Goldfish Memory

No friends, Goldfish Memory is not a brand new technology designed to power the latest laptop. Rather, it’s just a humorous slice of life that I’ll likely forget next week.

You see, as I was waiting for my Vista-powered desktop to boot up this morning I noted with some amusement that the default login avatar is a cute little care-free goldfish, which offers a blank stare until I enter my password. I suspect that someone in Redmond, Washington knows me well. Until recently, it was thought that goldfish had the capacity for only three seconds of memory. It is now thought that they can conditioned to remember for three to six months.

I can empathize. Having recently celebrated my 44th birthday, I find that my memory has become somewhat selective. In my youth, every part number required to perform a major tune-up on a Briggs & Stratton engine was imprinted in my head. That’s right - everything from a governor spring (261034) to a head gasket (272170) - all in my noggin, ready to recite on command.

These days, I can’t remember what I had for dinner. Unless it kept me up all night.

That might be a problem. It seems that almost every website you visit requires a login user name and password. Unless you use the same password on every site - which is not recommended - you’d have to buy a computer to remember all your passwords!

One solution is to write them down or store them on your PC but this is risky. Anyone can read your lists and gain access to your valuable data or even worse, your bank account details.

Fortunately, I’ve found that there is a better answer - password management software. After reviewing several offerings, I chose Roboform, because it’s ridiculously easy to use, and very powerful. It not only remembers your passwords, but can also remember all that pesky form information.

RoboForm automatically appears on your Internet toolbar and creates an icon in the bottom tray. Clearly labeled features make this software easy to navigate.

Every time you create a new password and user login on a website, RoboForm will prompt to save and store the new information. No matter how many different passwords and usernames you create, they are safely stored, and you’ll never forget another password again.

RoboForm works with almost all Internet browsers including Internet Explorer, FireFox, AOL, Netscape 7 and many more. If you use Netscape 4, Opera, Mac browsers or WEB TV you’ll have difficulties. The user guide has a complete list of supported browsers.

If your imagination needs a little help, the password generator will create passwords up to 512 characters long providing maximum security. That’s important if you manage sensitive data.

What’s the best part? I use the portable version of the software, which allows me to use RoboForm on the go. If I’m at a client’s office, I still have access to all of my important login information. I simply plug in my USB thumb drive, and voila! Instant access. You’ve just got to love it!

You can download the FREE version of RoboForm. Just click the “we recommend” button.

About the Author:
Ken Ivey is a veteran technology addict, consultant, author, web designer, and President of MidTN Technology, a marketing and web design firm. His website is www.The-Tech-Reporter.com