Oh, I remember the day! I remember back when one of the most popular questions I was asked was, “How do I remove the password from Windows 98?” And, by gum, I told people how to do it. Shame on me.

Of course, passwords weren’t a big deal back in 1998. Even on the Pre-OS X Macintosh, you didn’t need to type a password. But today, passwords are necessary and vital to your computer’s security. Avoid them at your own peril. In fact, I recommend using a strong password.

I refer to un-strong passwords as silly passwords. Examples are 1, a, none, and the all-time most silly password: password. People use those passwords because they’re easy to remember. Heck, I even used “none” for a spell. But today you want to use a strong password.

To qualify for a password weight-lifting medal your password must fit any of the following criteria:

1. The password must be at least 8 characters long.
2. The password must contain both letters and numbers.
3. The password must contain both upper case and lower case letters.

If allowed, strong passwords may also contain special symbols: underline, hyphen, and other characters, though it’s difficult to determine which characters are allowed (other than by trial and error). Windows Vista, for example, allows a hyphen in your main logon password but many web sites do not allow the hyphen. (You can guess why I know this.)

As with non-strong passwords, avoid using something obvious. This includes passwords consisting of your name and birthday, dog’s name, the digits 007, or even passwords with the last four digits of your Social Security number.

A good password hint is to use two separate but unrelated words in a silly manner, separated by numbers. For example Smart86Fool or Ugly33babY.

The best password hint I have was to write the password down. Obviously, don’t put the password on a sticky note and apply it to your monitor. Instead, hide it someplace handy, what they call “concealed in plain site.” For example, write the password down in your address book or in a recipe file — or maybe even in the margin of one of my books. The bad guys would never look there!

Apple Does It Again Dept. Apple recently announced a new, 16GB iPhone. For only $499. That’s still $101 less than the 8GB model debuted for about 7 months ago. Question: How many weeks until Apple A) lowers the price of the 16GB iPhone or B) introduces the 32GB iPhone?

Is It Just Me? Dept. Is anyone else fed up with the over-use of the phrase “all eyes,” as in “all eyes are on Wall Street” or “all eyes turn to Iowa”? It was a good phrase, but the media is abusing it to death. Hey media: Hire some writers!