6 ms·
If you're wondering why 1004, a seemingly random number, is so close to the top of the list -- something that the author does not investigate in any detail -- m
by kijin 14y ago
If you're wondering why 1004, a seemingly random number, is so close to the top of the list -- something that the author does not investigate in any detail -- my guess is that the database he used contains some major leaks from Korea. 1004 is a fairly popular password there, because it is one of the few 4-digit numbers that sound like actual words in Korean. 1004 sounds like "angel" (cheonsa).
So if you're actually trying to break into people's accounts, it would be advantageous to know your victims' ethnicity. It's quite likely that cards stolen in Koreatown will have a different distribution of PIN numbers than those stolen in Chinatown.
- squeakynick 14y agoThank you very much for this information. I was wondering.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- Mordor 14y agoYeah, 5555 sounds like hahahaha in Thai :)
- heyitsnick 14y agoInteresting. When you say 1004 'sounds like angel', do you mean saying 'one thousand and four' in Korean sounds like cheonsa? or 'one zero zero four'? Or the numbers look like letters than spell out angel? / tangent
- 1331 14y agoThe number read in Korean ("one thousand and four") has the same pronunciation as the word for angel: both are 천사 ("cheonsa"). http://translate.google.co.kr/?tab=wT#en/ko/one%20thousand%20and%20four%0Aangel http://translate.google.co.kr/?tab=wT#en/ko/one%20thousand%2...
- JoeAltmaier 14y agoIts read "one thousand four". The 'and' is unnecessary and ambiguous. One of my hot buttons.
- talkingquickly 14y agoAdmit I don't have strong feelings either way but out of genuine curiosity, why is one thousand four less ambiguous than one thousand and four? You could argue one thousand four is actually easier to misinterpret because it could easily (although incorrectly) be read to mean "one thousand fours." edit: typo.
- JoeAltmaier 14y agoIt matters when fractions are involved. Try reading both of these: 100 2/3 102/3
- talkingquickly 14y agoThanks, hadn't thought about that scenario. I have a feeling it's going to start bugging me as well now...
- JoeAltmaier 14y agoSorry! Just to make it worse for you: why don't people also pronounce 1492 as "one thousand and four hundred and ninety and two"?
- talkingquickly 14y agoSurely that comes from the same language structure which means you wouldn't say beans and eggs and tomatoes and potatoes, you'd say beans, eggs, tomatoes and potatoes e.g. in a list of "and" items you only say and between the penultimate and final items?
- 14y ago