geekosystem

The combination of a username and password seems like an inextricable part of using a secured computer. Sure, you can use biometrics, but username and password just seems like the most natural way to identify and authorize users without the bulk of extra, expensive, and specialized equipment. That being the case, it has become second nature to most of us, but is it really natural at all? Memorizing passwords, especially "strong" ones, involves remembering long, arbitrary strings of seemingly random numbers and characters, hardly natural. That's why DARPA has undertaken an initiative to eliminate passwords altogether and instead identify users in the background, as they work, by paying very close attention to the idiosyncratic way they type.

Want to look like a hacker, just like you've seen them in the movies, but don't actually have any hacking skills? Even if you do, do you think that computer programs take far too long to write? Do you enjoy indiscriminately bashing your keyboard? If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, Hacker Typer could be for you! You have to try it out to understand what it's all about, but once you do, you will. The developer behind it is currently taking suggestions on new features, and has already added a few since Hacker Typer went viral last night; we hope that the one about displaying a giant message that says ACCESS GRANTED with an FBI or CIA crest in the background makes it into the next version. Update: Well this is awesome: Creator Duiker101 informs us that hitting Alt 3 times (option on a Mac) will pull up an all-caps "ACCESS GRANTED" box. (The site has been up and down throughout the day due to a barrage of traffic, but as of posting it seems to be back up.) (Hacker Typer. Thanks, Scott!)