Inside the precision hack

[Onkel Neal]

There’s a scene toward the end of the book Contact by Carl Sagan, where the protagonist Ellie Arroway finds a Message embedded deep in the digits of PI. The Message is perhaps an artifact of an extremely advanced intelligence that apparently manipulated one of the fundamental constants of the universe as a testament to their power as they wove space and time. I’m reminded of this scene by the Time.com 100 Poll where millions have voted on who are the world’s most influential people in government, science, technology and the arts. Just as Ellie found a Message embedded in PI, we find a Message embedded in the results of this poll. Looking at the first letters of each of the top 21 leading names in the poll we find the message “marblecake, also the game”. The poll announces (perhaps subtly) to the world, that the most influential are not the Obamas, Britneys or the Rick Warrens of the world, the most influential are an extremely advanced intelligence: the hackers.

LINK (http://musicmachinery.com/2009/04/15/inside-the-precision-hack/)



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[TarJak]

Some people definately have way too much time on their hands. Sloppy programming from the Time.com guys but in the end why would they put a load of effort into hack proofing a poll that really has no great importance in the scheme of things anyway?

[Arclight]

If you bothered putting it up, might as well bother keeping it in order.

Bit of encryption would have helped, but I doubt it would have stopped those guys though.

[kiwi_2005]

Pass.

[jumpy]

Hijack...

Ah, Carl Sagan, what a great guy. I was spellbound by the documentary 'Cosmos' when I was a child. Some of it might be a little out of date now, but it's still fascinating.
Also reminds me; Jacob Bronowski - The Ascent of Man (also produced by the same guys who later worked on Cosmos). Wonderful documentary series.
No surprise that Sir David Attenborough had a hand in the Ascent of Man.
Shame there's very little to equal their like these days.

[SteamWake]

Evidently 'hacker' looks good on a job resume now...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517039,00.html

[Arclight]

It always did. Friend of mine got charged for a hack (charges were dropped few years later). He didn't finish high-school, has no educational papers to show, but landed a job as administrator no problem. If you've got the skill, there's plenty of people who will pay for them. :yep: