'This is Ridiculous.' Excuse me?

[CrazedClerk]

I'm good with numbers, phone numbers, my bank and credit card numbers, my social, all memorized.

I have to ask socials for ID verify and I must get at least two people a day who don't remember theirs.

[thegiraffe]

BannedAnna:

In short term memory, there is (believe it or not) a huge difference between 7 and 9 digits. Short term memory is defined as holding 7 +/- 2 items for a very short period of time. Now, I realize that 7 + 2 = 9. However, that's the less common end of the spectrum.

Therefore, our brain uses a convenient tool called "chunking". Ever notice how phone numbers are in the form of xxx-xxxx? That's because when you chunk them together (xxx as one chuck, xxxx as the other), you only have two chunks or pieces of information. That allows the brain to (a) recall stored information more readily, and (b) make coding and storing the information easier. Essentially, the more items that are thrown at your short term memory at once, the less likely they are to stick. And with the margin being +/- 2, the likeliness of the 9 digits not being stored (and I realize that translates into three 'chunks') is much much greater than 7 digits (2 chunks) not being stored.

That, and the fact that people (a) aren't memorizing numbers anymore, and (b), he probably hasn't had the chance to use his SSN enough to remember it. Anyone knows that repeated usage = increased memory.

[/psychologist mode]

[braindead]

I am willing to bet he comes back without said info.

[Canarr]

Exactly.

I'm horrible with names and faces, but I'm great at remembering numbers. I could tell you every phone number I've had for the last 25 years. Go figure.

That's nothing. I could tell you every name and face I've had for the last 30 years

[Jpurple]

The card with my Social Insurance Number disintegrated years ago. No one has ever asked for it. The card itself, as far as I know, is useless. Its the number that matters.

The one exception to that rule: When you apply to get a passport, they WILL ask to see your SIN card, and it's a serious PITA to try to get your passport application approved without it. (As in, four other types of ID, all with your signature and photo, or a signed declaration from the Records Bureau from the province you were born in, etc.)
My husband's SIN card has been MIA for about 6 years now, and that was the ONLY time it was an issue.

[Boozy]

The one exception to that rule: When you apply to get a passport, they WILL ask to see your SIN card, and it's a serious PITA to try to get your passport application approved without it.

Really? I got my passport just a few months ago. They wanted the number on the application form, but didn't ask for the card. According to the Government of Canada website, no one needs to see the card except your employer, if they request it. And none of my previous jobs have asked for the card - just the number.

[katie kaboom]

I've had to show my social security card on a few occasions so i think it depends on your location , somewhat. I know when i applied for a passport i had to give them my social security number and i think i had to show the actual card in the post office when i was turning in the application. What i didn't like is that they take your birth certificate with your application and you get the birth certificate back, in the mail, when they send you your passport. They just better hope the stuff doesn't get lost in the mail.

[Boozy]

I think you're right about the different locations, different policies thing. I'm wondering if maybe I was just lucky when I got my passport.
Mailing in my birth certificate freaked me out too. I have so little faith in both the government bureacracy and the postal system.

[Andara Bledin]

I've had problems with identification all my life. I don't have a birth certificate.

At the time I was a baby, the forms required that my mom include the occupations of my grandparents and they would not process the forms without that information. My mother didn't think it was any of their business, and so they were never completed.

I have an Affadavit of Birth, and most places can't figure out what the hell it is. It makes things interesting while I explain what the hell it is.

^-.-^

[upsidedown_orchid]

The card with my Social Insurance Number (what we call the SSN here in Canada) disintegrated years ago. No one has ever asked for it. The cards seem to be issued by the government here as a courtesy to people who can't remember their numbers. The card itself, as far as I know, is useless. Its the number that matters.

Just another useless bit for the "How Canadian bureacracy appears to be different from American bureaucracy" file.

The regulations for employment have changed recently. Now I need to have a photocopy of a sin card and valid government photo id on file for all of my employees. (At least, that's what the controller at work tells me, but she pays close attention to government regs for that kinda stuff).

[HoppiLoco]

Personally, as a college student I move at least once or twice a year (and only recently got a cell phone), so each time I moved I ended up with a new number... so a lot of the time I didnt even bother to learn the number . On the other hand, I did always carry it on a note in my wallet, and now that I have a more permanent phone I can actually remember it.

[MadMike]

I'm good with numbers, phone numbers, my bank and credit card numbers, my social, all memorized.

I have my drivers license number memorized, as well as my credit card number. Don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing.

I guess it could be a good thing, because I can order something on the internet without having to get my wallet, or run upstairs if I don't have it on me.

Or it could be a bad thing for the same reason.

[Dreamstalker]

My social security card has been MIA for a few years (I just don't know where the paper card is although logically one of my parents must have it). Apparently, to get a MA leaner's permit or state ID, I need the physical card. Memorizing the number won't do (interestingly enough, on the accepted documents list for permit/state ID, SS card is optional). I would think that knowing the # would be sufficient as it could be cross-checked with everything else.

When I got my NM state ID card, the lack of the physical card was a non-issue (all they cared about was that I knew the number).

I seem to recall reading something (from the SSA themselves oddly enough) that an SSN cannot be used for identification purposes.

[Andara Bledin]

Like I said, the back of my original SS card stated that it was not to be used for identification.

When I lost it (over the side of a ferry, of all places), the new card no longer had that statement.

^-.-^

[Racket_Man]

heck I can still remember a Driver's License number from 2 states and 20 years ago. I used it so much in college 28 years ago when cashing check that the number stuck in my head for some reason. I have not had a copy of my last card in quite a few years but I can STILL remember the number as clear as a bell