I think I'm a password savant

[Anayo]

I think my propensity for making complicated passwords for my various Internet logins is something I inherited from my dad, who brings the bacon home with his expertise in computers. Typically my passwords for webmail, various forums, YouTube, live journal and the like are relatively long, have several numbers in them, and are often in something other than English. And yet, I find myself able to perfectly remember them all the time, without fail. Even when I change I password I might accidentally enter the old one, but then I can conjure the new one in my memory without much effort. I think this is weird, since I can't remember stuff like phone numbers and dates. Does anyone else have a weird tendency like this?

[vejita]

I used to memorize random sequences of numbers really well, like phone numbers, but now I can keep track of about two in my head and I have to check my address book in my cell phone...

[RyaNtheSlayA]

I am too. Ive got about 5 different passwords, most in german w/ several numbers in them, ive memorized all of our wep keys (we have several routers, we have multiple servers w/ different info and different routers + wap+ security to back them up). All phone numbers everything, just some of us are like that i guess.

[lordofduct]

I too am weird about memorizing numbers.

I remember in highschool I memorized like 300 digits of Pi and about 150 digits of e. Why??? I don't know... just wanted too.

Phone numbers are a cake walk. I remember all my phone numbers since I was a kid. Shit even the number on Wood Rd which I haven't had since I was 5.

1-203-749-3215

as a clue, 203 isn't even the area code for Tolland County anymore (they changed it to 860 around 94'). I haven't even lived in that state since 97'.

It's weird I once sat down to examine how I memorize numbers, I was in Calc 3 and my teacher was wondering how I solved 3rd derivatives of multi-dimensional functions in my head with out scratch paper or anything. So I thought about it for a bit. I realized I assign cues to values and associate like values in a string of values.

Let's take a phone number like my one as a kid. My usual associations are low prime numbers and addition, 3 being the most common (simplest none even prime).

7 minus 3 squared. base down down secondary prime.
7, 7-3 == 4, 3^2 ==9, base prime == 3, down == 2, down == 1, secondary prime == 5 (secondary from the 2 downs)

The pattern sounds kind of convoluted. But it sounds like a tune in my head and all I have to remember is the first digit, 7. And again the normal association of 3 across the entire string helps me remember 7, because 7 is the 3rd none-even prime.



I also use historical/prominent dates and the sort. Actually history is how I associate a lot of things. Like I have a better chance of remembering your name if you have a name I can easily associate with a historical figure.

Like anyone I know named Mary is actually "Let them eat cake" in my head.

Or my social security number is a play on my brothers birthday. Which is a play on the date of orhtodox easter. Which is a play on Lunar cycles... I like things convoluted! (the easter thing comes from the fact my brother was born and died on orthodox easter... creepy)

[Anayo]

Lord of Duct, you sound like you might actually be a savant. 0.0

[lordofduct]

Lord of Duct, you sound like you might actually be a savant. 0.0

I get my boxer shorts at K-Mart in Cincinnati.

[Anayo]

Lord of Duct, you sound like you might actually be a savant. 0.0

I get my boxer shorts at K-Mart in Cincinnati.

Yeah...

K-Mart sucks.

[lordofduct]

I guess you never watched "Rain Man".

[Ack]

Somehow lordofduct, I don't see you as mentally incapable like that. I think you understand the meaning of "piece of cake."

[Anayo]

I guess you never watched "Rain Man".

Actually I was trying to quote it...