h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I got a company email address yesterday. Naturally, that means another bloody password to invent and then deal with. Seeing as how this is one I'll be logging into every day I decided that instead of the random sequence of numbers, letters and symbols I usually come up with and then store in a very secret place (no, not there - get your mind out of the gutter ) so that I can type it in when needed, I'd go with something work-related, and not easy to fathom but easy for me to remember.

So easy, I've already forgotten it

My sympathies. I've mentioned before what I'm like with passwords.

And every time you pick a new one, you have an absolute supreme confidence that, "oh, I'll definitely remember *that*!"

Exactly!

Now, what was it again?

pick a word and substitute some of the letters with numbers. Preferably a name - then save it in your phone (or on a piece of paper in your wallet) written only in letters.

It came to me this morning while I was in the shower not thinking about it at all Which is usually how it happens, isn't it. The harder you think about it the more elusive it makes itself. And yes, it is work-related but in a fiendishly clever way

why not use perhaps your old english national insurance number interspersed with your medical register/first phone number name of the girl that took your virginity...hard to forget some of these and if you use alternate letter/digit 1 from a 1 from b, makes it harder to crack you can use first 7/10/13 for those sites that insist on longer passwords or even backwards then you password clue can be just as simple 7/10/13 b/f

I already have a way of making up hard to guess and seemingly random (but easy to remember) passwords. I take a line from a song, perhaps one that's somehow connected to something to do with the account in question (and hopefully one with a number in it) and use the initial letters from each of the words. All I have to do to remember the password is sing the song.

Should have done that in this instance, but it's back now.

fine until you get an earworm that makes you forget that song,

CorrectHorseBatteryStaple

http://xkcd.com/936/