Completely diabolical puzzle cache idea

[+Sparrowhawk]

OK... this one is for the geeks out there. Expecially those geeks with a diabolical mind.

 

(I will try my best to write this in layman's English for everyone else.)

 

First of all... google for "hide message in jpg file" to find out something VERRRRRRRY interesting.

 

You can encode a secret message in a txt file inside a jpg! Kinda like hiding a message inside an envelope. The jpg looks just like a normal picture no matter how long you stare at it.

 

What do I mean? Well, it's kinda like the geek equivalent of having some normal-looking picture in a frame, and knowing there is a secret message hidden there somewhere. Your normal impulse is to do a "where's waldo" eyeball search of the picture itself. However instead of staring at the picture forever, you take the picture out of the frame, turn the frame around, notice the strip of paper taped to the inside of the frame, pull that paper off and read the plain-english message written there. The method being used here is the computer equivalent of this idea.

 

How this puzzle cache would work: you tell people that the actual coords for the cache are hidden in the jpg displayed on your cache page.

They have to figure it out HOW the coords are hidden in the jpg.

 

If you want to make it even worse, type a whole lotta random numbers in a new image in Photoshop, make a jpg out of the random-number image - use the technique to hide your text file containing the coords within that jpg, then post the pic on your cache page. It would drive people NUTS trying to decrypt the message within the random numbers they see there. Especially when you say that the coords are in plain English, if you know how to find it.

 

Yes, I said it was diabolical.

Yes... people are going to stare and stare and stare VERY hard at your picture trying to figure it out.

Well... you weren't lying, were you? The coords ARE in the jpg file... literally...

 

I would call the cache something like: "If I EVER Get My Hands On That Cache Owner...!"

 

Here's another level of this puzzle cache idea which would be at least somewhat more merciful on the wanna-be visitors of your cache. It gives people at least SOME sort of chance to figure out what is going on. It goes like this:

 

As everyone knows, computers actually communicate in ones and zeros. It's called "binary".

 

If you google for "english to binary" you will find websites that will conveniently translate English to binary.

 

I went to one of those websites, had a sentence translated to binary - and put the resulting binary code in this jpg via Photoshop. Here it is:

 

 

Translated back to English, this binary code spells out:

"Search Google for 'hide message in jpg file' to find the answer".

 

If they get that, they will know how to unpack the hidden text file out of the jpg - just like someone pulling the hidden piece of paper out of the frame!

 

You have my permission to take this image as your own, create a text message with the coords in it, and hide that file in this jpg. Just hope that your cache-finders are not forum readers.

[+mamid]

that's just evil

[+Prime Suspect]

OK... this one is for the geeks out there. Expecially those geeks with a diabolical mind.

 

(I will try my best to write this in layman's English for everyone else.)

 

First of all... google for "hide message in jpg file" to find out something VERRRRRRRY interesting.

 

[yadda*3 omitted]

 

You're a few years late to the party. People have been using this and similar techniques as puzzle caches for a long time now. I put one out 3 years ago, and it certainly wasn't the first.

[crtrue]

Now, find a way to encrypt a map of the location into a single ASCII letter, and you'll have yourself a cult of haters

[steedaq155]

Now, find a way to encrypt a map of the location into a single ASCII letter, and you'll have yourself a cult of haters

 

Someone in my area has a cache like this. I have no idea on how to extract the message from the image.

Edited May 20, 2007 by steedaq155

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

OK... this one is for the geeks out there. Expecially those geeks with a diabolical mind.

 

(I will try my best to write this in layman's English for everyone else.)

 

First of all... google for "hide message in jpg file" to find out something VERRRRRRRY interesting.

 

You can encode a secret message in a txt file inside a jpg! Kinda like hiding a message inside an envelope. The jpg looks just like a normal picture no matter how long you stare at it.

 

What do I mean? Well, it's kinda like the geek equivalent of having some normal-looking picture in a frame, and knowing there is a secret message hidden there somewhere. Your normal impulse is to do a "where's waldo" eyeball search of the picture itself. However instead of staring at the picture forever, you take the picture out of the frame, turn the frame around, notice the strip of paper taped to the inside of the frame, pull that paper off and read the plain-english message written there. The method being used here is the computer equivalent of this idea.

 

How this puzzle cache would work: you tell people that the actual coords for the cache are hidden in the jpg displayed on your cache page.

They have to figure it out HOW the coords are hidden in the jpg.

 

If you want to make it even worse, type a whole lotta random numbers in a new image in Photoshop, make a jpg out of the random-number image - use the technique to hide your text file containing the coords within that jpg, then post the pic on your cache page. It would drive people NUTS trying to decrypt the message within the random numbers they see there. Especially when you say that the coords are in plain English, if you know how to find it.

 

Yes, I said it was diabolical.

Yes... people are going to stare and stare and stare VERY hard at your picture trying to figure it out.

Well... you weren't lying, were you? The coords ARE in the jpg file... literally...

 

I would call the cache something like: "If I EVER Get My Hands On That Cache Owner...!"

 

Here's another level of this puzzle cache idea which would be at least somewhat more merciful on the wanna-be visitors of your cache. It gives people at least SOME sort of chance to figure out what is going on. It goes like this:

 

As everyone knows, computers actually communicate in ones and zeros. It's called "binary".

 

If you google for "english to binary" you will find websites that will conveniently translate English to binary.

 

I went to one of those websites, had a sentence translated to binary - and put the resulting binary code in this jpg via Photoshop. Here it is:

 

 

Translated back to English, this binary code spells out:

"Search Google for 'hide message in jpg file' to find the answer".

 

If they get that, they will know how to unpack the hidden text file out of the jpg - just like someone pulling the hidden piece of paper out of the frame!

 

You have my permission to take this image as your own, create a text message with the coords in it, and hide that file in this jpg. Just hope that your cache-finders are not forum readers.

If I understand what you are describing correctly (that is, hiding text inside JPEG files or other image formats), there are already a good number of puzzle/riddle caches listed on geocaching.com which use this technique, and my wife Sue, who is a puzzle cache addict, has solved and found about 18 of them over the years.

 

On a slightly related note, you may be interested in the fact that there are also puzzle caches which hide coordinates inside stereogram images, aka Magic Eye images. For these, a certain kind of visual acuity/skill is needed, as there is no other way to read the numbers.

[hobbes_dmS]

You can encode a secret message in a txt file inside a jpg! Kinda like hiding a message inside an envelope.

you'd have to take care that the image is not automatically resized/reencoded by GC.com (bigger than 125 kB, wider than 600px) or your information will be lost.

[vtmtnman]

OK... this one is for the geeks out there. Expecially those geeks with a diabolical mind.

 

(I will try my best to write this in layman's English for everyone else.)

 

First of all... google for "hide message in jpg file" to find out something VERRRRRRRY interesting.

 

[yadda*3 omitted]

 

You're a few years late to the party. People have been using this and similar techniques as puzzle caches for a long time now. I put one out 3 years ago, and it certainly wasn't the first.

Exactly my point....it's getting harder and harder for you to create a difficult/unique cache because it's slowly all becoming old news.

[+Sparrowhawk]

OK... this one is for the geeks out there. Expecially those geeks with a diabolical mind.

 

(I will try my best to write this in layman's English for everyone else.)

 

First of all... google for "hide message in jpg file" to find out something VERRRRRRRY interesting.

 

[yadda*3 omitted]

 

You're a few years late to the party. People have been using this and similar techniques as puzzle caches for a long time now. I put one out 3 years ago, and it certainly wasn't the first.

Exactly my point....it's getting harder and harder for you to create a difficult/unique cache because it's slowly all becoming old news.

 

Well, rats. Hey, one of these days I will come up with a crazy idea that is actually new. Nothing more dissapointing than an old news puzzle.

[+michigansnorkelers]

Hey, I just thought of one.

 

How does 42 Its hard. Absolute baboon methods

and

82 Your welcome. Always thankful host

 

translate to 42 34.867 and 82 47.684

 

Is this clever, or just too darn easy?

[+TrekkingTurtles]

Hey, I just thought of one.

 

How does 42 Its hard. Absolute baboon methods

and

82 Your welcome. Always thankful host

 

translate to 42 34.867 and 82 47.684

 

Is this clever, or just too darn easy?

 

Easy, Seen it done before.... of course... when one knows the answer - it is alway eaiser...

Edited May 21, 2007 by TrekkingTurtles

[+Gator Man]

YEP, done that...

[+TrailGators]

Hey, I just thought of one.

 

How does 42 Its hard. Absolute baboon methods

and

82 Your welcome. Always thankful host

 

translate to 42 34.867 and 82 47.684

 

Is this clever, or just too darn easy?

Too easy, but is there a cache there?

[+TrailGators]

OK... this one is for the geeks out there. Expecially those geeks with a diabolical mind.

 

(I will try my best to write this in layman's English for everyone else.)

 

First of all... google for "hide message in jpg file" to find out something VERRRRRRRY interesting.

 

[yadda*3 omitted]

 

You're a few years late to the party. People have been using this and similar techniques as puzzle caches for a long time now. I put one out 3 years ago, and it certainly wasn't the first.

I've also found several of these myself....

[+Too Tall John]

Well, rats. Hey, one of these days I will come up with a crazy idea that is actually new. Nothing more dissapointing than an old news puzzle.

It may have been done, but it took creative thinking to come up with it on your own. Nice work! The fact that there is more than one mind out there diabolical enough to come up with such an evil plan makes me worry...

[+Kit Fox]

Viper's Hummingbird Mystery Is a great cache, that has one of the most effective uses of "hidden information" within a photograph.

 

It would only have one find if it wasn't for the "last group"

 

I have many puzzle caches using some sort of encryption method involving pictures. With the right program, you can hide all sorts of information, like maps, other photos, and more puzzle data.

Edited May 21, 2007 by Kit Fox

[+tozainamboku]

Viper's Hummingbird Mystery Is a great cache, that has one of the most effective uses of "hidden information" within a photograph.

 

It would only have one find if it wasn't for the "last group"

 

I have many puzzle caches using some sort of encryption method involving pictures. With the right program, you can hide all sorts of information, like maps, other photos, and more puzzle data.

I knew that Kit Fox would respond to this thread . I've highlighted the important parts of his post.

[+BiT]

I took this one step further, I also have "hidden information" on a puzzle cache.

 

Fa Zhou

Edited May 21, 2007 by Buckeyes_in_Texas (BiT)

[CacheNCarryMA]

Hey, I just thought of one.

 

How does 42 Its hard. Absolute baboon methods

and

82 Your welcome. Always thankful host

 

translate to 42 34.867 and 82 47.684

 

Is this clever, or just too darn easy?

 

I own a puzzle cache like that. The coordinates have zeroes in them.

 

I also have a "text hidden in jpeg" (steganography) cache, but new ones will not be approved because they require third party software.

 

 

"...there is nothing new under the sun." - Ecclisiastes 1:9

[+alexrudd]

I would suggest reading up on IPTC, EXIF, and XMP metadata. Fun stuff.

 

Although it'd probably take me 5 minutes to figure out a cache puzzle like this, it's still cool. Cooler still would be a geotagged photo.

[+Brik]

Now, find a way to encrypt a map of the location into a single ASCII letter, and you'll have yourself a cult of haters

 

White background makes it easier for yall to see

 

Mwo ha ha ha

 

Whats the map in ??

[+BigFurryMonster]

Check this cache:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GCN85R

 

All you get is a blue rectangle... happy hunting!!

[+Corez]

Thanks! I knew about that text file hiding thing, but I never thought to associate it with geocaching.

 

As well, I've heard that you can hide MP3's in images! Maybe I'll try something like that.