David Pogue, who writes a personal tech column for The New York Times, got a mail recently from a reader on what Apple could do to help its customers locate their lost or stolen phones.

The reader suggests an application that lets you send, from another phone, a particular code as a text message to get it to text you back with its location.

Pogue comments: "But why stop there? It could also lock itself, send copies of recent e-mail messages and phone logs to you, or start playing a recording that says, "THIS IS A STOLEN IPHONE. CALL THE POLICE!"

Pogue's column is full of such unconventional wisdom, and often leaves you smiling about tech issues that might have otherwise left you scowling.