P3150843

The last few weeks I’ve been neck deep in revisions. Basically that means that I’ve neglected everything else. Stuff like laundry, dinner, showers, and sometimes even getting dressed. Hopefully all that hard work will pay off soon in the form of a new story, or two, or three, to send out into the world.

In the meantime, I happened on this article while I was doing research (really. No, really!) and found it so fascinating I had to share.

Are you tired of trying to remember all those passwords? They’re everywhere. Pin numbers, log-ins, 4 digits, 8 digits, upper case, lower case, all kinds of cases. It’s impossible to remember them all. Especially if you do the safe thing and have a different password for each and every application.

We have software now that remembers your password for you, which just seems silly but I’m using it anyway. I use 1Password, which has an app both for the computer and for the phone, and gives me a way to look up all those log ins. But how clunky! How…1990.

I’ve been wondering for some time now why we haven’t progressed past the point of having to input digits in order to access secure things. It doesn’t seem very secure. Those digits can be hacked, after all, as my debit card has proven time and again.

Instead of inputting all those pin numbers every time you use a debit card or log in to a secure site, I always thought that fingerprint recognition would be the way of the future. Hold your thumb, or even your entire palm, up to a plate, or other reading device (you’ve probably already done this at the DMV or maybe the bank). It’s pretty darn difficult to hack that, right? Unless you don’t mind chopping someone’s hand off. (Too many horror movies).

Some people, though, are trying even techier things to get rid of our dependance on passwords. Currently in testing are devices such as a wristband that monitors your heart rate, a headband that accesses brain waves, the now nearly antique retinal scanners that use your eyeballs, and a host of other gadgets and gizmos that can be used to unlock all those secure doors.

Check out this video, where they discuss ways people are currently exploring to tackle the password problem. These guys are awesome, mostly because they mention two of my favorite movies: Hackers and Demolition Man.

(if you don’t see a video, refresh your screen. It’s shy.)

 

 

To take all this one step further, I can envision a future in which we’re all implanted with a microchip which contains all of our personal information, including unique DNA codes that only work for that person. To me, it doesn’t get any more secure than to have it implanted in your wrist where it can’t be lost, stolen, hacked. Cut it out? Won’t work, it needs to contact your DNA strands. Need your medical background? It’s in there. Need your school records? They’re in there. Need to pay for dinner? Put your wrist on the scanner. Need your last 10 addresses? (hey some people move a lot!) They’re in there. It’s all there. All coded to you, and only accessible if you give the okay. Of course, that okay would probably involve, dare I say, a password. Or perhaps a series of body movements unique to you. Blink twice, hop once. That may sound silly, but I do believe the microchip isn’t that far off. After all, it’s already done for our pets. What’s one step further?

What do you think? Does this idea scare you?