I have a similar password problem. It's easier to remember if you start it with an uppercase and end with a punctuation like Emi1y!

That's the same one we have at my office -- you just need a system. How often do you have to change them? Me, I do something like:

• pick a word you'll remember
• capitalise one letter of it
• put a period between two of the syllables
• replace one of the letters with a digit, and you can increment that digit if you have to change the password regularly

So I could end up with something like Am1lio.ration. Or whatever.

8 characters, one capital, one lowercase, one number, one non-alphanumeric.

One of my companies has this policy. But it can't be any longer than 8 letters, either. Mandatory password cycles result in a lot of swearing from me.

Yeah, I mean, I guess they're right, but it's still annoying. I have a string of numbers I liked to use (with letters interspersed, if need be), but it doesn't have enough different digits for the New Systems.

The thing is, I have a bunch of passwords I remember to conform with various policies. I've only got so much brainspace! Also, if I log on every day or so, okay. I'll remember. But if, as seems likely, it's once a week if that...

(But I've gone ahead and done it. I used the password I came up with to use in places where I feel the policy is stupid, and made the relevant changes, e.g. Ri0icu|ous. It's pointless and petty, but it makes me feel better.)

Having had to call the support staff and have my password changed about fifty times, I have finally given up on being overly clever. Now I just cycle through Schoolhouse Rock titles. Capitalize the first letter, number the number, throw a punctuation mark at the end and it's done. Usually I doodle whatever number it is somewhere unobtrusive on my desk or bulletin board or address book or calendar, with the date I changed it. To anyone else, random number. To me, password in plain sight.

Save Firefly it is!

But I'd still like to record Minearsest and Dearest, as it's fun to look back on how I felt at the time, and the embarassing hero-worshipness thing I can't ever seem to kick.

And bon? Thanks for da words of wisdom.

I've taken to leaving my work password(s) taped to the front of my monitor. I figure if they can get past security into my cubicle to read it, they're either authorized or they've worked so hard they deserve it.

I have my passwords on a sticky-note taped to my monitor. Really, if you can break into the building, and sneak past the security doors on every floor, and get into my cube, then you deserve to be able to look at my hard drive.

EDIT: OMG, practically verbatim laisse-faire x-post with Theodosia!!

Even so, I cycle through four words, with the numbers/letters added in as necessary. For a while, I had every password on the same cycled word, but it turns out the financial people require a new password a lot more often than the basic logins screen.