Adobe’s Semaphore’s puzzle cracked
Posted on August 18, 2007
Filed Under All, Photos, Technology |
Serious geekery - from Wired’s Threat Level blog:
“Mark Snesrud and Bob Mayo took on the public art challenge, leading them to W.A.S.T.E. cash on some fancy radios, find hidden XML files, use computer programs to generate a 4,142 page equation that explained the signals but signified nothing, and finally crack the code to find the building is continually broadcasting the text of Thomas Pynchon’s ‘The Crying of Lot 49.’”
The pair offer an 18-page-explanation of how they cracked artist Ben Rubin’s San Jose Semaphore. The Semaphore web site offers this overview of the project and the embedded puzzle:
“Located within the top floors of Adobe’s Almaden Tower headquarters in San Jose, California, San Jose Semaphore is a multi-sensory kinetic artwork that illuminates the San Jose skyline with the transmission of a coded message. The content of the San Jose Semaphore’s message is a mystery; cracking the encryption technique and deciphering the message is posed as a challenge for the public. To the first person or group to successfully crack the code, Adobe will award bragging rights and acknowledgment on both the Adobe website (www.adobe.com) and the San Jose Semaphore website.” So, now we know…
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