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Solution to CIA’s Kryptos sculpture is found in Smithsonian vault

nytimes.com

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Re: Solution to CIA’s Kryptos sculpture is found in Smithsonian vault

#21

Post by janalsncm »

So the central controversy in the story is whether the journalist fans should share the solution with the world or keep quiet for the auction.

Sanborn wants the money for medical reasons so he needs to maintain a high sale price.

The two fans want to share the solution with the world.

Presumably the winner of the auction will be buying a severely depreciating asset: the right to know but not disclose the solution. There are at least four people who have the solution and as soon as one of them shares it, its value goes to zero.

Maybe the “solution” to this meta problem is simple: auction it off to the public with a go fund me. As soon as it reaches $500k, publish the solution. That way everyone wins.

The whole thing got more complicated with the addition of lawyers, not less. I don’t see how the two fans violated any contracts with the artist or auction house since they never signed one. But of course lawyers will charge a ton for you to find out.

Re: Solution to CIA’s Kryptos sculpture is found in Smithsonian vault

#22

Post by tptacek »

janalsncm wrote: post #21

So the central controversy in the story is whether the journalist fans should share the solution with the world or keep quiet for the auction. Sanborn wants the money for medical reasons so he needs to maintain a high sale price. The two fans want to share the solution with the world. Presumably the winner of the auction will be buying a severely depreciating asset: the right to know but not disclose the solution. Th…

Do I understand part of the complexity of the situation is that Kryptos is in some sense "crackable" (unlike real cryptography), and these two people sleuthed their way to the answer book without solving it? Which is not quite exactly the same thing as them independently working out a solution; it's more like a nicer and more legal version of breaking into the guy's house and stealing it out of his desk drawer?

Re: Solution to CIA’s Kryptos sculpture is found in Smithsonian vault

#23

Post by aleph_minus_one »

1oooqooq wrote: post #17

[flagged]

> truly an American artist of the time.

Indeed. Quote from the article (emphasis mine):

"Mr. Sanborn acknowledged that keeping the secret could be a strain: His computer has been hacked repeatedly over the years, he said, and obsessive fans of the work have threatened him. “I sleep with a shotgun,” he said."

Re: Solution to CIA’s Kryptos sculpture is found in Smithsonian vault

#24

Post by nocoiner »

janalsncm wrote: post #21

So the central controversy in the story is whether the journalist fans should share the solution with the world or keep quiet for the auction. Sanborn wants the money for medical reasons so he needs to maintain a high sale price. The two fans want to share the solution with the world. Presumably the winner of the auction will be buying a severely depreciating asset: the right to know but not disclose the solution. Th…

Here, I’ll give you this one for free: it’s called tortious interference. As the name suggests, it’s a tort, so you don’t need to sign a contact to be liable.

Re: Solution to CIA’s Kryptos sculpture is found in Smithsonian vault

#25

Post by yndoendo »

tptacek wrote: post #18
1oooqooq wrote: post #17

[flagged]

He's 79 and covered by Medicare.

There was a Standford professor that was wondering why he had void of cancer patients around 63 and 64. Turns out people wait to get on Medicare for treatment because they cannot afford it with their standard health insurance.

USA would save money in the long run with Universal health care. Since people in the US wait until it gets bad before seeking treatment. This means fights cancer at stage 3 and 4 instead of 1 and 2. Latter the stage the more it costs and less likely for success.

This is one reason foreign doctors come to the US to study and train. Modern countries with Universal Health Care treat at stage 1 and 2 with 3 and 4 being rare ... except for the USA. Need to study advance cancer and aggressive, this USA is a great place.

[0] https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2021/03/Cancer-diagno...

Re: Solution to CIA’s Kryptos sculpture is found in Smithsonian vault

#26

Post by tptacek »

yndoendo wrote: post #25
tptacek wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He's 79 and covered by Medicare.

There was a Standford professor that was wondering why he had void of cancer patients around 63 and 64. Turns out people wait to get on Medicare for treatment because they cannot afford it with their standard health insurance. USA would save money in the long run with Universal health care. Since people in the US wait until it gets bad before seeking treatment. This means fights cancer at stage 3 and 4 instead of 1 a…

This doesn't have anything to do with the thread, and hashing this out would tilt a story about Kryptos sharply towards a story on health policy. He's 79, he's very covered by Medicare.

Re: Solution to CIA’s Kryptos sculpture is found in Smithsonian vault

#27

Post by tptacek »

nocoiner wrote: post #24
janalsncm wrote: post #21

So the central controversy in the story is whether the journalist fans should share the solution with the world or keep quiet for the auction. Sanborn wants the money for medical reasons so he needs to maintain a high sale price. The two fans want to share the solution with the world. Presumably the winner of the auction will be buying a severely depreciating asset: the right to know but not disclose the solution. Th…

Here, I’ll give you this one for free: it’s called tortious interference. As the name suggests, it’s a tort, so you don’t need to sign a contact to be liable.

There would need to be (1) an existing valid contract, (2) knowledge by the defendants of it, (3) intentional and unjustified inducements by the defendants to break it, followed by (4) an actual breach that (5) caused damages.

Doesn't seem like that would fit here.

This seems like more of an ethical dilemma than a legal one.

Re: Solution to CIA’s Kryptos sculpture is found in Smithsonian vault

#28

Post by moron4hire »

tptacek wrote: post #22
janalsncm wrote: post #21

So the central controversy in the story is whether the journalist fans should share the solution with the world or keep quiet for the auction. Sanborn wants the money for medical reasons so he needs to maintain a high sale price. The two fans want to share the solution with the world. Presumably the winner of the auction will be buying a severely depreciating asset: the right to know but not disclose the solution. Th…

Do I understand part of the complexity of the situation is that Kryptos is in some sense "crackable" (unlike real cryptography), and these two people sleuthed their way to the answer book without solving it? Which is not quite exactly the same thing as them independently working out a solution; it's more like a nicer and more legal version of breaking into the guy's house and stealing it out of his desk drawer?

At the state level, it's a method that is in bounds.

Re: Solution to CIA’s Kryptos sculpture is found in Smithsonian vault

#29

Post by rgovostes »

I thought that, in light of this comment https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45621067, we're only a few days from seeing the solution. However, the auction now reads

> Upon being notified, the Smithsonian immediately sealed Sanborn's archives for 50 years to protect Sanborn's intellectual property rights.

Sanborn actually showed off some of his worksheets during a PBS interview years ago, which I assume are the same documents later given to the Smithsonian. At one point I looked into buying the B-roll footage to take a closer look at them, but I discovered enterprising Kryptos sleuths had already done so years before.

Re: Solution to CIA’s Kryptos sculpture is found in Smithsonian vault

#30

Post by wahnfrieden »

tptacek wrote: post #26
yndoendo wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There was a Standford professor that was wondering why he had void of cancer patients around 63 and 64. Turns out people wait to get on Medicare for treatment because they cannot afford it with their standard health insurance. USA would save money in the long run with Universal health care. Since people in the US wait until it gets bad before seeking treatment. This means fights cancer at stage 3 and 4 instead of 1 a…

This doesn't have anything to do with the thread, and hashing this out would tilt a story about Kryptos sharply towards a story on health policy. He's 79, he's very covered by Medicare.

Where is the rule that comments must stay on topic and avoid diversion? It was a more interesting and informative comment than yours that you've restated here (particularly given that being "very covered by Medicare" does not even counter what you originally replied to, as it will not cover all or perhaps even most costs)
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