Where can I find examples of questions only I would know the answer to?
March 13, 2023 5:48 PM Subscribe
I need a few passwords for a very specific purpose. Each password needs to be 40 to 50 characters long, using words that serve as the answer to a question - answers only I would know. So, I'm looking for examples of things a person would never forget. Surely, there is some sort of website with tons of examples. I only need a few of these passwords, so I'm trying to find examples of questions that would be great for me, or would help me come up with better ideas.
What was the first major repair on your first automobile?
What was the middle name of your first crush?
Who had the funniest name you've ever known?
What is the earliest cartoon character you remember from television? What was your favorite?
posted by blob at 5:58 PM on March 13, 2023
What was the middle name of your first crush?
Who had the funniest name you've ever known?
What is the earliest cartoon character you remember from television? What was your favorite?
posted by blob at 5:58 PM on March 13, 2023
Are you sure that's what you need?
My passwords are public knowledge things like facts about celebrities I like, release dates of movies and albums I like, or descriptions of historic events, but all coded up in my own particular way.
So my prompt to myself might be "curse 99" and my password would be "Brendan Fraser was born on December 3, 1968 in Indianapolis" in my code.
There's enough to trigger a memory for YOU with a predictable-to-YOU layer of abstraction, but there's not enough info for you to get social scammed by someone who knows your personal data.
(And if I forget a fact I can always google it, whereas I have a new favorite color every other week.)
posted by phunniemee at 6:06 PM on March 13, 2023 [14 favorites]
My passwords are public knowledge things like facts about celebrities I like, release dates of movies and albums I like, or descriptions of historic events, but all coded up in my own particular way.
So my prompt to myself might be "curse 99" and my password would be "Brendan Fraser was born on December 3, 1968 in Indianapolis" in my code.
There's enough to trigger a memory for YOU with a predictable-to-YOU layer of abstraction, but there's not enough info for you to get social scammed by someone who knows your personal data.
(And if I forget a fact I can always google it, whereas I have a new favorite color every other week.)
posted by phunniemee at 6:06 PM on March 13, 2023 [14 favorites]
If the passwords need to be 40 to 50 characters long (!), would a passphrase make more sense? My current and previous password manager passwords are in that ballpark, and they are both phrases that I selected to conjure vivid mental images. The good thing about this approach is that the order of a bunch of random security questions is arbitrary, so you wind up having to remember two things; the questions and the order.
"Purple dragon washing Joe Biden's dirty Mustang with lemonade" - there's four nouns (including Joe Biden as a single noun) and two adjectives, but changing the order of them would produce a different mental image; the Mustang becomes purple or Joe Biden is the one doing the washing or the lemonade is dirty or something that makes even less sense. You can torture the grammar and put it in the passive tense or something to change the word order, but otherwise, that is the description of a specific scene. And one you will remember if you type it in ten times.
This link has some of the issues about security questions, but it also has a handful of good (and a handful of bad) suggestions about halfway down.
posted by Superilla at 6:15 PM on March 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
"Purple dragon washing Joe Biden's dirty Mustang with lemonade" - there's four nouns (including Joe Biden as a single noun) and two adjectives, but changing the order of them would produce a different mental image; the Mustang becomes purple or Joe Biden is the one doing the washing or the lemonade is dirty or something that makes even less sense. You can torture the grammar and put it in the passive tense or something to change the word order, but otherwise, that is the description of a specific scene. And one you will remember if you type it in ten times.
This link has some of the issues about security questions, but it also has a handful of good (and a handful of bad) suggestions about halfway down.
posted by Superilla at 6:15 PM on March 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: > Are you sure that's what you need?
For this particular situation, definitely. It needs to be bulletproof so I won't have to remember what something is supposed to remind me about, a decade or two from now.
> Who is the first person you kissed?
That sort of thing only works if your first kiss was with someone named Persephone Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff :)
posted by 2oh1 at 6:17 PM on March 13, 2023 [4 favorites]
For this particular situation, definitely. It needs to be bulletproof so I won't have to remember what something is supposed to remind me about, a decade or two from now.
> Who is the first person you kissed?
That sort of thing only works if your first kiss was with someone named Persephone Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff :)
posted by 2oh1 at 6:17 PM on March 13, 2023 [4 favorites]
Response by poster: > would a passphrase make more sense?
That's what I'm doing. It's the same thing: a string including letters and spaces to serve as a password for an encrypted file. I want the words to be the answer to a question so I won't have to write the passphrase down (though it will be written down and locked in a safe along with other important papers, blah blah).
posted by 2oh1 at 6:24 PM on March 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
That's what I'm doing. It's the same thing: a string including letters and spaces to serve as a password for an encrypted file. I want the words to be the answer to a question so I won't have to write the passphrase down (though it will be written down and locked in a safe along with other important papers, blah blah).
posted by 2oh1 at 6:24 PM on March 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
What about poetry? Something like the Jabberwocky's first two lines would be good because it includes some nonsense. Favorite bible verse if you're so inclined. Any sort of personal mantra?
posted by hydra77 at 6:28 PM on March 13, 2023
posted by hydra77 at 6:28 PM on March 13, 2023
I wonder if food/meals might be an option? Like favorite cookie could be Grandma Jane’s Snickerdoodles with Chocolate Chips, that sort of thing.
posted by jabes at 6:28 PM on March 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by jabes at 6:28 PM on March 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
I often use mine or my sister’s elementary school student number that we punched in to buy lunch.
posted by honeybee413 at 6:29 PM on March 13, 2023
posted by honeybee413 at 6:29 PM on March 13, 2023
Or if you have a few favorite songs with really long titles, Favorite Song by XYZ or First Line of Favorite Song by ABC might be an option.
posted by jabes at 6:32 PM on March 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by jabes at 6:32 PM on March 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
That sort of thing only works if your first kiss was with someone named Persephone Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff :)
Well, you could add some details if it has stuck in your memory this long, like "TallHelenOfTroyWithTheCreepyExBoyfriendWhoStartedAFightWithMeOverHer."
posted by wenestvedt at 6:39 PM on March 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
Well, you could add some details if it has stuck in your memory this long, like "TallHelenOfTroyWithTheCreepyExBoyfriendWhoStartedAFightWithMeOverHer."
posted by wenestvedt at 6:39 PM on March 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
If you google "security question examples" you can find a lot of pages with examples. If the problem is that most of those questions have answers that are too short for your purposes, how about spelling out the answers using the NATO phonetic alphabet?
For instance, the question could be "What city was your father born in?" and if it's Jackson, then your answer would be "juliettalfacharliekilosierraoscarnovember."
posted by Redstart at 6:50 PM on March 13, 2023 [11 favorites]
For instance, the question could be "What city was your father born in?" and if it's Jackson, then your answer would be "juliettalfacharliekilosierraoscarnovember."
posted by Redstart at 6:50 PM on March 13, 2023 [11 favorites]
First band you saw in concert + the place you saw them
Make model and color of your first car
(if applicable) First body part you ever got pierced and in what city
(if applicable) Exact location on your body and color of your largest birthmark
posted by Mchelly at 6:53 PM on March 13, 2023
Make model and color of your first car
(if applicable) First body part you ever got pierced and in what city
(if applicable) Exact location on your body and color of your largest birthmark
posted by Mchelly at 6:53 PM on March 13, 2023
If you are with it being written down somewhere, book codes are still pretty useful. Two (or three) copies of an old book, same edition and printing. The code then is something like 126-5-46 Passages — page 126, 5th line, 46 characters. One book copy in the safe, one at home, one with a family member.
posted by Silvery Fish at 7:14 PM on March 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Silvery Fish at 7:14 PM on March 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
Be wary about favorites if these are expected to last and last. Favorites change and it can be shockingly hard to recall the one you meant.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 8:11 PM on March 13, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 8:11 PM on March 13, 2023 [3 favorites]
AndS3v3nY3arsAg00urF0rfath3rsBr0ughtF0rthOnTbisC0ntin3nt
H0us3h0ldsB0thAlik3aInDignityFr0mAnci3ntGrudg3Br3akT0
The answers don't have to have anything to do with the questions, and you keep your handwritten passwords in a journal.
Like-what is your favorite food? Sunset
posted by Oyéah at 8:39 PM on March 13, 2023
H0us3h0ldsB0thAlik3aInDignityFr0mAnci3ntGrudg3Br3akT0
The answers don't have to have anything to do with the questions, and you keep your handwritten passwords in a journal.
Like-what is your favorite food? Sunset
posted by Oyéah at 8:39 PM on March 13, 2023
Addresses?
posted by creatrixtiara at 9:40 PM on March 13, 2023
posted by creatrixtiara at 9:40 PM on March 13, 2023
Best answer: I use specific memories that I can recall a piece of info from. "That time dad took you in the Cadillac across the bridge in Arroyo Seco. What song was on the radio?" It's a very vivid memory for me, but really nobody else would remember.
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:08 PM on March 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:08 PM on March 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
Maybe they could write questions of their own, as their passwords? Questions that only they would know?
For example: "Why did I get into that fight with Uncle Dwayne on Christmas in Abbottsford, back in 2014?"
That'll definitely meet the character number requirement.
posted by spinifex23 at 10:14 PM on March 13, 2023
For example: "Why did I get into that fight with Uncle Dwayne on Christmas in Abbottsford, back in 2014?"
That'll definitely meet the character number requirement.
posted by spinifex23 at 10:14 PM on March 13, 2023
Response by poster: > I use specific memories that I can recall a piece of info from. "That time dad took you in the Cadillac across the bridge in Arroyo Seco. What song was on the radio?" It's a very vivid memory for me, but really nobody else would remember.
This is EXACTLY the direction I'm going with this. I guess I was assuming there was a website with tons of ideas for this sort of thing, and I'd use that to get my creative juices flowing. Instead, I'm sitting here drinking wine and going through my life, year by year, jotting down thoughts about memories, in search of a few that really click.
posted by 2oh1 at 10:28 PM on March 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
This is EXACTLY the direction I'm going with this. I guess I was assuming there was a website with tons of ideas for this sort of thing, and I'd use that to get my creative juices flowing. Instead, I'm sitting here drinking wine and going through my life, year by year, jotting down thoughts about memories, in search of a few that really click.
posted by 2oh1 at 10:28 PM on March 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
The trick is that if you use a longer phrase you not only need to know the answer but you have to get the wording exactly right. I would use the first line of a poem or song that is memorable and then phrase the question in a way that no one else could guess it.
For example: 1st line Aunt Susie's favorite poem: I'm hiding, I'm hiding and no one knows where (46 characters)
Not as random as the book code but assuming this is not something many people would do so hackers unlikely to have a databased of common first lines. You will want to think about who else would know the answer to those questions or things that might be guessable (first dance at your wedding might be guessable if people know the year you were married and you had something common for a first dance) However, first line of song that I danced to in my first a recital is probably safer.
posted by metahawk at 10:31 PM on March 13, 2023 [5 favorites]
For example: 1st line Aunt Susie's favorite poem: I'm hiding, I'm hiding and no one knows where (46 characters)
Not as random as the book code but assuming this is not something many people would do so hackers unlikely to have a databased of common first lines. You will want to think about who else would know the answer to those questions or things that might be guessable (first dance at your wedding might be guessable if people know the year you were married and you had something common for a first dance) However, first line of song that I danced to in my first a recital is probably safer.
posted by metahawk at 10:31 PM on March 13, 2023 [5 favorites]
I would just want to push back on how bullet proof all this is. Because there are many different ways to describe the first person you kissed if you need more characters than their name.
So I would probably approach this fairly rigidly in terms of both category and sentence structure for the phrase. I would not want creative anything because in 10 years I won't remember creative anything. I might remember
'ThefirstpersonIkissedwasxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'
'ThefirstaddressIlivedatwasxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'
'ThefirstteacherIhadwasxxxxxxxxx'
'ThefirstcarIownedwasawhitexxxxxxxx'
posted by koahiatamadl at 1:25 AM on March 14, 2023
So I would probably approach this fairly rigidly in terms of both category and sentence structure for the phrase. I would not want creative anything because in 10 years I won't remember creative anything. I might remember
'ThefirstpersonIkissedwasxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'
'ThefirstaddressIlivedatwasxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'
'ThefirstteacherIhadwasxxxxxxxxx'
'ThefirstcarIownedwasawhitexxxxxxxx'
posted by koahiatamadl at 1:25 AM on March 14, 2023
Response by poster: > I would just want to push back on how bullet proof all this is. Because there are many different ways to describe the first person you kissed if you need more characters than their name.
Yeah, I'm not going anywhere near the idea of using a generic question like "Who is the first person you kissed". I'm also not doing any wordword3333 nonsense. I'll be using words with spaces and the appropriate punctuation, because I speak English, so the phrase will be in English, not 1990s tech gibberish.
The comment above you said it best:
> The trick is that if you use a longer phrase you not only need to know the answer but you have to get the wording exactly right.
That is the reason why I was hoping to find a website with tons of suggestions for ideas... because I want this to be bulletproof, which means:
The phrase (including spaces and any punctuation) has to be perfect.
The phrase has to be something I'll remember decades from now, given a prompt (though it will be written down, just in case).
It has to be something that isn't a known phrase. For example, it won't be something like "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" or "A Confederacy Of Dunces" or even "The Rooster Crowed At Midnight", just in case the file is found and somebody tries a common phrase style attack... not that anybody would, but still, I'm trying to plan 20 or 30 years ahead.
It also isn't going to be anything along the lines of "ThefirstteacherIhadwasxxxxxxxxx." The password will be a string, and strings can include spaces, punctuation, etc. A prompt with a question will be provided.
I guess I just assumed there were websites with tons of suggestions for this sort of thing which I could use to come up with ideas to suit my own specific needs.
posted by 2oh1 at 2:20 AM on March 14, 2023
Yeah, I'm not going anywhere near the idea of using a generic question like "Who is the first person you kissed". I'm also not doing any wordword3333 nonsense. I'll be using words with spaces and the appropriate punctuation, because I speak English, so the phrase will be in English, not 1990s tech gibberish.
The comment above you said it best:
> The trick is that if you use a longer phrase you not only need to know the answer but you have to get the wording exactly right.
That is the reason why I was hoping to find a website with tons of suggestions for ideas... because I want this to be bulletproof, which means:
The phrase (including spaces and any punctuation) has to be perfect.
The phrase has to be something I'll remember decades from now, given a prompt (though it will be written down, just in case).
It has to be something that isn't a known phrase. For example, it won't be something like "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" or "A Confederacy Of Dunces" or even "The Rooster Crowed At Midnight", just in case the file is found and somebody tries a common phrase style attack... not that anybody would, but still, I'm trying to plan 20 or 30 years ahead.
It also isn't going to be anything along the lines of "ThefirstteacherIhadwasxxxxxxxxx." The password will be a string, and strings can include spaces, punctuation, etc. A prompt with a question will be provided.
I guess I just assumed there were websites with tons of suggestions for this sort of thing which I could use to come up with ideas to suit my own specific needs.
posted by 2oh1 at 2:20 AM on March 14, 2023
You said...
> examples of things a person would never forget
...and...
> I want this to be bulletproof
...which both make me think you're looking for a unicorn and those aren't real. We don't remember things, we remember bits and bobs and then reconstruct memories as needed so I don't believe there's anything that we would "never forget".
One suggestion when using the answer to questions is to throw in a bonus word. So the answer to your first kiss isn't "Suzy" it's "species Suzy" where species is your bonus word that gets attached to all your secret answers.
posted by Awfki at 5:09 AM on March 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
> examples of things a person would never forget
...and...
> I want this to be bulletproof
...which both make me think you're looking for a unicorn and those aren't real. We don't remember things, we remember bits and bobs and then reconstruct memories as needed so I don't believe there's anything that we would "never forget".
One suggestion when using the answer to questions is to throw in a bonus word. So the answer to your first kiss isn't "Suzy" it's "species Suzy" where species is your bonus word that gets attached to all your secret answers.
posted by Awfki at 5:09 AM on March 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
Would it work to do it backwards? So something like "What is the first line of your favorite song?" and then it would be "sevaw sserd s'yraM, smals rood neercs ehT"
posted by wisekaren at 5:48 AM on March 14, 2023
posted by wisekaren at 5:48 AM on March 14, 2023
Couples you knew in high school:
RobinJacobsDatedAllistairFairlyAddresses of elementary school chums:
ArthurBradcockLivedAt34JonesRoadTeachers who taught you books:
MrGliechAssignedCatcherInTheRyeTeachers who taught subjects:
ArtMouncyTaughtAPPhysicsCar purchases:
UsedToyotaCamryFromHerbChambersComputer purchases:
MacintoshIIFromPCWarehouse1999posted by Winnie the Proust at 6:31 AM on March 14, 2023
In situations where there is a risk of kidnapping, people often have to fill out "proof of life" questionnaires in advance. Proof of life questions are supposed to be questions that only a specific individual would know and could recall in a very stressful situation, but were also questions that could not be googled. That search term might be helpful.
posted by quadrilaterals at 7:36 AM on March 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by quadrilaterals at 7:36 AM on March 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
From a security perspective, those questions may seem personal but they really aren't. They are honestly terrible. That's why 2 factor authentication is replacing them.
If someone knows your approximate age for example, they narrow the name list to less than 1000 names to crack a 'first kiss' question for like 55% of the US population.
So hopefully this is for something fun and not something that requires actual security.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:39 AM on March 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
If someone knows your approximate age for example, they narrow the name list to less than 1000 names to crack a 'first kiss' question for like 55% of the US population.
So hopefully this is for something fun and not something that requires actual security.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:39 AM on March 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
Q: How did your great-grandmother meet your great-grandfather?
A: HeWasTheTeacherOfTheChurchYouthGroup
posted by Midnight Skulker at 9:05 AM on March 14, 2023
A: HeWasTheTeacherOfTheChurchYouthGroup
posted by Midnight Skulker at 9:05 AM on March 14, 2023
Maybe think about phrases that you have that are a standard reply to a prompt. Is there an old inside joke you have with a friend or relative, like something one of you says or asks and the other has a ready reply? Maybe this is dialogue from a movie or tv show, or just a snippet from a commercial or a weird thing that guy said one time that has somehow made it into your life's joke roster.
posted by LKWorking at 10:41 AM on March 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by LKWorking at 10:41 AM on March 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: If this absolutely has to be an experience question, I don't have anything new to add. If you're just looking for approaches on memorable passphrases, here's mine.
My approach for a memorable passphrase is to basically tell a memorable extremely short story in it. I've found it works better for memorability over the recommended random word "correct horse battery staple" style passphrase, though I'd highly recommend getting some randomly-generated seed words incorporated into it, to make it that much harder to guess.
So you'd end up with something like "Jason the Paladin hugged 42 dragons jealously!". This is something I just came up with spur of the moment and in my opinion isn't super strong, but I hope illustrates the approach. More obscure words or non-sequiturs would likely help, as would incorporating randomly generated words. Don't take the phrase from a known text though as that will significantly compromise it. If you're having trouble, take a sentence and mad-libs the words in it with other random words. Play around with the word ordering. As long as it gets lodged into your brain, that will do it.
Human brains are wired around remembering narratives which is why so many mnemonic devices use something that can paint a picture or tell a story to remind you. I've forgotten "correct horse battery staple" passphrases, and I've forgotten memory-based pass-phrases, but I have yet to forget one that has a story embedded in it. It might not be quite as strong word-for-word as pure randomness, but compared to your average "hunter5" password it's still pretty decent.
Also, don't underestimate the usefulness of practice. Use the password a lot, check it a lot, especially when you're first starting out with it. Don't be afraid to write it out on a cheat-sheet for the first little while, as long as you can keep that paper physically secure (and either destroy it or keep it locked away once you have it). Set a reminder to test yourself on the password every day or so.
posted by Aleyn at 2:44 PM on March 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
My approach for a memorable passphrase is to basically tell a memorable extremely short story in it. I've found it works better for memorability over the recommended random word "correct horse battery staple" style passphrase, though I'd highly recommend getting some randomly-generated seed words incorporated into it, to make it that much harder to guess.
So you'd end up with something like "Jason the Paladin hugged 42 dragons jealously!". This is something I just came up with spur of the moment and in my opinion isn't super strong, but I hope illustrates the approach. More obscure words or non-sequiturs would likely help, as would incorporating randomly generated words. Don't take the phrase from a known text though as that will significantly compromise it. If you're having trouble, take a sentence and mad-libs the words in it with other random words. Play around with the word ordering. As long as it gets lodged into your brain, that will do it.
Human brains are wired around remembering narratives which is why so many mnemonic devices use something that can paint a picture or tell a story to remind you. I've forgotten "correct horse battery staple" passphrases, and I've forgotten memory-based pass-phrases, but I have yet to forget one that has a story embedded in it. It might not be quite as strong word-for-word as pure randomness, but compared to your average "hunter5" password it's still pretty decent.
Also, don't underestimate the usefulness of practice. Use the password a lot, check it a lot, especially when you're first starting out with it. Don't be afraid to write it out on a cheat-sheet for the first little while, as long as you can keep that paper physically secure (and either destroy it or keep it locked away once you have it). Set a reminder to test yourself on the password every day or so.
posted by Aleyn at 2:44 PM on March 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: re: Aleyn
> If this absolutely has to be an experience question, I don't have anything new to add. If you're just looking for approaches on memorable passphrases, here's mine.
Lots of great stuff there. Thanks! The reason I want this to be an experience sort of passphrase is because it's for a personal project, and I want it to be something I'll remember due to experience (though I will definitely write it down as a backup).
I have 2 of these passphrases already. I just need one more, and I'll probably have that by the end of the day.
Luckily, I get to write the prompt for each passphrase. Here's an example of one:
Prompt: "What's the name of the article I wrote that was published in 2003?"
That's a great one because I used a pseudonym for privacy reasons. So, it isn't google-able, and it isn't something anyone who knows me would know.
Another great one:
"In September, 1990, I borrowed a cassette copy of an album by The Church. What was on the other side?"
It's insanely obscure, and it isn't google-able, but it's still deeply meaningful to me 30+ years later.
> Set a reminder to test yourself on the password every day or so.
Yeah, I'm a big fan of using my calendar app for that kind of stuff. I already created an annual reminder to test this (and a list of various other things). I do that every year on March 31st, A.K.A., World Backup Day. Having backups isn't helpful if one doesn't test them :)
Anyway... in the end, the answer to my question turned out to be this: Think through my past, year by year, in search of phrases that are still deeply meaningful yet not google-able.
posted by 2oh1 at 3:42 PM on March 14, 2023
> If this absolutely has to be an experience question, I don't have anything new to add. If you're just looking for approaches on memorable passphrases, here's mine.
Lots of great stuff there. Thanks! The reason I want this to be an experience sort of passphrase is because it's for a personal project, and I want it to be something I'll remember due to experience (though I will definitely write it down as a backup).
I have 2 of these passphrases already. I just need one more, and I'll probably have that by the end of the day.
Luckily, I get to write the prompt for each passphrase. Here's an example of one:
Prompt: "What's the name of the article I wrote that was published in 2003?"
That's a great one because I used a pseudonym for privacy reasons. So, it isn't google-able, and it isn't something anyone who knows me would know.
Another great one:
"In September, 1990, I borrowed a cassette copy of an album by The Church. What was on the other side?"
It's insanely obscure, and it isn't google-able, but it's still deeply meaningful to me 30+ years later.
> Set a reminder to test yourself on the password every day or so.
Yeah, I'm a big fan of using my calendar app for that kind of stuff. I already created an annual reminder to test this (and a list of various other things). I do that every year on March 31st, A.K.A., World Backup Day. Having backups isn't helpful if one doesn't test them :)
Anyway... in the end, the answer to my question turned out to be this: Think through my past, year by year, in search of phrases that are still deeply meaningful yet not google-able.
posted by 2oh1 at 3:42 PM on March 14, 2023
These aren't all quite long enough, but a useful pattern, and easy for you to look up if you have good hints
Are you a reader? To_Kill_A_Mockingbird_-_Harper_Lee_-_1960
Music? Dancing_In_the_Dark_-_Bruce_Springsteen_-_1984
1st or last lines of poems can have lots of characters: Let us go then, you and I, When the evening is spread out against the sky
Shakespeare quotations
posted by theora55 at 6:42 PM on March 14, 2023
Are you a reader? To_Kill_A_Mockingbird_-_Harper_Lee_-_1960
Music? Dancing_In_the_Dark_-_Bruce_Springsteen_-_1984
1st or last lines of poems can have lots of characters: Let us go then, you and I, When the evening is spread out against the sky
Shakespeare quotations
posted by theora55 at 6:42 PM on March 14, 2023
I use childhood addresses and phone numbers. If I'd lived at 12321 Main Street, the question would be "12321?" and the answer is "Main Street." (I've actually got one more step in there, but you get the idea.)
I am old enough and moved frequently enough and am boring enough that none of these are available on the Internet. If you grew up in one location and it shows up in public records, don't do this.
posted by The corpse in the library at 7:26 PM on March 14, 2023
I am old enough and moved frequently enough and am boring enough that none of these are available on the Internet. If you grew up in one location and it shows up in public records, don't do this.
posted by The corpse in the library at 7:26 PM on March 14, 2023
This thread is closed to new comments.
Do you like your boss?
posted by wenestvedt at 5:53 PM on March 13, 2023