Notpron
Encyclopedia
Notpron is an online
puzzle
which was launched in July 2004 by David Münnich of Saarbrücken
, Germany
. The front page names the puzzle as "The Hardest Riddle on the Internet", which many claim is true. The puzzle has a linear format, requiring players to solve each level in turn before progressing to the next. Many of these levels require a high level of attention
and imagination
to find the correct solutions.
To date, Notpron has had over 15.5 million visitors, but only 27 of them have been able to solve all 140 levels. This could be because the final level, "Level Nu," requires the player to use the controversial technique of remote viewing
in order to find the answer.
The list of Notpron solvers is as follows: 1. FrkyJenn, 2. ?, 3. Shenmue, 4. Tuen, 5. Caym, 6. Ryoga, 7. ?, 8. Mehtbh, 9. Mil79, 10. Ak-01, 11. AgentBreschnew, 12. Cowley, 13. Gamemastertips, 14. CTRL, 15. Kasper Otten, 16. Casper Putz, 17. Carolyn, 18. Komanda Zolokisevich, 19. Zorkion, 20. Marcus, 21. Lucka, 22. Zhongxia, 23. Anne, 24. Raphael, 25. Reto, 26. dragonx11x, and 27. Grant Faber. All names of solvers can be confirmed via e-mail at http://notpron.com/, so as to prevent any cheating.
While some say remote viewing is fake, the truth stands that the level has indeed been completed by over 2 dozen people. The answer to Level Nu has also been changed by its creator each time it is beaten, making it impossible for someone who has completed the level to give away the answer to another person. Before the last level (Level Nu) was added in August 2008, the riddle had been solved by 168 people. Spiegel Online in January 2006 described the game as one of the hardest riddles on the internet
and great role model for websites such as Frvade. As one of the earliest, best known and most played online puzzles of its type, it has been cited as an inspiration by creators of other puzzles in the genre. It is also notable that Notpron is offered not just in English
, but also in German
and Mandarin Chinese.
The name is composed of the English word not and the word pron or pr0n, which is internet slang
for porn, a shortened form of pornography. Thus, the name means Not Pornography or Not Pornographic. This name is derived from the earlier online puzzle, thisisnotporn.com (now offline), which inspired Münnich to create his own puzzle.
Initially, the puzzle consisted of 5 levels. During the year came an addition of about 2 to 3 new levels each week. In July 2005, the developer ceased extending the game. The number of levels totaled 139 at that point. One additional level was released in late August 2008, reaching the current total of 140 levels. In May 2006, Münnich produced a certificate for those who have completely solved the riddle. This certificate acknowledges one's knowledge of audio and image editing
, HTML
development, computer
s, music
al understanding, persistence, logic
skills, and remote viewing
.
The game can present problems to some browsers
such as Opera
and Safari
, as sound
and graphics
may be interpreted only in part. Therefore, the use of Microsoft
's Internet Explorer
is recommended. For higher levels, additional programs such as audio
and graphics software
may also be required. It is possible to solve the entire riddle using only free software
, although to get to the final set of levels a donation of one euro
or equivalent is required.
ONLINE
ONLINE is a magazine for information systems first published in 1977. The publisher Online, Inc. was founded the year before. In May 2002, Information Today, Inc. acquired the assets of Online Inc....
puzzle
Puzzle
A puzzle is a problem or enigma that tests the ingenuity of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to put together pieces in a logical way in order to come up with the desired solution...
which was launched in July 2004 by David Münnich of Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The front page names the puzzle as "The Hardest Riddle on the Internet", which many claim is true. The puzzle has a linear format, requiring players to solve each level in turn before progressing to the next. Many of these levels require a high level of attention
Attention
Attention is the cognitive process of paying attention to one aspect of the environment while ignoring others. Attention is one of the most intensely studied topics within psychology and cognitive neuroscience....
and imagination
Imagination
Imagination, also called the faculty of imagining, is the ability of forming mental images, sensations and concepts, in a moment when they are not perceived through sight, hearing or other senses...
to find the correct solutions.
To date, Notpron has had over 15.5 million visitors, but only 27 of them have been able to solve all 140 levels. This could be because the final level, "Level Nu," requires the player to use the controversial technique of remote viewing
Remote viewing
Remote viewing is the practice of seeking impressions about a distant or unseen target using paranormal means, in particular, extra-sensory perception or "sensing with mind"...
in order to find the answer.
The list of Notpron solvers is as follows: 1. FrkyJenn, 2. ?, 3. Shenmue, 4. Tuen, 5. Caym, 6. Ryoga, 7. ?, 8. Mehtbh, 9. Mil79, 10. Ak-01, 11. AgentBreschnew, 12. Cowley, 13. Gamemastertips, 14. CTRL, 15. Kasper Otten, 16. Casper Putz, 17. Carolyn, 18. Komanda Zolokisevich, 19. Zorkion, 20. Marcus, 21. Lucka, 22. Zhongxia, 23. Anne, 24. Raphael, 25. Reto, 26. dragonx11x, and 27. Grant Faber. All names of solvers can be confirmed via e-mail at http://notpron.com/, so as to prevent any cheating.
While some say remote viewing is fake, the truth stands that the level has indeed been completed by over 2 dozen people. The answer to Level Nu has also been changed by its creator each time it is beaten, making it impossible for someone who has completed the level to give away the answer to another person. Before the last level (Level Nu) was added in August 2008, the riddle had been solved by 168 people. Spiegel Online in January 2006 described the game as one of the hardest riddles on the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
and great role model for websites such as Frvade. As one of the earliest, best known and most played online puzzles of its type, it has been cited as an inspiration by creators of other puzzles in the genre. It is also notable that Notpron is offered not just in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, but also in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Mandarin Chinese.
The name is composed of the English word not and the word pron or pr0n, which is internet slang
Internet slang
Internet slang is a type of slang that Internet users have popularized, and in many cases, have coined. Such terms often originate with the purpose of saving keystrokes. Many people use the same abbreviations in texting and instant messaging, and social networking websites...
for porn, a shortened form of pornography. Thus, the name means Not Pornography or Not Pornographic. This name is derived from the earlier online puzzle, thisisnotporn.com (now offline), which inspired Münnich to create his own puzzle.
Initially, the puzzle consisted of 5 levels. During the year came an addition of about 2 to 3 new levels each week. In July 2005, the developer ceased extending the game. The number of levels totaled 139 at that point. One additional level was released in late August 2008, reaching the current total of 140 levels. In May 2006, Münnich produced a certificate for those who have completely solved the riddle. This certificate acknowledges one's knowledge of audio and image editing
Image editing
Image editing encompasses the processes of altering images, whether they be digital photographs, traditional analog photographs, or illustrations. Traditional analog image editing is known as photo retouching, using tools such as an airbrush to modify photographs, or editing illustrations with any...
, HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
development, computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
al understanding, persistence, logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
skills, and remote viewing
Remote viewing
Remote viewing is the practice of seeking impressions about a distant or unseen target using paranormal means, in particular, extra-sensory perception or "sensing with mind"...
.
The game can present problems to some browsers
Web browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
such as Opera
Opera (web browser)
Opera is a web browser and Internet suite developed by Opera Software with over 200 million users worldwide. The browser handles common Internet-related tasks such as displaying web sites, sending and receiving e-mail messages, managing contacts, chatting on IRC, downloading files via BitTorrent,...
and Safari
Safari (web browser)
Safari is a web browser developed by Apple Inc. and included with the Mac OS X and iOS operating systems. First released as a public beta on January 7, 2003 on the company's Mac OS X operating system, it became Apple's default browser beginning with Mac OS X v10.3 "Panther". Safari is also the...
, as sound
Digital audio
Digital audio is sound reproduction using pulse-code modulation and digital signals. Digital audio systems include analog-to-digital conversion , digital-to-analog conversion , digital storage, processing and transmission components...
and graphics
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
may be interpreted only in part. Therefore, the use of Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer
Windows Internet Explorer is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, starting in 1995. It was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 that year...
is recommended. For higher levels, additional programs such as audio
Digital audio editor
A digital audio editor is a computer application for audio editing, i.e. manipulating digital audio. Digital audio editors are the main software component of a digital audio workstation.-For use with music:...
and graphics software
Graphics software
In computer graphics, graphics software or image editing software is a program or collection of programs that enable a person to manipulate visual images on a computer....
may also be required. It is possible to solve the entire riddle using only free software
Free software
Free software, software libre or libre software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions that only ensure that further recipients can also do...
, although to get to the final set of levels a donation of one euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
or equivalent is required.