Why A More Complex Password Policy Is Not Always Better

Just about anybody who uses the internet knows that passwords are a necessary evil. And the advent of more and more complex password policies has made them even more evil. The problem is that you want the proper amount of security while still being able to remember the passwords so that you can access your accounts and information. Too simple of a password and an attacker can crack or brute force it. Too complex of a password and the user will not be able to remember it. Many organizations have tried to offer solutions to the problem, but none have succeeded thus far. Why not? Will anybody ever come up with a better solution? Well as of now the answers to these questions are unknown.

The reason is that different sites have different requirements for their passwords. Nowadays it is not uncommon for password policies to require upper case as well as lower case letters, along with characters such as numbers and symbols, with a minimum of 8 characters. Some sites won't let you use a dictionary word, others make you change your password every few months and you can't repeat the passwords that you have previously used. You can see why organizations require complex passwords, but it is causing less convenience for end users. This eventually leads to less security in the end, as people are more likely to write down their passwords and store them in clear text or even physical format that can easily be copied or stolen. Another common effect is that people will forget their password and have to have it sent to them via email. This is an absolute no-no because emails are unencrypted and you never know where your data is going through to reach its destination. Some places require what is called a pass phrase, which is basically a very long password that is essentially a phrase or sentence. Not only is this harder to remember but it is much less convenient because it takes much longer to enter and more prone to errors while typing as people can't see what it is they are typing. Biometrics are starting to replace or supplement passwords, pass phrases, pin numbers, and other security measures in recent years. But biometrics aren't the answer for most situations. Especially web sites, as most computers and portable devices don't have the necessary hardware. Some

While there is no magical silver bullet that will make everything totally secure and provide the ease of use that end users desire, the best security is achieved through multiple levels. The best way to get the most security is to combine different security methods together, such as passwords, biometrics, time based tokens, key cards, etc. These make up the security triad: something you have, something you are, and something you know. This makes it much harder for somebody to gain unauthorized access. As previously mentioned, this is hard to implement on the web so what can organizations do to increase security on the web? One way is to store passwords and phrases on your device in an encrypted database that is sand-boxed from other programs and processes and can only be accessed by the user once he or she has input the master password or phrase along with a biometric element. Multiple biometric methods can be used at once to increase security. Time based tokens or key cards are less likely to be used for things like websites. Biometric scans can take the form or iris scanning or fingerprint reading that requires separate dedicated sensors on each device to be used. More and more phones and computers have biometric sensors nowadays but it is still v 00uuery far from being in widespread use. But biometrics can be achieved using standard pieces of equipment such as a camera or microphone. A standard camera can be used to take a picture of your face, eyes, or other body parts which can then be analyzed and compared scientifically and mathematically to the data in the database. Microphones can be used to analyze voice patterns and phrases. Most cell phones have at least one camera, while many cell phones have a front facing camera in addition to the rear camera or a camera that can move from front to back. Many tablets have a front facing camera and more and more laptops and desktop monitors have built in cameras as well. Today pretty much all laptops and tablets have a microphone built in, and every single cell phone has a microphone. If these devices came with or had available to download apps to store and access passwords, pin codes, pass phrases and more it would make the task of storing and retrieving the passwords much much easier and convenient for users. Password storage apps are nothing new, I've known of them for decades now. But they are getting better and easier to use. Before they were cumbersome and hard to use properly and they presented a security issue. But if biometrics were used more I think it would make it more convenient and secure, essentially killing two birds with one stone. I think that biometric incorporation as well as browser integration and manufacturer adoption would increase the use of these types of password storage and retrieval apps exponentially. The problem is that you would always need to have your device on you to access the sites, even if you wanted to use another device to access the service. Companies like Google, Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, and others have tried to make user experience the same across all platforms so they could use this advantage to make password storage easier and more secure at the same time. Think about it: if you had an Android tablet and cell phone as well as a Chromebook laptop and a Google TV, or an iPhone and iPad in addition to your MacBook and iMac then you could store all your secure and complex passwords on one device and then have the encrypted information available on all devices via the cloud. And since all current iPads, iPhones, iMacs, and Macbooks have cameras and microphones, you could unlock your password list with up to two forms of biometrics and a complex password to provide much more security than before and then you would only have to remember one password or phrase. Of course if you want you could make the password simple to remember, which would make it less secure. But with the addition of biometrics, even a very simple password or pin code would be much harder to bypass or crack than a complex password alone. Imagine if you could quickly type in one password and just look at the phone and say a word or phrase and then you could unlock all your passwords at once. This way you could have secure access to all your sites, services, data, and files with much more convenience than currently available. I think more companies should offer this on their new devices. It would cause more people to buy multiple devices from one manufacturer also, so it would increase brand loyalty and sales in general. However like I said before there is no magic silver bullet. Biometrics can fail too. If you got into a fight and your face was bruised and bloody and your nose was stuffed up and made your voice sound different, the software might not recognize you. So while this may not be the perfect solution to the password problem, I think it is a step in the right direction. You could always have backups and alternate methods to gain access such as personal questions etc.

How To Make Lazy Man Macaroni and Cheese - Cooking Macaroni And Cheese In The Microwave

Macaroni and cheese is a simple and cheap meal that you can easily make in a few minutes. It may not be the best gourmet meal that you've ever had, but it gets the job done. There are many different types of macaroni and cheese that you can make and different brands and styles that you can buy. The two most popular types of macaroni and cheese dinner are the kind with elbow macaroni and powder cheese, also known as Kraft dinner in Canada, or the kind with shells and a cheese that has a somewhat thick liquidy consistency like the kind sold under the Velveeta brand name. They are both cheap and easy to make, costing less than a few bucks per box and ready to eat in a matter of minutes. They recommend cooking it on a stovetop but it is not necessary. I find it easier to make macaroni and cheese lazy man style! I use a cup sometimes for extra laziness.

So how do you make this delicacy? Well its actually pretty easy. All you need is any kind of macaroni or pasta product and some cheese product. You don't want to use regular cheese from a block. I either use the powdered cheese from Kraft macaroni dinners or velveeta cheese. Velveeta cheese can be purchased seperately from the macaroni which makes it even cheaper to make and easier to measure and store. So instead of buying a box of Velveeta shells and cheese you can buy shell macaroni for about a dollar and a block of Velveeta cheese for about three dollars, which will give you about 4 servings at about a dollar each, as opposed to the boxed stuff which costs 2 to 3 dollars or more depending on where you buy it. So whatever way you buy it you need your macaroni and cheese. Simple enough so far, right?

Next you take some macaroni and put it in a microwave safe container. As mentioned previously, you can use a cup for that added lazy man touch. I use about half a box of Kraft dinner or Velveeta shells, equal to about a half a bowl of dry pasta. Then you pour water into the container, enough to cover the macaroni entirely but not too much as to where it will boil over. Then you put it in the microwave and nuke it for a few minutes. I find 4-5 minutes works best for me but it will depend on a few things like how powerful your microwave is and how much you are cooking. Once it is done your macaroni will have a nice al dente consistency which means it is squishy but not mushy: soft but not falling apart. If necessary you can add more water if it looks like there is not enough, or drain some water if there is too much. You don't want to dry the pasta out or it will ruin it, so if it is your first time experiment a little and check it about halfway to see how it is coming along. Then you take it out and mix your cheese in. Let it cool for a bit and then dive right in and devour your nice little homemade meal. See, it wasn't that hard was it? So easy, even I can cook it! Next time if you're lucky maybe I'll show you how to cook lazy man cereal!

Cheapest Energy Drinks - Get Your Energy Drinks For Less, Only Pennies Per Serving Of Energy Drink

With a normal Redbull can costing $2-3 for a single serving, energy drinks can get expensive. Even energy shots like 5 Hour Energy brand shots are multiple dollars each serving. Why spend a few bucks per can when you can spend only pennies to get the exact same energy producing ingredients that all the other energy drinks pack?

Well I found a way to get energy drinks for way less than they are in stores. And you don't have to buy in bulk or stock up on tons of cans. You don't even need to have a case of 5 hour energy bottles either. You only need one package per flavor. How is this possible? With the creation of concentrated liquid drink mixers that have recently flooded the market, such as the Mio brand. They come in all flavors and types of drinks by many different manufacturers. They have normal soft drinks like Crystal Light and Kool-Aid as well as sports drinks similar to Gatorade, in addition to the energy drink variety of mixes. They come in small containers with under 2 oz of liquid that you squirt into water and then mix. They are extremely easy to squirt into a cup or a bottle and then stir or shake up and enjoy. Some brands come in a powder or tablet form that are also mixed with water to create the drink. And with up to 24 servings per container at a price tag as low as $2.99, that comes to less than 13 cents each serving. Even if you buy a single bottle of water from the gas station or convenience store for a dollar it is still much less than a Redbull or Monster energy drink. They come in many different flavors too, so you are sure to find one that you like best. And with a whole package containing about 20 servings for about the price of one can of Monster you can stock up on all the flavors and still save a ton of money. I have tried a total of three flavors: Mixed Berry, Black Cherry and a flavor called Green Thunder. I think they are all pretty tasty, which I can't say about most energy drinks on the market. Regular Redbull and Rockstar energy drinks are hard to drink due to their strong flavor. The Mio , ZipFizz, and generic brand of energy drink concentrates and mixes are much better in my opinion, making them much easier to drink the whole serving without wasting any. Some of them do not have carbonation, making it is even easier to drink than the carbonated energy drinks you find at the store. So if you drink energy drinks regularly or are sick of spending so much just to get a little burst of energy, try out the liquid drink mixes like Mio and the even cheaper store brand products to save a ton of money. I promise it will be worth it.

No I Don't Work Here - Why Don't Salesmen Know Their Products?

Today I went to the Sprint store with a friend. While there a lady came in and asked the only person working there at the time if he could fix her phone's internet connection. I guess that she had an android and had just turned off the data connection option. I said it aloud to her that it would probably be an easy fix and briefly explained what had happened. After messing with the phone for a minute or two the guy handed it back and affirmed that I was 100% correct. He then said to me (and no I'm not joking or exaggerating at all) "Hey you used to work at Sprint, huh?" I just laughed at the absurdity of the statement. Not only have I never worked at Sprint, I've never worked in any cell phone store or even any retail outlets at all. I just found it funny that he thought the only people who would know the answer to that question would have to be a former employee.

After this, someone asked about a new phone that was waterproof, to which the salesman motioned to a large image of a Sprint Nextel work phone that had a huge rubber case to protect it. Although this phone may be waterproof, this wasn't the phone they were talking about. But the salesman persisted, saying that this was the only phone on the market that had the ability to be submersed in water. However I was watching TV earlier today and saw the phone that they were asking about. The thing is it was a Samsung Galaxy model that is only available from AT&T. So no wonder he didn't know, but come on man, there are more phones in the world than just what they sell where you work. Also while there I noticed him trying to get people to upgrade to phones that they didn't need just so he could charge them more. He went on to say how Androids were so much better because you didn't have to pay for ringtones, apps, or any other kinds of downloads while on iPhone you have to pay an arm and a leg. Once she decided on an Android phone he mentioned how there was no on board storage on Android based phones and that she needed a memory card to save anything on it. While some phones may not have a ton of on board storage, many do have a decent amount of storage on board or they come with a memory card that has a few gigs of storage space available on it. I know some phones can't capture pictures without a memory card, but that is not always the case. And many people don't ever save anything on their phones whatsoever so it isn't absolutely necessary. And then, just like all salesmen, he exaggerated how big of a memory card she needed. He coaxed her into buying a memory card that cost her like $50 extra, saying that this is the one she needed and that anything else would run out of room in no time. Now if she would have just shopped around or went online she could have found a similar memory card for less than half the price that she paid. It's just funny how people sway customers in certain ways that don't help the customer at all. He said that he didn't like iPhones and even though that is what the customer wanted, she should get an Android because they are all better. Ironically the person that I went to the store with wanted to get an Android phone and walked out with an iPhone! Go figure that one out!

I've had the same feelings about electronics salesmen all my life. I often know more about the products that they are selling than they do. I am constantly correcting them about things they say as they try to coax me into buying a product that will give them a higher commission. Once I display my knowledge the always get very defensive so nowadays I try not to do it unless necessary. This way they don't get mad at me and mess up my purchase somehow. I have never really wanted to be a salesman but now that I think of it I would be pretty good at it. I once had a friend who worked at a car dealership and he asked if I wanted a job but I turned it down because I was trying to pursue a job in my career field. But now I would take whatever job I could make the most money at for the time being. If I could sell phones, computers, TVs, or even cars I would be able to sell them like hotcakes. I'm a little shy at first but once I get confident and comfortable I am unstoppable. If given the chance I bet I could be a top seller at whatever I tried my hand at. Especially if it was an item I was familiar with. Maybe one day I will try my hand at selling for a living.

Artie Lange's Too Fat To Fish: Autobiography of Comedian, Actor, Radio Host and Now Author Artie Lange

Artie Lange has been working in comedy for years, but he got his big break when he started working on the Howard Stern Show in FM radio. He started working on the show as a replacement for head writer Jackie Martling, but immediately became much more on the show than Howard or anybody else could have envisioned. Not only did he take over Jackie's role as writer, he contributed directly to the show on-air as a quick witted sidekick who had tons of great stories and anecdotes. Artie had been in a few movies and TV shows before but the Stern Show gained him millions of fans almost over night. At the height of his career, Artie wrote the story of his life in his memoirs which he titled, "Too Fat To Fish" after the time his mother told him he couldn't go fishing with his boss, not because he was drunk and hungover, but because he was too fat to fish. Among the story of that fateful day his mother forbid him to go fishing, there are dozens of great stories in the book, both happy and uplifting as well as depressing and sad. Artie's life has ranged the gamut of emotions, and this book tells about the highs and the lows. And trust me, while there are plenty of lows there are also plenty of highs! (Pun intended).

Artie has since left the Howard Stern Show and now hosts his own show nightly on the radio and TV. Although his audience is smaller than it was when he was on the Stern Show, Artie still has tons of loyal fans and continues to make people laugh each and every night. If you are a fan of Artie Lange, or if you were a listener of Stern's radio show while Artie was on it, or even if you liked him on Mad TV or the Norm Show, Artie Lange's Too Fat To Fish is a must read book. If you have ever lost someone close to you way too early, or have struggled with drug or alcohol addiction and depression then you will relate to the story even more. Artie has lived through some amazing things and he tells all in his book. Also in the book is Artie's all time biggest secret that he never told anybody about until the day the book was released. It was too big for him to talk about on the radio, too big for satellite radio, too big for TV even. But not too big for his book. What is Artie's big secret? Well you will just have to read the book to find out! And trust me you will know it when you hear it. I was reading about quarter the way through and thought is this the secret? Then again 20 pages or so later I thought for sure I had just read it. But then when I did read it, I knew. It's that big. So find out for yourself what was too much for Artie to announce on the air and read Too Fat To Fish by Artie Lange. Buy Too Fat To Fish by Artie Lange today.

Apple's New Version Of iOS: iOS 7

Apple's mobile operating system, iOS is getting a new release later this year. The new version, named iOS 7, is set to have an entire new look as well as add many great new features. Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi called it a new beginning for iOS. iOS 7 will be released to the public later this fall.More info about iOS 7.

James Gandolfini Dies From Heart Attack At Age 51

A few days ago the actor that played the mob boss Tony Soprano, James Gandolfini, died at the age of 51 in Italy after suffering a heart attack. It is very sad when somebody dies, especially when they are still pretty young. I know because my dad died at the age of 55 from a heart attack and I still have a hard time coping with the loss of my best friend and father. James was a great actor and many people loved the hit TV show, The Sopranos, mainly because of his great acting. I don't think anybody could really take his place in this role. He was such a great actor that many people believed that he was that way in real life, that he sounded the same, acted the same, dressed the same, that he was the same person as the character. That means that he was so good that he actually convinced people that he was in fact Tony Soprano.

I was listening to the radio today when the host was talking about his death. He was reading from an article that was in a newspaper that was describing his last night. The tone of the article seemed to be demeaning and rude towards the actor. It stated that at his last meal he ate and drank a whole bunch and insinuated that it caused his heart attack. It stated that he had 2 plates of fried prawns slathered in a mayonaise sauce, before his main course of fois gras. In addition, he had 4 shots of rum and 2 pina coladas before he finished off with 2 beers. The newspaper seemed to think that 8 drinks over dinner was outrageous and that the meal itself was much more than one man can handle. It said that his son had to look on and watch his father eat this while he was FORCED to eat his own meal, like James hoarded all the food and drinks to himself and made the kid eat scraps! As the radio host said, who doesn't eat their own meal in this day and age? Who goes out to eat and gets their own food? Who gets to eat whatever they want? Who gets to have multiple drinks at dinner? Who could ever follow up a few shots with more drinks? And who could ever drink beer after that? And who would ever eat 2 plates of fried prawns? And who would ever want fatty duck liver? The news report seemed to imply that the food and drink was the cause of his death. That one single meal was the reason that he died that night. That perhaps if he didn't drink those drinks that he would still be alive. Well maybe if he lived his entire life differently he would have had a different outcome. Maybe if he ate only vegan food and didn't drink he might have lived longer. But you don't know that, he might have had hereditary problems that lead to his heart attack. He could have died anyways no matter what he ate or drank. Even if he didn't die that exact night, his body was getting weaker and weaker and a heart attack was iminent. I believe that even if it didn't happen that night it was bound to happen soon. I guarentee that he was much happier having lived his life how he wanted than if he were to live it how everyone tells him he should. I believe that James Gandolfini should have been allowed to eat and drink whatever he wanted and live his life however he wanted. If he wanted to eat fried foods and drink with dinner, God bless him! It was his last meal and the reporters are acting like he should have been ashamed to eat like that. I hope everyone could get to enjoy their last meal. We never know when it will be our last, so we should enjoy it while we can. My father was forced to fast before he went to the hospital so they could do tests on him. He ended up never leaving that hospital so he never even got to eat a last meal. His last meal was probably some dinky little microwave dinner days before he died. That makes me sad just to think of it. I wish I could have taken him to the best dinner ever and that he could have ate and drank his way to being fat and full over a great dinner with his family. And that is what James Gandolfini did. He ate a great last meal with his son in Italy. A great dinner with his beloved family in a beautiful country. If anybody said that about my dad I would be so angry at them. Let him live how he wanted and now that he is gone, let him rest in peace. Who cares what his last meal was, it is nobody's business. I hope him and his son had a great time and that his son will remember that dinner as a great memory for years to come. I cherish all the memories of my dad and am grateful for every moment that I ever got to spend with him. I bet that Gandolfini's family feels the same way, and they don't need reporters throwing in their 2 cents on the situation. Shame on the reporters who tried to put their own spin on the story of Gandolfini's death. Live and let live. If it is not your business, then leave your rude opinions to yourself. Rest in peace James Gandolfini, you were a great actor.