Hexcode Aiff

[chris_adams]

My ears must be failing me, either that or my memory of the book. What exactly is that AIFF saying?

I hear something like "sewing ang" which I know is nowhere near anything...someone help me out here...

Download it. (http://www.polishchick.com/features/holhex.aiff)

-CA01

[MicheleVR5]

It's Poe saying "Johnny, angr-" the first two words (almost) of her hit song Angry Johnny.

[chris_adams]

and now it all makes too much sense.
Thanks

[marsjams13]

I'm terribly sorry I made a new thread for this, but I couldn't find anywhere it seemed sensible to post this, and couldn't see it mentioned anywhere else.

I was just browsing Everything2 (http://www.everything2.com/), and at the bottom of the <font color="#0000FF">House</font> of Leaves page (the url of which for some reason disagrees with my BBCode, so run a search on the site if you're interested) found the following quote:


I don't think anyone has mentioned this as well. There is a feature in the hardback edition that is absent from the paperback (I own both).

If you look at the inside covers of the book, you will notice that they are covered with very very tiny text in groups of four characters. As a computer science dork, this struck a chord in me.

I began typing the hexidecimal code into a hex-editor one-character-at-a time. After about 400 or so, I got tired of it, and saved the file. After looking at the header of the file, I discovered that it was a .wav file! Danielewski, or someone else involved with the book, has embedded a sound on the actual book itself!

Is there anyone technologically inclined that can explain to me how this works?

[sutrix]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this as well. There is a feature in the hardback edition that is absent from the paperback (I own both).

If you look at the inside covers of the book, you will notice that they are covered with very very tiny text in groups of four characters. As a computer science dork, this struck a chord in me.

I began typing the hexidecimal code into a hex-editor one-character-at-a time. After about 400 or so, I got tired of it, and saved the file. After looking at the header of the file, I discovered that it was a .wav file! Danielewski, or someone else involved with the book, has embedded a sound on the actual book itself!

Is there anyone technologically inclined that can explain to me how this works?

Do what he says. Download a HEX editor, and input those characters one at a time. I don't have a hardcover, or I'd guide you through. Never mind, because the HEX to audio process s

When you have entered all characters, save the file in the HEX editor's format. If it's a good editor it will save a .txt file too. Then, copy that file to c:\ or some such short path, then load up your command line prompt (click on Start->Run and type cmd or command). When the prompt loads up, C:\ should be the default path. Navigate to the path where you've saved the file, then find if it's indeed there by typing DIR *.txt - your text file should show up.

Say that file's called audio.txt.

Then type ren audio.txt audio.wav

That way you've changed the extension from .txt to .wav, which is audio.

If you've input the HEX code correctly, you should be able to load that wav file in any audio player and hear what it has to say.

I take it you haven't messed around with notpron.com, huh? Though you don't get to mess around with HEX code there, you do get to do a lot of freaky stuff.

[marsjams13]

If you've input the HEX code correctly, you should be able to load that wav file in any audio player and hear what it has to say.

I take it you haven't messed around with notpron.com, huh? Though you don't get to mess around with HEX code there, you do get to do a lot of freaky stuff.


Thanks :)
i'm not sure when i'll actually have the free time to type in all the numbers though. i didn't know about hex code before this. i thought that all the numbers in the hardcover had to be for something, but obviously it was beyond me.

That is incredible.

:shock:
this book keeps growing

i haven't been on notpron.com before either, but i'll check it out.

[chaosBYvirtue]

Is there any way to post the sound file up to the forum once someone's done it.

Anyone know any HEX editors for Macs? (I haven't had any luck finding one) I'd take a crack at it sometime.

[orwell]

Has anyone had any success with this, and could post their results? I'd do it myself if I had a hardcover instead of the soft one.

[sutrix]

Has anyone had any success with this, and could post their results? I'd do it myself if I had a hardcover instead of the soft one.

I don't have the hardcover either.

Could someone with a hardcover at least provide a scan of the page in question?

[fearful_syzygy]

http://Houseofleaves.multiply.com

[orwell]

well, now I know what it looks like at least, though I can barely read it. I broke down and bought a hard copy since my soft copy seems to have gone missing, so as soon as that arrives I'll start working on it.

[Ellimist]

heh, if you want, I can take another, higher resolution, picture of it in a couple months when I get back to my book...

[zenogais]

The tricky part about the encoding, from looking at the pictures, is whether to read straight across and punch in each line or whether to read one side entirely, left-to-right and top-to-bottom, then the other side the same way. In order to do this someone would have to probably try both ways. Sounds very interesting though. As for hex editors I'd try MadEdit (http://madedit.sourceforge.net/)

[MicheleVR5]

A member of the AP list OCRed the pages and put them together years ago. You can download it here (http://markzdanielewski.info/media/holhex.aiff), though it may have some letters off here and there. It's the same file that was in the first post.

[Ellimist]

Four pages of hex code

http://houseofleaves.multiply.com/photos/album/1