Don’t get locked out
Type your password too hastily and you risk getting locked out of your computer or phone. But Hewlett-Packard has a cunning plan to prevent this (US patent application 2004/0098628).
When you first set your password, HP’s login software generates a string of common words – Candy, Engine, Chair, Moon, for example – that are linked to your chosen password by a hidden algorithm. The idea is that you get to know the word sequence associated with your password, which will be displayed every time you type the password correctly. You then type Y for yes, and the password you typed is…
