These friggen guys are killing me!
- You can’t use the same password for multiple sites
- Your passwords need to be long
- They must include numbers, capitals and symbols
- Don’t use any words
- Did I say you can’t use the same password for multiple sites?
For many of us our passwords were sacred to us. Cute variations of our first born’s name or birthday. For some passwords allowed us to be the person we wanted to be if nobody was looking: “lips25”, “ninja73”, “shadow0311”, “hothole57” (don’t ask). Then, some way, some how hackers started to figure out how to crack our inner psyche, broke into our accounts then created an entire new industry. Password Managers.
I tried to fight it for a while. Encrypted spreadsheets, a single, “unbreakable”, password used on all accounts. You name it I tried it. The spreadsheet wasn’t always available when I needed it. My single password became compromised when I had to use it for a suspect site or needed to turn it over to an assistant to order my wife flowers. Nothing was working.
They friggen broke me
I began to research “effective password strategies” and almost died. Okay I didn’t even ger hurt; but I’m pretty sure I could have gone mad. After reading the third useless post describing all of the ways hackers can crack my password as well as all of the supporting documentation of such instances known to man, I broke. It was like reading countless studies about the dangerous effects of jumping without a parachute. It’s bad for you. Lets move on.
Just friggin tell me what to do so I can get on with my life
You need a “Password Manager” and here’s what you need it to do.
Sync across all of you devices – so that you don’t get locked out of something while on the road.
Browser plugins – so that you don’t have to copy & paste your passwords from one program to your login screen. This functionality actually speeds up your login process because you will no longer need to type in your password. Eat that you 20 random character password!
Organize Software Licenses – so that when you get a new computer or something crashes you don’t end up on a Search & Rescure mission trying to find that old copy of Microsoft word in your closet.
Encrypt files – so that every time you go two years between personal journal entries you’ll still be able to open it.
Let my pain friggen mean something
As you would guess. There are many “friggen” Password Managers to choose from; but I’m not going to do to you what those internet bloggers did to me. If you have anything better to do with your life and don’t want to spend weeks obsessing over which password program to get, here you go.
Use 1 Password. Could there be something better out there? Sure there could. It’s just not worth your time to try and find it. That’s what we’re here for.
