Time for Fun!

It's the last working day before Christmas and therefore the time to ensure that everything is in order for the holiday period.

More importantly, it's time for some "resting" and fun.

My friends and I had great fun this morning discussing the results of the Hobbit Name Generator which can be found at http://www.chriswetherell.com/hobbit/ - it is well worth a 5 minute visit.

My Hobbit name is "Mungo Loamsdown of Deephallow" with which I'm quite pleased. We were also particularly impressed with "Minto Hamwich of Buckleberry Fern".

We all have a name yet we are known by various names & identities depending on who is addressing us. I respond to the following:

• Stephen (and sometimes Steve)
• Sir
• Son
• Daddy
• Mr. Swann
• Oi You
• (and now Mungo Loamsdown)

Nothing particularly unique in much of that unfortunately. When it comes to accessing systems (whether they be web based or not), the combination of identities that I have is even greater. I like to think I know who I am but it is a sorry state of affairs when you not only have to commit your passwords to some medium other than your brain, but you also have to have a serious think about recording (and transporting) your "name" in a similar manner.

• At my bank, I am a number.
• On my blog, I am an email address.
• At work, I am a combination of letters and numerals.
• On my web based training site, I am a nickname.

Will there ever be a time when I can be considered truly unique and known by all as a single name?

Nah... I'll always be either a son, daddy or husband. But there must be a chance that the number of identities I own can be reduced significantly. The utopian world which includes an Identity Provider as a service which can be utilised by all these various systems sounds great (if a little dangerous if it were ever compromised). The world of security federation is just around the corner and I for one can't wait - my brain is stuffed to capacity with UserIDs and Passwords!

In the meantime, I might just change all my UserIDs to "Mungo Loamsdown" :-)

Merry Christmas everyone...