h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

For those of us who use there pin numbers on a biannual basis, writing it down is vital. So what you need is some way YOU can read it, but no-one else can. The most simple way is to write it backwards - although many people may attempt this straight away. However, using a code such as 319361427, where the first number means that the third character is the start of the pin number [9361] and the rest of it is nonsense will help people stop. Or you could reverse the digits, starting from the right... 4163.

Another encryption method is a fake phone number, such as (01416) 334263, where the first four digits after the 01 are the pin.

With some PINs, a pictorial map can be worked out: eg - a right facing triangle, but these are confused by the difference between calculators and telephones.

Calc Phone

7 8 9 1 2 3
4 5 6 4 5 6
1 2 3 7 8 9
0 . = * 0 #

So the square 7 9 3 1 becomes 1 3 9 7, making the machine swallow your card. Also, does anyone know which type the machines are?

I think that's VERY cool. One thing I have done is maintain a record of four digit numbers, only one of which is the correct sequence. Am I alone in feeling that there is another side to security -- i.e., being TOO secure? I like to leave the door open to the possibility that I might be in coma and someone close to me needs to be able to access secret information with actually having to hack into my brain's DOS files. So I figure that as long as I leave a record in a place that only "safe" people would think to look for information, such people WOULD be able to decode my own puzzles without too much effort.

I tend to remember phone and PIN numbers by creating mnemonics out of them, where numbers are replaced by letters, so "a" is one, "b" is two and so on. For example, your 1397 could be "a cig" - like a cigarette - or "A Calculator Is Groovy" - using the initials. Zeroes get turned into o's, obviously. More fun is to make mnemonics for phone numbers appropriate to their owners.

What are the rules on card-swallowing? Is it 3 without eject, 3 in a day in a machine, or something really wierd?

Machines eat out of date cards as well.
But machines aren't all bad, I once left £20 in the machine after drawing it out and it ate that back up and re-credited it to my accoount(!)

The talk of pin numbers reminded me of how I used to remember the code to my bike chain (bike and chain, now long sinse discarded so it's safe to talk about.) the code was 6456. to remember it I just used to think of the number 9. Six upside down is nine, 4 + 5 is nine, with 9 in mind, even if I forgot the code, I would eventually get it. (when 6546 didn't work I know what I was doing wrong.

Does anyone else use these little mind games to remember pins, passwords and stuff?

Magnolia, the British Government is pushing forward a bill in Parliament(aptly named R.I.P) to have powers of disclosure over encrypted e-mails. If the person refuses to produce or has just plain forgotten the password or de-cryption key, they can be sent to prison. This is meant to be so that we can moniter drug barrons and professional holligans (which, if you believe CNN, we are over run with) but it has a lot of civil liberties groups deeply concerned. The Governemt maintains that the enaction of this power is going to be rare and will need all the full authorisation of a phone tap and other bugging. (Oh, well that's alright then. *Hmmphh*)

What's the definition of a totalitarian state again?

Clive ;-(

Wow, that bill sounds so TOTALLY awful! I hate to even know about that kind of thing. I am of the view that if a password is lost or forgotten, score one for the Divine Secret-Keeper.

Yes, I play those kinds of mnemonics for remembering pesky little number-sets -- I usually have a number of staples so that if one mnemonic system fails to produce the desired result, I have back-up systems to choose from. Of course there are always birthdates to choose from and my internal value system -- let me explain that: I already know that there are certain numbers and combinations of numbers that I "like" -- there's no other explanation for it, I just like 'em. For instance, I am extremely fond of the number "2" -- I have a reason, in the sense that, two is so utterly unique in all the universe of numbers, because it is the one and only prime number which is even, not odd. So I worship and adore two.

As a result of this basic fondness, I like a host of numbers associated with two, including -- as part of that association -- squares of other numbers. So I notice squares (oh -- just in case I am beginning to sound like a heavy-duty mathematician BELIEVE ME when I say I'm not: I can barely add three numbers together and be sure that I've got the correct result. Like I said, there are just a few numbers and types of numbers that I happen to just *like*) and I notice number patterns. One of my favourite licence-plate numbers, for instance, was on a friend's car: 3981 -- SO cool! I kind of like three and other easy primes too. I once made a complete list of primes from 1 to a 1000 -- it isn't any big deal to do, but I found it a very soothing, zero-stress mental exercise.

But all systems break down in the face of basic bad luck. For instance, for all my mnemonics I could not open the combination lock on one of my suitcases because ... it was (and still is) defective: it sticks and refuses to open even when the correct number HAS been entered in the little window. The first time it happened, I spent a sweaty hour, scrolling painfully through all number cominations methodically from 000 till it reached the designated 611 (I can safely reveal it: I don't anticipate that anyone at h2g2 is going to dash across the planet to locate my suitcase and open it!!). Now I just curse, twiddle, push and pull until -- ta-daaaaaa! The little notches allign and the release the zip-loops.

I STILL think a list of password techniques is worth calling up a collaborative entry for ... What d'ya say we try Peta again?

Meringue Magnolia

If you like numbers and maths-without-agony, get fractint. Just search Yahoo! for it. It's a fractal generator that's just COOL.

It also has a list of 'interesting numbers' including

o i (sqrt(-1))
o 0
o 1
o 27, I think?
o 42 (of course)
o 666 (of course)
o googolplex.

Yeah sure, I have decided to remain peniless and am instead concentrating my efforts on re-decorating my room rather than job-hunting at the moment so if you want a co-collaboration again, I'm all for it.

The RIP bill, I forgot to metion, will also force ISP providers to install "Black Boxes" in their network terminals so that They can moniter who's e-mails are going where. If they want to read yours and you won't let them , that's were the criminality starts. this all requirs the concent of the Home Secretary (just like a phone tap) and I'm..um...certain the Jack Straw doesn't goose step to "Uber Alles" in the wee hours. *ahem!* Does he?

Speaking of favourite numbers. plato had a thing about the number 3. He reckoned he could use it to argue for the immortality of the soul. Saying nothing more on that tantalizing prosepct I'm off.(It's complicated I've got it in my notes somewhere. - if you're really interested).

See you later
Clive

Fractint is THE program for fractal generation and what's better is that it's free .

In the RIP bill, not only will ISP's have to install the boxes (not doing so would be a crime) they have to foot the bill for doing this as well! For more info, see http://www.stand.org/

Cheers! -- that's both to the pennilessness (always a creatively challenging state to be in) and to the return to collaborativeness ... as a seal to celebrate, I shall do my bit for requesting a general call for entries on this subject ... I think there are already some fascinating suggestions.

-- Clive! I guess I didn't look at the front page ... the link to "Passwords" IS there now!

A rather thrilled Magnolia

Thanks for the link, Phil ... and it certainly looks as if everyone's security and peace of mind are going to be threatened by that bill. Yuck. Well, I guess it's back to telepathy, then, for those of us who like to keep our secrets to ourselves?

Surely telepathy wouldn't be the best way... that way others can tell?

Anyway, what about Pretty Good Privacy? http://www.pgp.com I think...

Oh -- I've been influenced by a series of violently exciting children's SF books called (collectively) the ANIMORPHS, where the telepathy can be fine-tuned so that only one or more people, depending on the sender, can "receive" it. I would subscribe to that variety of telepathy for sure! Thanks for the link! I'll go check it out ... Mag

Okay, this is my strategy of remembering important numbers. I write them down. I know, you shouldn't do that, because if anybody finds it...But I write them down in Mongolian. And as far as I'm living in Berlin, Germany, the chance that anybody picks up the number who is able to understand Mongolian is really, really small.

Well, actually at the moment I'm in Mongolia. So of course here my strategy wouldn't be a good one.

Lena

LOL! Maybe you need a German password while you're in Mongolia!

It is?

*Runs of hurridly to check*




I wonder why it was suddenly so busy in here!

When I pick (non-vital) PIN numbers, I usually use digits from current girlfriends' phone numbers.

Not too safe, I gather, but easy to remember. I know if I were to forget either the PIN or the source of the PIN, I would have bigger things to worry about than getting into my library card account.

I just find it easy to remember numbers - it runs in the family. My son can remember the phone number he first memorized when he was 5 years old, and his locker combination number in Jr. High. I don't think I ever knew my lock number. He remembers dates, too. He just "celebrated" the 5th anniversary of the day he ran into the side of a van on his bicycle. I didn't know what day it was.