(fuel pump) you can have: fue10032422LpumP.

You probably noticed the trick of using a capital letter at the end of a word and breaking the key words fuel pump inside the word fuel to avoid using words that can be found in a dictionary. You might choose to capitalize the second or third letter of each sequence.

Let's take another example. You teach English and love Shakespeare, especially The Winter's Tale. Your birthday is 10/26/79. Your birthday (102679) multiplied by Phi is 3225755921 and shorten to eight digits is 32257559. A character in the play is Polixenes. So we can have poli32257559eneS. Or, if you choose, hold the shift key while you enter the numbers and you get: @@@@mailto:poli#@@%&%%(ene S@@poli#@@%&%%(eneS@@@.

The real trick is that you will select a word familiar to you. Good suggestions are weird nicknames or baby talk, specialized technical or mechanical expressions, or classical / foreign / historical names. Always alter the word break it in two, misspell it, or reverse the syllables.

Then pick a date or number (phone number, sports statistic, etc.) that is easy to remember, and a multiplier or divider to generate a non predicable number. It really doesn't matter what you choose. If you multiple by Phi, when you go to change passwords a few months down the road, you can simply change the key word and divide instead.

When you create new passwords for your important sites, you can even write yourself a coded note to use for a day or so. A coded note could read cune[d]gondE. Even if someone found or stole it they probably couldn't guess that it stood for Cunegonde [from Voltaire's Candide] and your son's birthday divided by whatever number or value you were using at that moment. Once you have mastered the formula for the password after a few uses, you will only need the calculator to generate the number called for, and the note can and should be destroyed.

Remember, your passwords are the combinations to the safes where you store your valuables. The best safe and lock in the world are worth nothing if the combination is easily available. Never store your passwords on line or use a password for one site on a different site. One of the more common ways to steal your information, is to get you to enter the password for your email on another site. Then that site can use your address book to mail spam to others and to gain information about you, your bank, your credit cards, and other personal information.

Finally, pay attention to the news. If there are stories about security breaches at any place where you do business, whether it is your bank, insurance company, or a retailer, make sure to change your password and contact the business to secure your information.

With great passwords you no longer need to feel guilty or insecure when you go on line.

Learn more about this author, Roger G Mccorkle.
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