Try the #dragontattoo #sophospuzzle and win a Lego Mindstorm!

No! We’re not giving away a free iPad!

Firstly, that would be weird. We’ve said it often enough ourselves: “There’s no free iPad.”

Secondly, why win an iPad when you could win a Lego Mindstorm instead?

(That’s a largely rhetorical question. We know that the iPad helps you teach your children to understand the intricacies of consumer society, whilst the Mindstorm is just science-fiction-inspired frippery; that the iPad is a serious business device, whilst the Mindstorm is a frivolous electronic indulgence; and that that the iPad makes a much better drinks tray.

But you can’t program the iPad to BRING you a drink, can you?)

So, we’re running a two-stage competition with a Dragon Tattoo flavour.

Stage One is a simple 24-character code.

Here it is:

=ImYndmbn1ieiBnLmJWdjJmZ

All you need to do is to figure out how to transform this code into a URL.

Then follow your nose to the next stage.

Stage Two is a bit tougher. It doesn’t require cipher-cracking skills (though they might come in handy). Instead, a bit of lateral thinking should get you to the solution.

There are three Mindstorms to be won.

But be quick. We’re giving them as Christmas presents, so time is limited.

You need to solve the puzzle before midnight on Wednesday 21 December 2011, New York time.

(To clarify that further: by 4pm on Wednesday in Sydney, by 5am Wednesday in the UK, and by 7pm on Tuesday in Hawaii.)

Watch out for the hashtag #sophospuzzle on Twitter, or email l.salander@sophos.com for hints.

List of successful puzzlers at midnight New York time

All times follow RFC 3339 and are in Zulu time, or UTC (almost, but not quite, the same as GMT). That makes comparison really handy, because the first answers arrived just after midnight (00:00).

I have used Twitter handles where I know them; first names and last initial where I don’t know or am not sure. If you’d like your entry changed, or your full name published, just let me know!

1. 2011-12-20T00:07Z John J
2. 2011-12-20T00:07Z @colinmartin100
3. 2011-12-20T00:57Z @spcavanaugh
4. 2011-12-20T01:07Z @phihag
5. 2011-12-20T01:08Z @dcerar
6. 2011-12-20T01:26Z Ian C
7. 2011-12-20T01:29Z @0stracon
8. 2011-12-20T02:10Z @diddledan
9. 2011-12-20T02:32Z @digital4rensics
10. 2011-12-20T03:43Z Vampaerus
11. 2011-12-20T03:50Z @timelessp
12. 2011-12-20T05:03Z Adam J
13. 2011-12-20T06:29Z Bashar E
14. 2011-12-20T06:38Z Christopher B
15. 2011-12-20T06:48Z David D
16. 2011-12-20T06:50Z Toby H
17. 2011-12-20T06:53Z @ezs
18. 2011-12-20T07:32Z Ben K
19. 2011-12-20T08:40Z Mike S
20. 2011-12-20T08:47Z @siudauding
21. 2011-12-20T09:00Z Alexander M
22. 2011-12-20T09:11Z Joshua G
23. 2011-12-20T09:16Z @trapflag
24. 2011-12-20T09:27Z Michael D
25. 2011-12-20T09:44Z Cryxia
26. 2011-12-20T09:48Z Iulia O
27. 2011-12-20T10:06Z @james_a_tanner
28. 2011-12-20T11:15Z @elec08215
29. 2011-12-20T11:32Z @jeamland
30. 2011-12-20T11:56Z @philkernick
31. 2011-12-20T12:30Z @jgrahamc
32. 2011-12-20T12:51Z Christian R
33. 2011-12-20T13:09Z Billy M
34. 2011-12-20T17:30Z John P
35. 2011-12-20T17:30Z Charles K
36. 2011-12-20T17:31Z Adnan B
37. 2011-12-20T17:31Z Daniel B
38. 2011-12-20T18:25Z @randomly9
39. 2011-12-20T18:32Z Nicola vT
40. 2011-12-20T18:35Z Anthony B
41. 2011-12-20T18:36Z @misterbking
42. 2011-12-20T18:51Z Kevin V
43. 2011-12-20T18:53Z Michael S
44. 2011-12-20T18:59Z Alan S
45. 2011-12-20T19:07Z Javier T
46. 2011-12-20T19:07Z Nick N
47. 2011-12-20T19:07Z @realbelhazur
48. 2011-12-20T19:22Z Trafan
49. 2011-12-20T19:40Z Sam N
50. 2011-12-20T20:03Z John S
51. 2011-12-20T20:14Z Timo H
52. 2011-12-20T20:36Z Andrew H
53. 2011-12-20T20:51Z Dmitry K
54. 2011-12-20T21:45Z @nursemo06
55. 2011-12-20T21:50Z Shane K
56. 2011-12-20T22:42Z Joel E
57. 2011-12-20T22:48Z Jorrit K
58. 2011-12-20T22:55Z Adam O
59. 2011-12-20T23:17Z Bartosz L
60. 2011-12-20T23:31Z @keldr1n
61. 2011-12-21T00:05Z Jeff J
62. 2011-12-21T00:49Z Leslie F
63. 2011-12-21T02:20Z Fredrik G
64. 2011-12-21T03:03Z James L
65. 2011-12-21T04:22Z @wanderingglitch
66. 2011-12-21T04:27Z @matonis
67. 2011-12-21T04:40Z jjo
68. 2011-12-21T04:43Z Greg E
69. 2011-12-21T04:45Z Hieros O
70. 2011-12-21T04:50Z Andrew W
71. 2011-12-21T04:51Z @dahla
72. 2011-12-21T04:55Z Grant S

To John J, who appears to be from Colorado, “Well done!”

To @colinmartin100, who appears to be from somewhere else, “So close. Just 27 seconds from first to second place. Should have listened to the Mrs, eh?”

To Grant S, who’s a fellow Aussie relaxing on the longest day of the year, “Cutting things a bit fine, wouldn’t you say?”

To everyone who tried, thanks for taking part. And to our enthusiastic Twitterers, thanks for helping others without spoiling the fun.

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