You know, I don’t know if it is just me getting older and the memory beginning to fade or simply that I use my laptop so much these days, but I have real problems keeping track of the growing numer of logons and passwords I have for various sites. You know whats its like, having to rely on sending an email requesting your password be reset, after counteless attempts at remembering which subtle variation of your favourite password you used on a particular site have failed, only to forget the new one again in a few weeks time. This used to happen to me more than I would like to admit, especially on sites I don’t visit often.
The answer? Well I certainly wouldn’t write your passwords down and plaster the wall with post-it notes! I know some people do! A safer, more elegant option is to invest in a Password Manager. These are utility programs that not only remember and auto fill your log-on details for registered sites, but can also generate really strong passwords. Additionally, most will also remember and fill in on demand credit card information and keep track of serial numbers for software as well.
If you are a Mac user, check out 1Password from Agile Systems, http://agilewebsolutions.com/onepassword . It does everything you want from a password manager utility but best of all, it does it in an unobtrusive way, so most of the time you are actually unaware that its in the background. Agile now also have a Windows version, with further options available for both your iPhone and iPad.
As long as you can manage to safely remember one master password yourself, 1Password can do the rest. Go on, try it out and give your brain a rest!