Defcon 20 badges meld hieroglyphs, circuitry and cryptography for hacker scavenger hunt

Every year, the world's hacker population descends upon Las Vegas to trade notes, sit in on informational talks and compete in friendly contests - all in the name of Defcon. But this time out, it's the conference's ever-evolving smart badges that've caught our eye, owing mostly to what lurks beneath. Designed by Ryan Clarke - the mastermind behind the gathering's Mystery Box challenge - these hackable IDs, issued according to status (Press, Human, Goons, vendors, etc), come embedded with an LED, a multi-core processor, IR transmitter and accompanying hieroglyphic graphic. But that's not all that makes these high-tech tags so special.

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