This update is part of a ongoing series. If you have just arrived, use the links below to start at the beginning.

Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4  |  Part 5

Although the Dark Horse Bar is only a few blocks away, I decided to drive my car in case I needed to make a hasty departure. I rolled slowly into the parking lot through the back entrance, and crept into a spot a fair distance from the front door. I was beginning to feel like I was the main character in a spy novel, having embarked on a new bit of espionage and about to meet an essential contact who remained shrouded in mystery.

Unsure of what was about to transpire, I decided to take along my video camera and film the events. You can view the short (and shaky) video below.

This update is part of a ongoing series. If you have just arrived, use the links below to start at the beginning.

Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4  |  Part 5

I called the number listed below, and after a couple unsuccessful tries, I accessed a digital voice mail system. There was one new message, and I pressed 1 to listen to it. It said (in a British accent):

UPDATE! Listen to the voicemail below!

The final chapter will be unveiled
You're so far successful, and haven't derailed
The not-so-light equine
Is where you'll find him at
2922 Baseline Rd. to meet
The Man With The Yellow Hat

I'll try and make a recording later on if I'm not in the trunk of some car. But for now, I'm following the clues to the World Famous Dark Horse Bar down the street. Wish me luck!

This update is part of a ongoing series. If you have just arrived, use the links below to start at the beginning.

Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4  |  Part 5

7 PM arrived without much fanfare, until literally one minute past seven, when a knock at the door sounded loud and clear. It was a pizza, with Mountain Dew to drink. Sweet! The real item of interest though, was attached to the top of the pizza box. Check it out:

Looks like I've got a phone call to make! Check back in later and I'll update you again!

This update is part of a ongoing series. If you have just arrived, use the links below to start at the beginning.

Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4  |  Part 5

As Tuesday turned into Wednesday, and Wednesday into Thursday, the mysterious note from the Man In The Yellow Hat took a back seat in my mind. Work was really busy and the note was soon covered by random papers here and there. I ended up staying late (which seems to be the usual these days), and it was nearing 7:30 pm when I finally walked out of the elevator and towards the lobby exit.

The parking lot was empty except for the cars that belonged to the cleaning crews. As I pushed aside the heavy tree branches that obstructed the most direct path to my ride, I glanced up to see something taped to my car window. An eerily familiar piece of paper was affixed to the driver's side, rolled up into a compact cylinder. It was obvious to me what it was. I peeled it off the glass and gave an alert, excited, and nervous look at the parking lot around me. Nothing out of the ordinary. I uncurled the paper and read.

Suddenly the comfort of having Saturday two days away was interrupted by this new message. I now would need to expect something the very next day... Friday. I realized the first part of the note was not really telling me "To be untied", but rather to not be tied up. Then my true geekiness was shown: the sequence of ones and zeroes was binary computer code. It had to be. Then when I realized there were four distinct blocks of code, I figured it had to be a time of day.

The message also seemed to allude to a dinner or drink of some sort, so I would have to be prepared. Upon arriving at home, I fired up my laptop, hit Google and searched for a binary code to text translator. I clicked on the first results from my search, typed in the code, and clicked translate. Instantly I saw what both excited me and still creeped me out. 7 PM. Right there on my screen. I had figured it out.

So now, I write this with less than two hours to go before I expect the next part of this adventure to be revealed. What will come of this reccommended "hunger and thirst"? Who was the Man In The Yellow Hat? I hope these questions will be answered soon, but this sure is fun while it lasts!

This update is part of a ongoing series. If you have just arrived, use the links below to start at the beginning.

Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4  |  Part 5

I took my lunch break a little while after noon on Tuesday the 17th. I ran across to the mall and hit up Pei Wei for some fast casual takeout. I returned to my desk to chow down and read some Fark.com. It was just like any other day at work at Powell Media, but things were about to change.

KelleeAnne zipped around the corner of my cubicle wall. "Looks like you've got a secret admirer," she stated calmly as she placed something on my desk. Slight confusion was followed by the realization of what she had presented to me. It was a piece of white paper, longer that it was wide, with my name on one side in handwriting, and some text on the other. Accompanying this message was a candy bar. Nestle Crunch. I picked up the paper and began to read. Check out the note:

Here's is the handwriting sample:

As the words and ideas began to sink in, I have to admit it was both exciting and slightly creepy. The person responsible had obviously waited until i was out of the office to deliver the message. I started to run through my trip to the mall. Who had I seen entering the building? Did I see anyone out of place near the elevators? Many thoughts ran through my head, including looking clues in the note itself. None of it seemed to make any sense. The man in the yellow hat? All I could think was Curious George. What was the significance of the Nestle Crunch bar? Was any of it significant? What was going on?!

Despite living on the other side of the country, my Mom was a prime suspect. She has pulled off more impressive stunts than this, and she started showing a knack for mischief last year on my birthday when she sent me to whole foods with some unusual instructions to pick up a cake. Also on the list were two of my coworkers, Kym and Susan. Finally, I thought it might be my friends Alex and Elissa.

Eventually I had to let go of it for a while and just chock it up to a fun birthday mystery. Saturday afternoon was still a few days away, and maybe I could figure out what was going on some tiime before that.

We live in an on-demand world. Your cable provider lets you stream 1000's of hours of programs. Your ISP delivers custom content in the click of your mouse. Even if we are unaware of it, we are becoming more and more accustomed to having what we want, right when we want it.

But what happens when we don't get what we want, when we want it? A phenomenon know as "Fingertip Frustration". It could be a failed Google search that you were sure would deliver. It could be you firing up the the latest episode of your favorite network television show, only to be broad sided with a blank page, or some unending buffering problem. Or it could be as simple as finding that what you want simply does not exist.

Today I felt the pain of the last example. The first time I heard the new Blackberry commercial, the guitar-ish riff caught my attention. Throw in the female vocal, and I was sold. Maybe it was the slight hint of the Inspector Gadget theme... check it out:

As it turns out, this small sample is all that exists of my favorite new "song". According the The Internet, this is the low down:

Other sources contacted BBDO, the producer of the original Curve ad, and spoke to the Creative Director responsible. She stated that it's music composed just for that spot by a commercial music house called "Human."

And there you have it. On-demand desire becomes (n)on-demand ire. I don't want your phone, I want your music!