1190: "Time"
Moderators: Moderators General, Prelates, Magistrates
- thecamoninja
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Wed Jan 21, 2009 10:17 pm UTC
- Location: All these sick scenes
- Contact:
Re: 1190: "Time"
Does anything about this seem kind of... eerie to anyone? Maybe it's just because it's really late and when I first saw the comic I expected it to be animated and was half-expecting a screamer or something, but the mysteriousness of it all is just giving me kind of a creepy vibe.
Formerly known as Camoninja
- - -
Join /FG/ on Discord
Hardcore will never die, but you will.
- - -
Subsequently known as Lavender Manna
- - -
Join /FG/ on Discord
Hardcore will never die, but you will.
- - -
Subsequently known as Lavender Manna
Re: 1190: "Time"
Another update at 1:30am.
The comic went up at 1:00am (stupid DST), first update at 1:10am, second at 1:30am. I'm curious to see if there will be another at 2:00am.
EDIT: apparently I am mistaken. A new image every 30 minutes seems to be the pattern.
The comic went up at 1:00am (stupid DST), first update at 1:10am, second at 1:30am. I'm curious to see if there will be another at 2:00am.
EDIT: apparently I am mistaken. A new image every 30 minutes seems to be the pattern.
Last edited by Goggalor on Mon Mar 25, 2013 6:13 am UTC, edited 1 time in total.
Keeper Of The Bags, Protector Of Puns
A Timewaiter from the very beginning to the bitter end.1
1but not from beginning to end to beginning since I'm not a loopist
A Timewaiter from the very beginning to the bitter end.1
1but not from beginning to end to beginning since I'm not a loopist
Re: 1190: "Time"
We're actually up to no fewer than 4 distinct images now. Female-stick-figure has turned her head back, but it's a different image than the first two. Very strange...
Edit: The complete set so far, AFAIK.

Edit: The complete set so far, AFAIK.




Last edited by arotenbe on Mon Mar 25, 2013 5:39 am UTC, edited 1 time in total.
Re: 1190: "Time"
Oh really? I must be missing one.
Keeper Of The Bags, Protector Of Puns
A Timewaiter from the very beginning to the bitter end.1
1but not from beginning to end to beginning since I'm not a loopist
A Timewaiter from the very beginning to the bitter end.1
1but not from beginning to end to beginning since I'm not a loopist
- phlip
- Restorer of Worlds
- Posts: 7550
- Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:56 am UTC
- Location: Australia
- Contact:
Re: 1190: "Time"
It seems to be updating every half hour...
[edit] I'll just keep on adding these here.
I'm not sure what the URLs actually are... They look too long for most common hashing algorithms. I suspect they're just random noise, to deter bring able to find future images. Which means that reverse-engineering that first image will be impossible too, unless they loop eventually.
[edit] I'll just keep on adding these here.
Spoiler:
I'm not sure what the URLs actually are... They look too long for most common hashing algorithms. I suspect they're just random noise, to deter bring able to find future images. Which means that reverse-engineering that first image will be impossible too, unless they loop eventually.
Last edited by phlip on Tue Apr 09, 2013 11:48 am UTC, edited 52 times in total.
Code: Select all
enum ಠ_ಠ {°□°╰=1, °Д°╰, ಠ益ಠ╰};
void ┻━┻︵╰(ಠ_ಠ ⚠) {exit((int)⚠);}
-
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Mon Mar 25, 2013 5:27 am UTC
Re: 1190: "Time"
Great. Well first post, and my post is getting flagged as spam, so instead of a message detailing what's going on i'll have to narrate.
The image url is actually a url that redirects to another location. So right now it goes Time.png => another xkcd url => an actual image file on xkcd's CDN.
So Randal can programmatically change where the url redirects to, and that's how the image changes over time. I've been playing around with the command line on my mac and watching when things change, but i can't discern the pattern.
The image url is actually a url that redirects to another location. So right now it goes Time.png => another xkcd url => an actual image file on xkcd's CDN.
So Randal can programmatically change where the url redirects to, and that's how the image changes over time. I've been playing around with the command line on my mac and watching when things change, but i can't discern the pattern.
Re: 1190: "Time"
Us at the explainxkcd wiki are documenting the images as best as we can. It feels like we're being DDoSed, the amount of visitors we're getting right now.
Re: 1190: "Time"
phlip wrote:They look too long for most common hashing algorithms
It could be SHA-256
-
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2011 4:04 am UTC
Re: 1190: "Time"
New one just got posted; it definitely changes on the half hour.
5614c47bc2f28b730a360f796cc2993ba04e1f09db0aa3f325e476338777a9c4(dot)png
Looks like I know what I'm doing tonight.
5614c47bc2f28b730a360f796cc2993ba04e1f09db0aa3f325e476338777a9c4(dot)png
Looks like I know what I'm doing tonight.
-
- Posts: 293
- Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2010 8:36 pm UTC
Re: 1190: "Time"
HagarTopeka1 wrote:New one just got posted; it definitely changes on the half hour.
5614c47bc2f28b730a360f796cc2993ba04e1f09db0aa3f325e476338777a9c4(dot)png
Looks like I know what I'm doing tonight.
Yep, I already have my schedule cleared. Thanks Randall, I didn't want that sleep anyway.
Re: 1190: "Time"
I've gif'ed the images so far. I want to stay up and capture the next images, but I don't know if I have the endurance.
Spoiler:
Keeper Of The Bags, Protector Of Puns
A Timewaiter from the very beginning to the bitter end.1
1but not from beginning to end to beginning since I'm not a loopist
A Timewaiter from the very beginning to the bitter end.1
1but not from beginning to end to beginning since I'm not a loopist
Re: 1190: "Time"
Every image so far has been stored on the wiki. Sometimes it switches back to one of the prior images, like it just did a few seconds ago.
-
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon Mar 25, 2013 6:08 am UTC
Re: 1190: "Time"
Guys,
Imagine how long this could feasibly go on for. As someone on explainxkcd pointed out, 5 years from now, there very well could be a tree growing there. They're simple enough to draw. He could just do them whole batches at a time. Who knows?
Imagine how long this could feasibly go on for. As someone on explainxkcd pointed out, 5 years from now, there very well could be a tree growing there. They're simple enough to draw. He could just do them whole batches at a time. Who knows?
Re: 1190: "Time"
I need to go to uni in a few hours, and im here, looking at pictures that might or might not change. 

- phlip
- Restorer of Worlds
- Posts: 7550
- Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:56 am UTC
- Location: Australia
- Contact:
Re: 1190: "Time"
davidy22 wrote:Every image so far has been stored on the wiki. Sometimes it switches back to one of the prior images, like it just did a few seconds ago.
I haven't seen it do that with my automated checker/downloader thing. I think if it ever does happen, it's just a result of caching at your end.
Code: Select all
enum ಠ_ಠ {°□°╰=1, °Д°╰, ಠ益ಠ╰};
void ┻━┻︵╰(ಠ_ಠ ⚠) {exit((int)⚠);}
Re: 1190: "Time"
It strongly reminds me of a piece of music which will approximately take 639 years to perform. By now the first or second tune are played.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_Slow_as_Possible
Georg
EDIT: I reread the article. They have played ten or so notes...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_Slow_as_Possible
Georg
EDIT: I reread the article. They have played ten or so notes...
Last edited by Uzh on Mon Mar 25, 2013 6:32 am UTC, edited 1 time in total.
"The problem is that humans have these darn biological limitations and if it gets too far from 293 K they'll start complaining, or die." http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=106000#p3483385
Re: 1190: "Time"
I may be another person reading too far into it, but the title and text seem to have a double meaning. There is the literal instructions that tell you the nature of the comic and the metaphor. Since the two people in the pictures have transitioned from sitting next to each other to holding hands it may be about, "waiting for the right time." Although, considering the struggles Randal has been through it may also be about simply having time together.
All conjecture on my part, though.
All conjecture on my part, though.
Re: 1190: "Time"
The hexadecimal portion of the file name appears to be 256-bits. If this is a conventional hashing algorithm, it could be (from Wikipedia's 'Cryptographic hash function' article):
Anyone feel like cracking a never-before-cracked hashing algorithm?
EDIT: Unless the hash is salted. In which case it's (even more) impossible.
- GOST
- HAVAL
- PANAMA
- RadioGatun
- RIPEMD-256
- SHA-256
- SHA-3
Anyone feel like cracking a never-before-cracked hashing algorithm?
EDIT: Unless the hash is salted. In which case it's (even more) impossible.
Last edited by RunasSudo on Mon Mar 25, 2013 6:29 am UTC, edited 1 time in total.
-
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2010 5:03 am UTC
Re: 1190: "Time"
It looks like the hairdo on the female figure changes from panel to panel. Snapshots over extended periods of time? Different figures?
Re: 1190: "Time"
Ignoring how exactly he's doing this, one thing I've noticed between the images is that the drawing style is slightly different each time, while the position has been relatively the same save for the third picture. Perhaps this is a recollection of how he's become better at drawing and developed his style as time has gone on? The third picture could be a representation of the time when he used that style there perhaps were hard times between the two of them. Thoughts?
-
- Posts: 293
- Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2010 8:36 pm UTC
Re: 1190: "Time"
Uzh wrote:It strongly reminds me of a piece of music which will approximately take 639 years to perform. By now the first or second tune are played.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_Slow_as_Possible
Georg
You also have the work of the Long Now Foundation, and their 10,000 year clock.
Re: 1190: "Time"
New file (I think)
69715ed9abc8deac4fa1edfd49a7fde6970b1c8621a381b1fca2c0854b29c0dd.png
EDIT: It was the 5614... one just then, and it's 5:03PM now. Seems to be changing every half hour.
69715ed9abc8deac4fa1edfd49a7fde6970b1c8621a381b1fca2c0854b29c0dd.png
EDIT: It was the 5614... one just then, and it's 5:03PM now. Seems to be changing every half hour.
Last edited by RunasSudo on Mon Mar 25, 2013 6:34 am UTC, edited 1 time in total.
Re: 1190: "Time"
RunasSudo wrote:Anyone feel like cracking a never-before-cracked hashing algorithm?
EDIT: Unless the hash is salted. In which case it's (even more) impossible.
I expect it done by the end of the week
Honestly, it sometimes feels like if something that people look at for entertainment is taking too long for them, they WILL find a way to make it faster
-
- Posts: 128
- Joined: Wed Mar 16, 2011 8:05 am UTC
Re: 1190: "Time"
RunasSudo wrote:Anyone feel like cracking a never-before-cracked hashing algorithm?
Quick, someone write a distributed client we can all run seti@home-style! I can almost see the headlines: "Uncrackable encryption defeated by impatient fans of popular webcomic"...!

Re: 1190: "Time"
Wooloomooloo wrote:RunasSudo wrote:Anyone feel like cracking a never-before-cracked hashing algorithm?
Quick, someone write a distributed client we can all run seti@home-style! I can almost see the headlines: "Uncrackable encryption defeated by impatient fans of popular webcomic"...!
This.
CrackingTheXKCDComicHashingThing@HOME
EDIT: http://crackstation.net/
I'll be waiting for one to pop up that's in the rainbow tables........
Waiting.....................
EDIT2:
Code: Select all
C:\Users\User\Desktop\Temp\john179\run>john --format=raw-sha256 hashes.txt
Loaded 5 password hashes with no different salts (Raw SHA-256 [32/32])
And now... We wait.
Last edited by RunasSudo on Mon Mar 25, 2013 6:49 am UTC, edited 2 times in total.
-
- Posts: 293
- Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2010 8:36 pm UTC
Re: 1190: "Time"
Icalasari wrote:RunasSudo wrote:Anyone feel like cracking a never-before-cracked hashing algorithm?
EDIT: Unless the hash is salted. In which case it's (even more) impossible.
I expect it done by the end of the week
Honestly, it sometimes feels like if something that people look at for entertainment is taking too long for them, they WILL find a way to make it faster
While there is a certain beauty that comes out of a slow, drawn out tease, I too would like to see what happens when a very bored, and properly motivated group of people can do. It's this, or world hunger...
Re: 1190: "Time"
Randal could draw one of these perhaps every 5 seconds - if he spent 12 hours total doing so, this would go on for 6 months.
OTOH, the comic is simple enough that the placement of heads, arms, and legs could be algorithmically generated. In which case, there could be an huge number of computer generated images spooling out at a half-hour clip, for years. That seems more like Randal's style.
With enough "frames" captured, perhaps someone can diff them and see how similar the parts are.
OTOH, the comic is simple enough that the placement of heads, arms, and legs could be algorithmically generated. In which case, there could be an huge number of computer generated images spooling out at a half-hour clip, for years. That seems more like Randal's style.
With enough "frames" captured, perhaps someone can diff them and see how similar the parts are.
- sourmìlk
- If I can't complain, can I at least express my fear?
- Posts: 6393
- Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2008 10:53 pm UTC
- Location: permanently in the wrong
- Contact:
Re: 1190: "Time"
New one at 3:00am EDT:
Terry Pratchett wrote:The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.
- Quicksilver
- Posts: 437
- Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 6:21 am UTC
Re: 1190: "Time"
yeah, this is what I've done regarding refreshing images:
http://ajaxtest.comoj.com/
http://ajaxtest.comoj.com/
-
- Posts: 546
- Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2010 1:04 am UTC
- Contact:
Re: 1190: "Time"
No scripts, though; the .png is actually .png...
...I was almost hoping it was a MIME-type gif, with .png extension. Just to throw people for a loop.
But no, it's all server-side, so there's nothing we can do but guess hashes.
...I was almost hoping it was a MIME-type gif, with .png extension. Just to throw people for a loop.

<signature content="" style="tag:html;" overused meta />
Good fucking job Will Yu, you found me - __ -
Good fucking job Will Yu, you found me - __ -
Re: 1190: "Time"
Speaking of which, anyone trying? It's likely time based, so it needs to evolve naturally. It's probably something simple, and it's probably sha 256 unless someone knows better.
Anybody collected all the hashes yet?
edit: Oh, and I tried looking at it through tor, current image is the same so it doesn't seem to be user-specific but global.
assuming only upper, lower, numbers, characters it is more than 5 characters long.
So Far:
69715ed9abc8deac4fa1edfd49a7fde6970b1c8621a381b1fca2c0854b29c0dd
752687b61523144c61736cd89f8c153dc41e19128f72d78d44947ff800f057fa
6e162ade96f5a05b3223df0bcc6fd2ca3c76447a8d6095cee7ff56b2816c959c
cdcc6b46b32c53f8596cd0106958b42c4260b9cbc022e6d94054147aa6554960
Anybody collected all the hashes yet?
edit: Oh, and I tried looking at it through tor, current image is the same so it doesn't seem to be user-specific but global.
assuming only upper, lower, numbers, characters it is more than 5 characters long.
So Far:
69715ed9abc8deac4fa1edfd49a7fde6970b1c8621a381b1fca2c0854b29c0dd
752687b61523144c61736cd89f8c153dc41e19128f72d78d44947ff800f057fa
6e162ade96f5a05b3223df0bcc6fd2ca3c76447a8d6095cee7ff56b2816c959c
cdcc6b46b32c53f8596cd0106958b42c4260b9cbc022e6d94054147aa6554960
Last edited by murrow on Mon Mar 25, 2013 8:06 am UTC, edited 2 times in total.
- taoistpage
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon Mar 25, 2013 7:41 am UTC
Re: 1190: "Time"
Here are the ones I've seen so far, which is one less than one for each half hour, or one extra, not sure if it went up at 12 or 1
edit:
I've also got a cronjob collecting them and posting them to my dropbox here: dropbox [dot] com/sh/lkddoimlwidux4b/_BweKh8LPL
here is my current list: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:
I've also got a cronjob collecting them and posting them to my dropbox here: dropbox [dot] com/sh/lkddoimlwidux4b/_BweKh8LPL
here is my current list: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 edited by taoistpage on Mon Mar 25, 2013 8:44 am UTC, edited 1 time in total.
Re: 1190: "Time"
"wget --trust-server-names [image URL]" saves it with the hash as the filename. Got cron saving it every 5 minutes on my server... Have to use the filesystem timestamp to sort it properly, but...
EDIT: Well, it seems to be using the last modified time from the server on the local filesystem... Hrm...
EDIT2: I'm now using "wget --trust-server-names --no-use-server-timestamps -a log.txt [Image URL]" as my command.
EDIT: Well, it seems to be using the last modified time from the server on the local filesystem... Hrm...
EDIT2: I'm now using "wget --trust-server-names --no-use-server-timestamps -a log.txt [Image URL]" as my command.
Last edited by izzy84075 on Mon Mar 25, 2013 8:09 am UTC, edited 1 time in total.
Re: 1190: "Time"
2013-03-25T08:00:00Z: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/time/cdcc6b ... 554960.png
Re: 1190: "Time"
Not using just epoch time with sha 256.
Using numbers and '/' ':' It is not within the first 9 characters.
Any other hot ideas?
Using numbers and '/' ':' It is not within the first 9 characters.
Any other hot ideas?
Last edited by murrow on Mon Mar 25, 2013 8:15 am UTC, edited 1 time in total.
Re: 1190: "Time"
It's not just updated every 1/2 hour or so. Try spamming F5, every time you reload, there's a chance to get a different *.png. Nice riddle so far.
- Envelope Generator
- Posts: 582
- Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2012 8:07 am UTC
- Location: pareidolia
Re: 1190: "Time"
Eplicas wrote:Ignoring how exactly he's doing this, one thing I've noticed between the images is that the drawing style is slightly different each time, while the position has been relatively the same save for the third picture. Perhaps this is a recollection of how he's become better at drawing and developed his style as time has gone on? The third picture could be a representation of the time when he used that style there perhaps were hard times between the two of them. Thoughts?
My thought: http://xkcd.com/915/
I'm going to step off the LEM now... here we are, Pismo Beach and all the clams we can eat
eSOANEM wrote:If Fonzie's on the order of 100 zeptokelvin, I think he has bigger problems than difracting through doors.
Re: 1190: "Time"
murrow wrote:Not using just epoch time with sha 256.
Of course Randall gave us a hint some comics earlier in No. 1179
Toast, being an inanimate object, obviously lacks both the ability and the desire to right itself.
-- Wikipedia on the "Buttered cat paradox"
-- Wikipedia on the "Buttered cat paradox"
-
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2011 4:04 am UTC
Re: 1190: "Time"
Levi Dettwyler wrote:Guys,
Imagine how long this could feasibly go on for. As someone on explainxkcd pointed out, 5 years from now, there very well could be a tree growing there. They're simple enough to draw. He could just do them whole batches at a time. Who knows?
My guess is that it's all been drawn already, and that it loops every 24 hours, or perhaps every week.