SPAM!!! How did we guess that hire a hack only joined the forum today.

Speaking only for myself, I don't find a 20-character password inconvenient in the least. Most of my passwords, as noted, are over 35 characters. PWs for some accounts are over 60. Though I use LP for general storage of them, I can easily reproduce them manually if I need to do so. In any case I find it odd that some can treat the email account so cavalierly. (I don't say that as if I'm some kind of expert. My username is most fitting in this whole discussion. Instead, I say it as someone perpetually interested in the whole issue of email and online security.) :-) While some may use email only for getting their AOL 'joke of the day,' an email account is, of course, much more. It's been called the skeleton key to one's online identity. (Didn't mean to rhyme that.) ;-) E.g. take Amazon. If you go to Amazon to login and click that you forgot your password, Amazon will send a password reset to your back-up email address. Just like that. No further identification or security procedure at all. Amazon assumes you are in control of that back-up account. But what if you're not ? What if that account is the very one that has been hacked because of having too simplistic/crackable of a password ? Then the hacker can easily gain access to your Amazon account while in control of your email account. It may not be an inconvenience for snidely and others to have an email account and an Amazon account compromised. But what if other Amazon account holders do find it so, and what if they even have a gift card credit in that account ? The hacker can now order whatever he wants on your credit. And while looking through your email account the hacker can see what other services etc. you belong to. And many of those places will allow passwords to be reset just as easily as Amazon will. Imagine the implications, the pervasive compromises, that can result. Maybe during the night while you're asleep. Allll that time to do whatever he wants with your account. Others' mileage may vary, of course, and I fully respect that. :-) But I personally don't evaluate the importance of my email account by the types of emails I receive or how often I get email, but by the services that require my having that account and that depend for their so-called security on my having access to it. The more of a "junk" account it is, the more likely it's used for those services which, if compromised, would lead to a nightmare of multiple account recovery. And in all this I most definitely prefer the ounce (or two) of prevention to the pound of cure (or would it be "pounding" in this case ?) IOW, I don't want to be Chicken Little and lose sleep at night over all this (and I don't). But neither do I want to be careless, not if being careful only means making some simple changes (like increasing the size/complexity of my PWs and maybe using an otherwise reputable and reliable password manager). Just my two cents (or is it cents-less ?) ...

"I know I have wireless as Verizon told us that when they installed FIOS. The tech pointed out the side of the modem and the label there (which I don't think peels off, or if it does, not easily) with User name, password, Wireless Network name and Wireless password. Of course, anyone can see it." That is your DEFAULT password, and you should change it because anyone - ANYONE - who can try out the small number of default passwords for that modem can use your wireless connection. For whatever they want. Unless the Verizon installer locked down the network, which they seldom do. Read the instructions and set a new password. See if your modem allows a guest account - some do. A good password would be the first few words of something you can remember but that aren't directly connected with you or your life ... A minister should not use "DearlyBelovedWeAreGathered" ... but a mechanic could. For a while my wireless password was "YouHaveTheRightToRemainSilent" ...

My grandmother would have said, "goot ottical". Pity the poor typist like me that typically types every 3rd word 3-4 times. A complicated random combination becomes a nightmare. Example: Original of above sentence: Pity the prro typist like me that typesd the woprds secverakl toinwes be forea geting it corrent I've come to accept my disability but a complicated password becomes a chore beyond all. As a student typist in my prime (age 12) I was able to achieve 10 words per minute ---before mistakes. Wouldn't let us look at the keys. One of my sisters was a professional piano player and she looked at the key board. Why couldn't I look at the stupid typewriter? I can, however, type my name and address to beat hell. Some years ago we had a visitor I didn't want to see. Wife told em I was busy and I sat at my desk typing name-n-address over repeatedly; on a real type writer. Clatter clatter clatter bing thunk. The ruse workrd. Uh. workt? )^)&**(&^%!!!