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[GASM] Secret Text Vault

Started by Cramulus, February 07, 2012, 05:53:20 PM

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Cramulus

Quick idea. Here's the prank:

We create a little archive of text files. These files appear to be the "discordian secrets". They might be actual Discordian texts, sermons, etc. They might be stuff we made up. It might be single pages from existing stuff. Some of it might be gibberish.

The vault is password protected. On the page somewhere, there's a unique string that appears nowhere else on the web.

Then we create posters that contain that string, as well as the password to the vault. The password might be a puzzle of some sort, or we could just be straightforward about it. The posters are distributed and put up in cities all over the place.


People who are intrigued by the posters will google the string. This leads them to the website. Those that figure out the password get access to these secret files. In their minds, this is a reward. That text will get more of their attention. They'll tend to think that these files are "significant".


---that's the whole idea! It's just a really roundabout hook for Eris. If we can present it in a way that's surreal, intriguing, and makes you feel like you've discovered some kind of secret conspiracy, you'll be more likely to be CURSED with the MADNESS.

Triple Zero

I like the idea! But the first thing that comes up for me is: How do you make people not go "Oh look, another "viral"/ARG advertising campaign"?
Ex-Soviet Bloc Sexual Attack Swede of Tomorrow™
e-prime disclaimer: let it seem fairly unclear I understand the apparent subjectivity of the above statements. maybe.

INFORMATION SO POWERFUL, YOU ACTUALLY NEED LESS.

Cramulus

The trick is in phrasing the search string as something intriguing, rather than trying to persuade them into googling it.


sort of like how in that poster where it looks like aliens took over the brain of the guy making the posters, it ends with "Bzzzztatjaldkj;agprincipiadiscordiawoetyalkdga;kg"

The Good Reverend Roger

I've been stamping this dump's URL on singles and twenty dollar bills for about a year now.

If it's THAT easy, and people don't come, they probably won't take the time to work out a puzzle...

...BUT IF THEY DO, we'd better have something WAITING for them, other than fluff threads, etc.
" It's just that Depeche Mode were a bunch of optimistic loveburgers."
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- TGRR, raising the bar at work.

Q. G. Pennyworth

I think the right kind of people will be more interested in something that they have to figure out than a simple url.

Cramulus

what's the pd.com/url that leads to that fake front door?

you know what I'm talking about

Faust? Zip?

Triple Zero

You mean the HALLWAY? ;-)

No kidding, you probably mean this one http://principiadiscordia.com/devival2010

I updated it from 2009 to 2010, but then no longer because some people got confused and really angry that they got snubbed over a locked door that has no key.
Ex-Soviet Bloc Sexual Attack Swede of Tomorrow™
e-prime disclaimer: let it seem fairly unclear I understand the apparent subjectivity of the above statements. maybe.

INFORMATION SO POWERFUL, YOU ACTUALLY NEED LESS.

Cramulus

Okay, here's my current idea.


We copy that devival page and make it a secret HQ front-door. The page contains a unique string (to-do: come up with something) The text says something like, "Brainhack archive - please enter password."

The password reveals a small archive of Queen Gojira's half-page images.


Triple Zero

Okay easy enough I can do that. Just let me know what text/unique string it should have, which password if that's important and which of QGs half-page images should be there (although if it'll save you time I can pick out 5 of em myself).

Basically it'll just mean we're going to copy the shiny image of the monkeys and the "no turning back" portal, but putting something behind a single password is easy enough.

BTW take a good look at that page and you can see how trends in web graphics design have changed over the past 3-4 years. We still do the shiny reflective image thing, but that font!! It's just 11px! Unreadable! Today's trends is extra big. For not straining your eyes. I know my parents would definitely have trouble reading that text.

If possible, I'd like to make it at least 14px. Which means the text needs to be shorter than what it is now, do you think that would work?

Also if you want an extra cool font either for the text or for the title line, that can be done. Back in the day when I wrote that page you couldn't load custom fonts. You can use any kind you want, although it's easier and more efficient to pick one from the Google Web Fonts directory or Font Squirrel. http://www.fontsquirrel.com/fontface http://www.google.com/webfonts actually it turns out if you provide your own, TTF apparently doesnt work in IE (I can test for that now since I'm on Windows :) )
Ex-Soviet Bloc Sexual Attack Swede of Tomorrow™
e-prime disclaimer: let it seem fairly unclear I understand the apparent subjectivity of the above statements. maybe.

INFORMATION SO POWERFUL, YOU ACTUALLY NEED LESS.

El Sjaako

Quote from: Triple Zero on February 10, 2012, 04:02:30 PM
Also if you want an extra cool font either for the text or for the title line, that can be done. Back in the day when I wrote that page you couldn't load custom fonts. You can use any kind you want, although it's easier and more efficient to pick one from the Google Web Fonts directory or Font Squirrel. http://www.fontsquirrel.com/fontface http://www.google.com/webfonts actually it turns out if you provide your own, TTF apparently doesnt work in IE (I can test for that now since I'm on Windows :) )
There is a way to make it work for IE. It's even been there for a while (IIRC IE6 supports it).

Mesozoic Mister Nigel

Quote from: Cramulus on February 10, 2012, 03:21:01 PM
Okay, here's my current idea.


We copy that devival page and make it a secret HQ front-door. The page contains a unique string (to-do: come up with something) The text says something like, "Brainhack archive - please enter password."

The password reveals a small archive of Queen Gojira's half-page images.

I love this.

Also, I think it would be beyond awesome if the Devival page was changed to say 2015.
"I'm guessing it was January 2007, a meeting in Bethesda, we got a bag of bees and just started smashing them on the desk," Charles Wick said. "It was very complicated."


Triple Zero

Quote from: el sjaako on February 10, 2012, 06:17:27 PM
There is a way to make it work for IE. It's even been there for a while (IIRC IE6 supports it).
Not sure what you mean? You can make custom fonts work in IE sure, but you need to supply the font in the right format, either .otf or .woff as far as I know. For some reason IE won't use .ttf custom @font-face directives. Didn't know it was already supported way back in IE6. Let's forget about that abomination shall we?

Quote from: Nigel on February 10, 2012, 09:00:02 PM
Also, I think it would be beyond awesome if the Devival page was changed to say 2015.

Then I'll just get anrgy people in 2015 :)
Ex-Soviet Bloc Sexual Attack Swede of Tomorrow™
e-prime disclaimer: let it seem fairly unclear I understand the apparent subjectivity of the above statements. maybe.

INFORMATION SO POWERFUL, YOU ACTUALLY NEED LESS.

Mesozoic Mister Nigel

Quote from: Triple Zero on February 10, 2012, 09:38:03 PM
Quote from: el sjaako on February 10, 2012, 06:17:27 PM
There is a way to make it work for IE. It's even been there for a while (IIRC IE6 supports it).
Not sure what you mean? You can make custom fonts work in IE sure, but you need to supply the font in the right format, either .otf or .woff as far as I know. For some reason IE won't use .ttf custom @font-face directives. Didn't know it was already supported way back in IE6. Let's forget about that abomination shall we?

Quote from: Nigel on February 10, 2012, 09:00:02 PM
Also, I think it would be beyond awesome if the Devival page was changed to say 2015.

Then I'll just get anrgy people in 2015 :)

I KNOW!  :lulz: :lulz: :lulz:
"I'm guessing it was January 2007, a meeting in Bethesda, we got a bag of bees and just started smashing them on the desk," Charles Wick said. "It was very complicated."


Triple Zero

Ex-Soviet Bloc Sexual Attack Swede of Tomorrow™
e-prime disclaimer: let it seem fairly unclear I understand the apparent subjectivity of the above statements. maybe.

INFORMATION SO POWERFUL, YOU ACTUALLY NEED LESS.

Mesozoic Mister Nigel

"I'm guessing it was January 2007, a meeting in Bethesda, we got a bag of bees and just started smashing them on the desk," Charles Wick said. "It was very complicated."