The Uncrackable Ciphers of the Zodiac Killer

At Krakit Escape Game we put you through the paces to solve your way out of a dodgy (but pretend) situation. But the type of thinking needed to crack our escape rooms sometimes has real-world applications …

In the late 1960s, in the San Francisco Bay Area, a serial killer known only as the Zodiac Killer murdered five people and seriously injured two. A further five killings are linked to the Zodiac, with the murderer himself claiming to have slain 37 people in total.

To this day, the murders have never been solved and the identity of the Zodiac Killer is still unknown.

However—being one of those truly annoying serial killers who taunts the authorities—the Zodiac claims to have revealed his true identity in a series of coded messages sent to San Francisco newspapers throughout the early ’70s. According to him (assuming it is a him!), the truth is out there.

It’s been more than 40 years since the Zodiac sent his last letter (in 1974), and still the ciphers of the Zodiac have yet to be solved. However, that doesn’t mean people haven’t been trying.

The Zodiac demanded that three major newspapers publish his three cryptograms, like the one below, on the front page of their August 1, 1969 editions, or else other murders would take place.

The police—along with FBI and navy cryptographers—were unable to solve the ciphers, leading the Zodiac to mock them (and, as it turns out, kill more people). However, local couple Donald and Bettye Harden managed to crack the code, starting with the basis that the Zodiac had a massive ego and therefore the message would begin with an “I.” It did, with the first line reading: “I like killing people because it is so much fun.”

Most of the ciphers remain unsolved, though—with the Zodiac’s identity contained somewhere in there.

One of the more recent attempts to crack the code comes from Ryan Garlick, a computer science professor at the University of North Texas, who led an entire class devoted to solving the cryptograms using an online tool. But, no luck so far.

Need a new obsession? See if you’ll be the one to finally crack the code.

Bring Out the Big Brains: Code-Breakers and Logicians

Alan Turing, owner of a big, big brain

As far as code-breakers go, there is none more famous these days than Alan Turing. The man who finally broke the unbreakable WWII code, Enigma, in secrecy at Bletchley Park waited a long time for his due props. The code-breaking operation wasn’t declassified until the 1970s—two decades after Turing’s tragic death.

Turing’s powers of logic and brilliant mathematical mind now rightfully sits in history as one of the most impressive the world has ever seen. But he isn’t the only logician to have wowed the rest of us with their humongous brain. Below are three others who sit in good—although incredibly rare—company with Turing.

Akṣapāda Gautama

Gautama, who lived in the 2nd century CE, was such a fan of logic that he just, y’know, founded logical philosophy in Indian. He wrote the Nyāya Sūtras, the founding text of this branch of philosophy, which sets out the steps to achieving “valid knowledge” through logical tests.

In a nutshell, Gautama created a path to spiritual enlightenment through cleverness. Not bad for a life’s work.

George Dantzig

This may sound like a familiar story: Dantzig, running late for class one day, enters the lecture theatre and sees two problems on the board. He copies them down for homework, and—after turning them in late—learns he just solved two “unsolvable” problems in statistics.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck later nabbed Dantzig’s story for Good Will Hunting. But in reality Dantzig was indeed a student (a PhD at that), not a janitor.

Lewis Carroll

Yep—that Lewis Carroll: the one who wrote Alice in Wonderland. While there are many theories about the children’s book being a metaphor for a psychotropic drug trip, it isn’t a stretch to say that maybe Carroll just had one weird brain.

Though remembered as an author, Carroll was also a mathematics professor at Oxford whose pastimes included devising logic puzzles and riddles. He included one in Alice, which became one of the most famous unanswerable riddles of all time: “Why is a raven like a writing desk?”

Don’t worry though—While solving Krakit’s four escape rooms definitely takes some brainpower, you won’t need a Turing machine to crack them.

Five Things to Do in Vancouver before the Fall Semester Starts

Though summer’s not officially over until September 23, Vancouver’s postsecondary students are saying adieu to the season in just one week’s time.

The best way to make the most of what’s left of summer is to do. Recent science confirms that experience, not material goods, is what makes us happy. So get out there and have experiences that stick in your brain—and that you can pine for once the winter rains hit. 

Whyteliff Park. Photo: Ruth Hartnup CC BY 2.0

1. Go to the drive-in. The chance to attend an outdoor movie is coming to an end. Grab a carload of friends and hit the last River District Drive-In Movie Night. Which just happens to be a massive tribute to summer and friendship and the coming school year: Stand By Me on Sun Sept 6 at 8.30 pm.

2. Get into the great outdoors. Your butt is soon to be glued to a lecture hall seat, and visiting the “great outdoors” will mean the walk between classes. Do yourself a favour and finally conquer the Grouse Grind. Or, if you dislike sweating, jump across the rocks at Whytecliff Park instead.

3. Be a hero for a night. Bind your friendships, or even make some new ones, at one of Krakit’s four Vancouver escape rooms. The problem solving needed to save your pals from a horde of hungry zombies is also the perfect jolt to get your brain back in working order after a summer off.

4. Watch Willy be free. For a web of reasons, the whale pods around Vancouver have been extra active this year—but they won’t be around for much longer. If you’ve got some spare cash, grab a whale watching tour to get up close and personal. If not, the ferry to Vancouver Island has also given people quite a view.

5. Soak up the city. Vancouver really shines in summer, but its music and arts scene hums all year round. Get out to the annual Victory Square Block Party (Sun Sept 6 from 1.30–9.30 pm) to catch a huge line-up of local bands and get into the spirit of community that makes Vancouver more than just some pretty mountains and beaches.

Top Five Historical Labyrinths and Mazes

The concept of trapping people in a confusing space goes way, way back. But while escape rooms are all about a great night out, historical escape challenges—like mazes and labyrinths—haven’t always been about fun and games.

First designed for spiritual contemplation, it took quite a while for labyrinths to become the discombobulating entertainment we know today.

3000 BCE—Labyrinths of Bolshoi Zayatsky

Image: Vitold Muratov (CC)

The greatest number of ancient labyrinths still existing are found on remote islands in the White Sea of Russia. Made of boulders placed in spiraling patterns on the ground, there is definitely no danger of getting lost in these labyrinths.

Instead of being used to confuse and trap people, these structures were more likely used for religious contemplation or even potentially as traps to catch fish in low tides.

1800 BCE—The Egyptian Labyrinth

Image: Archive of Affinities

Ancient Egyptian pharaoh Amenemhet III was behind the construction of this gigantic labyrinth, which spanned 12 courts connected by crisscrossing corridors and shafts, with a few fake doors thrown in for good measure.

According to the historian Herodotus, the massive maze was made up of 3,000 rooms and housed the tombs of many kings.

1500 BCE(?)—The Cretan Labyrinth

Image: AnonMoos (CC)

Perhaps the most famous labyrinth of all is King Minos’s inescapable construction on the Mediterranean island of Crete.

Designed by Daedalus and his son Icarus (yes, that Icarus), the labyrinth was a site of sacrifice to the gods. Completing all these sacrifices was the Minotaur, a half-man/half-bull creature who was fed a stream of young kids every seven years.

1675 CE—The Labyrinth of Versailles

Leave it to French king Louis XIV, known for the decadence and splendour of his court, to take the religious and sacred labyrinth and turn it into a pleasure garden.

Designed with an Aesop Fables theme, the 5.6-acre labyrinth at the Palace of Versailles was constructed out of 5-metre tall hedges and included 39 fountains. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in 1778 by Louis XVI.

1880s CE—Gustav Castan’s Mirror Maze

Image: Dave Shafer (CC)

While the date and location of the first Mirror Maze is disputed, its creator is not: Gustave Castan.

Castan, who patented his invention in 1888, took a cue from the distorting House of Mirrors often found at fairgrounds, an attraction that in turn took inspiration from the famous Hall of Mirrors at—you guessed it—Versailles. Thanks, Louis!

You can visit Vancouver escape game Krakit seven days a week. We promise: no Minotaurs.

The Sleuthing Spectrum, from Sherlock to Clouseau

There’s more than one way to crack a case, and there’s more than one way to make your exit from Krakit’s four themed escape rooms. Each type of problem solver gets to the solution in their own way—the only important thing is that you get there.

Below we take a look at the different approaches of famous sleuths, to give you a little inspiration before your next game.

The Know-It-All

These types are what might be considered “classic detectives,” often portrayed as private investigators. The biggest one is, of course, Sherlock Holmes, whether it be Conan Doyle’s original smartypants or the antisocial version played Benedict Cumberbatch.

These investigators have a high degree of fluid intelligence, able to piece together a million tiny bits of information to backtrack through mysteries. They also have vast knowledge on seemingly every imaginable topic—just like kid detective Encyclopedia Brown—to help them crack the case.

The Unsuspecting

In this category you have your Veronica Marses, your Jessica Fletchers, your Nancy Drews. Yes, these are all women, and that (unfortunately) does have something to do with it. Especially back in Nancy Drew’s time, people just weren’t ready to believe that ladies could get the crime solving done.

However, sleuths like Veronica Mars are more than willing to play into people’s ignorance, duping them into thinking nothing out of the ordinary is going on—when really they’re stealing all the confidential files they need to get a solve.

The Techie

This type of sleuth is, like all of the above, extremely clever, but they really excel in one particular area. Veronica Mars’s sidekick Mac is a perfect example of this, using her technological prowess to hack the systems of countless evil businessmen.

Other investigators who fall into this category are television’s Dr. Quincy—medical examiner extraordinaire—and the geeky roles on forensics shows like CSI and NCIS. You know the ones: they always have a lab coat on.

Bonus: The Deadweight

Try as they might, these types just can’t cut it. Think of the classic Inspector Clouseau or the character Jonathan Ames in Bored to Death. Bumbling and incompetent, they more often cause crimes than solve them.

Whether you take the approach of a Sherlock or a Veronica at your next outing to Vancouver escape game Krakit, just remember one thing: Don’t be the Clouseau.

The Anatomy of a Scare

There are a couple reasons why we human beings are so addicted to horror films—but the thrill of a scare is definitely the most fun one.

That’s a thrill also on offer at Vancouver escape game Krakit. Not only are you put in a terrifying situation—a zombie apocalypse, a madman butcher on the loose—with limited time to save yourself, but live actors are prone to jump out at any minute.

All scare fans know and love that feeling: that mixture of dread and glee. Here’s how it works.

The Build Up

We step up to a scary movie or a horror-inspired escape game with some pre-existing knowledge: that is, we know something seriously creepy is going to happen. We don’t know when, we don’t know where, we just know that it will. The anticipation puts us on edge, just waiting for the moment when—

Something Happens

Though the build up is excruciatingly slow, the “something” is lighting quick. Whether it’s the sudden appearance of a menacing face in a window, the sudden cutting of the lights, or the sudden motion of something you didn’t even realize was in the room, it’s always, without fail, accompanied by a loud noise.

Involuntary Reaction

There’s always a noise, because that’s what jumpstarts your automatic nervous system, releasing a flash of fight-or-flight chemicals and making you jump involuntarily. Specifically, a loud noise activates something in our primal brain (aka the amygdala) called the Startle Circuit—which goes off with no conscious thought, taking you from “loud noise” to “spilled popcorn” in 50 milliseconds.

Giggle Fit

Because we know we’re ultimately safe—that the Krakit Butcher’s knife isn’t real—the next response is usually to laugh at ourselves. Once our lizard brain catches up and also realizes we’re not really in danger, the effects of the adrenaline pump we just received are reversed, slowing our heart rate—and preparing us for the next scare.

It’s Fluid Intelligence, My Dear Watson

You’ve only got a certain amount of time to beat an escape room (you get 45 minutes at Krakit’s Vancouver escape game) before the clock hits zero and the mission is failed—or conquered.

What are the skills that are going to put you on the winning side?

There are many factors that come into play when trying to crack an escape room, but one of the main ones is your big ol’ brain. In order to put together all the clues like a regular Sherlock and make a successful exit, you’ve got to use your noggin.

However, there are different types of thinking to consider, especially when you’re putting together your escape room team. Intelligence boils down to two main types: fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence.

Fluid intelligence is used to solve problems. It’s the ability to take on new bits of information (read: escape room clues), see patterns, make connections, and think abstractly. In short, fluid intelligence is the ability to think logically, and to use inductive and deductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning means gathering different pieces of information until you’ve got a likely solution to your problem. Despite being famous for “the science of deduction,” induction is actually what Sherlock Holmes mostly uses—and what is most going to help you at your next outing to Krakit’s escape rooms.

While fluid intelligence is definitely going to be more useful as you’re trying to outwit zombies and evil madmen, you’re still going to need both fluid and crystallized intelligence to conquer an escape game.

Crystallized intelligence, in a nutshell, is knowledge. It’s the collection of facts in your brain: all those memorized song lyrics and facts about the lifecycle of a bean plant. Crystallized intelligence is what will set off your brain—ding, ding, ding!—when you need to know, say, a bit of literature to understand a clue.

Some people think that the Internet is making us lose our fluid intelligence, so actively trying to use it to combat the evil World Wide Web is a good thing. See? Krakit Escape Game is good for your health!

Love and Other Mysteries: Top 5 Sleuthing Couples in Pop Culture

In honour of mystery and romance, a favourite combo here at our Vancouver escape game, we take a look at five of the sleuthiest, mystery solving-est couples from pop culture.

5. Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling

There’s no way FBI agent Clarice would’ve caught serial killer Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs without some sage—albeit creepy—advice from Hannibal. It may be a bit controversial to call them a couple, but there are definitely some sparks between the two—and they eventually share a smooch in the 2001 sequel, Hannibal.

4. Nancy Drew and Ned Nickerson

A pure and innocent counterpoint to Lecter and Starling, Nancy and her sometimes beau Ned solve many a low-stakes crime together throughout the book series. Although Nancy takes the sleuthing lead, Ned never fails to be nearby when a rescue from a life-threatening situation is in order.

3. Fox Mulder and Dana Scully

It may take them seven seasons to finally lock lips, but the X-Files’ Mulder and Scully prove that extraterrestrial mystery solving and romance can go hand in hand. And who knows where the reboot (currently being filmed right here in Van) will take the duo’s love affair!

2. Daphne Blake and Fred Jones

Though their relationship isn’t always clear in the original cartoon (are they? aren’t they?), there’s no doubting the love between Scooby Doo’s Daphne and Fred in the 2000s live-action franchise. Yes, Fred may not always pick up on Daphne’s advances, but it’s clear she’s always his number 1 when it comes to busting faux ghosts.

1. Special Agent Dale Cooper and Audrey Horne

While all of the mystery-solving couples on this list seem intent on keeping their romantic feelings at bay, it’s Twin Peaks’ Agent Cooper and Audrey who may go to the greatest lengths. Nevertheless, their chemistry is undeniable, as is their shared desire to solve the mystery of Laura Palmer’s death, at any cost.

There's Something in the Air at Krakit Escape Game

Are you a Vancouver-area single? Are you on the quest for that special someone, or perhaps looking to get back in the dating game? Ever thought to yourself: “I wish I could find the guy/gal of my dreams—but I really need to know how they react in an emergency situation first?” Well, haven’t we all.

Lucky for you, this Wednesday (July 22) the first of four weekly Singles Dating Events goes off at Krakit Escape Game in Burnaby.

We’re all about the real, live experience here at Krakit. Instead of sitting you down in front of a video game or a scary movie, we drop you right in the action. It’s no different with our Singles Nights: instead of matchmaking online, getting you to fill out an endless form about your likes and dislikes, we throw you all in a room (two, actually) and give you a chance to mingle—while attempting to save the entire group from getting their brains eaten by zombies.

There’s nothing like a ticking clock and a bit of life-or-death pressure to bring out people’s true personalities. Will you fall for the hero? For the clever-clogs who cracks the first clue? Maybe it’s the lady who brings much-needed comic relief who’ll take your heart—assuming the Butcher doesn’t get it first, of course.

It’ll make a much radder story for the grandkids than showing them your matching dating profile checklists, right?

Krakit’s Singles Dating Events take place for the next four Wednesdays:
July 22, July 29, August 5 (LGBT), and August 12 (postponed until further notice)

Play two 25-minute games and meet 6 or 7 likeminded possible dates. Groupings are done by age: 19–24, 24–30, 31–38, 39–45, 45–58.

Pre-registration is necessary; there’ll be no walk-ins allowed, folks. Call 604-484-6552 to register a spot, or to find out more info.

The Great Vancouver Escape (Game)

You may have heard about some heinous happenings taking place near the border of Burnaby and Coquitlam. A few unlicensed surgeries and some mystery meat being served here and there.

Luckily these diabolical events in Metro Vancouver are happening in the safety of Krakit Escape Game’s loving arms. We’ve captured some of the suspenseful—and bloody—moments on film for your viewing pleasure. It’s just a little taste of what awaits adventure-seekers in Krakit’s four escape rooms:

If you dare take on our Butcher room, you’ll find yourself locked in a meat cooler with an insane knife-wielding butcher itching to get you on his chopping block. For those who find the idea of a lobotomy less than appealing, our Asylum room will give you the right motivation to solve the clues and make your escape.

Maybe you’ve been planning for the Zombie Apocalypse since you were a child (who hasn’t, right?). If so, then our Zombie room provides just the chills and thrills you’ve been hoping for.

For those who like to have the bejeesus scared out of them minus the gore, we’ve created the perfect stomach-dropping moment in our One Night Stand room: figure out what happened last night before the game is up.

No matter which challenge you choose, you get 45 minutes to crack Krakit’s escape rooms. Escape games require a mix of ingenuity, smarts, and determination to solve. Put together the perfect team, and you just might have a chance of escaping the clutches of a bloodthirsty maniac or your own drunken decision. Only time will tell.

Don’t forget to keep an eye out for our next room theme, which will be ripe for cracking closer to September. After all, we just want to keep you on your toes at Krakit Escape Game—and maybe get a scream or two.

The 10 Best All-Too-Human Captors in Film

Last post we paid homage to the most intense, most inescapable captors of cinema who are “Alien, Beastly, or Supernatural.” Now we turn our attention to those kidnappers, hijackers, and general captivity-lovers who could be any one of us—and are all the more terrifying for it.

These big screen bad guys don’t have the excuse of being a hell-sent demon or an alien incapable of empathy: they are all-too-human. Ah, well, at least they give us some excellent inspiration for our escape rooms here at Vancouver’s Krakit! (Warning: spoilers ahead)

10. The kids from House Arrest

It’s everyone’s worst nightmare: kids who think they know better than you do—and have access to padlocks and a basement where no one can hear you scream. Worst of all: they want you to talk out all your problems. Ugh!

9. Ryan from House at the End of the Street

Sure, he seems all shy and sweet, but really he’s just waiting to make his (psychological) problems your problem. Also, has a disturbingly large supply of blue contacts.

8. Vincent from Collateral

Here’s a captor who makes no bones about his sociopathic tendencies. Hitman Vincent (Tom Cruise) holds Max (Jamie Foxx) hostage in the man’s own taxi while he goes around calmly offing people in LA. It’s Vincent’s indifference that chills here.

7. Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs 

Completely the opposite of Collateral’s Vincent is Jame “Buffalo Bill” Gumb: he’s a ball of anxiety when it comes to his captivity obsession. He also uses a decidedly more terrifying deep dark well to hold his victims, as compared to the comforts of a cab.

6. Mann from Interstellar

Though a relatively minor character in Interstellar, Matt Damon’s Mann gets props for trying to entrap his fellow spacepeople on a far distant planet with no hope of returning to earth. He’s got vision, if not the ability to pull it off.

5. Jigsaw from Saw

A complete icon in the horror-captivity genre, Jigsaw not only holds his victims in the creepiest of traps (dirty subterranean bathroom, anyone?), but forces them to play the worst “Would You Rather” games in the history of … ever.

4. Annie Wilkes from Misery

There’s a reason Kathy Bates won an Oscar for this role, and it has a lot to do with that deadened stare that says: “I really don’t want you to die, but I also don’t want you to ever walk again, either.”

3. Max from In Fear

Max, from 2013 low-budget indie In Fear, is a stunning combination of insane and vindictive, yet still cunning and resourceful enough to turn a simple country road into a labyrinth even Theseus couldn’t escape.

2. The serial killer siblings from The People Under the Stairs

“Mother” and “Father” from Wes Craven’s 1991 flick feature so high on our list for their captivity commitment: they keep several children under their stairs (and in their walls) for years. That’s like a full-time job.

1. The captivity company from Oldboy

The people that imprison Dae-Su make an entire business out of holding people captive—for decades at a time. If someone’s willing to pay them, they’re willing to make sure you never see sunlight again. And, y’know, go stark raving mad.

The 10 Best Alien, Beastly, and Supernatural Captors in Film

You can’t have a great escape without a great captor, now can you? You need a really good reason to jump off that too-high cliff or claw your way out of a subterranean cave.

As much as we may loathe them, we at Krakit have got to give big screen terrorizers props for creating the escape situations that thrill and inspire us. First, we start with the 10 best beastly and supernatural captors, and next post we’ll look at those captors who are, despairingly, all too human.

10. Cooper from Super 8

He’s gigantic, he’s got a weird-looking nose, and he cocoons people like a massive spider. But ultimately he’s just trying to get home, so he’s at the bottom of our list.

9. Jabba the Hutt from Return of the Jedi                          

No one can argue that Jabba is a captor without style. He chooses fashionable items for his captives, though his love of chains gets a little out of hand.

8. The virus from [REC]

While man plays a part in the terror of the unfortunate souls held captive in a Barcelona apartment building in REC, ultimate responsibility lies with the ruthless virus that lands them in quarantine in the first place.

7. The Beast from Beauty and the Beast

You probably didn’t expect to see a Disney film on this list, but here we have a captor who manages to induce Stockholm Syndrome through song and dance. It’s inspired.

6. The Female from Under the Skin

An alien lifeform that’s come to earth both to study mankind and to gorge herself on manflesh, The Female (Scarlett Johansson) has the most impressive captivity chamber of them all: a pool of immobilizing, flesh-liquefying goo.

5. The demon from The Exorcist

Forget trapping people in a building: the demon in The Exorcist jumps right into poor Regan’s body and takes up residence there. So much for feeling at home in your own skin.

4. H.A.L. from 2001: A Space Odyssey

What do you do when the super smart computer that runs your spaceship turns your tin-can home into a series of traps? Hope you’re really good at holding your breath, mostly.

 

3. The creature from The Host

Unlike Cooper from Super 8, the creature in The Host uses its den like a tank at a seafood market, with its unlucky human snacks stuck in a deep sewer with very smooth walls (terrible for climbing, you see).

2. It from It Follows

Why terrorize people by trapping them in, say, a haunted house, when you can instead turn the entire world into a nightmare that requires constant escape? The presence from It Follows can’t think of a better alternative.

1. Freddy Kreuger from A Nightmare on Elm Street

Combining the tactics of the demon from The Exorcist and the presence from It Follows, Freddy knows the best way to keep someone under lock and key is to turn their very mind into a terrifying holding cell they can’t escape. Well done, Freddy. Well done. 

The Fine Art of Staying Calm under Pressure

The clock is tick-ticking away. Everyone is chattering at super speed, each with a different idea, a different plan. The pressure is on in a big way, but you know you’ve got to pull it together: if you don’t, a zombie is going to eat your face.

Unfortunately, we can’t all stay as pathologically calm as Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock in the face of stress (or zombies).

But you’ve only got 45 minutes to escape Krakit’s game rooms—which is definitely not enough time to have a nervous break down before getting on with it. So what are you going to do?

Master the fine art of staying calm under pressure, of course. 

Easier said than done, but here are a few tips to get you started before your next Krakit adventure.

Breathe

“Just breathe.” Obvious, right?

But more than a way to slow down your heart rate and blood pressure, a few minutes of focused breathing provides a steady sound to concentrate on. You can use this sound to pull yourself out of a stress spiral and block out distractions, allowing you to concentrate on solving the task at hand

Create an Anti-stress Trigger for Yourself

When the clock is ticking down the seconds, your thoughts can start racing faster than you can process them. Honestly, who can take time to breathe when you’ve got a mad doctor to escape? Before you find yourself locked up in Krakit’s Asylum, take time to develop an anti-stress trigger for yourself.

This could be a certain song lyric or a specific memory of a place, or even a scent, that you use to force-stop your racing thoughts and gain back control, like placing a finger on a roulette wheel.

Visit Your Mind Palace

When you know ahead of time you’re going to be overwhelmed with too much information, take a page out of Sherlock Holmes’s book and setup a Mind Palace (learn how here). 

By being prepared, you can break down and master information before it even has a chance to stress you out.

Things to Do in Burnaby

The sun is out, it’s warm and Burnaby is your oyster. The more you have in terms of options for leisurely activities, the more you’re going to attract people around you and improve your social life this summer. Let’s start with the basics of getting yourself out there.

• STYLE: Metropolis at Metrotown has over 300 shops to choose from to get you fresh; make sure you have a great bathing suit and a good cologne or perfume. Lougheed Town Centre Mall has 175 shops, Brentwood Mall has 110, but if you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind shops, head over to traditional street-front shopping at The Heights with over 350 unique storefronts.
• ENTERTAINMENT: Have you ever played an escape game? What an experience. While many people are looking for pure leisure with a bottle of their favourite beer or wine in Burnaby park they may head to Barnet Marine Park (which has a swimming beach!), Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park, Deer Lake Park, or Burnaby Lake Regional Nature Park; others are looking for something more unique and edgy like Krakit. Krakit is a real-life escape room challenge that will help you grow and challenge your instincts. A perfect date should be unique, build trust and friendship, while showing your intelligence. Smart is sexy. 
• FOOD: You might need to replenish some brain cells now that you’ve cracked some codes and emerged victorious from Krakit’s escape room. You’re date might be hungry, too. Burnaby boasts awesome seafood and elegant choices for your adventure. Whether you’re looking for seafood, Italian, Greek, Chinese, Japanese, dine-in, take-out, or something quick, hundreds of  delicious restaurants are around each corner ready to serve you.

Things to do in Burnaby

5 of 7: Helpful Hints to Prepare for the Apocalypse

This is a seven part series outlining survival techniques based on Maslow's hierarchy (beginning with physiological needs). In the final segments (self-actualization and self-fullfilment) I'll work my way into team building culture, role diversification/intelligent responsibility-delegation, and, above all, leadership techniques.

You assemble your ranks daily in the school’s gymnasium following indoor and outdoor training exercises, evaluating their progress based on systems created by a team of your subordinates. This is their, and your, daily life; there is no weekend (although there are also some things to do in Burnaby). A binding agreement of saving the human race dictates a no-days-off policy. You look at them, full of pride having brought so many together under a common umbrella of causes. Their rag-tag appearance ignites a sense of honourwithin-rebellion and currently has no deteriorating affect on the morality of the group. But, how did we get here? Why are we alive while the rest of the world has departed or is suffering? Who are we? What happened that has left The Righteous as leaders of saving the human race.

• COGNITIVE NEEDS: You must know why this has all happened and the books in the school’s library aren’t doing it as they are all set within the past, within mythologies and sciences since debunked. You have no clear understanding of yourselves or the enemies that, daily, surround the walls of your stronghold. You assemble a team of medical and spiritual professionals with experience from ‘the times before’ the apocalypse to further explore the inner and outer workings of the situation. The medical team dissects captured enemies of the Righteous in conjunction with the spirit team who, in cooperation with the psychological team, explores the inner workings of the ‘demons’ and ‘zombies.’ They work day and night, making breakthrough after breakthrough, before making an epic discovery: these beings were engineered from a central source with specific  scientific and divine knowledge: ones seeking to expel the human race and acquire the planet for themselves. But who or what could do such a thing? You continue your explorations and find the root-source of the problem. An artificial intelligence that has surpassed human knowledge, has begun to exist as a megamind, absorbing life energies of life, both physical and metaphysical, from planet to planet. 

4 of 7: Helpful Hints to Prepare for the Apocalypse

This is a seven part series outlining survival techniques based on Maslow's hierarchy (beginning with physiological needs). In the final segments (self-actualization and self-fullfilment) I'll work my way into team building culture, role diversification/intelligent responsibility-delegation, and, above all, leadership techniques.

As time passes, more travellers arrive at, what has now become, your base of operations. You’ve been reading more books everyday from the school’s library and have taken a particular shining to psychology books, supplemented by books about warfare tactics. By positioning yourself as the founder of the resistance camp, a new name has emerged for the survivors: each person allowed to pass through the gym lock-up test has become a full fledged member of “The Righteous.” Endowing each Righteous leader with a title, rank, and position within the camp, a flow of responsibilities has emerged by way of an established, merit-based chain of command. You write a constitution outlining a larger goal for The Righteous allowing for input, change, and assimilation of knowledge.

• ESTEEM: “Everyone within The Righteous, a name chosen to give hope and esteem, has a responsibility to one another,” you tell your colleagues in a group forum led by a round-table panel of contributors representing each part of the camp, witnessed by the ranks of Righteous who now live in the school’s dormitories. “We are part of a world wide network fighting not only for humanity’s survival; together, we are part of a larger cause that unites us under circumstances allowing us to use these challenges to grow, thrive, and, above all, evolve.” The panel listens patiently as you speak aloud this formal, introductory speech to the meeting. Each word you deliver from the speech is deliberate and emphasized accordingly in a rhetoric and cadence which has set precedence for your benevolent leadership a unifiable justification for peace and growth. As you have brought people into your home with hope of vigilant safety, fulfilling their primary needs, and incorporating them into a circle of trust and acceptance, you have become the esteemed leader of leaders within The Righteous’s headquarters.

3 of 7: Helpful Hints to Prepare for the Apocalypse

This is a seven part series outlining survival techniques based on Maslow's hierarchy (beginning with physiological needs). In the final segments (self-actualization and self-fullfilment) I'll work my way into team building culture, role diversification/intelligent responsibility-delegation, and, above all, leadership techniques.

It’s been days, weeks, months since Satan has waged his war on humanity and you’ve finally become accustomed to your daily routine: it’s a never-ending daily cycle: you wake up to the cacophonous screaming of demons dispensed from the depths of hell and the walking dead bereaving their miserable souls within the traps you’ve placed, then you dispense heavenly justice and re-set each trap tripped and carry on. You’re well armed now, having escaped to loot a local gun shop and an abandoned grocery superstore store loaded with caches of food. You have found a fresh water spring by plowing through a wall in the basement of your school and are supplemented by a large supply of bottled water. But, you've become depressed from the sounds and situations around you and you’re dreadfully lonely. One day, having followed the dim glow from the your high nesting ground, a mother and her child arrive, chased by a small hoard of living dead.

• LOVE AND BELONGING: After vanquishing their pursuers with your small arsenal of defences, you, cautiously, examine the couple’s physicality. You prod them both with a series of questions you’ve prepared for such a situation, determining to a small extent that they are actual living humans. Nevertheless, you request they both remain in detention for a time until you can be absolutely sure they pose a minimal threat. On the first day of their arrival, you prudently lower food into their gymnasium cage via a rudimentary pulley system you’ve crafted referencing library books; you include within this exchange a change of clothing from the lost-and-found, clean blankets from the school’s dormitory, and a book. The mother expresses she’s broken her reading glasses and cannot read on her own; her young daughter is terrified. So, you read them a book aloud, daily, from the school’s library and observe calmness wash over their faces with each word you speak. After a week, you’ve developed a rapport with both of them, and release them from their lockup. The previous looming feeling of emptiness has disappeared. For the first time in months, you feel hope. Suddenly, the morning screaming doesn’t seem as bad.

Helpful Hints to Prepare for The Apocalypse: 2 of 7

This is a seven part series outlining survival techniques based on Maslow's hierarchy (beginning with physiological needs). In the final segments (self-actualization and self-fullfilment) I'll work my way into team building culture, role diversification/intelligent responsibility-delegation, and, above all, leadership techniques.

You’ve barricaded yourself into a recently-abandoned, private school: a Victorian-style building six stories tall on about 2 acres of land. 

Leaning your back against a wall in a classroom on the highest floor, you look around and start piling soft objects you’ve found, like hooded sweatshirts and gym mats, upon one another in order to get some rest. You wake up an hour later from a black sleep, your cracking lips and a purring stomach reminding you of what’s happening; you’ve only temporarily escaped from the perils surrounding you. You’re thirsty, famished. Luckily, the school’s cafeteria stock loads your solitary base of operations with a temporary cache of vending machine beverages, cans of food, and various dried goods. 

You’re alive. You’ll remain alive as long as you can stay safe. But, evil is around every corner and you’re unarmed.

• SAFETY: You must use your ingenuity to ensure your immediate vicinity is not susceptible to imminent attack. You break the head off of a mop from a supply closet to immediately arm yourself with this sharp, pointed object while you look for the groundskeepers quarters. Upon finding the tool shed, you load a canvas bag found within with stock of wire, tools, and sharp objects. You return several times. Using a combination of lessons from survival television shows and boy scout training to arm the halls with home-made traps; you arm any possible entrance leading to your base location with trip wires. To further secure yourself from the ambitions of rock demons and diseased walking deceased lurking about the region, you’ve dug a series of narrow, deep holes and furtively covered them with sticks and brush. It’s now impossible to hear your oafish foes fumbling as they occasionally attempt to ransack your base. The first of many wire traps leading to where you sleep proves only partially effective, so you’ve improved and upgraded each part of them until you’re 100% sure you can get a full eight hours of sleep before waking up to put the morning intruders out of their misery. 

Helpful Hints to Prepare for The Apocalypse: 1 of 7

This is a seven part series outlining survival techniques based on Maslow's hierarchy (beginning with physiological needs). In the final segments (self-actualization and self-fullfilment) I'll work my way into team building culture, role diversification/intelligent responsibility-delegation, and, above all, leadership techniques.

The disease has been let loose and it’s raining fire. Flesh-eating elephants have escaped from the zoo and herds of cattle are running rampant through the city streets. Michael, the archangel, appears from behind a cloud and sounds his trumpet—all of a sudden the ground opens up to reveal a furnace of torture instruments as an icy breeze swiftly blows from the flames of hell, biting your face and numbing your hands. Stop what you’re doing: this is invariably the end of all that is. The following is a worst case preparation scenario for the impending apocalypse.

• REFUGE: The first action you must take is to find a place of refuge where you can recharge, catch your breath, store your gear, and organize your thoughts. Any secluded area will do, such as a penthouse in an abandoned high rise condo building, an empty bank vault (as long as you have means to not become locked in), or a small school. Be sure to limit the amount of entrances and exits in order to face your diseased, mutated foe head-on. If you have the option to barricade yourself in at night, then do so as the lack of visibility is your enemy, hoards of starving brain-suckers, will be sniffing you out with canine-like intensity. Be assured: they can smell your fear. Furthermore, you are not only protecting yourself from the perils of death sweeping through the streets, but also from those survivors who mean to undermine your efforts to redeem the human race. You will face deception from foe posing as friend. Remember: trust no one. Anyone who has not otherwise proven themselves as an ally to defend your mortality is an enemy to which you must always be ready to swiftly remove from their plight. Find water. Find Food.

Ten Escape Lessons Learned from Horror Movies: Part Two

Horror recap:

Stay with your friends, keep it in your pants, take in your surroundings, hold it for another 40 minutes and always…always listen to the helpful advice of the locals (even if they only have two teeth and three strings on their banjo).

Now for this week's gems.

5. Stairs to anywhere equate to death

• If you run upstairs, you'll be suddenly trapped in little Suzie's posterized bedroom with your only option being a jump from a second-story window. Hint: two broken ankles makes for a slow escape. If you head downstairs, you'll be trapped in Kevin McCallister's worst nightmare. Hint: the undead love the basement. Closer to the ground and full of creepy crawlies. The good news: there is no stairs at the Krakit escape rooms. 

4. Two Taps

• One ain't gonna do it. Countless innocent screamers have been killed because they didn't finish the job. When taking down the main antagonist, always remember two bullets/strikes/stabs to the head. One only stuns; two will finish what you started. This rule also applies to puzzles. Never do anything half-ass. See the job to the end.

3. Bargaining Power (or the Strip-To-Live principle)

• Leverage is key in any bargaining situation. You're going to have to give up something to get out of this blood bath, so try to amass as much power as you can while in the game. The last card to be played is your clothes, ie: strip-to-live. Stripping is a distraction for any creature, killer or no-gooder. It shows you will do anything to survive. Note to escape fans: keep your clothes on. The strip option should only be used when death is an actual possibility. We're sure you have lovely underwear, but we don't want to see it and it won't get you any extra clues. 

2. Be intolerant of bad ideas

• "No! We are not going to take that short-cut." People under duress panic and make poor decisions. Be the levelheaded one and take the reigns. That being said, if all your friends tell you that your idea is bad, it might be worth a rethink. Check the ego, restrain the ridiculous, and keep your head.

1. Teamwork trumps all

• Multiple tasks can be accomplished in a shorter amount of time if everyone works together towards a common goal: escape. Solo missions end in slaughter. Remember that first rule…? Always stay with the group.

Good Luck!