or maybe you prefer to stick to "doggie" and "kitty"

[rone]

[Poll #690452]

Comments

[cks.livejournal.com]

I was going to answer the poll, then realized my answer doesn't fit in the margin provided.

My approach to passwords these days is to pick completely random sequences that are fast to type and have some non-alphanumeric characters. My passwords are thus completely non-mnemonic and usually more in my muscle memory than in my mind, although I find it helps to create ones that are vaguely pronounceable. (Since I work on Unix, they're also necessarily 8 characters long.)

I want fast to type because I feel that this is the best way to stand up to the only pragmatic security threat I can do anything about, which is people watching me when I have to log in in semi-public. Besides, fast to type means easy to type which means less annoying. I have to deal with some passwords that have to be carefully and slowly typed out and nnngh.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

This was actually the method i used for my Exchange password at Macromedia, after i got sick of having to change my password every two months or so. A quick-to-type password with a slight character rotation for the next iteration.

[cks.livejournal.com]

I am sufficiently neurotic about it that when I have to change a password (or make up a new one) I deliberately pick a completely new pattern, instead of mutating a current one a bit. This can sometime suck, such as when I have to change from a password that had a really great pattern to a less nice one.