But there was another link between the couple; one they didnt discover for a while. Biddulph knew who Satoshi was. In fact, he had personally designed the Billion to One card. Biddulph says its hard to recall exactly when it came up in conversation, but it was probably about a year or so into the relationship. I think I just mentioned it at random one day, he says. And she was like, 'Uhh, what!?'
Halls reaction was consistent with her life-long approach to puzzle-solving: I made him promise to never, ever tell, she says. Because if he just came out and revealed it, all of that work would have been for nothing. Biddulph respected the promise. I bit my tongue for years, he says. There was no teasing either. He knew it was important to me, says Hall. I think he enjoyed being mysterious about it, too.
Biddulph notwithstanding, it was around this time that Hall may have come within a close person-to-person connection with Satoshi. She received lots of tips via her website over the years. Mostly these werent much use, just dead-end leads, spoof messages or a photo of a random Asian guy found on Google images. But one tip stood out.
Subject: He's in Japan
My coworker used to live with Satoshi. She even brought an old photo of him to work today. Anyway, she said she does not know how to reach him, but that he is definitely in Japan right now, that he was in L.A. about three months ago.
I hope this helps.
It was anon so it might have been BS, says Hall, but it just seemed genuine. Hall responded but never received a reply. Years later, in 2011, the tip was still on her mind. She sent another follow up. This time, a response: I quit the job five years ago, so I don't think I'll be able to help you. Good luck.
Despite her resolution to work things out for herself, when she received a good tip, Hall mentioned it to Biddulph and scanned him for tells. Normally hed be completely stone faced with no reaction, she said. But this was the only time he reacted. It was so subtle, subconscious even. She adds: That was the most confirmation I wanted or could get. To think I was so close that did feel like sand slipping through my fingers. The trail went cold.
THE HUNT FOR Satoshi was not advancing. But technology was. The first cryptocurrency was founded, and Googling Satoshi now churned up results about Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin. Some posited that the two were somehow connected (they were not). Smartphones were now in the pockets of millions. By 2010, Facebook and YouTube each had around half a billion users. Instagram had launched. A Perplex City player, going by Paraboloid13, actually cracked the cipher on the Thirteenth Labour card, according to reports from the community. Social media networks and the memes that flurried through them fuelled political movements from the Arab Spring to uprisings in Hong Kong. By the end of the decade, Facebook had 2.3 billion users and even TikTok, a relative newcomer, was pushing 1 billion. The good internet Hall fondly remembers was giving way to something more conflicted. Social media provided data for commercial and political interests. Algorithms moulded culture and society. People were falling down rabbit holes, and this time it really wasnt a game. Occasionally the Perplex City community would discuss Satoshi, or Halls website would receive a spike of interest thanks to a blog or a podcast, but for many years, the search was forgotten.
Then, in February 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic crept from person to person around the world, Inside a Mind, a YouTube channel with more than 600,000 followers, posted a video about the hunt for Satoshi. Can You Find This Man generated hundreds of thousands of views in a short space of time. The world went into lockdown. People had time on their hands. Spurred on by the video, and completely separate to Halls search, a Reddit and Discord group were set up. Suddenly hundreds of people many of whom had nothing to do with the original Perplex City game were passionately working to track down Satoshi. As Albert-Lszl Barabsi, a professor of network science and author of Linked: The New Science of Networks, puts it: When a hub gets infected, theres a dramatic change in the system.
See the original post here:
A mystery cube, a secret identity, and a puzzle solved after 15 years - Wired.co.uk
- Satoshi Nakamoto Definition | Investopedia - February 6th, 2018 [February 6th, 2018]
- Who is Satoshi Nakamoto, Cryptocurrency's Elusive Creator ... - March 2nd, 2018 [March 2nd, 2018]
- Self-proclaimed Satoshi Nakamoto sued for swindling $5 ... - March 2nd, 2018 [March 2nd, 2018]
- Bitcoin's Creator Satoshi Nakamoto Is Probably This ... - March 28th, 2018 [March 28th, 2018]
- Satoshi Nakamoto - Wikipedia - May 7th, 2018 [May 7th, 2018]
- Satoshi Nakamoto Known to CIA? FBI? Created by NSA? Search ... - August 21st, 2018 [August 21st, 2018]
- Satoshi Nakamoto, bitcoins enigmatic creator - Brain scan - September 6th, 2018 [September 6th, 2018]
- Bootstrapped Gavin: Satoshi Nakamotos identity revealed ... - September 6th, 2018 [September 6th, 2018]
- Satoshi Nakamoto was interested in joining Trons Atlas ... - September 14th, 2018 [September 14th, 2018]
- Satoshi Nakamoto Revealed Says UK Nonprofit Stylometry ... - October 9th, 2018 [October 9th, 2018]
- 2018 Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? Psychic Insights Michelle ... - October 28th, 2018 [October 28th, 2018]
- How bitcoin has failed to achieve Satoshi Nakamotos ... - November 6th, 2018 [November 6th, 2018]
- Satoshi Nakamoto Introduced Bitcoin 10 Years Ago ... - November 6th, 2018 [November 6th, 2018]
- Who Is Satoshi Nakamoto? - bitcoinplay.net - December 14th, 2018 [December 14th, 2018]
- Satoshi Nakamoto Finally Revealed! A Back-Of-The-Envelope ... - December 14th, 2018 [December 14th, 2018]
- The Incomplete List of People Speculated to Be Satoshi ... - January 6th, 2019 [January 6th, 2019]
- Satoshi Nakamoto's profile updated 2018! | Crypto Insider - January 6th, 2019 [January 6th, 2019]
- Bitcoin (BTC) Creator Satoshi Nakamoto More Powerful Than ... - January 6th, 2019 [January 6th, 2019]
- Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? - What is Bitcoin? - January 6th, 2019 [January 6th, 2019]
- Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? - Invest in Blockchain - January 6th, 2019 [January 6th, 2019]
- Fake Satoshi Nakamoto Craig Wright Rats Out Ethereum Trying ... - February 19th, 2019 [February 19th, 2019]
- Will The Real Satoshi Nakamoto Please Stand Up No, Sit Down ... - February 19th, 2019 [February 19th, 2019]
- Who Is Satoshi Nakamoto? The Top 4 Candidates Revealed ... - February 19th, 2019 [February 19th, 2019]
- Satoshi Nakamoto Person Of The Year - Business Insider - February 19th, 2019 [February 19th, 2019]
- Will The Real Satoshi Nakamoto Please Stand Up - bitcoinist.com - February 19th, 2019 [February 19th, 2019]
- From Dorian Nakamoto to Elon Musk: The Incomplete List of ... - February 19th, 2019 [February 19th, 2019]
- Satoshi Nakamoto May Have Considered a Bitcoin Kill Switch ... - March 22nd, 2019 [March 22nd, 2019]
- How Rich is Satoshi Nakamoto Today? - coincentral.com - March 22nd, 2019 [March 22nd, 2019]
- Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? - CCN - March 22nd, 2019 [March 22nd, 2019]
- Bitcoin's Creator Satoshi Nakamoto Is Probably This Unknown ... - March 22nd, 2019 [March 22nd, 2019]
- Satoshi Nakamoto: Who is Bitcoin's Mysterious Creator ... - March 22nd, 2019 [March 22nd, 2019]
- Satoshi Nakamoto May Have Considered a Bitcoin Kill Switch - March 22nd, 2019 [March 22nd, 2019]
- Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? We Look at The Possible Candidates ... - March 22nd, 2019 [March 22nd, 2019]
- New Information Heightens Satoshi Nakamoto Mystery - Bitcoin News - March 22nd, 2019 [March 22nd, 2019]
- Satoshi Nakamoto Mines Over 40% of Bitcoin Cash, Sparks ... - May 5th, 2019 [May 5th, 2019]
- Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? John McCafee Claims to Know And ... - May 5th, 2019 [May 5th, 2019]
- Back to the Satoshi Nakamoto Bitcoin affair - BBC News - May 5th, 2019 [May 5th, 2019]
- Bitcoin block size limit debate: An overview - Cryptopolitan - September 18th, 2019 [September 18th, 2019]
- Is it Legal to Invest in Bitcoins in India? Here's a Guide to Cryptocurrencies - News18 - September 18th, 2019 [September 18th, 2019]
- Someone just moved $1.4 billion in Bitcoin - ACS - September 18th, 2019 [September 18th, 2019]
- You Can Now Prove a Whole Blockchain With One Math Problem Really - CoinDesk - September 18th, 2019 [September 18th, 2019]
- Bitek CEO talks spreading Bitcoin SV news in Latin America - CoinGeek - September 18th, 2019 [September 18th, 2019]
- Are 18 months enough for SpaceChain's extraterrestrial blockchain network? - Cryptopolitan - September 19th, 2019 [September 19th, 2019]
- Bitcoin Will Surge to $20,000, States BitMEX Chief Executive After Fed Prints $53 Bln of QE - U.Today - September 19th, 2019 [September 19th, 2019]
- The Top 5 Cryptocurrency Exchanges - Asia Crypto Today - September 19th, 2019 [September 19th, 2019]
- Snowden Triumphs Bitcoin While US Govt Tries Book Earnings Seizure - CCN.com - September 19th, 2019 [September 19th, 2019]
- What Is Blockchain Technology? - The Crypto Coin Discovery - September 19th, 2019 [September 19th, 2019]
- US Arrests One of the First Ethereum Devs - ihodl.com - September 19th, 2019 [September 19th, 2019]
- Craig Wright Claims He Almost Settled the Case with the Kleiman's - ihodl.com - September 19th, 2019 [September 19th, 2019]
- Craig Wright to Negotiate for Settlement Over 1.1 Million Bitcoin Ownership Trial - CryptoNewsZ - September 19th, 2019 [September 19th, 2019]
- Social media site Tsu set to return - ZDNet - September 19th, 2019 [September 19th, 2019]
- OPINION: Institutional Trading Could Kill Crypto Exchanges - Markets Media - September 19th, 2019 [September 19th, 2019]
- Craig Wrights Hidden Treasures: Court Order to Unlock the Tulip Trust - Cointelegraph - September 19th, 2019 [September 19th, 2019]
- Five Reasons Satoshi Nakamoto Is Smarter than Mark Zuckerberg - CCN.com - September 19th, 2019 [September 19th, 2019]
- And Satoshis True Identity is - CCN.com - September 19th, 2019 [September 19th, 2019]
- Donald Trump or Prince William? New Bitcoin Father Theory - Coin Idol - October 2nd, 2019 [October 2nd, 2019]
- EPFL Researchers Invent Low-Cost Alternative to Bitcoin | Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News - Fintechnews Switzerland - October 2nd, 2019 [October 2nd, 2019]
- How to think about the future of digital currency - The Next Web - October 2nd, 2019 [October 2nd, 2019]
- Regulators Must Have Died and Made Crypto Exchanges King - CCN.com - October 2nd, 2019 [October 2nd, 2019]
- Bitcoin Price to Hit $90,000 After May 2020 Halving, Predicts Germany's Top... - Coinspeaker - October 2nd, 2019 [October 2nd, 2019]
- Block.ones SEC settlement over EOS ICO is shockingly weak say critics - Decrypt - October 2nd, 2019 [October 2nd, 2019]
- Bitcoin has a massive carbon footprint. This clever new cryptocurrency doesnt - Digital Trends - October 2nd, 2019 [October 2nd, 2019]
- John McAfee on Libra, Satoshi Nakamoto, and the Binance Ban [BeInCrypto Interview] - BeInCrypto - October 2nd, 2019 [October 2nd, 2019]
- AI, The Great Depression And Satoshi Nakamoto: Robert Shillers Narrative Economics Is A Cautionary Tale For Our Times - Forbes - October 2nd, 2019 [October 2nd, 2019]
- Analyzing the Bitcoin Phenomenon - ChartAttack - October 12th, 2019 [October 12th, 2019]
- Latest cryptocurrency news and prices, 09 October 2019 - The South African - October 12th, 2019 [October 12th, 2019]
- Alipay Claps Back at Binance, Reaffirms Ban on Bitcoin & Other Cryptocurrencies - BlockPublisher - October 12th, 2019 [October 12th, 2019]
- Bitcoin Association and Cambridge Partner Over Bitcoin SV - Live Bitcoin News - October 12th, 2019 [October 12th, 2019]
- How Bitcoin Miners Fueled the Bear Market Trend of 2018 - BTCNN - October 12th, 2019 [October 12th, 2019]
- Bitfinex and Tether Face Class Action Filed by Lawyers Who Sued Craig Wright - CryptoGlobe - October 12th, 2019 [October 12th, 2019]
- Cryptocurrency: What to know about digital money - Fox Business - October 12th, 2019 [October 12th, 2019]
- Bitcoin History Part 18: The First Bitcoin Wallet - Bitcoin News - October 12th, 2019 [October 12th, 2019]
- 2 Bitcoin Developers Explain How The Cryptocurrency Could Still Fail - Forbes - October 12th, 2019 [October 12th, 2019]
- With 18 Million Bitcoins Mined, How Hard Is That 21 Million Limit? - CoinDesk - October 25th, 2019 [October 25th, 2019]
- Wonders Of The Blockchain-Enabled Supply Chain - Coinrevolution.com - October 25th, 2019 [October 25th, 2019]
- Oxford English Dictionary Recognizes Growing Adoption of Crypto by Adding 'Satoshi' - CryptoGlobe - October 25th, 2019 [October 25th, 2019]
- Bitcoin moves towards the foresight of inventor Satoshi Nakamoto - OBN - October 25th, 2019 [October 25th, 2019]
- Jack Dorsey: Bitcoin is becoming the Internets national currency - Decrypt - October 25th, 2019 [October 25th, 2019]
- Exclusive Interview with John McAfee: Epstein Didnt Kill Himself, Bitcoin to Hit $1 million, & Rus - U.Today - November 25th, 2019 [November 25th, 2019]
- More than just crypto: blockchain usage grows amidst greater regulation - Bobsguide - November 25th, 2019 [November 25th, 2019]