Pa$$w0rd$

Have you realized just how many passwords we all have?? There are the ones for our personal email (or emails if you have more than one and who doesn't??!!), the passwords to log into the network (and maybe your home computer!). Passwords for blogs, wikis, webpages, banks, shopping, SO MANY PASSWORDS!

And the requirements for some of them - upper & lower case, numbers and letters and/or symbols - not to be repeated for at least 7 iterations. Is it any wonder that we get one or two and use them over and over and over again! All security type people, just cover your eyes and deal with it! The alternative is to write them all down (and then remember where you kept the list.)

This all came up because it was time for me to change my network password. The system kindly lets me know about 14 days in advance of the "oh no you can't use THAT anymore!" message and I've been thinking of what one to use. I know that I'll be typing the old one for several days so I wanted something that would fit all the requirements yet be easy for me to remember. I know it's supposed to be random and not easily guessed - well all I can say is that it can't be too random or I'll never remember it!

The network password has been changed - whew - and so has the password on my phone which goes and gets email from work (that reminder was MUCH more annoying than the one from the computer at work!) so all should be well for the next few months - until once again I have to come up with a memorable yet random and not easily guessed password of at least 8 characters!