|------------------------| | Writing Down Passwords | |------------------------| By Josh Allen AKA Rycona Version 1.0 August 6, 2008 =============================================================================== TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. FOREWORD ------------------------------------------------- [FORE] II. GENERAL TIPS --------------------------------------------- [GENT] III. SPECIFIC KNOWN/FORSEEABLE PROBLEMS ----------------------- [SKFP] IV. ENDWORD -------------------------------------------------- [ENDW] V. CONTACT INFORMATION -------------------------------------- [CTCT] VI. LEGAL INFO ----------------------------------------------- [LEGL] If you have any diffculty navigating this tiny, tiny FAQ, then use CTRL+F and enter any of the 4-letter shortcuts shown to the right to get to the particular section you're looking for. =============================================================================== I. FOREWORD ------------------------------------------------- [FORE] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was looking through some FAQs for some NES games and was shocked to see that there were an alarming number of e-mails coming in to these authors about not being able to read the passwords they had written down. I'll admit that I have had this problem as well... when I was 4. Thusly, I figured I'd waste some time and hand out the tips for taking passwords that I developed when I was 5. Forgive me if my tone is slightly sarcastic, but some people have it coming. =============================================================================== II. GENERAL TIPS --------------------------------------------- [GENT] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are some general tips to ensure a useful password: - Always at least DOUBLE check the password you wrote down with the one on the screen! Make sure everything matches up. If, for some reason, you can't decipher a letter/number/symbol, note if there are any other similar looking symbols that you can recognize and deduce it from context. If all else fails, just make a note that you're not sure. There are only so many symbols that could be and you'll just have to try them all out when re-entering the password, which can be a major pain with some games, especially with longer passwords which algorithm-based password systems usually have. - If you use anything fancy to denote different types of characters, make a legend for it. Unless you're in the habit already of writing capitals in green, lower case in red, numbers in blue, and punctuation in hazelnut, make yourself a friendly reminder, though, theoretically, you should be able to derive the representation from the context. - Take the time to write neatly and legibly! Most password errors are a result of PPP (pure, poor penmanship). If you're in a hurry, still try to be as neat as possible. I know what it's like to have to hurry up with a password because the bus is waiting for you. =============================================================================== III. SPECIFIC KNOWN/FORSEEABLE PROBLEMS ----------------------- [SKFP] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- First, I'm going to cover some of the most common mishaps in taking down passwords by hand. A lot of these I originally ran into, but soon found ways of working around them. There are some others I've listed that I suppose could be possible depending on one's penmanship: 1) Similar looking capital and lower case letters This is probably the most common problem in writing down passwords. I know I have lost hours of progress on Kid Icarus for this exact reason. Here are a few tips to deal with the error of errors: - Make your capital letters twice as tall as your lower case (excluding tails), just like when you were taught how to write. If you learned to write on your own, good job... just kidding. Still, try to employ tactic, as it's one of the easiest. It's much easier to monitor if you use lined paper. - If you can't fathom size differences, or just can't seem to make them clear, you can always differentiate them in a number of other ways. Write the capitals a few times over to embolden them, so they're darker than lower case or vice versa. Use a pen for one and a pencil for the other. Use two different colored pencils or pens. Do you see what I'm getting at? Make a system of your own and use it ALL THE TIME, or even make a key or legend if you happen to have that much trouble. 2) The letter 'O' and the number zero (0) - I started dodging this problem by putting a line diagonally through the zero. I just happened to noticed it one day on the password screen and implemented it for myself. 3) The letter 'U' and the letter 'V' - Emphasize the roundess of the bottom of the 'U' and the sharpness of the bottom of the 'V'. This really boils down to penmanship, which I know can be terrible for some people, including myself at times. It's easier to distiguish poorly written letters when they are organized into words, due to our familiarity with words patterns, but this skill is highly unlikely to help you in passwords that look like gibberish. 4) The capital 'I', the lower case 'L', and the number one (1) - This one is easy. Wait, they are all easy. Anyway, the trick here is to write the perpendicular lines at the top and bottom of a capital 'I' and to draw the flag and base on the number one (1), just like you see in fancy writing or in most fonts on the computer. 5) The number two (2) and the number one (1) - Depending on how sloptastic your handwriting is, it is possible for these to be confused. I never had this problem as I always wrote (and still write) my twos with the loop in the lower left. If you don't know what I'm talking about, ask you mother to explain it. Again, this comes down to penmanship and neatness. 6) The lower case 'A' and the lower case 'O' - You generally see a lower case 'A' written two ways: the "fancy" way, like most fonts, with the hook at the top and the circle on the bottom, or the "easy" way, a circle with a line/tail to the right. I write my lower case As the "easy" way, though I've never had any confusion in this area. They key any trouble with this is to emphasize the tail, which will clearly distiguish it from a lower case 'O'. 7) The letter 'Z' and the number two (2) - Similar to the trouble with 'U' and 'V', it is a matter of the roundness or sharpness of the angles. My use of the "loopy" 2 aids in proper distinction. 8) The letter 'S' and the number five (5) - Again, sharpness and roundness. Essentially, make sure your five is flat on top and the 'S' has a distinguished curve. 9) The lower case 'T' and the plus symbol (+) - Generally, the vertical (up and down) line of the lower case 'T' should be much longer than the horizontal (left and right) line. The lines of a plus symbol should be roughly equal. Other thing you could do is make the plus sign half the size of the lower case 'T', as the 'T' should be in the taller letter group with the capitals. =============================================================================== IV. ENDWORD -------------------------------------------------- [ENDW] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I shouldn't have to spend my time telling you how to write neatly, but here we are. I know there are some people out there who do have a difficult time writing anything in general, let alone passwords, as is with people with dyslexia, illiteracy, blindness, or any other excuses for not being able to read/write that are out there. If you are on THIS level, have someone help you. Granted, I know this guide is more for entertainment value than for practical usage, but there may be one person out there who finds something helpful in this guide, and if they do, then I have succeeded in proving that there are still an abundance of idiots out there. Enough of my ego, I'm out. =============================================================================== V. CONTACT INFORMATION -------------------------------------- [CTCT] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you want to make any comments, pass on any concerns, or anything related to this FAQ, e-mail me at rycona(at)hotmail(dot)com. Be sure to put FAQ somewhere in the title or else it won't be read. =============================================================================== VI. LEGAL INFO ----------------------------------------------- [LEGL] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This FAQ is copyright of Josh Allen in the glorious year of MMVIII (2008). Please do not redistribute/republish this material anywhere without my consent. ===============================================================================