Here they are:

• The Nerdist Interview with Penn Jillette, where they talk about Dean Martin and atheism among other things.
• WTF with Marc Maron interviewing Bob Zmuda, Andy Kaufman’s comedy partner. Great stories. It was kind of like watching a movie you love, where you wish that it wouldn’t end, even though it was 2 hours long.

Josh, Jim, and I have been the current hosts (and guests) but we are always looking for new and interesting people to bring on board either as hosts or interviewees. I haven’t joined toastmasters yet but having to listen to yourself for hours on end in post-production makes you super aware of your verbal/grammar quirks, which is a good thing.

• For indoor photography and general photos the quality is acceptable but nothing spectacular. Don’t expect it to out-perform your $100 Canon Powershot, as a matter of fact it will probably be a bit worse. On the positive, this thing can go places cheap cameras never will.
• The crazy number of modes are great. I’m using the heck out of the wide, panoramic, self-image, macro and other  modes. With this said, don’t trust the automatic mode selection, it is not reliable, spend a moment to set the right mode.
• Auto White Balance is not that great. Sometimes it detects the proper white balance correctly, sometimes it does not. Be prepared to manually set it for your environment.
• The carabiner clip is an excellent substitute for a tripod on hikes and the like. Two days ago on a forest hike I was able to hang it from branches to get shots of us. Having a tripod would be nice but is not completely necessary for forest excursions. 
• Bring a wrist lanyard when using it under-water. I’ll be rigging up a wrist attachment so that when snorkeling I’m not apt to lose it or distracted by keeping a tight grip on the camera. The carabiner is tight enough that when latched onto my shorts I never worried about losing it, but once it was in my hand I had to keep a couple fingers through the carabiner to assure it was not lost.
• I’ve never had an underwater camera before. It is great. Being able to document what I see is wonderful and the under-water modes seem to work well.

I added this camera to my birthday gift wish-list after reviewing the current line-up of waterproof cameras. My goal was to have a camera that I could take on trips, snorkeling, or out hiking/biking without worrying about getting it wet, dropping it in the dirt or otherwise abusing it. I’ve had it for 4 days now and used it for 4+ hours.

Something to consider about environment-proof cameras is that there is almost always a sacrifice over a regular point-and-shoot. Since there is a mineral glass or other cover in front of the lens and it is usually contained within the main body you are giving up some wide-angle shots and are going to be more apt to pickup lens flare. With this said, I think it is a great compromise solution for someone liable to carry the camera when it might get wet or dropped.

Things I like about the WG-2:

• Modes/features for everything – Regular photos, face/blink detection, regular video with audio, Slow motion video (15s stretched to 1m), macro photography, panoramic shots, etc.. You can keep the camera on Auto-mode most of the time, or dig in and play with a dozen+ pre-defined modes.
• Eye-Fi Support – Since I put in the memory card I haven’t removed it.
• GPS Support with time sync. I’ve only played with it it a little since most of my shooting so far has been indoors so I don’t have a developed opinion yet.
• I love how it looks and feels in the hand. I haven’t had any usability issues after the first 15 minutes of use. The number of modes for shooting is crazy.
• Macro Mode – The 6 lights coupled with the Macro stand is a great combination. Fun to play with.
• Macro Stand – The Macro stand also has a 46mm thread on it. I picked up a UV/Polarizer filter set and cheapie fish-eye lens to play with. I’m keeping the Macro stand on pretty much all the time to protect the mineral glass as a just-in-case.
• Macro Lights – 6 of them around the lens.
• Lanyard strap – If the strap comes off of this camera you have much bigger things to worry about.
• Look and Feel – Some people say it is ugly, I love it. One of my friends said it reminds him of a sports car. It feels durable with solid components.
• LCD Display is large and bright, with four small pegs around the corners to keep it from being the first thing to hit a flat surface when dropped. I cut down a screen protector and threw it on there since it would get scratched up over time.
• IR remote control support and timer modes. This is one of the features you do not expect to see in most P&S cameras.

Things that could be improved:

• Battery Life – Especially with Eye-Fi and GPS enabled. Buy extra batteries.
• I wish there was a way to attach the macro-stand permanently, which also has a 46mm thread. I keep it and a lens cap on most of the time to provide some protection to the glass while it is banging around in my pocket.
• Jpeg + Mov Only – No RAW or other export formats, not a huge negative but for $400 retail the prices are approaching that territory.
• I don’t know about the optical qualities of mineral glass vs. artificial sapphire or other harder materials but it would be nice if the main lens cover was harder. I am concerned about the long-term durability after my experiences with watches that use mineral glass. This might be unfounded.
• Plastic tripod mount.
• I still have questions about the image quality. For the function of the camera I would call it acceptable but I’m not gushing over images produced. Several of the advanced modes limit your image resolution significantly, such as some panoramic and macro modes. It is still great fun, with many features, but some might be disappointed by the limits imposed.

As of the time of this writing the universe is in-between major models of solid underwater-capable cameras. Canon’s D20 should be out in a few months, which might change the landscape and other manufacturers are due for a refresh.

With this said, I’m quite happy with my purchase. I think it will have a long life as my knock-around/take everywhere camera.

You can check the post out on veglectable.com.

The positive:

1. Installation is as simple as you could expect for a home device. I had one extra white wire for controlling the humidifier, which I spliced into the white wire controlling the furnace and we were ready to roll.
2. The Nest is crazy easy to setup. They put every dollar necessary into simplicity. You provide a minimum temperature, along with a few other details and it handles the rest.
3. Once configured, it just works. You twist the bezel, or click buttons in the iPhone or Android app and the temperature changes, that is it. Adjusting the temperature from the couch or bed has spoiled me.
4. For the geek, you can check out the schedule and see what types of changes it has made. The device tells you when it has went into auto-away, providing reassurance that it is always on-guard for new opportunities to save energy.
5. When you adjust the temperature it tells you how long it will take to reach the goal. In addition, it takes into account the outside temperature when calculating those numbers.
6. After the Nest has learned your schedule and knows the heating and cooling times for your abode it predicts when to warm the house. The result is that the temperature is correct when you wake up, come home, and go to sleep. Very cool.

The negative:

1. Simplicity, one of the biggest advantages of the Nest is also a serious downfall. Want reports? Minimal, and none through the web – where you would expect them. Want additional controls or to understand what the box is thinking? Nope, none of that. This is the iPod + iTunes of home temperature control – the job it does is effective but not highly informative.
2. Quirky. The technology they use is sexy as all get-up and the UI is refined. At the same time I’ve experienced a few major quirks, one of which has been painful to recover from. The issues so far include:
   1. Sometimes wireless connectivity is lost and the device does not automatically re-establish the connection. I’ve had to reconfigure the wireless at least twice in the last month and a half to get it online. This is not a showstopper if you are controlling the device from the panel but removes the ability for remote control until you correct the problem.
   2. Once the device has factory reset without any interaction, requiring re-configuration and re-addition to the Nest website. Rather than recognize it as the same device and downloading the latest schedule/configurations, it reverted to a early configuration of the device showing a schedule I programmed immediately after installation. If the device is communicating with the website it should also backup all settings and schedules so that if the same device is re-added to your account it recovers all the latest information. This has been a major disappointment; I’m not sure if it performed a firmware upgrade without notice or what but whatever it was I feel like I’ve lost something.

Overall I would say that the Nest is a neat device requiring more refinement before it is ready for the mainstream. I love the user interface and website but at the same time it doesn’t communicate to me how it is changing my energy consumption for the better over the long-term and after the issues I’ve experienced I’m not so sure I trust it to heat my home every day. The one time it factory reset I found it set to 50 degrees; it didn’t even retain our low-temp setting, which is worrisome since there is a large fishtank and small dogs in the house, which rely on the temperature being over 60F.

Would I buy it again? Perhaps. I would also consider the Ecobee products before I dropped the cash. Nest needs time to refine the product. In this case I’m okay being an early adopter but due to issues I’ve experienced I can’t say I’m super excited since the unreliability has caused me concern.

Once the wireless disconnection and reset issues are ironed out, and they are producing useful reports on the website it would be a great device for both the gadget lover and for my parents, which is a high compliment for any device. I’m looking forward to the day when they deliver on the promise so that I can recommend it whole heartedly to anyone who asks.

The Vita, scratch that, the entire PlayStation experience reminds me of something from the past. Five years ago it would have been a glowing, technology-infused, amazing, device capable of holding some attention. Today, at least in the current form, it is a modern dinosaur – a big, portable gaming console loaded with technology in the hope that software will be developed. It doesn’t matter if you make amazing hardware if it is at the wrong time or you don’t have the software to back it up, which is exactly what I feel occurred with the PlayStation Portable.

Initial Thoughts on the Vita:

1. The device is a great compilation of technology. The inclusion of a powerful processor, 3G, and the OLED touch screen display rocks. The back touch panel is a bit gimmicky but hopefully they will find some good uses for it. At a pure technology level I want one.
2. The PlayStation Store experience is flawed. Smartphones and tablets have changed what we expect to pay for a portable experience. $1-$10 is the new expected price of downloadable portable games, $20-$50 is crazy. Even though the production value of many of these games is on par with some console titles it doesn’t matter anymore, tablets have redefined what we will pay for downloadable content. Apple and Bose are part of a select group of companies that can knock 10% off of a price and call it an unprecedented sale.
3. Sony lacks first-class, proven, titles and brands. If you compare them side-by-side, the Vita is a spectacular piece of hardware when compared to the 3DS but Nintendo has something that Sony lacks – solid, first class brands with a history of quality. Zelda and Mario beat the crap out of Uncharted and God of War from a historical quality and variation in play perspective.
4. The Vita’s Social Gaming aspects seem underdeveloped. Nintendo, even with a weak online presence, has provided 3DS owners a reason to carry a piece of hardware everywhere – passive social gaming. Carrying it with you means you might swap information with other people and accumulates steps (it acts as a pedometer), which translates into game currency. Something worth noting – if you visit Oahu, Hawaii and have a 3DS – carry it. I accumulated more than fifty contacts in a five-day period, more than I picked up being in NYC for a week.
5. The Vita is big. A gaming console of this size is competing against your tablet, smart phone, and just about everything else you carry. It seems like handheld gaming consoles, in order to be competitive, should be getting smaller rather than larger. The PSP Go, which I had the opportunity to acquire on the cheap from a friend recently, is crazy small. So small I can keep it in a jacket pocket without thinking about bulk. If I want modern gaming I grab my 3DS, Android, or iOS device, if I want the best of the past or space is an issue, I grab the PSP Go loaded with homebrew.

What does Sony need to do to make the Vita a success?

1. Put significant capital into the PlayStation online, application, and social experience. Add real value, not just gimmicks and nice interfaces. Nintendo and Microsoft have figured out that much of the experience is social; Sony needs to do it. Create compelling reasons to carry and use your Vita.
2. Develop brands that deliver consistent quality. Mario has done just about everything – side scroll, 3d platform, RPG, board game, racing game, etc.. You can count on it; if Mario is featured it will be quality.
3. Deliver new games regularly. I’ve seen news that Sony has committed to new releases; they need to keep it up even if it means the console will be a loss-leader for a few years. With the PSP I felt like I owned a dead platform.
4. Commit to the hardware, develop a solid market-aware direction, and stick to it. Too much waffling, reinvention, and lack of software support are a cost. All of the new PSP models (1000, 2000, 3000, and PSP Go) sold a new batch of consoles but they could have cut one or two of those steps without much loss. The step to the PSP Go was a waste, which they might have learned through solid market research. Gamers are only recently accepting download-only options due to Steam and App Stores. Rather than release the PSP Vita 2000 next year to push another million units out the door they should take that design money and put it into software. Make the hardware sticky via software.
5. Commit to the United States. Back in the days of the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 Sony owned the U.S. gaming market; the fall from grace has not been elegant. Microsoft owns the console and online market, Nintendo owns portable. If Sony wants a spot they need to appear committed. The PS3 has improved its position the last few years but the fact that one of my friends uses a PC to voice chat while playing Battlefield on his PS3 because it doesn’t work reliably makes a statement about the online experience. Microsoft has proven that people will pay a fee for a reliable online gaming experience.
6. Make the Vita a gamer’s preferred gadget. When they go to pick-up their iPad or Vita off the coffee table before leaving the house make it a no-brainer. If a touch-screen and high-resolution screen were not included in the Vita I would be making a different argument but with the hardware they chose they can compete with tablets and other advanced devices. Add the features and app store to make it someone’s preferred device.
7. Make development easy. I remember in the PlayStation 3’s early days it had a reputation for being a dreadful development platform. I haven’t looked into modern development kits for Sony consoles but there are many fish in the sea that will compete against this device including tablets and Nintendo devices; make it economical and easy to develop for the Vita.

I think the Vita has a chance to make it big, the hardware is modern and solid. If Sony plays all its cards right they have a good chance to make the Vita the “gamers tablet” in addition to a winning console. If they execute poorly it could become another PSP, which in the U.S. has been largely forgotten. New models are released and new games occasionally come out but most people I know, if they have a PSP, don’t know where it is. I’m hoping the Vita turns out to be a winner but Sony has got to deliver on the software, which they have failed to do in the past.

Below is my current subscribed Podcast list. I’ve grouped them into a variety of topics, even though many of of them cross between multiple types. If you have others to suggest let me know in the comments or via message; one type I’ve been on the search for but haven’t found one I really enjoy yet is a board/card/tabletop gaming podcast.

Now onto the list….

Educational & Business

Freakonomics Radio

Harvard Business Review Ideacast

How to do Everything

Science Friday Podcast

Stuff to Blow Your Mind

Stuff You Missed in History Class

Stuff You Should Know

Entertainment, Inspirational & Discussion

The Adam Carolla Show

The Moth

NPR Fresh Air

NPR Story of the Day

TEDTalks

This American Life

WNYC Radiolab

WTF with Marc Maron

Financial

Marketplace

Marketplace Money

Marketplace Whiteboard (not updated recently)

Motley Fool Money

Planet Money Podcast

Security

CERIAS Security Seminar Podcast

CERT’s Podcast Series: Security for Business Leaders

The Digital Underground Podcast

Network Security Podcast

PaulDotCom Security Podcast

Risky Business/RB2

SANS Audiocasts (not updated recently)

Social-Engineer.org Podcast

The Southern Fried Security Podcast

Technology/Geek Culture

Lazy Game Reviews

The Nerdist

TechStuff (How Stuff Works Podcast)

Writing/Grammar

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

I Should be Writing

Novelists at Work: I wanna be a Writer when I Grow Up

With the Galaxy S II (referred to as S2 from here out) Samsung has significantly improved their stock/included software over the original Galaxy S. Within a month of acquiring my Galaxy S I was looking to format and install Cyanogen on the device, whereas with the S2 I have had no such desire yet. It runs well out of the box.

As with all devices it is not perfect, below I highlight apps I’m using to cope with some of these weaknesses and create a functional work environment. A few of the tools will require you to Root your device, which is a fairly simple process. When in doubt, a Google search or browse through XDA-Developers should enlighten.

What Samsung Did Right:

In the default software Samsung includes an acceptable email, calendar and Task list client. These three items mean my corporate and home life tracking tasks are performed adequately, even if they still need some work. For those that want better Email I have heard good things about K-9 and Touchdown, although I have not used them. As mentioned above the Galaxy S2 included software is a huge improvement over the original Galaxy, partly due to the advancement in the core Android software over the last year and partly due to Samsung’s additional effort into assuring the end product is polished.

Features Requiring Help:

Notification Light/LED Addition:

This has been a complaint of mine since Apple made minimalist phones trendy. The exclusion of a notification LED was a bad move, which we are still suffering from years later since almost every manufacturer uses Apple as the standard-bearer for design decisions. I like to see whether there are notifications waiting on my phone without turning on the screen.

Solution: NoLED or Backlight Notification (BLN)

NoLED:

NoLED uses the main display to show notices. Due to the AMOLED display technology used in the Galaxy S/S2 a black screen consumes almost no power since each pixel is individually lit. NoLED uses a small portion of the screen to show notifications and moves the notices around as to not create burn-in, something OLED displays are prone to do. It is a super sexy application but if you set it up be conservative in how long you show notices for – this app can consume significant battery if constantly displaying information.

Backlight Notification (BLN):

BLN uses the backlit soft buttons at the bottom of the screen to indicate when there are notices waiting. One disadvantage of BLN is that you need to have a kernel with BLN support, which might be beyond some folk’s comfort level. On the S2 I had to take an additional step and find a liblights library, which supported BLN and load it onto the phone.  With this said, if you desire notifications and want minimum battery use BLN is a simple, winning solution.

Launcher Replacement:

A Launcher on Android is the main interface you use for navigating the phone and launching applications. Samsung includes their own launcher by default, which is not bad but is not as customizable as many of the aftermarket products. On my S2 I have been using ADWLauncher EX as my launcher replacement with the ADWNotifier add-on. Many people will never see a reason to do this since the default launcher is pretty good.

Home/Summary Screen:

I’m a fan of having a homescreen, which displays my calendar, voicemail snapshot, phone status, etc. without having to unlock the phone. WidgetLocker acts as a front-end for your phone when the power button is pressed, presenting you with a screen of apps or widgets you choose. You can then select your app, which is followed by the password prompt (if configured). It provides me with the snapshot I’m so often looking for without having to unlock my phone. The widgets I have configured on my home screen include: CalWidget, Beautiful Widgets clock/weather, Google Voicemail listing, weather and Juice Defender.

Battery Management:

I hate battery management. Hate is a strong word, one I use for having to plug in my phone any time between getting up in the morning and going to bed in the evening unless I’m obsessively tinkering with something or playing a game. With the Galaxy S I had things tweaked so that I didn’t have to mess with it too much but once my local cell provider turned up 3G/HSPA+ service I could hear a giant slurping sound from my phone battery, which could also stand-in for a pocket warmer.

Juice Defender in its most basic form enables and disables the various radios in your phone in an attempt to conserve power and in the most advanced form actively manages everything from display brightness and processor speed to whether or not your phone is connected via EDGE (2G) data, 3G/4G or Wifi.

Before Juice Defender my phone was hitting 50% battery no more than 4-5 hours into the day. Since my days are longer than 10 hours this is not acceptable. Now that I have Juice Defender running and customized my phone is down to 25% battery on average when I go to bed. If I plug in once in about mid-day I can go to bed and still have 60-75% battery.

I think Cell phone manufacturers need to give up on the crazy small phones if it means a phone that must be plugged in during the day. I had an extended battery on my Galaxy S to cope with the crazy short battery life. On the S2 I’m attempting to avoid that scenario, which has meant using tools like Juice Defender and keeping power plugs nearby.

Locating/Erasing a Lost Phone:

SeekDroid has only a few functions but very important ones. It allows you to track and remotely wipe your phone if needed. Samsung has included similar functionality in the S2 but I have not enabled it yet. This application is not going to be as effective with JuiceDefender shutting down the data radios in the phone but is a nice feature to have.

Replacing the Stock Samsung Keyboard:

The stock keyboard on the Galaxy S and S2 are poor unless you like Swype. For four years Apple has offered a touchscreen keyboard with better accuracy and text prediction. Some people love Swype (where you slide your finger around the screen to the letters you wish to spell) but that is not me, I prefer to touch type on my phone keyboard, which means I test the ability of the phone to predict exactly what I wanted to say.

Three suitable alternative keyboards I’ve found are the stock Gingerbread keyboard, which is pretty good for someone who types on their phone, the A.I. Keyboard, which attempts to predict what you are going to type and present those options and SwiftKey X, which is pay for play but a usable, configurable keyboard. Right now I’m using SwiftKey but may go back to the Gingerbread keyboard at some point in the future.

Syncing Audio with iTunes:

Currently I’m using TuneSync to perform this function. It took a little work to setup since the error/lack of error messages are vague but once working it synced with our house iTunes library over Wifi, enabling me to carry a little slice of music heaven around with me. I have not experimented with Podcasts yet but that will need to come at some point in the future.

Playing Audio:

I’m using WinAmp to perform this function today. It does a good job of automatically locating my audio on my phone and supports the playlists that TuneSync places on the device. I might switch players eventually but I like whipping the Llama’s ass.

File Synchronization:

Dropbox is how I move files to and fro these days. It is easy to setup and has clients for just about every platform imaginable. On top of it many of the Office and other applications have native support so that they can access files with no additional hoops.

File/Folder Navigation and Management:

This is something Apple really tried to get away from – having the user manage files. On Android it is a must for anyone who considers themselves a power user. For this purpose I’m using Root Explorer today, although I switch back and forth between Root Explorer and Astro depending on the day and need.

News/RSS Feed Reading:

I use NewsRob for news consumption on my Android devices. It does the job so well that in the last year I haven’t even thought about trying out any of the competition.

Backups:

I have a preference for my phone/tablet to perform on-device backups. Rarely do my devices get plugged into a computer so relying on a computer connection to assure a backup is current is a pain. On Android I use Titanium Backup and Rom Manager/CWM to do backup duties. I know other apps exist but these two apps have served my purposes well.

Barcode Scanning/Price Shopping:

With the number of cameras on phones and barcodes out in the world it should be expected that all phones should now include a barcode/QR scanner tool and perhaps some price shopping capability. Luckily Barcode Scanner, RedLaser and the Amazon mobile app are just a download away.

A few honorable mentions: Recently the only games I’ve spent any real time playing are Gurk and Realms of Fortune. I have a bunch of games but those are the only two that are keeping my attention for any length of time. I’m sure Solitaire, Mahjong or Hold’em will make a reemergence at some point. If you are new to Android be sure to download the Amazon App store app and grab some freebies, over a period of weeks you can greatly expand your app collection.

This has prompted discussions with coworkers and friends about their personal security practices. Being in the IT field over the years I have found that most IT people are only slightly more secure than the general population. Usually the story is that they “rotate 3 or 4 passwords” or “use one password for sites I care about and another one for everything else.”

Both of these methods in my opinion are bad, primarily because a site you do not care about can become a liability later due to the long tentacles of Google and other search engines. People accessing your account might not always be looking for financial or personal data, they could just be out screwing around or attempting to damage your reputation perhaps by posting inflammatory posts to message boards, which may poison Google searches for your name or email address for years to come. You might not know about the compromise for years but Google would be attributing posts to your username the entire time.

Below I address two methods that you could use to create (relatively) secure passwords without having to memorize a ton of different information.

Option 1: Use a Password Database

If you want maximum security I would refer to you a password management tool, which will allow you to have a random password for every website you access.  You must keep the password database safe but keeping a single, well controlled database safe is easier than attempting to manage dozens, or if you are like me, hundreds of sites straight. With major tools you can also sync your passwords between your computer and phone so that you are never without your passwords. The major thing you need to assure is that your master password used to lock the database is secure. Applications such as KeePass, SplashID, LastPass and 1Password are examples of these types of tools.

Option 2: Create Reference Passwords that are Customized per Site

If you want an easier, less cumbersome method to create pretty solid passwords without password managers I’m going to propose a few ideas, which should result in significantly more secure passwords but without requiring password management tools. You don’t need to go through this entire gyration but the more you do, the less risk you are exposed to. Customize as you see fit to your paranoia level and needs.

Creating an Easy to Remember Set of Passwords:

1. Pick your Words or Phrases. Pick 3-5 words or phrases you can easily remember. The words SHOULD NOT show up in a Google search, even misspelled. This means if you are going to make up words then make up new unique words no one has used before. For phrases you can use poetry, lyrics, book quotes, anything you would like. I would encourage you to stay away from quotes or lyrics that are extremely popular since you are not the only one that would have thought of them.
2. Shorten words or phrases into something manageable. If it is a long enough phrase such as “I do not like green eggs and ham said Sam I am.” then shorten it to “IdnlgeahsSIa.” or some variant. There are two reasons for this; first, typing a massive phrase can take people awhile and is prone to typos. Second, many password systems still do not have the ability to handle passwords >16 or >20 characters. Our goal is simplicity without a management system. Note that I left the special character “.”. In password cracking special characters enhance security, although a few password systems will not take them.
3. Verify the passwords are >8 and <20 Characters. Now you should have 3-5 solid, non-Googleable words or abbreviated phrases with >8 and <20 characters each.
4. Make it Easy to Locate Which Password to Use. The next step is to figure out a trick to identify each website so that you can pick one of your passwords. You could use the first letter or second letter of the domain name to identify the password to use. E.g Letters A-L get one password, M-S get another, etc.
5. Figure out a Unique Identifier for Each Website. Figure out something about the domain name or website that will give you something fairly unique. E.g. Logmein.com has 10 characters in the domain name, perhaps you use that. You could also directly steal something from the site, such as its name and use it in the password. E.g. Insert the initials “lmi” or “logmein” into your password.
6. Place the Unique Identifier into your Password. Now, take your new unique number and apply it to your password, perhaps with the shift-key applied, which will make the characters special. In the case of the password I reference above: “IdnlgeahsSIa.”, if I used both methods identified in step five I would insert “10” with shift held down and “lmi” into my password. The result might be “IlmidnlgeahsSIa!). Note that I did not insert the shifted “10” or the lmi at the very beginning or end of the passwords to make it a little harder to predict for someone attempting to compromise my accounts. At this point most hackers are probably moving onto easier targets unless you have become the target, in which case they will probably try to find other ways to access your accounts. If they do keep trying to access your accounts using passwords there is a good chance you would receive notices that something was up before they gained access elsewhere.
7. Create a cheat sheet to carry with you. Until you have committed your new password methods to memory carry a coded sheet of paper with you, perhaps in your wallet. Do not just write the entire process, just the cliff notes necessary to jog your memory. This way if you lose your wallet your passwords are still safe, all they will find is paper scribbled with unintelligible notes.

After trying a variation of this system if you think your password management method is still too complex mix it up and perhaps simplify the system. The key is to keep passwords long, avoid dictionary words, mix up the letters and numbers, if possible insert some special characters, and keep from using the exact same password on several websites.

Even if this type of strategy does not keep people out of all of your accounts by the time they figure out what sites overlap (should be very few) you will hopefully have received dozens of “Invalid login attempt detected” messages in your inbox, allowing you to take action.