MacPhoneHome

Scott's post from yesterday
got me thinking about security issues with my Powerbook.  For the most part, I ascribe to the "never leave your Powerbook unmanned /
unsupervised" philosophy of notebook security, which quite honestly is one of the best ways to ensure against theft. However, there are more security options beyond NSA recommendations and
/or tethering your Powerbook to your chest via some chains and some rather odd piercing choices.

No, MacPhoneHome
is not an E.T.-themed game for the Mac, but rather an added bit of security.  If your computer is Mac-jacked and the thief neglects to wipe everything clean before booting the computer, MacPhoneHome sends a clandestine email when the computer is connected to the internet via which the computer can be tracked. The software runs
$29.95USD and is freshly updated for Tiger compatibility. If you buy the software, remember to keep the emergency contact information for the company in some location other than your computer.

Very useful for stupid thieves. Smart thieves will most likely format the drive and do a full reinstall before hooking up to the internet.