Octagon Global Recruting / Dharma Initiative Email

[Turtleboy]

I just received this email:



from Octagon Global Recruiting <info@octagonglobalrecruiting.com> hide details 6:29 am (1½ hours ago)
reply-to info@octagonglobalrecruiting.com
to
cc Hans Van Eeghen <hansvaneeghen@octagonglobalrecruiting.com>
date Jun 19, 2008 6:29 AM
subject Recruitment Information
mailed-by internode.on.net

Octagon Global Recruiting, on behalf of the Dharma Initiative, would like to thank you for registering your expression of interest in our latest volunteer recruitment drive.


We will be launching in San Diego on July 24th at Comic-Con International offering select registrants the opportunity to take an exciting aptitude test that will give applicants the chance to demonstrate their unique talents.


The Dharma Initiative hopes you will be able to join us to find out more about their ground-breaking new research project. We will contact you closer to the date with more information.


For those not able to join us in San Diego, Dharma's full recruitment program will be made available online to registered recruits after July 27th.


In the meantime, the Dharma Initiative urges you to spread the word. Invite your colleagues to join the team at www.octagonglobalrecruiting.com and take part in this once in a lifetime opportunity.


If you can't view the images in this email please click here


THIS IS AN OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION OF THE DHARMA INITIATIVE:
This message and its attachments are confidential and may contain information which is protected by copyright. It is intended solely for the named addressee. If you are not the authorised recipient (or responsible for delivery of the message to the authorised recipient), you must not use, disclose, print, copy or deliver this message or its attachments to anyone. If you receive this email in error, please contact the sender immediately and permanently delete this message and its attachments from your system. Any content of this message and its attachments that does not relate to the official business of the Dharma Initiative or its subsidiaries must be taken not to have been sent or endorsed by any of them. No representation is made that this email or its attachments are without defect or that the contents express views other than those of the sender

[rhuntington3]

Yeah, I got that when I signed up with them a few weeks ago. Its apparently for another online game tied into Lost.

[Turtleboy]

Oh, I know.

I just got the email today though. I signed up on the night of the finale.

[Skittles]

Shouldn't this be in TV Talk? :confused:

[Turtleboy]

Shouldn't this be in TV Talk? :confused:

Not sure. It's going to be a massive online internet game. Like the one for Cloverfield, I think. Is the fact that it is based on a TV show regale it to TV talk? Is the fact that it's a game make it go to the Funhouse?

[mbklein]

Does that fact that you may meet new people while playing the game make it go to the Meets forum?

[Turtleboy]

I just hope one of the tasks in the game doesn't involve fixing a broken HD DirectTivo.

[DancnDude]

This one actually has dates. The first one was a more generic "we'll contact you soon" message.

[vman]

I like how Turtleboy deliberately included the confidentiality statement he was violating! ;)

[DancnDude]

Bringing from the other Lost thread. Here is the official email:
http://www.octagonglobalrecruiting.com/site/emails/0618.html

Go ahead and look at the source code of that email. In the meta tags you will find a reference to "March has 32 Days". A quick google search shows this website http://www.mysterytales40.com/march-has-32-days-last-story-from-the-mystery-tales-40-comic-book-96555 which has a scanned image of the last story in a comic series that appeared on an episode of the show. Reading the story, I couldn't find any clues, but since the "recruitment drive" is taking place at Comic-Con, I am assuming there will be additional clues there. Anyone going to be around to check it out?

[DancnDude]

Anybody at Comic-Con go to this? Any new info? I got this new message:
http://www.octagonglobalrecruiting.com/site/emails/0716.php

[kdelande]

dharmawantsyou.com was officially launched early this morning but I'm having a rough go with it, lots of time outs. Sigh, when will these companies size appropriately for the expected demand.

Seems time to start an official Lost ARG thread now that it's kicking off.

KD

[DancnDude]

The latest email is here: http://www.dharmawantsyou.com/site/emails/0729.php

And in the source code of the email there's some comments:
<meta name="Alert1" content="Banks Claw" />
<meta name="Alert2" content="DOUBLEYOUDOUBLEYOUDOUBLEYOUDOTyoutubeDOTcomFORWARDSLASHwatch QUESTIONMARKvEQUALScW6xkv9vwos" />
<!-- Banks Claw -->
<!-- DOUBLEYOUDOUBLEYOUDOUBLEYOUDOTyoutubeDOTcomFORWARDSLASHwatch QUESTIONMARKvEQUALScW6xkv9vwos -->

Which would translate to this url:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW6xkv9vwos

[kdelande]

Here's a link to the new thread for the whole game:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=400767

KD

[gchance]

WOO! I just followed the link and got:

Notice:
Class: INCA2Site
Method: dbConnect()
File: /var/www/vhosts/dharmawantsyou.com/httpdocs/project/classes/sites/sites.php on line 31
Message: Database connection failed: Failed to establish database connection: {[status] ⇒ true, [reason] ⇒ "", [output] ⇒ "Too many connections"}.
Trace: +
Code: OS

INCA2 0.4.8
PHP Error:
Class: Errors
Method: throwPHPError()
File: /var/www/vhosts/dharmawantsyou.com/httpdocs/base/classes/3-session.php on line 225
Message: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /var/www/vhosts/dharmawantsyou.com/httpdocs/base/classes/1-errors.php:202)
Trace: +
Code: n/a

INCA2 0.4.8
Fatal Error:
Class: Session
Method: garbageCollection()
File: /var/www/vhosts/dharmawantsyou.com/httpdocs/base/classes/3-session.php on line 574
Message: There is no current successful database connection. A database connection must be established before the Session's Garbage Collection can be called.
Trace: +
Code: ND

So mysterious! So Dharma!

Greg

[gchance]

New email just came in, www.dharmawantsyou.com is now being SLAMMED. When you get in supposedly you can get your ID card.

ATTENTION ALL RECRUITS
RE: OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF TESTING

Namaste.


Today is the most wonderful of days.


It marks the launch of the Dharma Initiative's Volunteer Recruitment Program.


Having completed the eligibility test you can now download your official Dharma Initiative ID card. Simply go to My Profile and download your card. Carry it with pride.


Today you will also be able to commence our extensive testing program that will assess your suitability for a range of research roles within the Dharma Initiative.


Many years ago I was asked to help rebuild this noble community of scientific inquiry. With its genuinely altruistic vision, I understood that a vibrant volunteer cohort would be a fundamental part of this effort.


Together, with my dedicated recruiting team, I have searched the globe for the best and brightest to join us, to form the foundations of the newly reconstituted Dharma Initiative.


Today we lay that foundation. So that together we can guide the world to a better tomorrow.


Hans Van Eeghen
Head of Recruiting
The Dharma Initiative

[BeanMeScot]

Has anyone been following these emails? I have been getting emails from them but I haven't taken the time to see what they are.

[DancnDude]

Yep I have. I took all the tests and now we wait for the results....when it sounds like they want to put people into groups. I think that's not supposed to happen for awhile....I think it was maybe beginning of December.

I did like the latest Test 7:

The hidden "Black Swan" cheat codes people have been been using to cheat on the tests were acutally plants by Dharma. Test 7 was the honesty and integrity test where you'd pass if you didn't use any cheat codes. Knowing how many people were looking for hidden clues and such, I think it's great that people who didn't cheat ace this task.

[BeanMeScot]

What kind of tests were there? What type of questions?

[DancnDude]

What kind of tests were there? What type of questions?

Hmmm lemmie try to remember.

One was a hand-eye coordination thing where things were jumping around the screen and with the mouse you just needed to avoid everything for as long as possible. But the moving stuff got faster and faster as time went on.

One test was visual where you needed to put together a puzzle as quickly as possible.

One test was showing sequences of numbers and you had to type in the number that comes next.

There were a few with multiple choice questions, but I can't specifically remember any questions.

I seem to recall the whole thing just feeling like an IQ test. They figure out what type of personality you have, and then will put you in with the group you did best with.

[gchance]

You guys can't get Dharma Points from me!

I have none. :) Some of the tests were answering questions. One set of questions was a bunch of difficult scientific-type questions that most people wouldn't be able to answer. One set (test 6) were amazingly simple questions. One of the tests was situational (this happens, what is your reaction, A through D). One test showed images and asked you to react. The puzzle one was mentioned earlier.

The hand-eye coordination was very similar to a lot of the game of the day things people post here all the time. Test 7 was the black swan video thing.

They said the results will be released like December 15 or something like that.

Greg

[gchance]

OK I just logged back in. ;)


Test 1: Pressurized Spatial Judgment Evaluation
That's the puzzle, assemble the pieces in the shortest amount of time.

Test 2: Broad Spectrum Knowledge Analysis
1. Where was the Magna Carta signed in 1215?
A. Salisbury Plain
B. A Field Near Runnymede
C. Tower of London
D. Southwark

2. The Louvre is located in what country?
A. Italy
B. Germany
C. France
D. Switzerland

3. What is the syllabic pattern of the haiku?
A. 5,7,5
B. 4,4,7,7,4
C. A,A,B,B,A,A,B
D. 3,5,7

4. Vincent Van Gogh's famous painting of a night sky with swirling yellow stars is called what?
A. Mona Lisa
B. Whistler's Mother
C. Starry Night
D. The Scream

5. On which diagnostic test would PVCs be found?
A. EEG
B. CUBIC
C. BP Reading
D. EKG

6. The Jurassic period was found in which era?
A. Mesozoic
B. Paleozoic
C. Archaeozoic
D. Cenozoic

7. Which medical term means "based on experience"?
A. Empiric
B. Antitussive
C. Qid
D. Sarcoma

8. What word means to think about something and then do it on purpose?
A. Retract
B. Premeditated
C. Efficient
D. Transplant

9. What fraction of Earth's gravity is the Moon's gravity?
A. Two-Thirds
B. One-Half
C. One-Sixth
D. Three-Fourths

10. What is the answer to this question?
A. A
B. B
C. C
D. D

Test 3: Dexterity & Attentiveness Evaluation
This is the hand-eye coordination game.

Test 4: Tangential Judgment Analysis
1. What letters removed from the words flour, tern, and thirsty make new words with something in common?
A. L,R,S
B. F,T,Y
C. U,R,H
D. R,R,T

2. Fleming is to James Bond as Burroughs is to what?
A. Luke Skywalker
B. Batman
C. Tarzan
D. Frodo

3. What suffix fits all these words: "advance, base, battle, fig, pig"?
A. Ment
B. Ion
C. Able
D. Ible

4. What state would come next in this pattern: "Ohio, Oregon, North Carolina, Alaska"?
A. Utah
B. California
C. Alabama
D. Delaware

5. Anorexia is to eating disorder as lymphoma is to what?
A. Cancer
B. Leukemia
C. Deep Tissue
D. Emphysema

6. If a 40-inch wire is cut in two, how long is the shorter piece if it's 2/3 as long as the other?
A. 16 inches
B. 24 inches
C. 30 inches
D. 8 inches

7. If 16 teams play in an (sp) single elimination tournament, how many games will the winner have to win?
A. 8
B. 6
C. 15
D. 4

8. Gesundheit is to blessyou as mazel tov is to what?
A. Congratulations
B. Happy Birthday
C. Good Health
D. Cheers

9. Michelangelo is to David as Donatello is to what?
A. David
B. Aphrodite
C. Venus
D. Mary

10. What is the answer to this question?
A. B
B. C
C. D
D. A

Test 5: Numeric Projection Evaluation, 5-min time limit
1. 6 11 16 21 26 ___
2. 10 20 40 80 160 ___
3. 8 32 128 512 2048 ____
4. 6 10 15 21 28 ___
5. 21 28 36 45 55 ___
6. 5 8 13 20 29 ___
7. 33 23 1213 ____
8. 4 8 12 20 32 ___
9. 1 2 3 5 8 ___
10. 2 4 6 10 16 ___

Test 6: Specialized Departmental Evaluation
1. What round megalithic monument stands on England's Salisbury Plain?
A. The Great Pyramid
B. Stonehenge
C. Carrowmore
D. The Parthenon

2. What 19th-century engineer devised an internal combusion engine which works without a spark plug?
A. Rudolf Diesel
B. Benjamin Franklin
C. Nikolaus Otto
D. George Washington Carver

3. What building was the first to have more than 100 floors?
A. The Sears Tower
B. John Hancock Center
C. Petronas Tower 1
D. The Empire State Building

4. What light-amplification device was first made operational in 1960, using a synthetic pink ruby?
A. Flashlight
B. Laser
C. Tractor Beam
D. Maser

5. What term describes a structure built against a wall to support or reinforce it?
A. Colonnade
B. Apse
C. Arch
D. Buttress

6. On a set of blueprints, the designation O.C. stands for:
A. Off Center
B. Open Connect
C. On Center
D. Oak Constructed

7. English military engineer Thomas Savery created what device which converts heated water to motion?
A. Steam Engine
B. Cotton Gin
C. Internal Combustion Engine
D. Diesel Engine

8. What temple complex, built in the 12th century in what is now Cambodia, honors the Hindu god Vishnu?
A. The Taj Majal
B. Dakshineswar
C. Angkor Wat
D. Bagan

9. What St. Louis structure is the tallest manmade US memorial and was built in the 1960's?
A. Pillar to Tomorrow
B. Skydome
C. Gateway Arch
D. Washington Monument

10. In what US state was the Tacoma Narrows Bridge which collapsed in 1940?
A. Washington
B. California
C. Oregon
D. Massachusetts


What? ;)

Greg

[gchance]

The Dharma recruitment process is over. :) If you guys were going through the online stuff, they've posted results along with a PDF giving you your results.


Namaste.

I am pleased to announce that registered recruits can now log in and download your personalized Volunteer Assessment Dossier outlining your full test results as well as your position within the Dharma Initiative.

I want to personally congratulate you on behalf of everyone at the Dharma Initiative for your hard work and diligence during our testing process.

We hope that you are happy with your results. We certainly are. The tests were extremely challenging and the aptitude and excellence displayed far exceeded our expectations.

Now that you are in possession of your results I am sure you are asking the obvious question: what's next?

Our plan was that together we would commence a glorious adventure: the revival of the Dharma Initiative using the myriad talents of all our amazing new recruits. We imagined not just fulfilling long abandoned goals but taking the Dharma Initiative to a new level of greatness as an organization promoting the peaceful social and technological advancement of all humankind.

Then the financial crisis struck.

Sadly, our benefactors were not immune to this crisis. In fact, unconfirmed reports suggest that much of the money designated for the work of the new Dharma Initiative was tied up in highly leveraged mortgage derivatives. This, however, cannot be confirmed because, I am sorry to report, the principals representing the benefactors - my employers - have gone missing. Based on bills still coming into our office we believe they are somewhere in South America.

This stunning reversal of fortune has forced us to abandon our ambitious plans. In fact, absent this funding, the Dharma Initiative was forced to make the only sensible decision we had available: we sold the Dharma Initiative to the television show LOST.

While this might strike some of you as a shock, the reason for this was not simply that they were the only bidder. As the only remaining Dharma Initiative employee who had not fled the country, I felt that at the very least the show would be able to keep the spirit of the Dharma Initiative alive and in the public consciousness until such time as a reversal of the reversal of our economic fortunes occurs.

It is with a heavy heart that I must bid you farewell. Despite my fervent commitment to the mission of the Dharma Initiative, the realities of a broken marriage, heavy casino debt and some unfounded police charges have required that I change my present circumstances. It is with great excitement that I can inform you of my pending senior sales management job at a large multi-brand auto dealership in Dubai. I have enjoyed our brief association more than I can ever express, and if you are ever in the Middle East and need a car, please e-mail me for a special "Dharma rate".

In the meantime, you will hear shortly from LOST showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. They will explain to you their future plans for the Dharma Initiative and how these plans might affect you.

Thank you again, personally, for your unflagging commitment and support. I hope our paths will one day cross again. In the meantime may the spirit of the island guide you.

Namaste.

Hans Van Eeghen
Head of Recruiting
The Dharma Initiative


My ID
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3282/3040606487_aa929dc623.jpg

My Dossier
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3012/3040606447_a30334538b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3058/3040606367_ccb8ef5dce.jpg

Is "carpenter" another word for "stoopid"?

Greg

[BeanMeScot]

At least you are honest. ;) (At least according to your score.)

[DancnDude]

I got my results:

I got a position as Cinematographer in the Communications Division
Test 1 - 49
Test 2 - 50
Test 3 - 44
Test 4 - 50
Test 5 - 60
Test 6 - 50
Test 7 - 100

[gchance]

I got a position as Cinematographer in the Communications Division

Well that's where you were placed, anyway. You think we can get the Dharma special?

Greg

[DancnDude]

Well that's where you were placed, anyway. You think we can get the Dharma special?

Greg

Yeah, that's where I placed. I don't understand what you mean by "the Dharma special" ?

The email was odd as well. Makes it almost seem as if they had an elaborite plan for the online game and then dropped it because of the economy, so they just made up the story in the email.

[gchance]

You didn't read the email closely.

It is with a heavy heart that I must bid you farewell. Despite my fervent commitment to the mission of the Dharma Initiative, the realities of a broken marriage, heavy casino debt and some unfounded police charges have required that I change my present circumstances. It is with great excitement that I can inform you of my pending senior sales management job at a large multi-brand auto dealership in Dubai. I have enjoyed our brief association more than I can ever express, and if you are ever in the Middle East and need a car, please e-mail me for a special "Dharma rate".

I suppose I should have said "Dharma rate". That last email was hilarious.

The whole thing was just a set of little games to keep people occupied over the summer, they never intended anything else.

Greg

[DancnDude]

Aww well I thought this was just the beginning of something. If this is the end, that's very disappointing.

[gchance]

I don't think it's the end. The email did mention that we'd be hearing from Lindelof/Cuse.

Greg

[gchance]

It looks like it was a budgetary problem, but it looks like they're making lemonade.

http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/dharmaspecialaccess/index

Password: lafleur

They couldn't afford the big game thing, so instead they're giving exclusive content to people on the mailing list 48 hours ahead of everyone else, leading up to the Lost premiere. I guess that's something. :)

Good morning, guys

This is the first of our weekly messages to you leading up to the premiere of the fifth season of LOST. As you may have heard, the current financial crisis has led to the demise of the newly reconstituted Dharma Initiative. Without going through all the details here, we now own the Dharma Intitiative.

You're thinking, "Great, what does this have to do with me?" We didn't want to leave Dharma Recruits high and dry, so we decided to start something we're calling the Dharma Special Access (DSA).

Every week leading up to the premiere we're going to e-mail you with exclusive LOST content, information about the upcoming season and details about what's going on here at LOST behind the scenes.

This week we have a few things for you: a video message from us, the LOST Starter Kit and a behind-the-scenes video of the LOST Kubrick signing event held with all the LOST writers last week at Meltdown Comics here in Los Angeles. To check it out, click the link below and enter the password.

This content is only going to Dharma Recruits first. It will be available to you guys exclusively for 48 hours before it's officially posted anywhere else.

We hope you'll enjoy your special DSA access (even though that's doubly redundant). We think we have a lot of cool stuff for you guys right up until the show is back on Wednesday, January 21st. In the meantime, have a great Thanksgiving. Talk to you soon.

Best,

Damon and Carlton

Greg

[DancnDude]

The latest video has a pretty cool ending....
..that takes you to ajiraairwarys.com

On there, I found a boarding pass to print out, and some origami instructions. If you fold it, you get some sort of clue. I did it but I don't have any idea what the clue means.

[gchance]

The clue is decyphered on http://spoilerslost.blogspot.com/.

The Dharma videos have all been pretty cool, the last one was hilarious.

Greg