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This puzzle is part of the Monthly Topic Challenge #1: Restricted Title: xkcd 1xxx


What is the significance of this?

638370466620448309680870                || 
638370466620538096803696                ||L
6383704666207860276863026303373780968   ||A
638370466620625309680279                || 
63837046662072904663293                 || 
63837046662083550205430263048780968     ||R
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1 Answer 1

16
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If

0=SPACE
2=abc
3=def
4=ghi
5=jkl
6=mno
7=pqrs
8=tuv
9=wxyz
(based off the letters on a phone number pad)

Then

The numbers can be decoded to the lyrics of the chorus of 'Never gonna give you up' by Rick Astley.

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

And then

We apply the reverse operation on the right side, which yields 052007. Interpret this as "05/2007", or May 2007. This is the month when the original rick-roll on YT was released. This scholarly article agrees.

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5
  • $\begingroup$ So close! rot13(ZQL naq LQZ nera'g gur bayl cbffvoyr qngr sbezngf) :) $\endgroup$ Jul 14, 2022 at 17:35
  • 22
    $\begingroup$ Scholarly article, my foot! $\endgroup$
    – Stiv
    Jul 14, 2022 at 18:06
  • 5
    $\begingroup$ @Stiv It's the primary source, what more could you ask? $\endgroup$
    – justhalf
    Jul 15, 2022 at 7:47
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @Stiv Now, now, you know the rules. And so do I. $\endgroup$ Jul 15, 2022 at 13:58
  • $\begingroup$ I fixed your decode key (s is 7 not 8) and added the source. $\endgroup$
    – Yakk
    Jul 15, 2022 at 15:27

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