You know, when I worked at HBG, we often used the password/login combination “test”/”test” [or even “test@test.com”/”test”] while we were testing sites we were developing. However, when we actually moved the site into production, we typically removed “test” (whose full name was invariably “Test T. Test”) as a user from the database.

You may see where this is going. As I am discovering more and more, many sites with “personalization” features are just not thoroughly tested enough and fail to lock that obvious backdoor. One such site is the South China Morning Post (which I found through the very comprehensive and internationally-focused Google News Headlines page).

It wouldn’t hurt to try The “test”/”test” Test [coined by gohlkusmaximus!] when you find yourself stymied by a registration-required site.

I think I’ll start keeping track of sites that fail to remove the obvious testing passwords in their user databases.

* * *

I went to the Y tonight. I rode a stationary bike for 20 minutes. (Note that I’ve exercised approximately twice in the last 6 months, so that’s actually something for me.) I figured that if I killed myself the first time out, I’d be less likely to go back. Well, I’m going back. [I’ll go lightly on this topic unless something truly interesting happens.]

* * *

Weird, my cat just sneezed in my face. I hope she’s not sick. Oddly, she just went to the Kitty Klinic on Monday for a routine checkup/vaccination, and she was perfectly fine.