Last week’s column was about methods for saving the numerous passwords for the internet sites that have become important to our lives. In the end, the old-school method of pen and paper has its advantages.
That prompted one reader to search out notebooks designed for keeping passwords organized, and sent me an email about one she found – along with a picture of it.
On its front cover, in colors of red, white and blue, were these words: “The Personal internet & password logbook.”
She asked: “Why on Earth would you want to buy a notebook for hiding passwords that proclaims on its face that it is an “internet address and password logbook?”
The reader will go unnamed because it was only a matter of minutes that a second email followed that basically said, “Never mind.”
On further examination, the words were printed on a paper band that wrapped around the front of the little book. Slide it off, and the 4-by-6-inch book disappears into a matte finish, nondescript volume.
More:Gadget Daddy: Is that fancy password protector worth a sheet of paper?
More:Gadget Daddy: A (truly) instant-read meat thermometer with mouth-watering bells and whistles
More:Gadget Daddy: A website that feeds your need for wildlife videos
The little book is from Peter Pauper Press, an outfit that started by Peter Beilenson in 1928 using a small press in the basement of his parents home in Larchmont, New York. Beilenson wanted to make fine books at “prices a pauper could afford.” It can be found on Amazon for about $7 (with free shipping for Prime members).
Between the covers are about 120 pages. On the outside edge of the pages are tabs dividing the pages into “AB”, “CD”, “EF” and so on through the alphabet.
Each page has room to record three web sites with: name, site address, login/username, password and notes.
There is ample room to scratch out passwords and write in replacements when it comes time to change them. Many users who have posted reviews of the notebook also wrote that it’s a good idea to use a No. 2 pencil when entering information, thus making it easier to change passwords.
The notebook is wire bound, but not spiral bound, allowing the book to open flat while information is entered. It has gathered a 4.6 out of 5 star rating from nearly 16,800 Amazon customers.
The publisher notes that it is “advisable to keep this book in an extremely secure place. It is not recommended for travel use, but rather for use in the home (and preferably kept in a hidden or discreet place.)”
So maybe it’s time to get rid of all those scraps of paper tucked everywhere and those sticky notes pasted to the monitor.
Forget about all those user names and passwords. Now there’s only one thing to remember: Where’d you hide that little black book?
Lonnie Brown can be reached at LedgerDatabase@aol.com.
