Like many people you may be aware of the terrifying concept of an omniscient Algorithm that controls what you see on the internet. And like many people you may think that you’ll never actually understand it, let alone defeat it. It’s too complex. It’s not. It’s actually incredibly simple and once you understand one basic […]
Party at Cult of The Dead Cow: New Hack City West (2003)
This was the second time I went to a party at New Hack City. The first time I was invited by a friend of mine. Second time I caught an invite on the SFRaves email list. New Hack City was in a secret location literally under Market St.
Defcon 21 Badge Challenge Walkthrough Part 4
Welcome to part 4. Bellow is all the webpages and what was on them. The Program ———– The first few paragraphs of the badge page on the program were actually the lyrics to the song “Tradition” from the musical Fiddler On The Roof with some words changed to make it sound like it was talking […]
Defcon 21 Badge Challenge Walkthrough Part 3
Floor Puzzles =================== Clock Face ————— The symbols are Rod Numerals ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counting_rods#Rod_numerals ) turned sideways every other digit. When converted to letters reads: defcon, 21, keyword, orrery which leads to: https://www.defcon.org/1o57/dc21/orrery Skull Puzzle —————— The symbols on the skull puzzle are actually from another “Chain of Death” cipher from The Shadow http://www.nku.edu/~christensen/section%205%20symbols.pdf You read it […]
Defcon 21 Badge Challenge Walkthrough Part 2
Posters: ================= There are 7 posters with cipher text. 4 labeled with numbers that when converted from dec to ascii are labeled J, A, C, and K, and three with key holes. Numbered Posters ———————– – 74 “J” (Social Engineering Village): VEVMRUBLFDZMGGLYVORVEV LMVLUGSVQZXPHWLVHMGYVO (can be decoded with atbash) => EVENIFYOUWANTTOBELIEVE ONEOFTHEJACKSDOESNTBEL – 65 “A” (Wireless […]
Defcon 21 Badge Challenge Walkthrough Part 1
I was in one of two teams that completed the Defcon Badge Challenge this year. In part one of this walkthrough I’ll provide solutions for the Lanyard and the Badges. Part 2 will have the Posters. Enjoy! Lanyards: ================= All four lanyards laid out have a bass clef and then a series of dots that […]
A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace by John Perry Barlow
Just as relevant today as it was in 1996. This is a Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace. A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace by John Perry Barlow Governments of the Industrial World, you weary giants of flesh and steel, I come from Cyberspace, the new home of Mind. On behalf of the future, […]
Hacker Movie List
What follows is a list of “hacker movies” in no particular order. — War Games (1983) A young man finds a back door into a military central computer in which reality is confused with game-playing, possibly starting World War III. — Hackers (1995) A young boy is arrested by the US Secret Service for writing […]