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The Internet makes it possible to check our bank balances at midnight or talk to a friend across the globe via Twitter. But the explosion in high-tech tools also means we need a passel of passwords -- and strong ones at that, because hackers get more sophisticated all the time.

If you're still logging in to all your accounts with your kid's name or your birthday as a password, CJ Romberger and Michael Fertik have some alternatives that will help keep your accounts safer.

"We dominate this market. There's no one in the same hemisphere."

STEC Inc. Chief Executive Manouch Moshayedi is fond of sweeping, bold pronouncements. But it's hard to argue with him on this one.

Santa Ana-based STEC enjoys a rare position for a technology company these days: a near monopoly.

The company's hold is on an emerging market for drives that insiders call "solid state" because they have no moving parts.