The Problem With Security Questions

It appears that "aging" is a consistent and recurring theme here. This morning I had to reset a password on a Web site, and that necessitated my resetting a security question. Here's the problem with security questions: the number of details about my life that I can remember is dwindling.

Why do you think I've been writing on this blog for four years? So when I decide to turn all those funny old stories into an "enhanced memoir", I can still remember them. At times I go back and reread some of the pages I've written, and think, "I did that? Really?"

I looked at the list of security questions available for the answering on this morning's site. Favorite movie? It'll probably be different next week than it is today. Favorite book? I read so many, it's hard to keep all the titles straight. Favorite pet? Pretty consistent, with apologies to the current pets. Best friend? I have four best friends. How am I going to remember which one I listed? High school? There were two. College? Give me a break! There were seven, plus law school! Elementary school? That one's okay, except it's 20 characters, and some Web sites only allow a maximum of 15 characters for the answer! And how about those kids who grew up in a military family? How are they going to remember the name of their elementary schools?

I guess as long as hackers and worms and Trojan horses exist, we'll have to keep coming up with more and more ways to secure our systems. In the meantime, I think I need a little notebook I can wear in a plastic envelope on a lanyard around my neck, like first-time American travelers to Europe do with their passports and money. I can put all my passwords and security phrases there, and just shoot myself if anyone steals it.

Or I could buy an Apple. Wouldn't that solve everything?