Passwords should be used to protect data on computer flash drives

Dear Heloise: Last week, I lost my portable-computer flash drive on the subway. Fortunately, an honest person found it, and one of my files had enough information in it to lead her to me.
In the future (aside from being more careful), I will add a file called "I Belong To" to my drive with my contact information. Kimberly, Oak Hill, Va.
You were very lucky, in many ways -- what if a dishonest person had gotten hold of personal or financial information?
Here is an additional safeguard hint from our computer guru, Sam, that you and others might want to consider:
Password-protect all files on the flash drive except the one you titled "I Belong To." This way, if it is ever lost, the person who finds it can access only that file. Heloise
P.S. Another security hint? If you must write down passwords or codes, don't list them by the type of site or the name of it (e.g., "bank," "credit card & quot;). Use a code like "Uncle Sam," the name of a favorite restaurant or street, etc.
Fast facts
Other uses for plastic bottles with squirt tops:
URinse and fill with water and place next to the barbecue grill.
UUse as a hand-soap dispenser at a garage or workshop sink or when camping.
UClean and give to children -- these are a fun alternative to squirt guns.
UPut shampoo and conditioner in small ones to keep the shower area less cluttered.
Here are three hints from one savvy reader, Charles Messler of Houston:
UIt pays to ignore the subscription-renewal notices from magazines. My "courtesy" early renewal rate was $20, while the postcard in the magazine offered $18. But then I went to a Web site and found the magazine for $12.99.
UIf you need the exact local time to reset clocks after a power outage, just look at your cell phone.
UIf you are moving and will commute, living on the west side of your job will assure you that the sun will be in your eyes as you travel both ways. Live north or east of the job.
Dear Heloise: My daughter was shopping for fabric to cover a couple of secondhand chairs. Because she has cats that will definitely recline in the chairs, she placed her fabric samples on the chairs so she could tell which showed the cat hair the least. Yes, the cats immediately accommodated her by climbing into the chairs and lying on the fabric pieces. Joy Lee, Orlando, Fla.
Sound off
Dear Heloise: The sheet manufacturers finally got it right when bottom sheets were made to fit the deeper mattresses. However, the top sheets have never been widened to accommodate the added depth. When will they increase the size of the top sheets so that they can be tucked under the mattress with more than one inch of fabric? I like sheets to stay tucked in, but they are untucked the minute I get into the bed. Anne Adams, Katy, Texas
XSend a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000; fax to (210) HELOISE, or e-mail heloise@heloise.com.
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