Hint 1:
Binary is not the only way to encode.Bonus hint:
I know that no one has finished more than 50% of the puzzle, which takes place exclusively on-forum.
SOLUTIONStep 1: The hex colors of the first post represented ASCII characters, resulting in the private key of
1sTPost...
Step 2: My first post was edited. There is a quote with a 0-width image and an AUTHOR md5.
Step 3: Take the md5 hash of 1BbcodE... => 4e01ebd99c8f3610af450d7b8ac4d6cf
Step 4: AUTHOR, as in, user. The member
4e01ebd99c8f3610af450d7b8 has a post:
Make do with the things you have and don't be someone who lives life in the past.
Otherwise, perhaps your own locks will be dismantled by what is unseen, but still there.
Step 5: "What is unseen, but still there" refers to the 0-width mongolian vowel separator whitespace characters in the post. They surround the characters for {shaone} => SHA-1.
Step 6: Take the SHA-1 hash of 1BbcodE... => 00e581a7ac7018a61836ca30dc458a200603299d which is the password for the account (your own locks will be dismantled)
Step 7: I sent a message to the account:
The lock is opened by your key, which holds another. But where is the second one?
You're nearly done. Don't get board just yet. Stay hungry for the answer: this will help you decipher everything.
MangepKV2115jq46vEPQfhJgUBbW8ZytkY7McscLgdMQnWu
by your key := SHA-1 hash; second one := placement of the second 1 => 13
don't get board just yet := go to board 13, French local board.
stay hungry for the answer := translate "mange" into English.
Thus we have EatpKV211...
And the beginning of the private key is found via the user's feedback to satoshi:
Kigjp...Done.
Congratulations to LoyceV for being the first to solve the puzzle.