PIN
Posted: Thu 16 February, 2006 Filed under: Thoughts, Weirdness 2 Comments »I can’t find the exact list, so I’m going to run this one from memory. Anyway, yesterday’s Times newspaper had a list of the most popular (and thus least secure, most easily guessable) PIN numbers that people choose. In a lot of ways it was really scary how unoriginal people are. In order, they were…
- 1234
- 4567
- 6789
- 9876
- 2000
- 1966
- 1999
- 1379
- 0070
- 1402
Apparently, 1966 is memorable for being England winning the world cup, 0070 is used a lot by people thinking of James Bond etc. (bit dubious about that one, myself), 1379 is the corners of the keypad, and 1999 is the year Manchester United won the triple.
But the sheer number of people who use “1234” is quite gobsmacking. I guess it’s the same breed of gimp that uses “Password” for their password – of, if they’re feeling inventive, “Secret”.
More to the point, we’ve had PINs now for at least twenty years – I suppose I don’t really understand how people can still get in a flap about remembering a four-figure number. I should, because I found out recently that my father actually writes all his down in his bloody diary – for which he copped an epic amount of flak from both me and Herself – but there we go.
Personally, I’ve never had a problem remembering PINs. I’ve got at least four different PINs for different things, phone banking, cards, SIM PIN and so on, and never have a problem. Mind you, I also have a nasty habit of remembering my Switch numbers too, which just amply demonstrates that actually I need to get out more.
And did yesterday’s predicted Chip-and-PIN chaos actually happen? Did it fuckaslike. Yet another piece of epic “Milennium Bug” hysteria.
I heard a novel way of remembering your pin the other day. You have a magic number, say 9, and you add or subtract that from a number you have written down in your wallet. So if you had 1904 written in your wallet (supposedly to make people think thta that’s your number) you then subtract 9 and get your actual number which would be 1895.
Obviously, I don’t need it myself because I’m not that big a cunt but it seems like a reasonable plan…
i can remember my bank account number which is 8 digits long but can i fuck remember my own phone number in my new place lol, i need to look at my mobile phone to make sure ive said the number right and my home number is only 6 digits long