[MyAppleMenu] Nov 3, 2007

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Why Apple Only Takes Credit Ards For iPhone &amp; The Legal Questions Raised <http://blogs.zdnet.com/Berlind/?p=873>
by David Berlind, ZDNet
If Apple is using credit card numbers for the purpose of tracking (as seems to be the case here), Apple might not only be in violation of PCI DSS< it could also be breaking some laws (some of which are based on PCI DSS) as well as breaching the terms of its agreements with card issuers and credit card companies such as Visa, MasterCard, and American express.
My educated guess is that Apple's practices have kicked off a shitstorm of an inquisition in the credit card industry that has lawyers on both sides poring through the PCI DSS documentation, merchant contracts, and state/federal laws and that this isn't the last we will hear of this.

**** AT&amp;T, Apple Launch New International Plan For iPhone Users <http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2007/10/29/daily102.html>
by Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal

**** The 15 Dumbest Apple Predictions Of All Time <http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2007/11/analysts-dont-k.html>
by Rob Beschizza, Wired

**** QuickTime Among Most Vulnerable Windows Apps <http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/11/02/quicktime.vulnerable/>
by MacNN

**** NovaMind 4 Pro: Highly Visual Mind-Mapping Tool Offers Lots Of Options <http://www.macworld.com/2007/11/reviews/novamindpro4/index.php?lsrc=mwrss>
by Kirk McElhearn, Macworld
If you're just getting into this method of organizing ideas, you may find the graphics options overwhelming. But the ability to create templates is a boon for those who use mind maps regularly, and if you take the time to discover all thep rogram's graphical options, you can make a template that is perfect for your style.

**** Papers 1.5 For OS X: Not Just For Life Science Anymore <http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2007/11/02/papers-1-5-for-os-x-not-just-for-life-science-anymore>
by Jonathan M. Gittlin, Ars Technica

**** Apple Needs A Nikon <http://daringfireball.net/2007/11/apple_needs_a_nikon>
by John Gruber, Daring Fireball
It's not just us &mdash; technology-design obsessed consumers &mdash; who would benefit from at least one company stepping up and competing against Apple on Apple's own ground. Apple would too, in that competition would push them to do even better, and act as a preventative against hubris.

**** Why Your iPod Doesn't Have Bluetooth <http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4229530.html>
by Seth Porges, Popular Mechanics
If Bluetooth makes so much sense and would make your experience so much better, why doesn't your iPod have Bluetooth? The answer is simple economics.

**** Leopard Looks Great. But What If You Can't See? <http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9808510-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
by Elsa Wenzel, CNET News.com
How well does Leopard work for blind users?

**** Apple Releases iMac Updates, But Lockups Continue <http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9045406&source=rss_topic123>
by Gregg Keizer, Computerworld
Updates issued yesterday by Apple Inc. did not fully solve lockup problems for some iMacs, and in some cases made the screen-freezing worse, Mac owners reported today.

**** Leopard's Firewall A 'Mess,' Breaks Skype, Says Researcher <http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9045419&source=rss_topic123>
by Gregg Keizer, Computerworld
Leopard's firewall is confusing, inconsistent, switched off by default and incompatible with some applications, a security researcher said Friday after analyzing the new security tool.

**** Apple + Adobe? Umm. No. <http://www.businessweek.com/technology/ByteOfTheApple/blog/archives/2007/11/apple_adobe_umm.html?campaign_id=rss_blog_byteoftheapple>
by Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek
Buying Adobe and then hobbling the part of the business that brings in two-thirds to three-quarters of its revenue is a very bad business idea, and terrible way to squander Apple's hard-earned cash stockpile.

The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Peace Of Mind When They Ask To Borrow The Car <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/03/business/yourmoney/03money.html?_r=1&ex=1351828800&en=320e9b8eebf1feb9&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin>
by Elizabeth Olson, New York Times

MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** The Invincible Man <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/30/AR2007103002222.html?nav=most_emailed>
by Joel Garreau, Washington Post
Aubrey de Grey may be wrong but, evidence suggests, he's not nuts. This is a no small assertion. De Grey arguest that some people alive today will live in a robust and youthful fashion for 1,000 years.

**** Warren Buffett, Adjust My Bra <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1680142,00.html>
by Belinda Luscombe, Time
The women of America need you. Badly. Have you ever been in the changing room of the lingerie section of a major department store? O.K., don't answer that. But I've been there, and I'll tell you, it ain't pretty.

**** Suicide Food <http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=429022>
by Lindy West, The Stranger
"Suicide food" is any depiction of animals that act as though they wish to be consumed," explains Ben Grossblatt in the mission statement of Suicide Food (suicidefood.blogspot.com <http://suicidefood.blogspot.com/>), his blog and mild ethical obsession. "Suicide food actively participates in or celebrates its own demise. Suicide food identifies with the oppressor. Suicide food is a bellwether of our decadent society. Suicide food is not funny."

**** How Oprah Ruined The Marathon <http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2007/11/03/marathon/>
by Edward McClelland, Salon
America's competitive spirit has been wrecked by feel-good amateurs like Oprah whose only goal is to stagger across the finish line.

SingaporeSurf
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**** Asia's Growing Gambling Addiction <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1678672,00.html>
by Ling Woo Liu, Time
Asia does have a gambling problem &mdash; and because the industry is expanding rapidly throughout the region, mental-health workers and researchers fear pathological gambling could reach epidemic proportions in coming years.

**** So Mixed-Race Marriages Are Approximately As Bad As Homosexuality <http://mrwangsaysso.blogspot.com/2007/11/so-mixed-race-marriages-are.html>
by Mr Wang Says So
Duh. Sometimes the world really tires me. So much low-IQ prejudice, everywhere I look.

**** Rapid Growth At A High Price <http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?file=/2007/11/3/columnists/insightdownsouth/19360112&sec=Insight%20Down%20South>
by Seah Chiang Nee, The Star
Singapore's fast growth is beginning to be expensive. Increasing prices in just about everything has overshadowed the city state's prosperity in the last four years.

**** What Is Yardstick Used By MDA To Determine What's Offensive? <http://www.todayonline.com/articles/220190.asp>
by Lionel De Souza, Today

**** Singapore Has Room For Social Business, Says Nobel Laureate <http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Story/STIStory_173186.html>
by Cheong Suk-Wai, Straits Times
Singapore is a global business centre with room for 'social business', according to Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.
That is what the Bangladeshi economist and a pioneer of micro-credit calls not-for-profit businesses and programmes set up to generate jobs and other opportunities to help those trapped in poverty.

**** Interview With WP Chief Low THia Khiang: The Young Can Turn WP Into Faster Machine <http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Story/STIStory_173098.html>
by Straits Times
"I'm old, maybe slower. The younger ones will be faster, so we have more younger ones, perhaps, maybe the Workers' Party will move faster. So those people who think that we are slower, well, come and join the Workers' Party to make it faster."

**** Private No, Public Yes <http://www.todayonline.com/articles/220189.asp>
by Lee U-Wen, Today
WHen it comes to public dealings, Singaporeans have no qualms about voting for a prime minister, or approaching a policeman, who is of a different race from them.
But on issues relating to their personal lives, the "race" card still plays an important hand &mdash; with most baulking at the thought of marrying someone of another race or even inviting friends of other races to join their wedding celebrations.
/Now, shouldn't we set up laws that we don't enforce, so that our Penal Code correctly reflect our racists behaviour?/

**** The Difficulty Of Developing Venture Capital In SIngapore <http://bleongcw.typepad.com/simple_is_the_reason_of_m/2007/11/the-difficulty-.html>
by Simple Is The Reason Of My Heart
The best way to help technology start-ups in Singapore is to do it via the micro-financing model.

**** Why Deny HDB Windfall? <http://singaporekopitok.blogspot.com/2007/11/why-deny-hdb-windfall.html>
by Singapore Kopi Tok
Ultimately, resale HDB flat prices should be determined by market forces.

**** Malaysia Hopes To Win Island Dispute With Singapore <http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view_article.php?article_id=98461>
by AFP
Malaysia said Friday it was ready to win a legal tussle with Singapore over sovereignty of rocky outcrops in the South China Sea as the two sides prepare for a clash at the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands.