[ZootedGranny]

Wasn't sure exactly which HL2/Portal thread to put this in, but this is as good as any.

You might have noticed Steam downloading an update for Portal and HL2 Episode 2 earlier. Just a routine patch, you probably thought. You’re wrong, stupid! Learn to be more paranoid, why don’t you? Important secrets are being revealed…

The update details said, simply, “Changed radio transmission frequency to comply with federal and state spectrum management regulations”, which sounded like some obscure audio fix to kowtow to some obscure health and safety law. It’s not. In fact, it’s a series of secret messages, which are activated by carrying an in-game radio to several in-game locations. Which is in itself a compelling and playful mystery, especially as the sounds played at those locations wibbled on about transmissions and data dumps – y’know, computery talk. Like, say, from a murderous AI that’s awakening again. Maybe. That’s only the half of it, though.

Terrifyingly industrious members of the Steam forum have ascertained that some of the sound files contain hidden images, visible when run through a Slow Scan Television (SSTV) application. There’s a growing list of links to the revealed images here – but all they serve to do is further the mystery. Equations, skulls, keyboard buttons – and, most tellingly, the Aperture Science logo. Expect further developments as this ingenious ARG continues to run its strange course, which is being documented in realtime here. Oh, that Valve lot really are clever bastards.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010...on/#more-26233

And a general summary of what has been found:

So let me see if I have this straight:

Valve does a stealth update to portal with patch notes mentioning something about transmissions. There are now radios throughout the game that, when taken past certain points, send out a transmission containing morse code messages, which appear to involve usernames and passwords etc.

In addition, the sound files contain embedded images including numbers that make up an md5 sum, which resolves to a phone number that connects to a "GlaDOS" BBS which asks for a username and password. when you put in "backup" for both, the thing goes crazy with garbled text from "C. Johnson" from aperture science and some old school ANSI images of portal and possibly half-life related business.

Is that about right?

Oh and the GlaDOS version from the BBS is 3.11 which possibly corresponds to announcement Valve could make at GDC on March 11. Anything else?

INCREDIBLE