Reprinted from TidBITS#821/20-Mar-06 with permission. Copyright (C) 2006, TidBITS. All rights reserved. http://www.tidbits.com/ MailBITS/20-Mar-06 ------------------ **Security Update 2006-002 v1.1 Fixes Safari Glitch** -- Apparently, some people who moved Safari out of their Applications folders ran into a problem after updating to the recent Security Update 2006-002 where Safari would have a blank icon and not launch. If you were bitten by this glitch, Apple has released Security Update 2006-002 v1.1, available for PowerPC Macs (13.9 MB) and Intel Macs (15.4 MB). So far, the update appears only as a downloadable file, not via Software Update. [JLC] **Ovolab Ships Major Phlink Update** -- Ovolab has released the long-awaited version 3 of its flagship telephony software, Phlink. [Conflict of interest disclaimer: I wrote the manual for version 2 of this product.] Phlink turns your computer into an intelligent phone-answering machine. By means of preferences, configuration files and folders, and (for ultimate power) AppleScript, you customize what you want to have happen when the phone rings. By reading caller ID information from the phone line, by coordinating with your Address Book, and by responding to touch-tones emitted by caller's phone, Phlink can enact decision- making scenarios, such as playing different outgoing greetings to different callers, storing recordings for different recipients in different folders, notifying computer users of calls across a network, automatically sending recordings via email, and much more. Phlink 3, aside from numerous bug fixes and interface tweaks, brings "call snooping", which is the ability to record a call even if a human answers the phone. There is also improved outgoing dialing, accompanied by easy callback functionality. Plus, a new Voice Mailbox Setup utility helps you set up sophisticated voicemail scenarios, including remote retrieval of messages. Phlink 3 is a universal binary. The cost is $150, or $40 to upgrade from version 2. It comes with software and a USB breakout box that connects to the phone line. Phlink has many Tiger-only features, but will run fine on Panther (my copy of version 2 operates under 10.3.9 on an old Tangerine iBook that was gathering dust); Tiger is apparently required, though, for the new Voice Mailbox Setup utility. [MAN] **Desktop Picture Transparency Hacks** -- Every now and then I come across a site documenting something truly clever - not necessarily useful, but clever nonetheless. The French-language MacBidoulle site has been collecting pictures of computers - mostly Macs - whose desktop pictures have been very carefully manipulated such that it appears as though the monitor is entirely transparent. Some were clearly created purely as a joke, such as the desktop picture of a cat, with the real cat's tail snaking out to the side. But with others, such as the picture of wood panelling that makes its iMac blend into the wall behind, you get the impression that the creator really wanted to make the Mac fit into its surroundings. Next time you have a few minutes to burn, check out the Flickr set collecting all the images. [ACE] .