Do YOU have too many passwords?
Do you suffer from password or PIN confusion?
Passwords multiple—like rabbits, more and more, and more—and well—you get the picture.
It started out innocent enough. Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away (do you hear the musical score to Star Wars in the background) when the first computer was brought into the home many years ago. A password was needed to access the computer. OK. Innocent enough.
But now! OMG! Even the mention of “create a password” sends me running down the metaphoric hall, hair flying, arms flailing in the air, screaming “nooooooooo.”
I have over 25—that’s right—different passwords. How did I accumulated so many?
- Bank accounts
- Social media platforms:face book (personal, teacher, author), twitter, pinterest, 2 Instagrams, Tumblr, Goodreads, etc
- Various publishing and/or writing websites/programs
- Multiple—and I mean way too many school-related programs, websites, etc
- several emails
- a few software applications
Puppy commiserates while I rant about passwords!
The biggest problem. Those programs that demand the passwords be changed every few months. ACK!
“But L.Z.” I hear you saying, there’s a program for that. It saves all your passwords, even enters the passwords and PINS for you.” That’s next on my to-do list. And I have a sneaking suspicion it will require a password!
My techie-son was appalled I have so many passwords. He demanded to know what they were all for. I read him the list, and he shook his head sadly. “Sorry, Mom, yeah you do have a lot.”
The other day, I swiped my card at the grocery store and was about to enter the PIN—another word that makes me quake in terror—when I had a brain fart. The mind went blank. Zero. Nada. My own memory wiped clean of those random numbers assigned by the bank. I blame the checker, he was talking to the manager and they were discussing numbers and WHAM—I couldn’t remember my own.
Lucky for me, my gorgeous 17-yr old daughter stood next to me. She burst out laughing when she saw the expression on my face. “Mom, the brain is the first to go.”
“No,” I snapped back. “A woman’s cute looks are.”
That shut her up!
As we sat and sipped our mochas a few minutes later, I asked my daughter what her social security number was.
She grimaced, “I don’t know.”
“What’s your employee number?” Smug sip.
“I don’t know.”
“How many passwords and PINs do you have?”
“OK. OK. I get it, already.”
Yep! Soon enough, she will get multiple passwords. Life. School. Career. They all come with passwords.
In addition to the password and the PIN, some sites want you to create secret security questions. The toughest site I ever encountered demanded 3 security questions NOT related to name of pet, color, favorite food, locations, letters in your name, or D.O.B
I really, really hope I wrote the answers down somewhere…
