Messages

46

Intel / Re: Bungie Aerospace - Reach ARG opportunity?

« on: June 04, 2010, 19:58:54 »

Piggy-backing on my previous post:  Dante's use of the word 'stars' appears to be an homage of sorts to the real-life poet Virgil (a.k.a. Vergil), who serves as Dante's fictional guide in the Divine Comedy, and who originated the phrases, "sic itur ad astra" ("thus you shall go to the stars") and "opta ardua pennis astra sequi" ("they choose hardship that follow the stars on wings") in the Aeneid.  Seneca modified/simplified the latter phrase to "per aspera ad astra" ("through difficulties to the stars"), which is, along with its variant, "per ardua ad astra" ("through hardship/struggle to the stars"), a common military and educational motto.  So, I conclude...this new motto, "Through Boldness to the Stars," can be traced back to Virgil by way of Seneca.

P.S. !!!!One of Virgil's Georgics was about beekeeping.  Perhaps "I Love Bees" wasn't as random as it appeared.

P.P.S.  Since I last viewed his site, the blogger Cold references in his original post on this topic has updated his blog entry to include a little information on Virgil.  Please pardon any redundancy!

47

Intel / Re: welcometonobleteam.com - Become a Spartan III

« on: June 03, 2010, 12:34:30 »

Thank you for enlarging the image, Cold, even if it proves (gulp) that sometimes my imagination runs away with me.    (I AM WRONG, IMPPA.  I AM WRONG, IMPPA.  I AM WRONG, IMPPA.  )  Apparently, my cursory review of the Halopedia articles on the subject - I've never played the Marathon games - was not sufficient for me to make a post claiming to know a darn thing about the logo.  (I just looked at the circle and the line and not the background. Is that, like, important or something?!)

I will return to the library now.

48

Intel / Re: welcometonobleteam.com - Become a Spartan III

« on: June 02, 2010, 17:18:30 »

If you open the image in Windows Picture and Fax Viewer and zoom in on the card he's holding, you can see the trademark line and circle.  Granted, it's upside down and attached to a puzzle piece-like shape on the left - and it's a darn simple design so who's to say it's intentional - but it certainly reminds me of the Marathon logo, at least as seen here.

(Though it is possible that ar[k]aeological fatigue has caused the Halopedia to superimpose itself on my retina and I am seeing things.  I expect to be seeing bad grammar any second now.   )

And sorry for the poor image quality.  I am totally challenged in this area.  Great idea to examine the trailer, though, Imppa.

49

Intel / Re: welcometonobleteam.com - Become a Spartan III

« on: June 02, 2010, 15:08:36 »

The Marathon logo is also visible on Carter's augmentation "index" in the extended trailer.

50

Intel / Re: welcometonobleteam.com - Become a Spartan III

« on: June 02, 2010, 03:12:39 »

@Cold:  Firefox.  

I think it was a fluke, a page load error.  Basically, the letters S, U, B, M, I, and T didn't render.

A probable over-REACHaction on my part.  :police:

51

Intel / Re: welcometonobleteam.com - Become a Spartan III

« on: June 02, 2010, 02:56:29 »

@Scat:  I took the pic at 10:10 p.m. EST.  I entered the site about 9:45 p.m. EST.

@Night:  I used Imppa's linky.  Other than that, I was tooling around in another tab and it (the noble tab) was a black screen when I clicked back - it took a little bit to load - and then it just appeared like that.  I dunno...

52

Intel / Re: welcometonobleteam.com - Become a Spartan III

« on: June 02, 2010, 02:22:16 »

Maybe it's just a visual gag but when you go to www.welcometonobleteam.com, you encounter a webpage that is missing some characters.

Assuming it is intended to read, "BY ORDER OF UNSC HIGHCOM" and below that, "ENTER YOUR DATE OF BIRTH," the following eleven elements are missing (in order):  BUSIMTUTBIT

Does it mean something?!    Was it like this earlier today, Imppa?

Wait....what?!  Now, when I click the link, the site looks perfectly normal.  Does anyone else encounter this strangeness, or was it some page load fluke?  (Am I Reach-tarded?  )

53

Intel / Re: Bungie Aerospace - Reach ARG opportunity?

« on: May 31, 2010, 15:01:25 »

Just to make our heads spin:  the final word of each of the three parts of the Divine Comedy is 'stars.'

54

SGP Task Force: The Librarians / Re: SGP: Dr. Catherine Halsey and the ONI Memorial

« on: May 31, 2010, 14:52:40 »

To my knowledge, the Beatrice first appears in First Strike, which was published in 2003 and which Nylund also wrote, but it doesn't seem that the ship was named until Ghosts of Onyx, which was published in April 2007.  (This is after a skim of Strike.  I don't own Onyx =I could be mistaken.)  So I would say since Bungie didn't begin work on ODST until 2008, either a) the name Beatrice is not a reference to the Divine Comedy but rather a happy coincidence, b) Nylund is originating the Dante connection here, or c) the Dante connection is part of the Halo Bible and existed prior to ODST as evidenced by Nylund's use of it.  In support of the idea of ship name as reference, Halsey does have tremendous guilt about her role in the creation of the Spartan-II's and her mission to Onyx, which she undertakes aboard the Beatrice, is, in her mind, an attempt to redeem herself:  "There was so much to do and so little time left for her, the Spartans, and the human race.  She could do something, though.  She'd save them one person at a time, starting with Linda, then Kelly, and then a handful of important others.  Of course, it meant betraying everyone who trusted her - but if that was the only way Dr. Halsey could save herself, and her soul, then she'd do it."  (p. 249, FS).  Though I don't immediately associate Onyx with heaven or hell (outside of its being a Forerunner construct), it is the location of the portal to the shield world, which is - or at least appears to be - a paradiso of sorts.

As for Señor Nylund, his role in the development of the Halo canon is unquestionable.  He is the author of (imo) the most important books:  The Fall of Reach, First Strike, and Ghosts of Onyx.  (Contact Harvest is also important, but it's still a prequel, i.e., it doesn't deal with John, Halsey, Cortana, etc.)  Nylund also wrote "The Impossible Life and Possible Death of Preston J. Cole" in Evolutions, so he appears to be Bungie's go-to person for fleshing out the lore.  (Cole appears elsewhere in the canon - Buckell's Cole Protocol is named after him - but it is here, in the short story, where we learn the most about the character.)  Nylund features prominently in the Halo Legends commentaries.  Unlike Dietz and Buckell, whose books are basically action pieces, Nylund is definitely more than a hired gun.

Plus, Lucifer is a character in his current non-Halo Mortal Coils series, so yeah, he's probably read Divine Comedy. Least he should have.  

P.S.  Here's an Weekly Update interview with Nylund where he discusses Onyx and the story process.

55

Halo Reach: Beta / Re: Easter Egg: Overlook Radio Transmissions

« on: May 20, 2010, 21:05:12 »

I thought that he was like "Whoah, we're almost there already, we don't need help from some Navy dudes!"

I'm with you and that is certainly possible.  I just didn't want you doing too much of THE HEAVY MATHEMATICS without considering the alternate meaning. 

56

Halo Reach: Beta / Re: Easter Egg: Overlook Radio Transmissions

« on: May 20, 2010, 16:24:58 »

This would mean, however, that during the discussion, Dragon X-Ray has moved over 2 miles, since he says in the last part that "We are less than a klick from the target area" (1 klick/kilometre = 0,6 miles). So considering that there aren't really any interruptions, their speed is about 166 km/h (119 mph)!

I guess there are a couple of different ways this could be interpreted, but the impression I get is that "the objective" and "the target area" are two different locations.  En route to the mission objective, Dragon X-Ray in effect creates "the target area" when he asks for air support, which he then refuses when he realizes the only available craft is a frigate and would pose a threat to himself/his team.

And may I just take a moment to praise the voice talent on this.  That "Whoa!" is priceless.

57

Halo Reach: Beta / Re: SGP: Shotcode spotted in Reach Screenshot - ARG?

« on: May 17, 2010, 15:41:07 »

Hmmmmm....Bungie made a reference to "Tokyo Rules" in its ad campaign for ODST.  I don't know if it's legit - it looks like a google adsense con - but in the comments section of this joystiq article Shmil refers us to http://tokyorules.com/, where we encounter Lorem Ipsum.

Pulse is probably right though....a time suck.

And btw reading Bungie and game mag threads makes my head hurt!  Three cheers for the sgp!

58

Halo Reach: Beta / Re: SGP: Shotcode spotted in Reach Screenshot - ARG?

« on: May 17, 2010, 14:56:44 »

Sed non dolor sit amet diam rhoncus condimentum. Aliquam erat volutpat. Donec ut mi eget nisl mattis condimentum. Nulla euismod leo in nunc scelerisque congue pharetra magna tempor. Etiam libero nulla, cursus vitae sodales quis, malesuada eget quam. Vestibulum rhoncus fermentum tortor a gravida. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Aenean rutrum eros quis odio placerat a adipiscing diam venenatis. Sed congue, leo sed aliquam vehicula, nulla diam dignissim erat, eget scelerisque massa lacus eget lacus. Phasellus vitae velit velit, nec molestie dolor. Donec placerat risus at mi dapibus facilisis sit amet sed eros. Nam interdum eleifend ligula eget tristique. Fusce eget tortor in justo iaculis auctor. Morbi lobortis lectus vitae erat tempor sit amet commodo eros suscipit.

Working on it....

In Spanish, 'sed' and 'dolor' mean thirst and pain respectively.  It seems to be a mix of Latin, Romance languages and maybe Greek?....

Here it is with the Latin parts translated into English by some random translator website.  (And yeah, are they messing with me?  There are lions everywhere I go.):
But not pain he is amet diam rhoncus condimentum. Some was volutpat. Up to the time when when mi eget nisl mattis condimentum. Nulla euismod lion upon now crime to congeal a quiver magna transitory. As yet to set free nulla , a race life fellowship anyone malesuada eget how. Vestibulum rhoncus fermentum tortor a pregnant. A fleet of a hundred ships aptent silently sociosqu to to propitiate to turn very conubia our , very beginner himenaeos. Eneus rutrum eros anyone to hate to please a to come up to diam venenatis. But to congeal , lion but some conveyance nulla diam dignissim was eget crime massa a hollow eget a hollow. Phasellus life skirmish skirmish , and not annoyance pain. Up to the time when to please laughter but mi seneschal easy he is amet but eros. For sometimes eleifend ligula eget to make sad. Fusce eget tortor upon equity a thrower person responsible. Sickness lobortis bed life was transitory he is amet to make fit eros to raise up.

Here with the Spanish translated:
Odd thirst pain sit amet diam rhoncus condimentum.  Aliquam erat volutpat.  Donec ut my eget nisl mattis condimentum.  Nulla euismod I read in nunc scelerisque congue pharetra great tempor.  Etiam I free nulla, cursus vitae sodales quis, malesuada eget quam.  Vestibulum rhoncus fermentum tortor to gravida.  Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos.  Aenean rutrum Eros quis I hate placerat to adipiscing diam venenatis.  Thirst congue, I read thirst aliquam vehicula, nulla diam dignissim erat, eget scelerisque massa lacus eget lacus.  Phasellus vitae velit velit, nec molestie pain.  Donec placerat risus at my dapibus facilisis sit amet thirst Eros.  Nam interdum eleifend ligula eget tristique.  Fusce eget tortor in just iaculis auctor.  Morbi lobortis lectus vitae erat tempor sit amet commodo Eros suscipit.

And WHAT IN THE WORLD?  Why does the text example in this Wikipedia article about text-formatting bear so many resemblances to the text in question?

Ah, I see.    The text appears to be "dummy copy," which is derived from Cicero's "The Extremes of Good and Evil." It does appear altered though (though dummy copy often is).  We probably should find the "best" version of this so-called dummy copy, overlay it with the text in question, and highlight the altered sections.  I'm handing this off for the moment.  Great find, Imppa.

59

SGP Task Force: The Librarians / Re: Nomolos=Solomon, The Ark, & Allusion in the Halo Universe

« on: May 16, 2010, 21:17:10 »

Thanks, Imppa, though I suspect you guys may be taking it easy on me....perhaps because of my pink bow tie?  

Perhaps the other companies have same kind of relations?

Yes, the companies seem to break down along two lines - those that represent, or at least take their names from, states or regions (Nomolos, Sinoviet, African Trust, and Misriah (more on Misriah in a moment)) and those with generic corporate-y/product-related names (Hinos, Optican, Tecnniqe, Traxus, Vyrant and probably Asklon, e, and Huciv).  Jotun, from the Norse mythology for giant, is an appropriate name for a company that produces large agricultural machines, but there doesn't appear to be a Norway connection beyond this since Contact Harvest lists the headquarters of Jotun as Mars.  Misriah too is located on Mars and seems to take its name directly from the planet - the letters in Mars + the letters 'i,' 'i,' and 'h' shaken up a little.  (I had a theory about this being a reference to the two Hirams in I Kings, but I decided I was taking things a bit too far.)  Of course, this is all cursory.  Some of those generic-sounding names could very well be significant.

60

SGP Task Force: The Librarians / Re: Nomolos=Solomon, The Ark, & Allusion in the Halo Universe

« on: May 14, 2010, 20:31:37 »

I must say, Enigma: that is strangely compelling.

Staten's father is a theologian and I think we (or those of us who are interested) should definitely keep this in mind as we're playing the games, reading the novels, etc.  You can see the influence and I would like to think it's holistic: not because I hope Bungie is promoting a certain religious viewpoint, so much as because I think it would be super-cool if the story worked as a big multimedia allegory rather than as a hodge-podge of literary, historical, and religious allusion.  I want to believe an underlying and cohesive vision has been present throughout.  Don't let me down, Bungie!

I do want us to be careful  :police: - especially since I started this thread - to be sure to provide proof wherever possible and to really try to think things through before tossing out hypotheses or listing every little possible connection.  We don't want to become the crazy conspiracy branch of the scientific gaming people and we always have to recognize that religion, like politics, can be a touchy subject and that an artist's vision, and certainly his intention, is ultimately his own.  That said, I think there may be something to this theory, and even if it doesn't hold, it wouldn't be bad for us to have a catalog of the various references.

A good starting place is seeing what's already out there.  (I was surprised to see the Ark of the Covenant thing is apparently common knowledge.  I swear I did not steal it.  And yeah, you can see some people get a wee bit wacky with their conclusion-jumping.  This is truly the Halopedia at its worst, barely a reference in sight.)  For the truly ambitious, a reading of the relevant chapters of 1 Kings (starting here, I guess) will provide a background on Solomon's temple, which contained the Ark and could correlate in some way (maybe?!) to New Mombasa/Voi.  There's also a whole lot of numbers magic there.  And we know those Bungies love their numbers.

And let me just say, I love the mix of talents we have here, artistic, technical, etc.  It's just really cool.  We're our very own Bungie lite.