* * * * *
                                        
                       The unmasking of a numbers station
                                        
It only took a little over fourteen years [1] but finally someone wrote to me
about my numbers station on the web [2].

> From: XXXXXXXXXXXXX
> To: rparker@numbersstation.info, sean@conman.org
> Subject: Re: Leaderboard
> Date: Thu, 06 May 2021 00:48:42 +0100
> 
> Hello, Sean,
> 
> I'm not sure how your mail server is set up for "rparker", but I've
> successfully found your main page, so I'll copy the message I've sent to
> this fictional character :)
> 
> On 2021-05-05 18:30, jonn@doma.dev wrote:
> 
> > Hello, rparker!
> >  Learned from numbersstation from SMOG (Saturday Morning Gemzine) mag
> > [This is a now defunct on-line zine and referenced the Gemini version of
> > the site [3]. –Sean].
> > 
> > Only today figured I should check out the HTTP (HyperText Transport
> > Protocol) version and got some hints like the fact that it _is_ a
> > challenge (thanks for "mystery" keyword!), this E-Mail address and
> > COORDINATES!
> > 
> > I wonder how many people have reached out to you with the answer to the
> > mystery, are there more puzzles to come and if so, is there some sort of
> > leaderboard?
> > 
> > Great job, BTW (By The Way), interesting stuff right there. I tried to
> > make my own ARG (Alternate Reality Game) some ten years ago, but it
> > didn't go way past stegging a torrent file into a PNG (Portable Network
> > Graphics).
> > 
> > … 
> > 
> > Looking forward to your response,
> >  kindest regards,
> >  jonn.
> > 
> 

I don't want to give away any clues, but the coordinates spoken of in the web
page are not part of the puzzle—they just point to some random spot in Boca
Raton (and I've changed them to point less randomly at Boca Raton). The email
address rparker@numbersstation.info was picked to mask my identity (and was
an intentional choice, that's all I'll say about that). And aside from that
one post fourteen years ago, it is also listed on my projects page [4], so
it's not like it was completely hidden.

Now I'm just curious if anyone can decode the message.

[1] gopher://gopher.conman.org/0Phlog:2007/02/19.1
[2] http://numbersstation.info/
[3] gemini://numbersstation.info/
[4] http://www.conman.org/projects/

Email Sean Conner at sean@conman.org

.