The Ident-i-Eeze

Douglas Adams. You may know this famous Sci-Fi author from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, or Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. Sure, he was an accomplished author with an impressive understanding of science and a unique perspective on technology, but was he also a prophet..?

In his works, the Hitchhiker’s Guide was a guidebook that electronically synced up to the galactic web, whose various authors contributed to the collection of knowledge. So like Wikipedia, except the authors aren’t all drunken hitchhikers.

Right now, we have a revolution in identity verification procedures. We verify our identity through security questions, government issued IDs, passwords, and personal devices. Each of these steps to verify one’s identity are in place to keep our information secure.

What if there was a way around all the tedious hassle of having to remember your passwords, pin numbers, security questions, and so on? Enter the Ident-i-Eeze. In the Mostly Harmless, 5th book of the Hitchhiker series, Douglas Adams foresaw just how much of a hassle it would be to log into one’s computer, use an ATM, or fill out paperwork because of the ever-increasing need for security questions. And this was back in 1992!

So, he invented the idea of the “Ident-i-Eeze.” A supreme identification card that would encode, store and relay all your personal data, genetic information, and preferred tablecloth patterns onto one easy-to-use, easy-to-carry personal identification card. What was the downside to carrying around a card that bypassed all the security restrictions?

You’re carrying around a card that bypasses all the security restrictions!

So now instead of the bad guys having to steal your personal information, pin number, area code, birthplace and favorite cat breed, they only need to pick your pocket. Which the protagonist Ford Prefect, did and he brought down an entire company with it.

So, before you think about putting all your passwords in one place, using an untrustworthy password manager, or making all your login information the same, remember the Ident-i-Eeze.