What is One Million Checkboxes?
In the summer of 2024, a simple website called One Million Checkboxes took the internet by storm. The website consisted of a single page with, you guessed it, one million checkboxes. Visitors could click on the checkboxes to check or uncheck them, and the changes would be reflected in real-time for everyone else who was visiting the site.
The website was created by an American programmer named Nolen Royalty. He had no idea that his creation would become a global phenomenon. Within days, the website was getting millions of hits per day. People were using the checkboxes to create art, messages, and even games.
Fostering Internet Community
One of the most surprising things about the One Million Checkboxes phenomenon was the creativity of the users. People found all sorts of ways to use the checkboxes to express themselves. Some people used the checkboxes to create pixel art, while others used them to write messages. Some people even used the checkboxes to play games, such as tic-tac-toe.
The One Million Checkboxes phenomenon also showed the power of the internet to bring people together. People from all over the world were using the website to connect with each other and share their creativity.
The website was eventually shut down after two weeks, but it left a lasting impact on the internet. It showed that even the simplest idea can become a global phenomenon if it captures the imagination of the public.
The Teens Who Pranked One Million Checkboxes
One particularly fascinating tale from the One Million Checkboxes phenomenon revolves around a group of ingenious teenagers who decided to prank the website. The teenagers figured out a way to use the checkboxes to communicate with each other by checking and unchecking boxes in a specific pattern, essentially writing secret messages in binary code.
This created a message that could only be seen if the user knew how to read binary code. The teens then used a program to download all of the checkbox data and render it as a 1000×1000 grid. This grid showed the binary message, as well as a base64 version of the message and a QR code. The QR code linked to a Discord server that the teens had created. This allowed the teens to communicate with each other and coordinate their efforts.
Royalty was impressed by the teenagers’ creativity. He said that he was “blown away” by what they were able to do.
The story of the teenagers who pranked One Million Checkboxes is a reminder that the internet is a place where anything is possible. With a little creativity, you can use the internet to do amazing things. I’d have to disagree with the New York Times on this one – One Million Checkboxes is not the “the most pointless website on the planet” (but it is fantastic).
Resources
[1] https://idle.slashdot.org/story/24/08/31/0419256/how-a-group-of-teenagers-pranked-one-million-checkboxes
[2] https://eieio.games/essays/the-secret-in-one-million-checkboxes/
[3] https://eieio.games/essays/scaling-one-million-checkboxes/
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Million_Checkboxes
[5] https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/07/02/one-million-checkboxes-pointless-fun/
