embedded ascii in the blockchain

[koin]

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2830084

Dan Kaminsky figured out a way to embed ascii text into the block chain. I did not try to find out how he did it, but he probably created some transactions that include those strings. If you want to find out more about how he did it, he will give a talk at the Chaois Communications Camp related to Bitcoin.

is there already discussion about this here?

fortunately with most mining done on pools and this being something not in the pool owner's best interest, the frequency of it occuring further should be low.   but how will this be solved?

[JoelKatz]

Does anyone know which block the ASCII is in?

[theymos]

This has been known forever. It's not a problem: the block chain stores whatever data and charges the same fee per kB.

[Stephen Gornick]

Dan addresses this himself here:
 - http://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=34458.0

[jackjack]

Does anyone know which block the ASCII is in?

http://blockexplorer.com/tx/930a2114cdaa86e1fac46d15c74e81c09eee1d4150ff9d48e76cb0697d8e1d72

[JoelKatz]

Thanks, jackjack.

[etotheipi]

So is there actual information in those TxOuts?  Or was he just destroying coins for fun?  It looks like gibberish to me...

[Tasty Champa]

running this:

Code:

strings -n 20 ~/.bitcoin/blk0001.dat

gets you this:

Code:

EThe Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks
z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>
z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>
z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>
z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>
z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>
z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>z+o>
=ybegin line=128 siz
e=8776 name=bitcoin.
***2*.+D*/***+***h+E
*/***+***p+R*-***+*,
**+[*,***;***x******
0010/211133246>76556
C<=}9>GDIHGDFFJNXQJL
VMFFRaSVZ[^^^IQcgb\f
KFK\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
+/++++++********+,-.
DPQRST_`abcdmnopqrst
*>{o*>{o*>{o*>{o*>{o
---BEGIN TRIBUTE---
#./BitLen          
:::::::::::::::::::
:::::::.::.::.:.:::
:.: :.' ' ' ' ' : :
:.:'' ,,xiW,"4x, ''
:  ,dWWWXXXXi,4WX,  
' dWWWXXX7"     `X,
 lWWWXX7   __   _ X
:WWWXX7 ,xXX7' "^^X
lWWWX7, _.+,, _.+.,
:WWW7,. `^"-" ,^-'  
 WW",X:        X,  
 "7^^Xl.    _(_x7'  
 l ( :X:       __ _
 `. " XX  ,xxWWWWX7
  )X- "" 4X" .___.  
,W X     :Xi  _,,_  
WW X      4XiyXWWXd
"" ,,      4XWWWWXX
, R7X,       "^447^
R, "4RXk,      _, ,
TWk  "4RXXi,   X',x
lTWk,  "4RRR7' 4 XH
:lWWWk,  ^"     `4  
::TTXWWi,_  Xll :..
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
LEN "rabbi" SASSAMA
     1980-2011      
Len was our friend.
A brilliant mind,  
a kind soul, and    
a devious schemer;  
husband to Meredith
brother to Calvin,  
son to Jim and      
Dana Hartshorn,    
coauthor and        
cofounder and      
Shmoo and so much  
more.  We dedicate  
this silly hack to  
Len, who would have
found it absolutely
hilarious.          
--Dan Kaminsky,    
Travis Goodspeed    
P.S.  My apologies,
BitCoin people.  He
also would have    
LOL'd at BitCoin's  
new dependency upon
   ASCII BERNANKE  
:'::.:::::.:::.::.:
: :.: ' ' ' ' : :':
:.:     _.__    '.:
:   _,^"   "^x,   :
'  x7'        `4,  
 XX7            4XX
 XX              XX
 Xl ,xxx,   ,xxx,XX
( ' _,+o, | ,o+,"  
 4   "-^' X "^-'" 7
 l,     ( ))     ,X
 :Xx,_ ,xXXXxx,_,XX
  4XXiX'-___-`XXXX'
   4XXi,_   _iXX7'  
  , `4XXXXXXXXX^ _,
  Xx,  ""^^^XX7,xX  
W,"4WWx,_ _,XxWWX7'
Xwi, "4WW7""4WW7',W
TXXWw, ^7 Xk 47 ,WH
:TXXXWw,_ "), ,wWT:
::TTXXWWW lXl WWT:  
----END TRIBUTE----

you have to have the full blockchain for it to output, completely.

[Tasty Champa]

I remember reading in a resurrected thread about how someone could also put a file in it.