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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCicada 3301: I tried the hardest puzzle on the internet and failed spectacularly
No one knows who sets it or what the prize is at the end,
but Cicada 3301 is back for its third year, and the internet has gone wild
The hardest puzzle on the internet is not, perhaps, something to be attempted on whim during a quiet January afternoon.
But ever since I first heard about Cicada 3301, a mysterious event somewhere at the intersection of a game, a competition and a job interview, I'd wanted to test my mettle. It couldn't be that hard, right?
Wrong.
Cicada 3301 first appeared in January 2012, with a picture posted on 4Chan, the notorious message board which has given birth to everything from Lolcats to Anonymous.
In white text on a black background, the posted message read: "Hello. We are looking for highly intelligent individuals. To find them, we have devised a test.
"There is a message hidden in this image.
"Find it, and it will lead you on the road to finding us. We look forward to meeting the few that will make it all the way through.
"Good luck."
It was signed "3301".
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jan/10/cicada-3301-i-tried-the-hardest-puzzle-on-the-internet-and-failed-spectacularly
bigwillq
(72,790 posts)Erich Bloodaxe BSN
(14,733 posts)based upon the linked article and the few snippets of info about the beliefs of the folks behind it.
TDale313
(7,820 posts)Thanks for posting it.
seveneyes
(4,631 posts)And your odds of finding the correct number are infinite. Without trust, anything is possible.
BlueJazz
(25,348 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)But I'm not sure why 4chan wants me to "Drink more Ovaltine."