These days, you live your life online. With digital profiles ranging from banking to social networking, keeping your accounts safe should be of the utmost importance. So why are you still using a lame password that any hacker (or creative thinker) could compromise? Changing your passwords on a regular basis and using unique phrases with a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols for every website is ideal. I know you're thinking that you'll never remember all those different passwords, but creating hacker-proof passwords is easier than you think. Check out the quick tutorial below and set a reminder to change your passwords again in three months!

1. Choose a phrase — This one time at band camp
2. Change words to numbers — This 1 time at band camp
3. Pick first letter of each word or number — T1TABC
4. Add special characters — T1T@BC
5. Customize by adding a suffix for each site you register with — (example: for Amazon) T1T@BCAMA

Spring shouldn't be just an excuse to clean out your closets. It's also a great time to get your digital photos in order. I'm guilty of just tossing my pics into one jumbled and disorganized file (which makes it a pain to find a specific pic), but we can all start fresh and clean from here on out, thanks to some helpful tips from the pros. Bradly Treadaway, digital media coordinator and faculty member at the International Center of Photography in New York, shares how easy it is to keep your photos in order with just a little bit of proactive work.

Make it your mission this Spring to keep your photo library in order with the helpful tips below.

• Store on a dedicated external hard drive — Instead of storing your photos on your computer's hard drive (which takes up lots of space), buy a dedicated external hard drive to use as your digital photo library. Store it in a safe place, and you'll never be without your precious pics.
• Label your pics as you save them — Instead of dumping all your pics into one file and saving them, take the time to go through your images, keeping only the best of the bunch, and label with names, dates, and events.
• Stay organized with labeled folders — Create folders for each event you shoot, specifying the event name and date for each label. If you're taking random pics, create seasonal folders (like Summer 2011) so you can stay on top of your one-off photos.
• Routinely empty your SD card — By routinely moving your photos off of your camera's SD card, you'll ensure that you will never run out of space when trying to capture a family event, party, or video. Try moving photos and video files off your SD card at least once a month or, better yet, after every major event.

The first time you get a new gadget (whether it be a laptop, smartphone, or tablet), you pop the box open, fully charge it, and go. Does this phrase describe your charging habits? It's easy to plug-n-play when it comes to your tech, but optimizing your battery the first time you use your new gadget will help keep your battery a top performer. How do you do this? It's easy — first, fully charge the battery, then let it run down completely before fully charging again. Good news is, you can do this even if your gadgets aren't new to help keep batteries running on all cylinders.

Check out the rest of our 31 Days of Spring Cleaning series to get your digital life in order.

When you think of clutter, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Besides messy cables and cords, it's CDs. If you haven't taken the time to digitize all of your CDs to store on a backup hard drive, maybe now's the time. And when you're done, don't just toss them in the trash — recycle them properly. You can dump your old optical discs, DVDs, and jewel cases in one of the handy recycle bins at Target or Best Buy, ship them to a CD recycling company like Greendisk, or find a recycling center in your neighborhood through CD Recycling Center of America. Or, you could go the crafty route and use them to DIY an at-home project.

Be sure to check out the rest of our 31 Days of Spring Cleaning series to get your digital life in order.

You take your camera anywhere — the park, the beach, the office — and it's probably shoved in your bag most of the time, attracting dust, dirt, and whatever else is lurking in the depths of your tote. How often do you clean your camera lenses? The window to your world, your lens is one of the most important pieces of your DSLR. Ensure it's tidy and shiny with these five cleaning and care tips.

1. Store your gear properly — One of the best ways to keep your lenses in tip-top shape is to store them properly when not in use. Keep your lenses in a cool, dry place, and if you store them in a photography bag, toss in a few silica packets to keep the moisture away. Always keep your lens caps on when stored, and consider keeping them in lens bags to keep them scratch-free.
2. Use a filter — Keeping a UV filter on your lens is the first step against damage, as it prevents scratches but also protects your lens from harmful UV rays.
3. Keep a stock of microfiber cloths — Just like your phone, your lens sometimes needs a good wiping down. Make sure your cloth is clean before wiping down the lens. The last thing you want to do is scratch your lens surface with a dirty, grimy cloth!
4. Consider lens-cleaning fluid — You can find lens-cleaning fluid and lens tissues in your local photography shop, and while some may seem pricey, the good news is you don't need a ton for it to be effective. Just a few sprays of fluid on your lens tissues should do the trick to lift dirt and smudges.
5. The LensPen — I keep a LensPen in my camera bag for on-the-go cleanings. With a brush on one end and a soft curved sponge on the other, you can keep your lens clean and dust-free from anywhere.
Source: Instagram user juliearmisen

Neglecting to clean your cell phone is a nasty tech habit to break this year. Cell phones have been proven to carry bacteria, germs, even feces. Yes, feces. If there's one new routine to create for yourself this Spring, it's keeping that smartphone shiny and clean. Your health will thank you. Check out a few of our tech-friendly tips to clean that gadget, below.

• Cleaning your touch screen smartphone is kind of like cleaning your LCD monitor — you don't want to use any harsh chemicals or, even more damaging, water. Using a tried-and-tested cleaner like iKlear ($21) will ensure you won't damage your phone's sensitive bits. Use the included microfiber cloth (or one of your own) and shine that baby up.
• If you don't want to spring for a special formula, a 40/60 alcohol-to-water mixture on solid phone parts and keyboards should be OK for your devices (use a damp cloth and/or cotton swab for small and hard-to-reach places). However you do not want to use any sort of alcohol, ammonia, or harsh cleaning agent on touch screens.
• If you're in a pinch and want to quickly rid your phone of dirty crevices and fingerprints, use a piece of Scotch Tape to peel away dirt and dust in between keys, and rid your phone of fingerprints. Perfect for when you're at the office (without a microfiber cloth), but unfortunately it won't help the germ situation.
• Serious germaphobes can ensure a clean device with the UV Cell Phone Sanitizer ($50), which wipes your device clean of 99.9 percent of strep, E. coli, salmonella, listeria, and H1N1 viruses in three minutes flat. Just drop it in once a day for germ-free surfing and calling.

In the mood to refresh your tech life? Here's nine more bad tech habits to break this Spring!

Spring is the perfect time to clear out the clutter from the past year and refresh your home. They don't call it "Spring cleaning" for nothing! But certain techy tasks may be forgotten as you're tossing out the old, so throughout March, we'll be bringing you daily reminders of tasks, cleaning tips, and even a few DIYs to make your geeky life shine. First up and probably the most important for anyone who stores important files and information on their computers (and who doesn't?): back up your data!

If you haven't already, get an external hard drive to hold all of your important data; there are plenty of 'em out there to choose from, and they get more and more affordable every year. If you don't have a ton of music, movies, and photo files, 120GB should be plenty to keep you safe, but if you want your entire media-heavy digital life backed up in one place, consider purchasing 1TB of storage or more. If you have smaller, more important documents to save (like insurance documents, copies of your passport, proof of purchase for your car), you can back those up to a flash drive that you keep in a safe place as well, or back it all up online for minimal cost. There's even a website called MiMedia that lets you back up your photos and home videos and view them from anywhere, so you don't need to store your entire collection on your laptop, also freeing up space.

Once you have everything copied over into your external hard drive and/or flash drive, keep them in an airtight fireproof safe to ensure it stays dry during storms, floods, fires, and other natural disasters.

Check back every day this month for more tech-savvy Spring cleaning tips!

Winter is in full effect, and you may not realize it, but freezing temps can be just as dangerous — if not more so — to gadgets than the Summer heat since there are hidden dangers you can't see. Check out these six Winter weather tips that will help ensure your gadgets see the light of Spring this year.

• Keep them out of the trunk — Keep your laptops, cell phones, and tablets out of the trunk for extended periods during cold days to prevent damage to screens and to keep your hard drive from freezing.
• If you must trunk it, keep it bundled up — If you absolutely must leave your gear in your car in freezing temps, wrap it up in layers — like a jacket or sweater — to keep it warm. You can also find laptop warmers (which are specifically made for laptops) to keep them from getting icy if you live in cold conditions.
• Turn them off — Letting your laptop or tablet remain in sleep mode may keep it warmer (since it is still working), but it also increases your chances of damage if you're on the move. Be sure to power down all the way to keep your data safe.
• Warm up before booting up — If your machine is on the cold side, let it warm up to room temps slowly before turning it on. This will keep condensation and dew at bay, which can ruin your computer's sensitive guts.
• Carry a charger — Cold weather sucks the life out of your batteries, so be sure to carry extra chargers in your car for emergencies.
• Watch out for sensitive screens — Cold weather makes a smartphone screen extra sensitive, so be sure to keep it close to your bod if you're out in the snow, or consider a warm accessory — like a smartphone wallet, sock, or sleeve — to keep it cozy.

Thanks to this Friday's release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, we're taking the liberty of celebrating the fantastical story all week! Hailing from the fictional world of Middle-Earth, hobbits have been described as relatives to man but coming in a much smaller package. And just because they aren't human (or, well — real), doesn't mean you can't learn something from their adventures in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Here, we take a look at a few lessons you can learn from the pint-sized creatures.

• It pays to have friends — Throughout The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series, Gandalf, Bilbo, and Frodo Baggins are surrounded by friends, family, and allies that help them along their journeys. Without those friends, they may not have survived. Stay true and kind to your friends; you may never know when you'll need their help.
• Money is not the most important thing in life — In The Hobbit, we learn that dwarves would rather starve than share their wealth. But as the leader of the Dwarves, Thorin, was on his deathbed, he realized the error of his ways too late: "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." True that, Thorin. True that.
• Don't judge a book by its cover — Or a person's strength by their stature. Let's face it — Frodo is tiny, but he was able to complete his task of destroying the ring when other, much stronger men couldn't. The amount of one's passion, will, and strength has nothing to do with their size.
• Appreciate the little things — There's a scene in The Lord of the Rings when Frodo, Sam, Pip, and Merry meet Aragon in a bar in Bree. Pip orders a beer and is totally astonished when one arrives in a full pint. Appreciating the small things in life, whether it's happy hour with your best gals or the fact that your phone takes and sends pictures to this thing called the Internet in five seconds flat, makes the tough times seem not so tough.
• Say yes to adventure — Bilbo Baggins wasn't looking for adventure in The Hobbit, but once he followed his own journey, he ended up with wealth that he used to make his friends and family happy. In turn, making himself happy. If you say no to unknown tasks and callings, you might miss out on a big opportunity to be happy.

What have you learned from the fantasy series? Share in the comments below!

Black Friday is a thing of the past — today is all about finding your holiday deals and savings online with Cyber Monday! While sales actually started at many stores online Sunday, with some others continuing on as Cyber Monday Week, scanning the sales from your cubicle puts you at risk for being reprimanded for browsing the virtual racks, or in some cases (seven percent according to a new study), even fired for holiday shopping at work. If you must hit the Cyber Monday sales on the boss' dime today, do so with caution. Here, a few tips to keep your online shopping habit a secret from the higher ups in your office.

• Toggle screens — Quickly toggle between open applications with the Alt + Tab (for PC) or Open Apple + Tab (for Mac) keystrokes. This will allow you to quickly switch from your open web browser and work applications when you hear the boss tromping down your aisle.
• Use your desktop wallpaper — Take a screenshot of an important spreadsheet, document, or collection of open applications and set it as your desktop wallpaper. Commence shopping. If someone approaches, use the keystroke of Windows + D on your PC or F11 on your Mac to switch focus to your desktop, which will conveniently be populated with your busywork instead of a photo of your boyfriend, dog, and/or kids.
• Fake an Excel spreadsheet — If you're tweeting or Facebooking your finds, don't forget to keep that on the down low too. Applications like Spreadtweet and ExcellBook keep your social networking under wraps by disguising your feed as an excel spreadsheet.

Heading out to brave the crowds on Black Friday? Don't go it alone. Pack along some willing friends and family members, and load up on these apps that should make your experience much more tolerable.

• ShopSavvy — Scan a bar code to see if the product you're about to buy is actually discounted. ShopSavvy scans available prices for identical products online and in nearby stores so you can see if you're getting the best deal.
• Aisle411 — Android and iPhone users can get custom views of participating stores with Aisle411 to help you find what you're looking for fast. Or at least faster than the folks that don't run to the electronics section. Also included is a list maker so you know what to grab.
• BFAds — Scan the available Black Friday ads, make your shopping lists, and reference items on the go. You can search by item or category, and even compare prices between stores.
• Amazon Price Checker — Even though you won't likely find any Black Friday prices on this app (available for Android and iOS), you will be able to see the regular price of an item, which will tell you if they've actually been discounted, or if you're about to get scammed at the register.
• Snaptell — Comparison shop while you're on the go with this app that lets you snap a pic of the item in question, then provides reviews and prices from various stores.

Traveling this holiday? If you can't take a car or a train, be sure to check out these packing and travel tips to make your life easier while booking flights, getting through security checkpoints, and beyond.

Booking Flights

• TripIt — Once signed up for the free service, forward travel confirmation emails to TripIt, which will automatically create a master itinerary of an upcoming trip accessible through the web or a mobile device. The itineraries even include the tidbits we seem to forget like weather updates, local maps, and directions.
• Google Flight Search — Book that plane ticket before prices rise any further! Google's flight search engine incorporates travel basics like price point, maximum number of connections, and preferred airline with an easy-to-use interface.
• Hotel Tonight — If there are too many relatives in one house, scan the last-minute hotel deals at Hotel Tonight for a chic getaway at a discounted price. Every day three hotels in a city reveal their discounted rates starting at noon, and you then have until 2 a.m. to book the deal and take advantage of a peaceful room.
• My TSA — Can homemade fruit cakes go through security? How early should you show up to the airport for a flight on the eve of Thanksgiving? Answer the pressing travel questions that could otherwise cause delays or stress by adding the TSA's free iOS app to your device. The app's airport security line estimator may become the most crucial feature on your phone when planning your airport arrival.
• HearPlanet ($3) — Take the time to discover the cultural side of your holiday destination. This interactive app highlights attractions in over 300,000 locations and uses geolocation features so that you don't miss any of the nearby fun, plus it's a great excuse to get out of the house and move around in fresh air.
• GasBuddy — Hitting the open road instead of the air? Use the free GasBuddy app to locate the cheapest fuel on the interstate. Show your fellow travelers some love and share the low-price gas station you discover within the app.

Gadget Essentials

• iPad or Tablet — If you have the luxury of spending upwards of $500 on a tablet, it's probably the only gadget you'll need to tote during travel season since it can hold your ebooks, surf the Internet, and keep you connected.
• eReader — If you're sans tablet, pack up your favorite ereader. Whether it's the latest Kindle or the new Nook Simple Touch, you can read the entire Game of Thrones series without all the paper weight.
• Compact laptop — Though the MacBook Air is arguably the most popular lightweight laptop out there, there's plenty of compact PCs and ultrabooks to choose from as well.
• Chargers — If you're toting all these gadgets, you're going to (obviously) need some chargers to keep things juiced. Thankfully, many airlines are offering charging stations in the terminal and even seat-side outlets on board, so you can stay 100 percent charged throughout your trip.
• Headphones — Keep the roar of 35,000 feet at bay with some nice sound-isolating headphones. If you're going over-the-ear, consider Skullcandy Aviator ($150), which offer great sound and deep bass and are even comfy for those geeks who wear glasses.

Get more tips on how to pack your bag and save some dough after the break.

The Northeastern US is bracing for the impact of Hurricane Sandy and securing their property. Your tech may be the last thing on your mind when a storm strikes, but with added complications from thunder and electrical charges, precautions are necessary. The savvy geeks at DriveSavers Data Recovery shared a few tips on how to keep your gadgets safe during extreme weather. Check them out below.

• Unplug your hardware during an electrical storm — Make sure that your laptops, hard drives, gaming consoles, and other electronic equipment are unplugged during severe weather. If lightning does strike, you could experience a power surge that could knock out and/or fry your gadgets from the inside out.
• Use surge protectors, and replace them every few years — Don't just plug your expensive equipment into any ol' power brick! Make sure your extension cords and power adapters have surge protection to ensure that any power spikes won't destroy your machines.

Get one more important tip after the break.