Athazagoraphobic Memory Solution

(Originally posted by Alan Hodson on 8/22/09 to Classroom20.com)
Athazagoraphobic(*) or MSPDS: Multi-Syllabic Password Displacement Solution ( How to create passwords that are easy to remember)
As a former instructional applications analyst of a rather large school district in west Texas (EPISD), I had not only to remember several passwords for different accounts at different computers, but these passwords had to make sense so that I didn't have to be consulting my PDA constantly. A password-generating solution came to me after studying the "standard" US keyboard, and realizing that any given character has static neighbors. So, bring a cup of your favorite brew, sit by a keyboard and read along.

Take the word Washington - to use this simple to remember name as a password in a computer keyboard using MPDS (don't you love acronyms?) first separate the word into syllables: wash-ing-ton (use your own phonetic approximations- this only has to make sense to you). Then study the keyboard for a minute, and realize that any given letter has a character that is above and to the left of it (northwest neighbor) - for "w" it is the number '2', for "a" it is 'q', for "s" it is the letter 'w' and for "h" it is 'y' - you are basically displacing known letters to their neighboring spaces: "wash" then becomes '2qwy'.
Now, after some more keyboard contemplation, for the next syllable ("ing") we are going to displace up and to the right: "i" is then '9'(nine), "n" is 'j' and "g" is 'y'. So for this up and to the right (northeast) displacement "ing" becomes '9jy'. The last syllable ("ton") can either return to the up and to the left displacement (northwest) becoming '59h', or can be shifted straight to the right of the letters: "t" becomes 'y', "o" becomes 'p' and "n" becomes 'm'. Naturally, there are many combinations and permutations possible...
Thus Washington can be a) \wash\ /ing/ \ton\ : 2qwy9jy59h b) \wash\ /ing/ ton_ : 2qwy9jyypm - simple, right? You can also try, c) \washington\ : 2qwy8ht59h (all displaced in a NW direction) d) /washington/ : 3weu9jy60j (all displaced in a NE direction) e) washington_ : esdjomhypm (all displaced one key to the right)
Naturally you can create your own MPDS by starting with any given displacement and incorporating a multi-syllabic component (or not), along with upper and lower cases to boot. In my own experience with password/character restrictions, the \all NW\ displacement works the best - if you stick to known words, you won't use an unacceptable character.
Enjoy (3hi07 or 4jkpu or 3hu96 or 4ji07 or rmkpu...)
Athazagoraphobic (*) = Baby Boomer with Fear of forgetting...
Alan A Hodson http://hodsondts.org
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http://tossfoundation.org

Web 2 apps vs Open Source

To the comments that Open Source Software is "loosing ground" to Web 2 technologies I offer this reply:

"Access to Open Source software goes beyond the Web2 applications that exalt  the wonders of the "cloud based" technologies. It turns out that many IT departments the world over are tied to proprietary software, and are unable to function properly unless the user has the corresponding proprietary application. Recently, in the UK, the government's use of Microsoft Silverlight for broadcasting web video ran into trouble when Parliament's own website was unable to deliver its video to anyone not using the same program, and the alternatives didn't work. The question, at the national level, was "how can a democracy address the systematic problem of proprietary software when the only people who can hear the debate are those users and compadres of proprietary software vendors?" The answer of course is standardizing on Open Source Software.

Open Source provides thousands of applications to users with and without Internet access. Sites like http://www.livecdlist.com provide access to Linux systems. Once downloaded and installed on flash drives or CDs, these systems provide access to Open Source Accounting, Open Source Address Books, Open Source Anti-Spam, Open Source Anti-Spyware, Open Source Anti-Virus/Anti-Malware, Open Source Application Firewall, Open Source Astronomy, Open Source Audio Tools,  Open Source Backup, Open Source Biology, Open Source Blogging, Open Source Browsers, Open Source Bulletin Board, Open Source Business Intelligence, Open Source Business Performance Management, Open Source Business Suites, Open Source Calendar Scheduling, Open Source Chemistry, Open Source Classroom Management, Open Source Collaboration, Open Source Communication, Open Source Compression, Open Source Content Management Systems & Wikis, Open Source Customer Relationship Management, Open Source Databases, Open Source Data Destruction, Open Source Data Warehouse, Open Source Desktop Enhancement, Open Source Desktop Publishing, Open Source Desktop Search, Open Source Developer Tools, Open Source Dictionary & Translation Tools, Open Source Document Management Systems, Open Source Earth Science, Open Source eBook Reader, Open Source eCommerce, Open Source Educational Testing, Open Source Eee Tools, Open Source Elementary Education, Open Source Email, Open Source Emulators, Open Source Encryption,  Open Source Enterprise Resource Planning, Open Source File Sharing, Open Source File Transfer, Open Source Flashcards, Open Source Foreign Language Instruction, Open Source Forensics, Open Source Games, Open Source Gateway Security, Open Source Genealogy, Open Source Geography GPS, Open Source Graphics Editors, Open Source Human Resource Management, Open Source Instant Messaging, Open Source Intrusion Detection, Open Source IT Inventory Management, Open Source Laptop Theft Prevention, Open Source Library, Open Source Log File Monitoring, Open Source Logic/Debate, Open Source Math, Open Source Mind Mapper, Open Source Misc., Open Source Mobile Applications, Open Source Multimedia Tools, Open Source Multiple  Function Security, Open Source Music Education, Open Source Network Firewalls, Open Source Network Scanning, Open Source Office Productivity, Open Source Online Education & eLearning, Open Source OpenCourseWare, Open Source Operating Systems/Kernel Mods, Open Source Password Management, Open Source PDF Tools, Open Source Personal Financial, Open Source Photography Tools, Open Source Physics, Open Source Point Of Sale, Open Source Project Management, Open Source Religion, Open Source Remote Access/VPN, Open Source Report Authoring, Open Source Robotics, Open Source RSS Readers, Open Source School Administration, Open Source Server Software, Open Source Speech, Open Source System Administration Tools, Open Source Text Editors, Open Source Time Tracking, Open Source To-Do Lists/Schedulers, Open Source Typing, Open Source Utilities, Open Source User Authentication, Open Source Video Tools, Open Source Vulnerability Assessment, Open Source Web Filtering, Open Source Web Page Editors, and more. FOSS offers slightly more than just limited web2 apps.

Open Source Software sources

Knowing where to find FOSS sources is naturally a fundamental key to using these no cost applications. The list below, available from numerous sources, should help:

• HodsonDTS.org/links/  •
  
  - - - - - Educational and technology links galore
• The Open Source Monster List •
  
  - - - - - Software categories from Accounting to Web Editors
• OSALT.COM: •
  
  - - - - - Open Source as an Alternative
• 101 Free Alternatives •
  
  - - - - - Directed at business software - great savings
• Open Source Living •
  
  - - - - - An archive of the web's best open source software
• Open Technology Resources •
  
  - - - - - A guide to the world of Open Source for K-12 education
• Windows PC TTCS-OSSWIN DVD •
  
  - - - - - Open Source software for Windows machines
• Open Source Alternative to Commercial Software •
  
  - - - - - Find alternatives to well-known software
• Open Source Windows •
  
  - - - - - Free & open-source software is good for the world
• FOSS Wiki •
  
  - - - - - 22 categories of freeware and open source software
• Open Source God •
  
  - - - - - Mashable's 480+ web's best OSS
• Jane Hart's Tools Directory •
  
  - - - - -  For writers and English majors
• The Free Software Directory •
  
  - - - - - Useful software that runs under free operating systems
• K-12 Decisions: Open Source Software •
  
  - - - - - Deciding OSS for K-12
• Lifehacker: Best Open Source Software • 
  
  - - - - - Best quality, flexibility and reliability
• Sourceforge: Open Source Software •
  
  - - - - - Largest OS applications and software directory
• 121space: Who needs to pirate software... •
  
  - - - - - A little dated list of OSS
• W3C: Open Source Software •
  
  - - - - - W3C apps from the web community
• 10 Must Have Open Source apps •
  
  - - - - - Musts for Computer Technicians
• Roseindia: Open Source Resources •
  
  - - - - -  OSS written in Java
• Datamation: Top 59 Open Source Sites •
  
  - - - - - Top places to download open source software
• Open Source Software for Macs •
  
  - - - - - Open Source Software for Mac OS
  
  
  
  For those wanting to not only explore different applications, but also to learn about different Operating Systems (NOT Windows 7, NOT Mac) you can explore the LiveCD List as a source of different types of Linux flavors and systems. Burn a CD or create a booting USB flash drive. These systems will allow you to run Linux OS without affecting in any way your PC's performance - they won't install anything in your computer unless you want to.
  
  Click [here] for a link to dual-boot Ubuntu on a Windows 7 machine.