In the midst of a government shutdown over federal spending, a new $100 bill just began circulating Tuesday. The new hundred dollar bill is finally going into circulation after a decade of development, with some obvious anti-counterfeit improvements. There's a sort of hideous looking blue security ribbon next to Ben Franklin's head and a gold inkwell with what looks like a green Liberty Bell embedded in it. However, there are also more subtle changes afoot, and they're sure to freak out conspiracy theorists everywhere.

The Series 2009 $100 note also much more expensive to print than the last version-12.7¢ per bill vs. 7.8¢ for the older style. However, it's supposed to be harder to countereit-and easier to authenticate.

As reported by Bloomberg BusinessWeek , these weird security tweaks are part of a massive government conspiracy-or just to flub counterfeiters. Here they are:

"Independence Hall

For the first time since paper currency shrank to its current size, in 1929, the image of Philadelphia's Independence Hall on the flip side will be completely different. You may not notice it at first, but you're no longer looking at the front of the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence, the south facade, where a statue of George Washington stands proudly. It's now a view of the rear of the building. This change was used to target the most sophisticated counterfeiters, forcing them to revise their tools, according to a Federal Reserve employee.

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The Time on the Clock

The time on Independence Hall's bell tower clock on the current $100 bill reads 4:10, a fact confirmed by the Fed and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. (Yes, this is contrary to the fictitious "2:22," which served as a plot point in National Treasure.) The time has always been something of a mystery, though, and there aren't any records available explaining why 4:10 exactly. (One belief online is that the date April 10 represents the 100th day of the year, which, presumably, wouldn't include leap years.) On the new $100 bill, the time will be changed to 10:30, which seems to be a time of no historical significance. According to Darlene Anderson, manager of external affairs at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, both images on the backs of the two bills-the south and north views-were engraved by the same man, J.C. Benzing. "He did both views before 1928, and he worked from photographs," she says. "We think that the photographer took the images at different times of the day."

Benjamin Franklin's Portrait

Unlike the hunky dueler and original Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, Franklin hasn't gone under the knife for a sexed-up face-lift more than two centuries later. It's the same portrait, but the printing methods have changed to raise his coat ever-so-slightly off the paper, make his eyes feel more lifelike, and give the bill a more tactile feel. Apparently, if you zoom in very close, you'll find that "United States of America" is now printed on his collar."

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