[MyAppleMenu] Aug 19, 2008

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Apple Announces Magsafe Out Of Warranty Replacement Program <http://apcmag.com/Content.aspx?id=2826>
by Danny Gorog, APC
In a rare turnaround, Apple has acknowledged in a tech support article that some Magsafe adaptors may be faulty, and users 'may notice a separation of the white insulation on the magnetic end of the MagSafe adapter. Under continued use, the cable may discolor and the rubber molding may become deformed.'

**** Apple Is Flailing Badly At The Edges <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/19/AR2008081900479.html>
by Michael Arrington, TechCrunch.com
My obvious enthusiam for Apple products is fairly evident to readers of this blog. But recently I've had a string of bad apples come my way, so to speak. It's time for Apple to stop screwing around and start paying attention to product quality.

**** Avid Media Composer 3.0 <http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/taxid;108352280;pid;6504>
by James Morris, Australian PC World
Instead of resting on its laurels as the standard professional video-editing tool, Avid is now taking up potential challenges from Apple's Final Cut Studio and Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium. That's great news for independent videomarkers, as there are now more options to choose from.

**** MobileMe Final Post <http://www.apple.com/mobileme/status/#4>
by David G., Apple
This will be the last MobileMe Status posting. We've created a new place for regular posts about all parts of the service.

**** Apple Customer Satisfaction Scores Gain At Rivals' Expense <http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10019711-37.html>
by Tom Krazit, CNET News.com
Apple blew away its PC industry peers in this year's American Customer Satisfaction Index, perhaps because it was the only company that didn't release a Windows Vista PC.

**** Comparing Apple's MobileMe Contrition With Google And Netflix <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9741>
by Adam C. Engst, TidBITS
Apple isn't denying problems or pretending the entire situation will just blow over, and that's good. But at least to my ears, the blog and email communications from Google and Netflix sound significantly more contrite - these people really are sorry for having inconvenienced me.

**** First Look: MacGourmet Deluxe, Recipe Management <http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/08/18/macgourmet.deluxe/>
by MacNN
With so many ways to sort, organize, and search for recipes, MacGourmet Deluxe is invaluable for anyone who loves cooking and collecting recipes.

**** OS X: Why It "Looks" So Different <http://etherealmind.com/2008/08/18/os-x-why-it-looks-so-different/>
by Greg Ferro, My Etheralmind
I have personally found that I prefer the font and colours on the Mac. I have to use Windows machines at work occasionally, and they just don't look so appealing.

**** Apple Provides 60 Day Extension To All MobileMe Subscribers <http://www.macrumors.com/2008/08/18/apple-provides-60-day-extension-to-all-mobileme-subscribers/>
by Arnold Kim, MacRumors.com
Apple has sent out emails to MobileMe subscribers tonight revealing that they are extending all MobileMe subscriber accounts by 60 additional days.

**** Mac Spyware Hijacks Clipboard <http://www.securitypronews.com/insiderreports/insider/spn-49-20080818MacSpywareHijacksClipboard.html>
by Jason Lee Miller, SecurityProNews

**** iTunes App Store Comments: A Broken System <http://oneinfiniteblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/itunes-app-store-comments-broken-system.html>
by OneInfiniteBlog

**** Get Satisfaction. Turning Customer Service On Its Head. <http://www.apple.com/business/profiles/getsatisfaction/?sr=hotnews?sr=hotnews.rss>
by Apple
"We get things done faster, cheaper, and more entertainingly, too."

**** iPhone Sheds Light On Weakness Of Japanese Handset Makers <http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20080812/156362/>
by Toshiyuki Oomori, Nikkei Tech-On!
The iPhone has shown that it is not impossible for manufacturers to take the initiatives, even in the mobile phone business.

**** Apple Offers iPhone 2.0.2 Update Via iTunes <http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/08/18/apple.offers.iphone.202/>
by MacNN
As is usually the case with iPhone updates, Apple provided few details, saying simply that the update contains "bug fixes."

**** Analysis: How Jobs' Profile Impacts Apple <http://www.macworld.com/article/135055/2008/08/apple_ceo.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Lisa Schmeiser, Macworld
Even asking the question "Can Apple survive without Steve Job?" is testament to the strength of the perception that Apple's fate rises and falls with Steve Jobs&mdash;and raises the question of whether Apple should begin debunking that idea.

**** Six Apple Executives You Need To Know About <http://www.macworld.com/article/134995/2008/08/apple_executives.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Macworld
A complete list of the people critical to Apple's success would fill page after page. We've focused on just a half-dozen executives&mdash;if you don't already know their names, you probably should learn them now.

**** Keep Your Word Builds Custom Dictionaries <http://www.macworld.com/article/135064/2008/08/keepyourword.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Peter Cohen, Macworld
Keep Your Word lets you build a custom dictionary that lets you classify and group words how you want to.

The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** A Closer Look At Dell's Digital Entertainment Ambitions <http://www.businessweek.com/technology/ByteOfTheApple/blog/archives/2008/08/so_far_144_read.html?campaign_id=rss_blog_byteoftheapple>
by Peter Burrows, BusinessWeek

**** Is Linking To Yourself The Future Of The Web? <http://radar.oreilly.com/2008/08/is-linking-to-yourself-the-future-of-the-web.html>
by Tim O'Reilly, O'Reilly Radar

**** Why 'Cloud Computing' Is For The Birds <http://www.internetnews.com/commentary/article.php/3765876/Why+Cloud+Computing+Is+for+the+Birds.htm>
by Mike Elgan, Internet News
The "cloud computing" buzzword has got to go. It's simply too confusing, misleading, redundant and dangerous.

MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Hermit <http://www.slate.com/id/2196643/?from=rss>
by Gail Mazur, Slate

**** Notes From A Barbarian <http://www.thesmartset.com/article/article08140802.aspx>
by Morgan Meis, The Smart Set
The idea of a "canon" is in tatters. A canon needs an established cultural authority, and there is no guiding authority in culture anymore.

**** Cinema Stole My Favorite Books <http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/08/cinema_stole_my_favourite_book.html>
by David Barnett, The Guardian
I expended time and imagination to absorb these stories. Why should people be entitled to think they know them without puttting in any effort?

**** Did Doctors Remove Babies' Hearts Too Soon? <http://www.salon.com/env/feature/2008/08/19/baby_heart_transplants/index.html>
by Rahul K. Parikh, Salon
Colorado doctors are under fire for performing infant organ transplants prematurely. But they made the right call.

**** The Great Lobster Mystery <http://www.slate.com/id/2196990/?from=rss>
by Daniel Gross, Slate
Food prices are soaring, so why are prices for the delicious crustacean falling?

**** The Other Darwin <http://walrusmagazine.com:80/articles/2008.09-the-other-darwin-mark-czarnecki-creationism-origin-of-the-species-evolution/>
by Mark Czarnecki, The Walrus
Evolutionary psychology takes evolution one step further: not only the body of /Homo sapiens/, but the human mind as well has been shaped by this process. How we think and feel has evolved over millennia, stretching back to our prehistory on the African savannah, and those ancient patterns stay with us, despite the cultural overlay of recorded history nd the wide spectrum of individual difference.

SingaporeSurf
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**** Where Is The Dividing Line? <http://leounheort.blogspot.com/2008/08/where-is-dividing-line.html>
by Benjamin Cheah, The Lionheart

**** Deal In Caning Error Case <http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Courts%2Band%2BCrime/Story/STIStory_269760.html>
by K. C. Vijayan, Straits Times
Settlement has been reached on the amount of compensation for an ex-inmate who got three more strokes of the cane than he was supposed to. A brief statement issued by the Tan family's lawyer oseph Chens aid both parties were bound not to divulge details of the settlement and sum agreed on.
/Should the government be able to make secret deals like this?/

**** The Ball Is In The Opposition's Court <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/08/the-ball-is-in-the-oppositions-court/>
by Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen
While we may be skeptical of or criticise the government's foray onto the internet, the more important question I feel is directed at the opposition parties; what are they going to do now to engage the new generation of potential voters who haunts cyberspace?

**** Lees Meaningless Concession On Protests Fool No One <http://yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/899-lees-silly-concession-on-protests-fool-no-one>
by Singapore Democratic Party
Singaporeans must always remember that our right to protest peacefully is not for the government to give but for the citizens to exercise, and not just at a pathetic little corner on the island but also on the busiest thoroughfares of the country.
Now is not the time to celebrate or gloat. Now is the time to press ahead with our demands for our fundamental freedoms of speech and peaceful assembly to be fully returned to the people. TOkenism and meaningless concessions get the PAP nowhere.

**** Singapore Considers Organ Trade <http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1833858,00.html?xid=rss-world>
by Peter Ritter, Time
Like every nation in the world apart from Iran, Singapore law forbids the buying or selling of human body parts. But with an acute shortage of donated kidneys and hundreds of ill people stuck on waiting lists, that could change.

**** Demonstrations To Be Allowed In Hong Lim Playpen <http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_2008/yax-923.htm>
by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread
The right solution isn't allowing the "letting off steam" at the playpen that is Hong Lim Green. It should be a more liberal granting of permits for outdoor festivals, demonstrations and marches anywhere in the city subject to genuine considerations of obstruction and chaos. THe default should be to permit unless there are clear reasons why not.

**** Li Jia Wei Is A Singaporean <http://www.deadpris.com/2008/08/18/li-jia-wei-is-a-singaporean-response-to-iantimothy/>
by Deadpris
The sin is not on them, but on us. We elected our government and gave them the authority to make these choices. Don't push the blame on these people that are here for the exact same reason why you and I are here.

**** 7 Government Sites For Foreign Schools <http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_269735.html>
by Jane Ng, Straits Times
To help ease the shortage of places in interntional schools due to the booming expatriate population here, the government has set aside seven state buildings and land parcels for use as foreign schools.

**** The Singapore Prime Minister Dishes Out Dating Advice <http://luiyuming.com/the-singapore-prime-minster-dishes-out-dating-advice/>
by Lioness In Japan
Because we are /just ordinary people in life/.

**** Oops, We Were Too Restrictive : PM Lee <http://singaporerebel.blogspot.com/2008/08/oops-we-were-too-restrictive-pm-lee.html>
by Martyn See, No "Partisan Stuff" Political Films Please, We're Singaporeans
Since the debate over the Films Act began with my film /Singapore Rebel/, I will seek to end it by re-submitting /Rebel/ and /Zahari's 17 Years/, both offiically banned, to the censors for re-appraisal. If it is not sheer stupidity to continue enforcing bans on these films when they are viewable at a click of a mouse, I don't know what is.

**** Education And The Great Pain Of Rather Useless Things <http://mrwangsaysso.blogspot.com/2008/08/education-and-great-pain-of-rather.html>
by Mr Wang Says So
I think that our education system still heavily emphasises regurgitation over real undertanding.
/Real understanding does *not* mean no memorization./

**** PM's National Day Rally <http://onedimensionalman.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/pms-national-day-rally/>
by The One Dimensional Island

**** Obituary Of A Ban: Political Films May Get A New Life <http://journalism.sg/2008/08/19/obituary-of-a-ban-political-films-get-a-new-life/>
by Lin Junjie, Journalism.sg
Strangely the one challenge that remains for the PAP government&mdash;that it would not be able to refute misinformation as easily as it could with the print media&mdash;which it has consistently highlighted in its arguments against allowing political films, received no attention in the prime minister's address.
Could the PAP have found a solution to it when the prime minister said political films will adopt censorship and classification standards by a panel, just as how they have been dealing with non-political ones? Would this then mean that the government will remain the arbiter of political films?

**** National Say Barely Speech 2008 <http://groundnotes.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/national-say-barely-speech-2008/>
by Groundnotes
Commercial? Partisan stuff? Slanted impression? That's pretty damn big and potentially covers anything and everything!

**** Me-Lee <http://piaroh.wordpress.com/2008/08/19/me-lee/>
by Word Of The Cze

**** Singapore's PM Lee As Tech-Savvy As Obama <http://www.pressrun.net/weblog/2008/08/singapores-pm-lee-as-tech-savvy-as-obama.html>
by Blowin' In The Wind
One suspects Lee Hsien Loong will do even better if he allows critics to speak up and engages in debates with others.

**** Singapore To Allow More Freedom Of Expression <http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_world.php?id=353625>
by Bernama
Learning from the recent political experiences of many countires including Malaysia, Singapore has decidd to remove some of the shackles that have restricted freedom of expression of its citizens.

**** Double Standards: What Nets Says <http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Story/STIStory_269479.html>
by Ani Dinasan, Nets, Straits Times
In line with the prevailing market practices, the arrangements that Nets has with its merchants could vary in some instances according to the buisness environments in which the merchants operate, hence making comparisons less meaningful.
/In other words, "we can do what we want, because you have no bargaining power."/

**** Singaporeans And Singapore Citizens: There's A Big Difference <http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Online%2BStory/STIStory_269395.html>
by Mark Wong, Straits Times
It is time to put forth the argument that being a Singapore citizen is not the same as being Singaporean.
/This, to me, is a very dangerous argument to make. There are some Singaporeans who is more Singaporean than other Singaporeans? How Animal Farm this is./

**** Car Owners Not Worse Off <http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_269455.html>
by Yeo Ghim Lay, Straits Times
Car owners are not losing out despite paying higher Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges, said prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, who backed this up with figures. On balance, motorists in fact gain because a recent cut in vehicle road taxes outweighs the extra that they have to fork out in higher ERP charges.

**** Side-Stepping The Death Penalty <http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_2008/yax-922.htm>
by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread
As an opponent of capital punishment, I should be pleased if it's true that the government is stepping back from its longstanding policy in favour of it, but hte way it is going about it leaves me more concerned than ever.
Are we doing the right thing in the worst possible way?
/Is the PAP government afraid of 'losing face' if they do an U-turn on the death penalty issue, or are they more afraid of losing votes?/

**** Good Effort, But Much More Substance Needed <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/08/good-effort-but-much-more-substance-needed/>
by Choo Zheng Xi, The Online Citizen
Instead of being lulled into complacency by the siren song of multimedia slideshow and Mr Lee's jovial smile, it is all the more imperative that we seize the advantage to broaden the platform for civil and political rights, continue to bring into focus strong and principled arguments for freer information, and highlight the relevance of these issues to improving the lives of ordinary Singaporeans.

**** Once Again, Fathers Do Not Exist In SG <http://iantan.org/?p=1041>
by Ian Tan, Empty Vesel
"Oh yes, don't forget to turn up for reservist where you won't see your wife and newborn for the next month or so."
/Reservist duties is going to be a sore point in many of the nation's debates, from immigrants to, well, babies. The National Service issue is ripe for exploitation by oppositions. It's just a matter of time./