First, a password should be something you know, memorable to you, or significant in some way to you. We’re all the stars of our own movie, but bit players to everyone else. The world’s strongest password isn’t any good if you can’t remember it, or can’t even enter it correctly if you have it written down!

Second, let’s go into the passwords or variations that you shouldn’t use: your birthday, your significant other’s birthday or anniversaries. Why because they are public record, or worse on your Facebook page! Never, ever, and like the New York City No Parking Sign, “Don’t Even Think About It.” Public or open records are never secure, because everyone has access to the information

Third, a strong password is constrained by the limits of encryption on websites. 1, they must be at least six characters long. 2, they can’t be longer than 12 characters. 3, they should contain: upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers and/or symbols. This mix will stop the automatic password breaking software called, “crackers,” and give the garden variety computer hacker fits. If it takes too much time and effort, they’ll go someplace where they can get something of value, that something would be your identity, your money, and your good name.

1. Pet Names

This is the first stop in password land for a large number of users, so let’s make live hard for the hackers by adding information that messes up the computer they’re using to discover what you’ve used. How about adding when you got your precious poodle (Fluffy’62), or how long Little Kitty lived (LittleKitty22). Go nuts! Have fun. Just remember it.

2. Telephone Numbers:

Back in the good ole days, telephone had exchanges. If you’re old enough, the first phone number you memorized had an exchange. The first number I ever had was TEmple8-5767. Wow, everything you need: letters, symbols with upper and lower case. If you want to use something nobody will guess you could go with a public number from the time machine, like NAtional4-4343 the White House main switchboard until exchanges were eliminated.

3. Automobiles:

You’ll always remember your first car, ‘76Celeste (which was known in the states as an Arrow). Or you could have the car you always wanted ‘64Stingray or 1965XKE. Notice I never use the maker, just the model and year. It just keeps them short enough not to be unwieldy It could also include your favorite license plate/registration tag number, but – please not the one that’s on the back of your car now!

4. Movie Quotes:

Try using the first letter of each word in a favorite line of dialog. Gone with the Wind “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn,” would look like Fmd,Idgad. Or, from Cool Hand Luke, “What we got here-is a Failure to communicate.” Wwgh-iaFtc. My personal favorite, because the movie was so odd, is from Complex World: “We don’t take threats over the phone.” Wdttotp. It’s a fun exercise in movie trivia. (And, if you want to win the bar bet,) in Casablanca, Bogey actually said, “You played it for her; you can play it for me. Play it, Sam.”

5. Television:

Aw, come on, you had a misspent youth and adulthood. What was your favorite childhood cartoon character? BugsBunny? DaffyDuck? Mr.Jinx? Pixie&Dixie? How about titles of shows you wasted your time with: Untouchables, Roaring20s, 77SunsetStrip, Route66, Wagontrain? The list is endless, but meaningful to you, and that’s what really matters.

6. Old Addresses:

Sometimes a good password is as simple as the answer to the question, “Where do you live, little boy or girl?” 48_SlocumStr. Whether or not your first home is now and empty lot or under a shopping mall, you remember it. It could also be the first place you and your significant other set-up housekeeping together. 55ElleryST.

Get creative, get memorable, and get about 10 or 11 and change them about every three months.

Password “Safes”

KeePassX is a good password manager program and encrypts all your passwords under a master password and lets you write them to a thumb drive so you can take it with you. It’s even safe to use on a public computer, because it doesn’t live any record on the computer.  KeepassX saves them in an easy to use database, enters them for you and will even generate one when you run out of ideas.