Operation Essex - G+ Community Archive

"Who is behind the apparent abduction of Oliver Lynton-Wolfe​​​ from the Acolyte's compound?"-Part 11 in the ever expanding series of Essex polls. In situations like this, it is best to ask, cui bono (who benefits, or stands to gain from OLW's abduction.) Alas, it's not a terribly short list. For starters, the abduction is eerily reminiscent of how the NIA 'liberated" OLW from Hulong Transglobal​​​, to recruit him for the Niantic Project. This N.I.A. has motive, access to Oliver's genius and research. They also are among the few organisations with the means to assault a compound without being identified and then to suppress any news coverage of the incident. Next, any of the XM corps would be highly motivated to bring OLW on board. In addition to his former employer, IQTech Research​​​ and Visur Technology​​​ must be considered potential suspects. The xm drought is both a crisis and a potential business opportunity for the xm corps. Bringing Oliver on...

I believe that we need to have a serious discussion about who or what is behind this. We are at a serious disadvantage the longer we remain ignorant of who the players are in this. I suggest our starting point in trying to ascertain who is behind this is to ask; cui bono (who benefits)? Is it possible that the Vesuvian MAGNUS didn't die at Pompeii? Could modern day sympathisers be behind this attack? Originally shared by H. Richard Loeb This is developing. A source sent this 911 dispatch log to me. A hiker in Northern California called in to report gunfire and a possible explosion in an area that's associated with the Enlightened Compound. #InvestigateIngress http://investigate.ingress.com/2016/04/26/acolytes-compound-attacked/

"Why did Jarvis stop hunting A Detection Algorithm​ and allow her to assist Oliver Lynton-Wolfe​?" -Part 10 in my ever expanding series of polls. Essentially, this question touches on quite a few unknowns: the relationship of The Acolyte and Jarvis, the purpose of the Society for the Ethical Treatment of AIs​, and the nature of the xm drought. Jarvis is obviously on record as being vehement in his denunciations of artificial intelligence. It appears that AI might even represent the path of the N'Zeer for Jarvis; unbounded growth of humanity as infomorphs vs transcendence into the Ultimate. Jarvis' opposition to artificial intelligence is based on his belief that AI poses an existential threat to the cause of Enlightenment. This is not a position that Jarvis would cast aside lightly. This raises the best inevitable question: why did Jarvis release ADA? It appears to me that Jarvis and ADA were locked in a struggle that fully occupied both of their respective wills, en...

Is Janus the god of portals? Strictly speaking, that's exactly what he is; the god of beginnings and endings, transitions, doorways and gates. Yet there is a surprising amount of complexity to this two-faced god. Janus is notable in that he is the exception to the rule that all members of the Roman pantheon have ancient Greek counterparts. Janus has none; even the ancient Romans believed that Janus stood alone and was unique to them. What is even more remarkable is that not only did the ancient Roman and Greek scholars and historiographers think this was strange, they themselves had trouble accounting for Janus' anomalous role in their culture. On the one hand, Janus was almost certainly foremost among the archaic Latin and/or Etruscan deities, considered an equal of Jupiter in significance. Yet, even by the time of the Roman Republic, his exact nature had been confused in the mists of time. Janus was so important that only the Rex sacorum, the highest ranking priest, could per...

The Gorgoneion of the Aegis. I believe that we may have largely overlooked the single most important aspect of the Aegis. While the Aegis often features prominently in ancient depictions of Athena/Minerva and Zeus/Jupiter, surprisingly little is known about exactly what it is or what it's powers are. Despite it's prominence in mythology, there isnt even agreement among classical authors as to what it's MADE of: some record it as a burnished, golden shield forged by Hephaestus, others either state or imply that it is a garment, or goatskin, with golden tassels. Homer himself can be counted among the latter group. There is, however, one consistent feature of the Aegis. Whether the Aegis is depicted as a round shield, a goatskin cloak or even a breastplate, there is one point on which all the myths agree: The Aegis bears the head of the Gorgon. Always. The Aegis has to bear the gorgoneion or it simply isn't the Aegis. The myths aren't even consistent as to who OWNS the...

Well, I think Hank Johnson​​​ is being quite gracious in not broadcasting "I told you so!" to anyone who will listen. Is Hank Johnson​​​ implicitly confirming that the Obsidian shield works by drawing on xm and cm? It certainly seems that he believes the shield was always intended to be directed indiscriminately against both the Shapers and the N'Zeer. Perhaps Pliny the Elder, now confirmed as the leader of the Vesuvian Magnus began to fear that both sides needed to be locked out of human affairs. Alternatively, perhaps he felt that, with the Shapers and N'eer locked out, he would be free to wield the power of xm unhindered by outside guidance. Interesting Questions going forward: flint dille​​​ referred to the Vesuvian Magnus as "A super MAGNUS". Could Flint know about, or suspect, the existence of other super magnuses (magni?) throughout history? In some ways it would be surprising if Vesuvius was the only cross-factional hybrid grouping. No doubt histor...

"Why has the activation of the Obsidian Shield caused a global xm famine?" This is my 9th poll and it follows on from the excellent discussion and issue framing of Mike Wissinger​​ : https://plus.google.com/+MikeWissinger/posts/ivzHtSxxxR7 The choices speak for themselves and we have very little information to go on at the moment. The most common theories I've seen involve the shield soaking up the xm for power or the shield blocking both the Shapers and the N'Zeer equally. Alternatively, perhaps the N'Zeer were actually responsible for xm or, even more intriguingly, it was the conflict between the Shapers and the N'Zeer that produced xm as a byproduct. With the N'Zeer signal blocked, the portals are no longer producing/leaking excess xm. As ever, I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

This post will serve to collect all of the Operation Essex/Project Isthmus polls in a single, easy to reference collection. I will try and keep this up to date. The purpose of the polls is to allow for easier, collective engagement with questions that don't have easy answers. When approaching a poll, one can't help but think, are these the only choices? are these choices mutually exclusive? Perhaps seeing the views of other agents will prompt you to rethink something you thought you knew. This is not an attempt to establish the truth by appealing to a majority, indeed many minority viewpoints will no doubt be confirmed by later evidence. Conversely, on other questions, it might be interesting to observe a consensus emerge. Some questions might inspire agents to challenge the very premise of the question itself. All of these outcomes are great: they prompt agents to think more seriously about questions without neccesarily having to produce a post of their own. I hope agents wi...

"What is the nature of November Lima​​?" Part 8 in my ongoing series of polls is concerned with the nature/purpose of this former NIA van. Some interesting thoughts were shared awhile back when Edgar Allan Wright​​ was pondering this question: https://plus.google.com/110289508116377658380/posts/TuZrodtLFQk NL1331 is shrouded in mystery; it appears that the list of people authorised to know its true nature is incredibly short. I agree with others who have proposed that it is a specially adapted vehicle that can house the natural bodies of simulacra. Other common theories include the idea that it is simply a mobile portal. Additionally it has been suggested that it is an experimental prototype powered by xm rather than fossil fuel. There is also some sort of connection between Hubert Farlowe​​ and NL1331 that is yet to be fully understood. Perhaps it's primary function has something to do with Farlowe. Finally, there are a myriad of alternative theories that space doesn...

I can across this message from the Acolyte after hacking a portal this morning. I thought it might be useful to have a link here so that we can share our thoughts on it as they occur to us. I'm curious as to whether the glyphs that appear bear any significance to the Harlan box glyphs. I also wonder if anyone can recognise the musical piece? https://youtu.be/szU6Qa4_S0c

"Who is missing from the three empty capsules/pods/sarcophagi of Abaddon at CERN?" Part 7 of my series of polls is a departure from the list of flint dille​​'s questions from Ingress Origins. This question takes us back to the conclusion of Abaddon. I'm interested to see the distribution of views on this topic. For your convenience, I'm including a link to Felicia Hajra-Lee​​'s post on this. Others are invited and encouraged to post links to any other threads of speculation or discussion on this topic. https://plus.google.com/+FeliciaHajraLee/posts/L4fW2oRPkAK Essentially, from at least two photos, it seems clear that three chambers are empty, or at the very least fundamentally different to the other ten. Nine researchers are mentioned in Felicia's story: Calvin, enoch dalby​​, Carrie Campbell​​, Misty Hannah​​, Kureze, Martin Schubert​​, Stein Lightman​​, Yuri Alaric Nagassa​​, & Devra Bogdanovich​​. Presumably, Oliver Lynton-Wolfe​​ was there as wel...

"Who is Devra Bogdanovich​​​ running from really?"-Part 6 in my ongoing series investigating the questions posed by flint dille​​​ on signed copies of Tycho C.​​​'s Ingress Origins. I have interpreted this question as referring to what has motivated Devra to leave/flee/escape the Niantic Project at CERN. Other readings are possible as it could be argued that Devra continued running long after she escaped Niantic: she ran from Visur Technology​​​ and perhaps kept running. I am, as always, eager to hear other interpretations, perspectives, and views. That's why I always leave " Other" as an option. Perhaps the most straightforward interpretation is that Devra is simply the most extreme case of "resistance syndrome", the effect of increased fear and paranoia induced by exposure to xm in approximately 50% of subjects. If we imagine this as a spectrum, Devra is perhaps the most negatively affected sensitive at Niantic. Her behaviour is a symptom of xm ...

The Titanomachy was the great conflict where Zeus and his Olympian siblings waged war against Kronos and his fellow Titans. The war is narrated in Hesiod's Theogony, as well as in a lost epic poem, Titanomachy. Most agents are probably at least superficially familiar with this Greek myth. Kronos swallows his children to prevent them from challenging his authority. Zeus escapes and frees his siblings from the belly of Kronos. Some Titans, like Prometheus side with Zeus. After a terrible war the Titans were overthrown and imprisoned in Tartarus, below Hades. I believe that the Titanomachy was actually the struggle between the Shapers and the N'Zeer passing into myth. Crucially a version of the Titanomachy is found again and again in ancient cultures First, it is important to highlight some interesting parallels between ancient conceptions of the war in heaven and the conflict between the Shapers and N'Zeer. First, there were 12 dominant Titans, also thought of us as Elder go...

"Who do you think set up flint dille​​ [in Seattle]? (Hint: AL)" Part 5 of my series exploring and polling the investigative community on the questions posed by flint dille​​ on signed copies of Tycho C.​​'s Ingress Origins graphic novel. As most of you are aware, flint dille​​ was abducted in Seattle on the eve of the Obsidian anomaly there. He was freed thanks to the timely intervention of GORUCK​​ agents who were also able to recover the scattered Intel that Flint's contact was forced to ditch. We were all relieved that flint dille​​ escaped unharmed and that the Intel was ultimately recovered. As an investigative community, we owe it to each other to try and establish who set Flint up. It is imperative that we know who we can, and can't trust. When a member of our community is threatened, we need to take it seriously. Now, it seems like flint dille​​ either knows, or strongly suspects, who betrayed him. Perhaps out of a fear of retribution, he feels he can...

"What is the special sensitive power of Hubert Farlowe​" Part 4 in my series of answer polls to flint dille​'s questions posed on signed copies of Tycho C.​'s Ingress Origins. This is a really tricky one. Despite at one time being a prolific poster on G+, there is still so little we know for sure about Farlowes agenda and whereabouts. As always, I will give my personal analysis and also attempt to present other perspectives. My personal view is that Farlowe possess a keen sense of situational awareness and threat detection that is heightened and enhanced by xm. This explains his uncanny ability to detect and intercept would be assassins of Devra Bogdanovich​ twice in Ingress Origins. There is, however. some ambiguity in this question: it's not clear whether Farlowe gained additional abilities after interacting with Jarvis. There is evidence that Farlowe is now some sort of xm entity but he had emphatically denied that he is a simulacrum on multiple occasions. Ther...

"What is Klue S.​'s real identity? She might be in this book!" (Ingress Origins) Part 3 in my series of answers/polls to the questions posed by flint dille​ on his signed copies of Ingress Origins from Obsidian Seattle. Klue has always been an enigma, wrapped in a mystery. From puzzling about her ontological nature as KlAda (Klue "hosting" A.D.A.), to her relationship to H. Richard Loeb​, Klue has perplexed, and variously befriended, Resistance and Enlightened alike. The prospect that she might feature in Tycho C.​'s Ingress Origins is an intriguing prospect; it means Klue S.​ was a playing a part in things long before we were previously aware. On another level, it's a bit disturbing because, if true, it means we know far less about her than we might have thought. However, confronting the extent of our ignorance is the beginning of wisdom. Therefore, let's press on. I personally believe that the best candidate is Katalena, the woman who witnessed the...

"What was Calvin trying to create at Niantic?" This is the second part of my series of answer polls of flint dille​'s questions, posed on signed copies of Tycho C.​'s "Ingress Origins". Essentially, this question goes to the heart of the inscrutable motivations of the enigmatic mastermind of the Niantic Project. Ezekiel Calvin has been described as a puppet master and it is probably safe to say that no one truly knows his long-term master plan except him. Nevertheless, I believe we can make some reasonable inferences about his probable objectives. Calvin is clearly a man possessed with a formidable intellect and an audacious ambition. Such people, from time immemorial, usually covet the same objectives: power, wealth, wisdom, fame and immortality. Thanks to the revelations of Abaddon, we now know that a hidden aspect of the Niantic Project involved turning all of the researchers, including Calvin, into simulacra. What we don't know, is why? It could be t...

So I was finally able to acquire my very own copy of Ingress Origins. I was so excited to read it and highly recommend that all investigators try and get their hands on a copy. I have resolved to work through each of Flint's questions in turn, and decided to start with one that seemed straightforward. After I started trying to pin down the answer, it proved to be surprisingly difficult. I am trying to ascertain which of the Niantic Researchers began as Enlightened. Flint hinted that there are five. There is a section in the comic that deals with this, where Devra is discussing how some of the researchers are calling themselves the Enlightened and are embracing the creativity inspired by the xm. The others are apparently responding with increased mistrust and fear. Given what we know and the names Devra lists, Roland Jarvis​, enoch dalby​, and Oliver Lynton-Wolfe​ are obvious members. It seems safe to add Hank Johnson​ at this point; although Devra doesn't mention him we know of...

Jahan is certainly upset. Is she bluffing about there being other methods to obtain the knowledge in Harlan's box? Can it really be reverse engineered from Obsidius' diaries and letters? http://investigate.ingress.com/2016/03/09/jahan-attacks-theenlightened-choice/

The background of Obsidius' letter to Marcus is actually a bas-relief from the eastern stairway of the Apadana in ancient Persepolis. This was the awe-inspiring audience hall of Darius the Great, where tributes from the vast Achaemenian Persian Empire were presented to the king. This section of the relief depicts Scythian (saka) tribute bearers. Could Obsidius have been to Persepolis?