Credit Karma Beta: Free Credit Credit Monitoring + Linking of your Credit Card Accounts

Quote from sklar : I did use one of those years ago. Problem with those is if someone gets a keyboard logger on your machine and gets your password for the 'vault', then they can have all of your passwords. My system only fails if someone gets my computer and finds the piece of paper, which I have buried under about 43000 pens and pencils in a drawer.

Excellent! OK then, I think we should start a new website and company called 43000pensandpencilsinadrawer.com.
For a very small fee we would provide our users with simple instructions for our new security product. The main selling point would be that no one in cyberspace could get to the passwords. The bad guys would have to physically get inside to the user's home or office. If they made it that far, the thieves would discover several different drawers each containing about 43,000 pens on top of a list, and that the handwriting on each list is so poor as to be essentially indecipherable. First, we raise $43,000 on KickStarter, to buy assorted used pencils, pens and sheets of special blank (!) paper that we would send out in "security kits." Then we announce that we are planning an IPO, and while there are still only two employees, we could sell the company to FB for $43,000,000, at least. I think a P/E (Pencil to Earnings ratio) of 1,000 would be reasonable.

Quote from acz : Excellent! OK then, I think we should start a new website and company called 43000pensandpencilsinadrawer.com. For a very small fee we would provide our users with simple instructions for our new security product. The main selling point would be that no one in cyberspace could get to the passwords. The bad guys would have to physically get inside to the user's home or office. If they made it that far, the thieves would discover several different drawers each containing about 43,000 pens on top of a list, and that the handwriting on each list is so poor as to be essentially indecipherable. First, we raise $43,000 on KickStarter, to buy assorted used pencils, pens and sheets of special blank (!) paper that we would send out in "security kits." Then we announce that we are planning an IPO, and while there are still only two employees, we could sell the company to FB for $43,000,000, at least. I think a P/E (Pencil to Earnings ratio) of 1,000 would be reasonable.

Pretty damn funny.

Can I be Chief Ink Officer or Vice President of Lead? After all, it was my idea. Of course, my ex-wife was the source of all the pens and pencils, so I might have to get remarried to continue my source and I'll have to get her to sign a quit claim on the pens and pencils or there goes the prototype.

Of the highest hilarity is that my handwriting IS essentially indecipherable. I could probably scan and post that password list right here with very little concern of anyone actually being able to read it. My 8 year old has the worst handwriting in his class, so its genetic.

Lastly, my passwords are all permutations of the same 3 passwords, depending on type of site, and I just annotate which of the 3 and how I tweaked it on the sheet. So even if my handwriting is cracked, someone would have to know how to convert 't3' or 'i1' into a password.

What kills me are the sites that demand things like minimum 12 character passwords with at least two numbers AND two special characters, when there are many sites that won't take more than 8, some that won't take special characters, etc. Those special cases I do have to actually write down, making them the least secure.

The day when there is a true single login that doesn't link me to tracking on everything I do (google) or looks through my friends and likes (facebook) will be a good one. We need a single true identity online login for things like voting. Too bad the post office didn't step up to provide everyone with a unique secure ID, then it'd have been truly screwed up and we're already really used to complaining about them. Heck, maybe they did and nobody noticed...