Most of my interest in cryptography is fairly light, more along the lines of general theory and a few easy algorithms, but there is something more serious afoot in th' Internet. It's known as the Cicada 3301 problem, an annual competition, or rather challenge, to the best of the best to crack a series of interlinked cryptography and stenography puzzles. This years puzzle (blogged about by one of the solvers) reads like some kind of techno-thriller without any characters.
The idea seems to be that when someone finds a solution, they are then given instructions on how to post it and an address for a formal interview. There's speculation that it's a convoluted recruitment process for a government agency (NSA? GCHQ?) or the commercial equivalent.
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