Haha, Jaggy beat you to it!

Wait, SeanQ solved this before anyone. The proof is right here. Give credit where credit is due.

NO HE DIDN'T. Hammerhead had it on February 15th. Christ.

HH is Christ? No WONDER.

But yeah, this SeanQ idiot didn't solve a damn thing.

What? Where. Show me.

No.

Seriously, I didn't see any talk of the secret pages and puzzles before last week. Can you point me to the link on the 15th where HH solved it?

You didn't need the secret pages or puzzles to solve it, you needed from common sense and critical thinking.

common sense and critical thinking.

Something they seem to be lacking.

Oh, right. He guessed, like everyone did, that the message said Zug.com. Okay. I was talking about cracking the secret code and secret pages and that stuff.

The message was the message... man I didn't know John was into anticlimax.

You know what I'd like to read at this point? An honest account of John's feelings and thoughts when he realized that no one could see the message. What went through his head when he and his friends realized, after the planning, the work, the cost, the effort, and the flawless execution, that the prank, ultimately, failed. I'd be genuinely fascinated to read that.

I read his book, and it's good. There's a section on an early prank of his that didn't go as planned, and it's honestly the most interesting part of the book. Not the funniest, but the most interesting and probably the best written. John's a good writer, a funny writer, but you don't get too many real glimpses of the real guy behind it. I think, if written up honestly, The Greatest Prank That Ever Failed would be a great story.

I understand the guy is trying to put a positive spin on it -- he's in marketing, after all, and he's trying to sell a book. He's clearly a never-say-die guy, and that's admirable. But, bottom line, the prank just didn't work. It just. Didn't. Work. It wasn't meant to be a "secret" message or a flip of the bird at the gubbmint, it was meant to be a huge URL spelled out in lights at the Superbowl for millions to see and rush to their computers to type in, thus selling an enormous assload of books, making international news and writing John into history as the world's biggest prankster.

But it wasn't. It failed. No one saw it. No one noticed. And that's awful. Tragic. Heartbreaking. And I'd be really interested in reading about that. An honest account. I appeal to John to take off his Marketing Hat and Book Promoting Pants and and Rah-Rah Socks and Gumption Suspenders and Complete And Utter Bullsh*t Press Release Cufflinks and just tell the friggin' truth.

It'd make a great story.

You know what I'd like to read at this point?

Nothing more from you.

That's funny, because I'm pretty sure you didn't read a thing I just wrote.

John's balls are as big as grapefruit. If nothing else was proven with the super bowl stunt, that fact is beyond debate.

I salute you sir. Needed more dead hookers, but a damn fine prank offering nevertheless.

So what if it wasn't able to be easily read..the point is HE PULLED IT OFF.

Even sneaking a few hundred in without being caught is funny enough...I mean hell, this was supposed to be THE MOST SECURE PLACE ON EARTH outside the White House at the time...and a handful of pranksters waltzed in with enough plastic that were it explosive, would have put a hell of a dent in the stadium.

Hey That's What She Said, Christopher L just made a very intelligent post, something that is quite rare here these days, pretty much summing up the thoughts of a lot of people here. He managed to do it without being critical of John, actually complimenting him, and suggesting what would be a very interesting article.

Why do you want to silence him?

FWIW, I agree with Christopher L. I think that would make a great story.

I, too, was mightily impressed with the planning and effort that went into this. I never for a second doubted it was pulled off, I know for a fact John actually did it, and I think merely pulling it off secures him a spot as one of the world's greatest pranksters. I can understand the need to make the most of that effort and maximize the return on the investment but I think admitting the results weren't as expected would have made a better ending to the series. In no way would that diminish the size of John's balls or the respect your average Zug reader has for said balls.

Sorry, all I heard was something about respect for balls.

I would like John to tell us about Jade's boobs.

RESPECT THE BALLS!

That's what I scream every time I orgasm. Which is not often.

I still would like to stick my rod in TWSS's pooper.

I'd love to read JH's thoughts about the stunt, too, but only if he presented it with candor and some sense of humility. I don't disagree that what he attempted to do and damn near did pull off was impressive. Just don't spin it and pretend it was a success.

How many of you would have paid $9 to see a three-hour Opie-opus about Apollo 12?

But the massive media-masturbation-fest never happened and in that way the stunt was still a failure.

John, for your next prank might I suggest revenge?

How many of you would have paid $9 to see a three-hour Opie-opus about Apollo 12?

Never underestimate the box office drawing power of Astronauts Pete Conrad and Alan Bean.

I'm sorry, I just don't see this prank as being the massive failure everybody thinks it is.

So anybody who wasn't at the superbowl couldn't see the message because of camera cuts and flashing lights...

What about the people watching all the security checkpoints at a LEVEL 1 security event? Pranked.

The 2000+ people who though they were spelling "Prince"? Pranked.

You're awesome story just isn't going to happen because John probably never saw this as a failure, and it really isn't.

It's failure in that a brilliantly planned and executed stratagem (albeit with a few bumps) gets massively less attention than Britney Spears' gaping manhole.

But such is the way of the world - Futurama gets canceled while King of Queens is still driving Demo deeper into the happy abyss of madness.

Here here. I must agree. SJH may not profit financially from this prank, but most definately he's gotten attention. The very idea of "Hacking" the super bowl appeals to everyone. So even people chasing up what went on have been introduced to the JHG way. And I know as soon as I found Zug I was hooked.

the point is HE PULLED IT OFF.

No, he didn't.

I will say, what John did took a lot of balls, and the fact that he got as far as he did deserves the highest praise if it wasn't for the fact that HE LIED.

The reason the media didn't pick it up is because the prank failed, and it can easily be dismissed as a non-event. Anyone who tells me John intentionally spent all this money and potential to intentionally spell out a message noone could read or care to look into is just false.

I stand by what I have said before that it is a failure, and would have been great if John proved something other than he is a liar. It really ruins his credibility for any of his pranks, really.

I understand marketing, and I do see his reasons for making up a lie to try to save face, but it simply makes him look as full of Shakespeare as GW Bush trying to change his Iraq story 5 times.

I just think it sucks that John gladly destroyed his reputation when 1/2 of the people here believe he is full of crap. I would like him to come clean as well.

Showmaster:
You need to pull your head out of your ass for a moment and read what I have to say. John isn't lying when he says that his prank was a success. Why? Because his prank was a success! He pranked several thousand people. The fact that the message wasn't legible doesn't matter. It's that he pulled off a SUPER prank on a Shakespeareload of people.
Furthermore, I ought to bitch slap you for comparing John to Dubya.

Well, it is just like saying the Iraq invasion was a success just because there are troops deployed there.

You have to do things right in order to succeed.

It's like saying someone passed a test just for taking it, while getting the answers wrong.

It's people like you that give meaning to the soccermom. He didn't win just because he tried. He tried, and that attempt was brilliant and great, but still a failure.

Yes, and your mother tried to have a child that wasn't mentally retarded. She gave it a valient effort, but failed.

Ok, I may be a n00b, but here are the facts, bitches:

1. JH is God
2. He planned, and followed through with a prank of historical proportions
3. He simply forgot to account for unpredictable human behavior, bright-ass ambient lights, and camera flashes so the message was illegible
4. The prank worked
5. It could have worked better
6. Showmaster.... Shut up
7. None of you would even try a stunt like that
8. Another moon landing would get massively less attention than Britney Spears' gaping manhole
9. John does retarded (and Frost-ing expensive!) Shakespeare like this mostly to ENTERTAIN US!!
10. He also compiled a bunch of his pranks into a book and wants some return on his investment, so what?
11. Suck it, this post is already to long - I'm out. like fat bitches in dodgeball.

stfu n00b

You STFU. RookWood's been one of the only halfway decent n00bs we've had in months.

I just can't understand why some people are so obsessed about this prank.

Who gives a Shakespeare?

Can you devote your obessive tendencies to something that might really make a difference in the world, please? Because I'm sick of hearing about how pissed off you are about the prank.

We get it. We got it about a million posts ago. You are not impressed. Now, move on or see a therapist or something.

Oh--some people=Showmaster.

aw shucks, thanks Taco.

<action> takes off pants</action>

Just because he successfully pranked 2000 people, it doesn't mean the prank as a whole was a success. John obviously wanted to be THE story of the superbowl, and it wasn't. It wasn't even a footnote. The only people who knew about it were the people who came here.
Now if John's going to try to convince us that the prank that no one saw was a brilliant success, I see little reason to believe any of his future pranks are real.
In sum, Frost off, you marketing hack.

Amazing stunt John.

Listen mother-Frosters:

John set out to get into the Super Bowl, and unofficially distribute a Shakespeareload of unauthrized lights. That, in and of itself, is dangerous, awesome, and highly unlikely to work. But FrostShakespeareballs, John pulled it off.

Agreed, the only slip up that they had was that the message was not able to be seen. You know, as opposed to being arrested, thrown in jail, having his assets seized, having to pay an enormous fine (a la Adult Swim), or anything else that could have gone wrong.

However, in this case, he simply didn't calculate on human behavoir. That doesn't make him a faliure, that makes him a master of pranking. Being arrested while doing a prank makes you a faliure. Getting caught makes you a faliure. Complaining about sour grapes makes you a faliure.

"Yeah, I could never do anything even close to that, since I don't have the balls or the resources, or the ingenuity, so this guy is a total loser"

No sir/madame, you are the loser.

I don't think he's trying to cover his ass, I read his book he openly admits to embarrassing details about his successful and unsuccessful pranks. He did something most people would never dream of, let alone attempt, and he pulled it off. Like he said in the video "for a select few eagle-eyed TIVO viewers" or something like that. Bravo Sir. I would say I'll go buy your book, but I already did.

I can't read your posts without Smileys.

I hate to be the pessimistic guy, but I have to agree with Showmaster. Major points to Sir John for the attempt, but I don't think this qualifies as a 'success' because the message was illegible. Granted, it was an amazing feat to get past the highest level of security in the country, and he definitely pulled that off successfully. However, I don't really believe he intended to show a garbled, illegible message to the millions of Super Bowl viewers. I think he intended for the message to be read by everyone, but because of factors out of his control, it just didn't happen.

Although I wouldn't go so far as to accuse him of "lying", I would like to hear his honest feedback about this prank. Even if he were to admit that he didn't accomplish what he set out to do, I would still give him massive respect for being able to accomplish what he did, and for the time and money he invested in this prank.

Be honest though. Did it really work out the way it was intended?

Come on guys. There are so many other things about John that we can make fun of. For instance, did you know he hangs out with Phuc?

Heh. What a dork.

I'd love to clickie you for that.

Naked pics are an acceptable substitution.

loved the message it made :)

Why do people say the prank didn't work? The message being legible or not wasn't the point of the prank at all. Getting into the superbowl with stacks of boxes like that was the prank.

Why do people say the prank didn't work? The message being legible or not wasn't the point of the prank at all. Getting into the superbowl with stacks of boxes like that was the prank.

I can't believe people can be so stupid.

Too many damn kool-aid drinkers on ZUG.

Jesus--give it a Frost-ing REST, Showmaster.

Im not the one that keeps bumping the thread.

I havnt posted here in like 2 days, I think.

Showmaster,

John clearly succeeded in his prank. Even if the results were not what he had hoped for, what he was able to accomplish makes the prank a success. Showmaster, before you open you mouth and show us all what an ass you truly are think of this. John, using his credentialshis money and his brain, was able to get all of his people and materials past an ungodly amount of security. Then he was able to pass out the devices to thousands of people while the security personel watched. Then his message (although almost unreadable) was transmitted to millions of viewers around the world. Finally he did this while putting his own freedom and the chance of being listed on a terrorist watch list for the rest of his life. In my book that makes it a very successful prank. You find it so easy to call John a liar and say that the prank was unsuccessful...what is the greatest prank you sucessfully executed besides covering a toilet seat with plastic wrap. I tip my hat to John and raise a glass to him. He is truly the king of pranksters. Do us all a favor go to a Paris Hilton websites and beat yourself silly you senssless waste of human life.

You may return to regularly scheduled porn surfing.

You are an idiot, simple. You must be Republican.

Read my posts before you talk Shakespeare. I am not taking anything away from the magnatude of what he did.

I am simply stating that John is a liar for claiming he intentionally made the message illegable.

If any of you could read what he himself has written, you would see that he claims the prank was a success because it went exactly as planned and the fact that noone could read it was what he wanted from the start.

That is a lie.

SHUT THE Frost UP.

I think Rob looks like Matt Damon - only gayer.

No. I don't force you to read this thread.

I'm pretty much with Showmaster on this one. I'm not going to state what I think about the matter because it's virtually identical to what at least five people have already said more than once each. I think everyone needs to give it a rest.

I think the problem is in the wording. Showmaster assumes that John is claiming that the message was meant to be a secret the whole time, even after the Superbowl. That is clearly not true. Obviously the intent was to broadcast the message to millions of fans.

When it was all over and the message wasn't as clear as he had hoped it would be, John decided to advertise his prank in a different way - by making a game out of the illegible message. Let us figure out what it was. He called it a "secret message" because guess what? Nobody knew what it was! Therefore it was a secret! Known only to him and those who helped him!

He hadn't intended for the message to remain a secret, but it did remain a secret, so he drew it out longer. He was trying to make lemonade out of lemons, and you insist on believing its a golden shower.

Umm, the "secret message" never reached it's intended target. The only people who now know the "secret message" was zug.com already knew how to get here.

The real prankster here is Prince's manager. How many lights did he get into the superbowl?

Ahh Showmaster - calling me a Republican...a generality that has no bearing or meaning on the discussion. Straw was right on the money. John originally intended for the message to be legible but since that one and I do repeat "ONE" thing didn't work as well as he had hoped. He made into a game for his faithful readers here. John in no way lied to he people on the site. Furthermore, I persoanlly don't care if the prank was also a marketing ploy. This site and his book cost money ro produce and if you used the prank to help generate a little hard earned cash considering how much he spent on the prank, what is wrong with that? Oh wait...I guess Republicans like money too much. Your comment back at me Show reflect a lack on intelligence or thought.

May you be crushed by a large wooden badger.

So, we will never be safe of secret messages noone can read anyway.
Ooh, I'm so scared now!
Thank you, Mr. Hargrave, you opened my eyes!

The point obviously wasn't to have the message scare us.
I don't think "zug.com" is a terrifying sentiment, regardless of whether or not we could read it.

What he's trying to show us is how totally pathetic one of the most highly secured events in the country is. :P

Brilliance, my friend. Brilliance.

Look, it's the Frost-ing newbie thread. I'm a n00b, I wanna b3 !n it 2!!!1!!!

Hey, let's talk about some more old Shakespeare that nobody cares about.

And Titanic kicked ASS!

I think the prank was great. I think the video was good too.

Last one to post...

Not anymore...haha



Can we get a new prank now please?

Yeah, can we get a new prank now please?

A new prank would be nice...

Last one to post..again...