Thus far I was only successful in a single contraction, and I don't actually know from what during the Dust Palace strike, from the director. So not from one of the "Front Page" activities.

And it looks like the ARG page is updating with some notable frequency. Now two from some group of the city (Whatever the ruling council is? I don't recognize the names given off hand.) and a line of discussion within the Vanguard.

It's interesting. I'm probably going to stay up later tonight than is otherwise suggestible because this is interesting.

I picked up Hope, Magnificence, and Brilliance from a single game of Rumble on Pantheon. Played several more without picking up either of the other two. I've read rumors that you can only be infected the one time. You can pick up multiple infections at once, but what you get on that first shot is all you're going to get.

-Disciple

I've been watching some of the main Destiny Streamers on Twitch pretty much since the ARG started this afternoon. There is obviously a lot to be discovered still, but in reply to some of your conjecture, there are a few things that seem pretty certain so far...

There is no set way to get each infection. They are not tied to locations or gametypes or methods of getting a kill. Any of them can be contracted in the same manner. They seem to be tied to some sort of transfer of light (generally kills) between guardians - whether that is killing an enemy with a super (in which case you contract the infection(s) that guardian had), or picking up orbs from one of your teammate's kills, or getting a melee kill.

Once you have contracted one (or more) infections in whatever crucible match or strike you were in when you got it, you will not be able to contract any more (at least not yet). There is some speculation that it is intended that we will be able to contract one more infection per day up until RoI releases - and with five days and five infections, that is a plausible guess. But if you get one in a crucible match, no amount of playing in any gametype will give you another one - at this point at least. (It is possible to get multiples at once - but there is still no proof that you can get another one after you got your initial infection(s)).

There are many people that think (and I tend to agree with this theory) that it is not actually intended that we be able to get more than one per day. Everyone that has gotten multiple infections got them pretty much simultaneously - generally from killing multiple people with one super or picking up a friendly orb that was generated by a super that killed multiple people. So, it might be a "bug" that many people have gotten more than one at a time.

It appears that 'Magnificence' has only been spread on the Xbox so far, while 'Splendor' has only spread on the Playstation. The other three are spreading throughout both systems. (This was the case as of a few hours ago at least, and I believe that hasn't changed yet).

The owlsector.bungie.net website is updating more or less every hour, showing how much each infection is spreading, and text transmissions appear to be unlocking (on the "Owl Sector Records" page) as each infection hits certain pre-determined thresholds.

As of the time of this post, there are posts unlocked under 'Brilliance', 'Splendor', and 'Magnificence' - with 'Brilliance' having had a second post unlocked most recently. If you look closer at the squares next to each infection, it appears that those are loading bars. ('Brilliance' with two posts is currently a thicker bar than either 'Splendor' or 'Magnificence' with one each, and the other two are empty (with no posts as of yet). This leads us to believe that each of the five will eventually have several paragraphs of text unlocked as the infections spread more and more throughout the weekend.

Much of the text unlocked so far refers to specific locations and characters such as Clovis Bray and Rasputin. (Also, it is interesting to note that "OWL" stands for "Orbital Weapon Lancet" and the whole theme of this is very related to Rasputin and the warminds and the advance of SIVA technology). However, even though the text seems to point to in-game locations, after hours and hours of digging in those locations, no one has been able to trigger anything that leads to any additional clues. I am willing to bet that there will be some in-game locations and events unlocking throughout the weekend as part of this.

I think that's about all we know for now...

Anyways... I picked up all (5). Ill infect if anyone wants them on Xbone.

Magnificence 2.0:
Report of Bypass Authority Berriole, OS-I6 2, for Owl Sector records, assigned to incident TRANSMISSION.

Nothing unusual to report during approach and landing. Standard Cabal and Vex presence, still in conflict, and easily evaded. I was drawn to signs of disturbance in a section marked as unexplored. Following those signs, and unlocking the doors in my path, I climbed five floors to a derelict laboratory with a view of the rosy plains and a computer half buried in dust.

Jackpot.

I love these vintage rigs. So graceful. So elegant. Mementos of a brighter time. They tend to be banged around a bit before I get my hands on them, but this one was pristine. I powered it up, ran a few traces and queries, and brought up the last authentication: one Dr. Shirazi, a scientist, working for Willa Bray. Something secret. The hashed password is twice the average length. I will submit my next report when I have cracked it.

We know from the item description for In Good Temper (a step in a quest but I don't remember which one) that:

"The unique datastatic structure of relic crystals inspired Doctor Willa Bray to develop the first engram matter-encryption techniques during the Golden Age." —Ghost

And Bungie has previously stated that SIVA has a lot to do with engram tech.

From the THAB:

And finally, we are aware of an unauthorized transmission of tech mites in the Crucible. Early reports indicate that this is resulting in increased XP gains, but we have yet to substantiate those claims.

Played a couple games this morning and didn't receive any new buffs. And there's several new entries up on the owl sector website.

I just read through all the available text on the Owl Sector site (as of posting), and it appears these Tech Mites are something the Vanguard are concerned about.

I don't think it makes much sense to create something you DON'T want your community to gather/share, but from a story standpoint do you think these actually might be something we want to avoid catching all of? Just spitballing....

From the (currently newest log added to the Glory 2.1 transcripts:

Owl Sector Debrief to Ikora Rey, OS-I6 4

SHU: Have you seen this?

Z. SHIRAZI CB-PZ-1.5
Patient E, Jun, has been uncooperative. Laughed unpleasantly when I told him he would receive Glory 2.1.

"You're running prototypes in parallel because it's cheaper and faster," he said. "No ethics board on Earth would approve. But I don't have a choice. I’m neck-deep in debt to Clovis Bray."

I wish we had tweaked these elixirs to modify disposition.

IR: You wished to introduce me to your Golden Age analogue?
SHU: Ha. Ha. No, I thought you'd be interested in Jun. This kind of coercion isn't a known Clovis Bray practice.
IR: Not in the books you read, perhaps.
SHU: But it's in the record?
IR: It's in the record.

We in fact do have at least one other record of Clovis Bray coercing someone who is in debt to them. From Cadye-6's notes in Treasure Island:

Afterwards, fuming. Clovis Bray sends me a bill for the hull damage. My fault the target put a blast wall between us. My fault thugs went wrong and we had to let our rifles do the talking.

(Next page)

I tear the packet open. Tattered prices of the envelope drift to the floor.

Surprise. It's not just a bill. There's a job offer tucked in. Seems old Bray's been looking for someone like me. Willing to forgive my debt, and not just for the orbital station.
All of it.

Suddenly, I ain't so mad anymore.

Clovis Bray, the mega corp, and the various members of the Bray family had their hands in a lot of things. Interestingly, their influence seems extend all way from the Golden Age, where Willa Bray helped develope engram technology, to even as recent as the battle of Twilight Gap where Ana Bray fought as a Hunter. Is that just luck or fate, or did the Bray family somehow manage to exert influence beyond the collapse of the Golden Age?

I got them all at once, from another player in a strike randomly. I'm not sure what action triggered it.

Tech mites may be precursors to the SIVA type nanotechnology. Designed for specific tasks like the spin metal colonies, but in this case they seem to increase the player's aggression. So military? A psy-ops type weapon?

I like that the aesthetic for the Owl Sector backgrounds are similar to the in game Vanguard terminals, but hacked or screen tearing.

This isn't what they are, but the simplest way to describe them is a '00' and '88'. These symbols have been appearing on terminal and computer screen concept art since before the game released.

Not everyone would notice or realize the consistency/stylization guidance utilized

(credit: Joe Cross - Art Station)

Magnificence 2.0 update:

Report of Bypass Authority Berriole, OS-I6 6, for Owl Sector records, assigned to incident TRANSMISSION.

Shun, Quist, you've gone silent and I don't know why. I am alarmed, but in the absence of updated orders, I am remaining on site to finish extracting the Shirazi logs. I hope that you and the City remain in good health.

Z. SHIRAZI CB-PZ-4.1
Patient A appears to be walking two inches above the ground. It is unclear why this has happened. The soles of her feet have turned blue. She is alarmed and delighted by turn. This of course complicates our strength tests.

Thats officially the only one i want...