Ian Langworth ☠ statico

How Modern CAPTCHAs Actually Work: A Deep Dive

The Big Picture

Your intuition is correct: all three systems fundamentally collect a mass of signals, send them to black-box server-side ML models, and get back a probabilistic score. None of them have a clean deterministic "if X then bot" rule. It's all heuristics and probability. But the depth of what they collect is staggering.

1. Google reCAPTCHA: The VM

Here's the current state of the art:

Token Efficiency: JSON Alternatives for LLMs

The Rankings (tokens for same data)

Format	Token Reduction vs JSON	LLM Accuracy
TOON	~40% fewer	73.9% (best for tabular)
Markdown	34-38% fewer	Good (cost-optimized)

Here's a comprehensive summary of tips for getting Nano Banana (Gemini) to generate images better suited for small use cases:

Pixel Art Tips

Use specific dimension keywords:

"32×32 pixel art icon of [subject]"
"16-bit pixelated [subject]"
"8-bit pixel art in the style of [retro game]"
"Low-resolution pixel art" or "chunky pixels"

MacOS Applications

TSX to Low-Token Format Conversion Prompts

Ultra-Compressed Format Conversion

Basic Prompt

Convert this TypeScript/TSX code to ultra-compressed low-token format using these rules:

KEYWORDS:
- import → im

Here are some of the best roguelike games to play in 2025:

Hades II
- Sequel to the critically acclaimed Hades, it promises new mythological settings and characters while maintaining the same fast-paced, responsive combat. Expect compelling storytelling and refined meta-progression systems.
Slay the Spire
- A classic in the roguelike deckbuilding category, where players ascend a spire filled with battles, events, and unique card synergies. Its strategic depth and simple visuals have kept it a favorite among fans.
Balatro

A unique blend of poker mechanics within a roguelike structure where players build runs based on creating powerful poker hands. The strategic aspect revolves around synergistic Jokers.

	<!DOCTYPE html>
	<html lang="en">
	<head>
	<meta charset="UTF-8">
	<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
	<title>MCU Ratings</title>
	<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/chart.js@4.4.0/dist/chart.umd.min.js"></script>
	<style>
	body { margin: 20px; font-family: system-ui, sans-serif; background: #030712; color: #fff; }
	h1 { text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px; }

	function status() {
	result=$(/usr/local/bin/hidapitester --vidpid 046D/C900 --open --length 20 \
	--send-output 0x11,0xff,0x04,0x01 --read-input --timeout 500 2>/dev/null)
	if echo "$result" \| grep -q "11 FF 04 01 01"; then
	echo "on"
	else
	echo "off"
	fi
	}

	#!/usr/bin/env bash

	set -eo pipefail

	SITE_URL="http://localhost:8080"

	cd "$(dirname "$0")"
	mkdir -p export

	# Check if the site is up

	#!/usr/bin/env bash

	set -eo pipefail

	function _hid() {
	# https://github.com/todbot/hidapitester
	/usr/local/bin/hidapitester --vidpid 046D/C900 --open --length 20 --send-output $1
	}

	# 2/17/22 Litra Glow aliases from https://github.com/kharyam/litra-driver/issues/13