Leigh Allen.A friendship and sometime working relationship,that soured [?].

Richard

9/19/2019 03:08:04 pm

That may be an extremely good avenue BB.

Cyber link

7/23/2020 09:47:20 am

"I certainly believe that the Zodiac was a graduate in mechanical engineering,BB."
Judging by the way he writes, "Zodiac" didn't have college level "education" or any professional qualification in technology. But to those in awe with academia, even a few technical terms used in a writing is "proof" of some formal higher "education", and that awe comes from ignorance rather than rational thinking.
Anyone with a modicum of knowledge can use technical terms in subject matter without theoretical knowledge.

Rubislaw 32 link

9/19/2019 04:44:08 am

Yes....the ''omega'' symbol being one of the more fascinating aspects,of the whole puzzle.

I suspect,it was to put potential solvers ''off'',in their interpretation,of what the clock/compass/timer actually stood for [?].

I think that the zodiac wanted us,to be forever switching,between the map and his letter....in an effort to make sense of it all.

Rubislaw 32 link

9/19/2019 05:12:26 am

I believe to be an intersting point,on the ''polyphonic business'' is...that we know that the presumed Zodiac did not employ this form of ''predictable cheating'' on Z148 or Z263.

So...with reasonable confidence,the Zodiac had given up,on this tactic,of ''predictable cheating'',by the completion of Z340,at latest.

I think that this is ''good news'' for anyone attempting the relatively shorter ciphers.Simply adhere to the ''basic rules'' of homophonic substitution.

On a basis of about a 50:1 ratio,predicted for the Zodiac...he might have elected to deploy ''one'' polyphonic symbol,in the Celebrity Cipher [...Z63..].But,I am convinced that he didn't....and,it certainly looks like a ''practice'' that he put aside,quickly...realising,perhaps,that he would wish to leave a ''respected'' legacy,in cipher making,behind him.

9/19/2019 06:01:13 am

I wonder if his choice of Mt Diablo had to do with land sale listings in the newspapers. The listings always included Mount Diablo. (North of Mount Diablo Base, West of Mount Diablo Meridian). Maybe he just picked it up from seeing all those listings throughout the years.

Getting back to the # in the Mt. Diablo code, it could very well be that he wanted to highlight the use of a number value in the 32 cipher, as Richard employed in his proposed solution. Regardless of whether that was the correct solution for the cipher, that doesn't change the results of using 4 radians and 5 inches to pinpoint a location on the map.

I was thinking that he could have chosen the omega symbol due to its semblance with the letter n -- n o r t g (h) = north. Maybe it was a nod to the watch, a nod to the Alpha Chi Omega Mt Diablo Alumnae, or maybe he just liked the symbol. Or maybe it does have deeper meaning.

With the 32 cipher, it could very well be Candlestick Park, or California 24 North for example, but I think it's always good to amass as much information as possible to cover as many bases as possible and work from there. I certainly like the El Camino Real by Outer Mission and St Thomas More suggestions. I wonder what else the geographic area within the rectangular area offers?

Richard

9/19/2019 06:41:47 am

It's very difficult to find that high right banking travelling south in that vicinity, but it's sure worth an extra peek JD. It's difficult not to read north in that code, but as you stated earlier JD, it may have been done intentionally to just play with the observer.

Richard

9/19/2019 06:53:29 am

Of course, topography does change in 50 years. What wasn't tree-lined in 1970, might be now.

Rubislaw 32 link

9/19/2019 07:13:59 am

Mount Diablo certainly asks questions with regard to what do we know about it,venturing why the Zodiac might employ it,in his puzzle.

A ''high point'' geographically,a beauty spot with its accessibility by motorcar....and its very name,as associated with the devil.

For the Zodiac ''purist'',the omega symbol is a nice surprise [?]...but may,as I have suggested,be a ''banana skin'',in the shape of a ''clew''.

One realizes that the introduction of a ''new symbol'',was Zodiac's ''want''.Personally,I am a bit surprised that the omega symbol didn't appear to have a ''deeper'' meaning,for the ''code''...but still remain open.

For the ''My name is -----'' cipher,the ''very paricular'' 8-ball symbol,was the ''star attraction''.

If at all of interest,I recently wrote an article,called ''Behind the 8-ball''...with this title,of course,referring to the finding of oneself,in a difficult situation of manoevre.

I had concluded that,given a certain solution offered,the 8-ball symbol,in the ''My name is -----'' cipher,translated to the letter '' A '',in the plaintext....and,of course,that there were 3 '' A's '',as a result.

'' AAA'' stands for the American Automobile Association...whose employees represent a ''secondary highway patrol'',for the cops,when ''out in the field' of their work remit.

So..it is possible that the Zodiac had allocated a ''deeper'' meaning,to be conveyed,beyond a basic solution to the cipher.

But...not ''that'' much doing,for the omega symbol,in the bomb cipher [Z32]...so far [?].

9/19/2019 02:13:11 pm

Here are some murder stats
http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/cacrime.htm

9/19/2019 06:36:41 pm

Not that this means anything. And if it's already been mentioned, forgive me. Just an odd bit of trivia because of that discussion of radian(s) and omega:

The radian per second (symbol: rad·s−1 or rad/s) is the SI unit of rotational speed (angular velocity), commonly denoted by the Greek letter ω (omega). The radian per second is also the unit of angular frequency. The radian per second is defined as the change in the orientation of an object, in radians, every second.

-- wikipedia header: Radian per second (lowercase greek omega)

Richard

9/20/2019 10:14:22 pm

Looked at this and noticed that with the ω and Ω symbol (possibly being present in the 32 characters), and the symbol being used in physics, as well as electric circuitry - the combination of his circuit designs and the symbol in searching for an electrical device by use of radian angles is food for thought.

9/19/2019 07:04:11 pm

And for my own amusement I checked the San Francisco city directories for Willow Street, 1968-1970. Not that I really expected to find anything. Taking in the fact that city directories are not always very accurate, the only listings for Willow Street were Willow Sales and Electric (warehouse, I believe) and Gene's Auto Repair.

9/20/2019 08:16:16 pm

Regarding 0 as opposed to 12.. magnetic north... Omega, etc. it would seem to take us back to the idea of a fantasy of being an airplane pilot, sailor, (or astronaut, as one of the Omega ads made it the watch of astronauts). Just reading over Magnetic declination, Clock Code, and 1 in 60 rule on Wikipedia alone, we're talking trigonometry / radians, magnetic north, computing the sine of angles and fractions of 60 (fractions of an hour when telling time). All dealing with air navigation.

Figuring the bus bomb itself was just an excuse to create his Mt Diablo code, he gets to provide a real or imagined "pilot" persona on paper, just as he used his whatever persona that was at Berryessa in costume. The map and cipher being his "flight plans." And he could still make it function to a specific location on the map.

Or not. But not a bad idea?

Rubislaw 32 link

9/21/2019 01:59:44 am

I think that you touch on the essence of ''the person'',JD.

He got to play out his games,in his ''make belief '' world.And,this
'' bomb project '',was yet another example of one of his games,by his rules.

When studying him,we must try not to loose sight of this.

It just seems so extraordinary that ,given his persistence,and determination to continue with his games....that the real person was never arrested.

However much,we look around,for blame,at various times of the Zodiac's activity,the buck stops with those,ultimately in charge.

The California Department of Justice.

Rubislaw 32 link

9/21/2019 02:18:34 am

About three years ago,as is my claim,the CA DOJ woke up,one day,to find that three repututable and high profile ''lawmen'' had plotted to bring the Zodiac down,at the exclusion of the CA DOJ.

It is not so difficult to identify those ''lawmen'' and,as is my claim,one of them,was James Comey.

One can only imagine the ''wounded pride'',on that day [?].

Serves them right.

9/21/2019 04:44:06 am

Thinking further on your comment, Richard, the odd wordplay that pops up from time to time. Victim David Faraday... Faraday's Law of Induction... a magnetic fields interaction with an electric circuit... converting Hz to radian/s (Number 10, page 7 of below manual).

https://www.webassign.net/question_assets/tamucalcphyseml1/lab_8/manual.pdf

9/21/2019 10:20:11 am

There are too many coincidences here JD.
Richard there has to be something here.
Are we blind? Maybe we need an electricity
expert to obsess over this for a couple days.
With electricity being the most important and
most powerful advent in the world. A little detective
work should be done in this area. We're in the
dark here.

Richard

9/21/2019 12:41:32 pm

There is certainly something more BB, but sometimes you can look at a correspondence a thousand times before it hits you like a brick. Electricity, circuitry and bombs go hand in glove, but after that I don't know.

Comments are closed.

THE LOCATION OF THE BOMB [PT2]

Archives