PLS or Phantom Limb Syndrome is an odd physiological condition where, after losing an appendage, a person will still feel sensations as if the appendage were still attached.

People who have lost limbs have report feeling itching or tingling, some report pain as well. It's a little understood phenomenon which only serves to highlight how complex our brains are.

Today I left my iPhone on my desk while I'd gone off to talk to someone. I usually have my iPhone on vibrate as I am not a fan of ringers, I don't feel I need to show the world how popular I am.

While I was talking to the person I had gone to see I kept getting a sensation on my right hip where I normally wear my iPhone. I felt a vibration as if I had gotten a call and I would absently reached for my phone only to discover an empty case.

This isn't the first time it's happened and when I mentioned it to a friend, a fellow iPhone owner, he said he had a similar sensation.

I call this phenomenon the Phantom iPhone Syndrome (PiPS).

Please understand that I'm not making light of the very real PLS or those who suffer from it, but PiPS seems to be no less real, though admittedly only a nuisance.

PiPS does not always occur when I'm away from my phone, in fact, I can have the inactive phone in my hand and still feel an occasional vibration from the case that normally carries it.

It's weird and it's freaking me out.

I've tried wearing the phone on my left side, I'll still feel PiPS and, on rare occasions, will feel both sides vibrate, it's like getting phone calls in stereo.

If you've experienced PiPS drop me a line and let me hear about it.

So it seems that I have my iPhone with me much it's become part of me, an artificial appendage that receives phone calls and plays Mafia Wars.

I can live with that.

I may as well make the most of it.

Last week I pointed out some nice free iPhone apps, here's one that I think has a lot of potential; Verisign Identity Protection Access (VIP Access).

Every time I pay a bill, check my account balance, or buy something online I have to log in using a user ID and password. While my passwords are good, they can still be guessed. What VIP Access does is provide a second password you don't have to remember; the password is generated randomly every 30 seconds and displayed on your iPhone screen. You type it in and you get into your account secure in knowing that it is far safer with the extra layer of protection VIP Access provides.

On corporate and military networks similar key devices are used to gain access to sensitive data and, not surprisingly, Verisign is one of the best known providers of security products, so using this app is likely your best bet for secure access to your sensitive data.

Currently there are only a few handfuls of businesses that use this service, eBay, PayPal, and Merrill Lynch being some of the more prominent ones, but you can bet many more will sign on and pretty soon you'll be banking and buying with more confidence that you won't get ripped off by cyber-thieves.

If you don't see your bank or site listed on the VIP Member site then check back every so often. The app; free. The piece of mind; priceless.

Speaking of piece of mind...

OK, this has nothing to do with having piece of mind. This is some funny stuff though. I'm speaking of ROFL, and new podcast you can grab from the iTunes Store.

For those of you who just emerging from your 50 year hibernation: ROFL is chat-speak for Roll On the Floor Laughing, similar to LMAO (Laugh My A** Off), but not quite as popular.

Anyway, ROFL features clips from some of the funniest standup routines, comics from all over talk about the usual subjects, with the occasional ROFL deviation.

Be warned: This is adult humor and contains language that may be inappropriate for young ones, but there's no reason you should miss out. Download the 2 episodes, plug in some earphones and let the kids wonder what you're laughing at.

Another cool podcast is Pencilmation. This one you can let the kiddies watch.

Pencilmation is exactly what the names implies- animation using a pencil, but there's more. The animation interacts with the pencil making for some amusing fun.

Watching won't get you laughing your a** off, but the animations are cool and a lot of fun. Ideal for giving the kids, or yourself a bit of a distraction.

3 episodes so far and I look forward to new ones.

Well, that's a wrap for this week.

More free stuff below, with direct links:

Vern Seward is a writer who currently lives in Orlando, FL. He’s been a Mac fan since Atari Computers folded, but has worked with computers of nearly every type for 20 years.