Why do you have to type these words in?

It seems like a real hassle, but there is an important reason.

There are many people in the world that are not very friendly. People will use computers to attack web sites by figuring out usernames and passwords, people will also attempt to crash servers by automating millions of "hits".

Typing in these characters ensures that an actual human is attempting to login to this system. In the end it creates a level of security for both of us. It may be a minor hassle, but we all benefit.