PSST! what's my password? A stupid, pissed off, rant!
Does anybody out there want to know my password? Well I sure do.
Keeping up with all these passwords has become a full time job and I hate it. Some of my passwords are forever, some are too important to be like the rest and some expire in six months. When they do expire I have to think up a new one immediately and it can not be like the one I have nor any I've had before. They must be easy enough for me to remember, yet hard enough to be effective. Sometimes I sit at my desk staring at my screen, stumped by which password to use. It shouldn't be this hard!
So I use the word 'apple' great just type it in and I'm done for six months. beep! No, you must use at least one numerical character in the password. Damn! forgot about that, easy enough 'apple1' Beep! No! password must have at least eight characters. DAMN! all right, 'apples11' BEEP! New password is similar to last password. DAMN IT! DAMN IT!!! 'APPLES88' cool it worked.
The next day I go to log in... first I try the old password beep! Then I rack my brain trying to remember what fruit I used... oh yeah 'apple' beep! Oh right, 'apples8', Beep! damn! 'apple88' BEEP! DAMMMMMMN ITTTTTTTT! apple18, Apple11, APPLE1, APPLE8, Apple1,... apple81, ;KJEDJKED;LKSDJD, banana12345 Beeeep!!!!! By now I have either exceeded my allotment of attempts or I give up and press the "I forgot my password link" either way they send me an email giving me a new password, if I'm lucky. If I'm not I get a phone number to call to reset my password. Great, but I'll never remember "rdexc3472" who the hell thought that up? I better change it, hum... what to use? 'Peach' beep!...
Some days I might remember to type the new password into a spreadsheet I have hidden in my computer to keep track of all my passwords. On a good day I may even be at the computer that holds the spread sheet when I need it. On a great day I might even remember where I hid said spreadsheet. On an awesome day I'll find it and remember the password that's required to get into it. On that sheet is a list of 37 different programs and sites that require a password and user name and that's only the ones I remembered to write down.
They do have that little button "remember my password" whatever you do DON"T CHECK THAT BOX! It had to be invented by satan himself. I use to click it every time until A) I had to change my password and need the old one to confirm it or B) The kids unchecked the box. In both cases I couldn't remember the password because I never had to type it in. Of course they make some devices that will remember all your passwords for you. I can't say their coolness factor isn't attractive but the only thing I'm worse at than remembering passwords is remembering to carry something around. Grrr!
The part I hate the most is that some of the passwords aren't even necessary. I mean who wants to see my electric bill anyway? All these passwords are driving me out of my mind. Couldn't we just do something easier like sticking a needle in our eye? There has to be a better way. Maybe if we could just trust people to mind their own business. I know, dream on.
Oh yeah, if you want to leave a comment regarding this rant please don't forget to type in your user name and password under the comment box. Damn it!
13 comments:
If you need assistance in creating some easier to remember strong passwords you could try PassPub
Great minds think alike, RT... I was just ranting about this very subject earlier in the day.
I have so many passwords to remember JUST AT WORK that I have to write them down. Of course, EVERYONE knows where my password cheat-sheet is because I have to retrieve it everytime I use certain programs that only I have access to. Which pretty much invalidates the very reason we have passwords at all, right?? Today one of my coworkers offered to get the cheat-sheet for me out of its "hiding" place when I couldn't remember the password to a booking program. Ha!!!
I remember with fondness the days that I had only ONE password - a really, really good one - and I used it for everything. It was never compromised, I never changed it, and it was easy for me to remember but hard for anyone else to figure out. Those were the days, my friend, those were the days.
Sadly it seems as if you really do feel my pain. Your comment reminded me, I have another list of passwords under my mouse pad. Sheesh!
I can remember a day when you didn't NEED a password at all and a PIN number for the ATM was a new concept:)
I don't do anything to do with money on the computer so I just have one password for everything and so far I never have to change it.
I don't trust the dang thing with money matters.
Guys, guys, guys.
The internet is a great tool and there are many ways you can help yourself
Download firefox web browser from www.mozilla.com its much faster than IE plus once downloaded, click on tools, options and choose security then in there is "Master password" basically you enter all your passwords in here and insert a master password to unlock them all
Me - Making the world a password happier place
You could use an easy simple password for non important web shites - i.e. electricity bill and a securer one for others. Still can be a bit of a pain.
If it's still a problem you could download some code (if you want to do it yourself) or software that incrypts data. You can then encrypt your password spreadsheet on your desktop - no hiding passwords spreadsheet.
Of course you'll need a password to decrypt the spreadsheet :))
Hb: I wish I could do that but my work will not allow it. My biggest problem is the credit agencies. I have to pull people's credit online and you would think I'm accessing their medical files.
I also buy equipment at online auctions. On these sites if you click it, you bought. Credit limits on these sites are around $5000,000.00 per site. For these sites I must have different passwords. It sucks!
Spiller: I do use Firefox sometimes. I'll check out that feature, it just might work. Is it web based or do I have to set it up on all the computers I use?
20 Something: The biggest problem is they FORCE me to change my passwords and I can not rotate them. Code? encrypted data? I'm just a simple salesman here, not a rocket scientist. :)
Great post RT. I was just bitching about this to someone else too!!
I've finally settled into making a list of my passwords and emailing them to myself at Yahoo. That way no matter where I am I can check my web based email and pull up the password I need.
We have a couple of programs at work that are detestable little fu*kers.
They make me change my password every 15 to 30 days (depends on how many times you've logged in) and you can't use any of the same passwords you've used in the past. So every month, or more often, I have to think of another password that's becomes a huge ordeal to remember AND it can't be anything I generally use, or have ever used in the past.
What a piss off.
I wonder if people ever appreciate the lengths we go to to protect their medical information?! Holy pain in the ass Batman.
I like Firefox's system of remembering my passwords if it didn't freeze up all the time!!!
I'm soooo glad you made this post. It appears I needed to vent some more about it.
HA!
Vent on girl, I feel your pain! :)
I called my Mac guru about your freeze problem today. He said he would get back to me tomorrow. Maybe he can help.
Thanks guys! I thought I was the only one who thought passwords were a pain in the ass. Misery loves company.
Everyones suggestions were great. I'm going to try them, I think they just might do the trick.
Cool post!
Ha ha I know exactly how you feel. I have sooo many passwords I can never remember which is which. I do try and keep one for the same thing but every so often you have to change them incase someone guesses what your password is?
Passwords are odd? I never really thought about it. Your right though, if only we could trust people life would be so much easier!
I think I went online for the first time in 1994. I had a very powerful 1200 bit modem to connect with AOL. I had one password for many years. Now? Sheesh!!!
One thing you may find funny is that I have started using blogger names for some of my passwords :)
Hah! I feel your pain. For some odd reason, Universities make you create passwords that are at least 8 characters long, with at least one lower case character, one upper case character, and a special symbol or number. I mean, wtf?! My password ends up looking like a twelve year old's screen name, ie. *gIggLes123*
To keep track of it all, I made a special index card with all of my passwords and I keep it with things like my passport, social security card, checkbooks, and sticker collection. Ok, I don't really have a sticker collection.
I also keep a word document but you never know when your POS computer will have a meltdown. Also, people can hack into your system and stuff (I think?) so I never write important passwords in there.
Damn! I've never seen a password require all that...nothing is that important. That's ridiculous.
No sticker collection huh? That's a shame because I had some Scooby Doos I was wanting to trade :( lol
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