[MyAppleMenu] Dec 4, 2008

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** 'Tap Tap Dance' An iPhone Stage For Hot Musicians <http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jHkm2p1lOVMnT5R0CzFQzCXnUfTQ>
by AFP

**** Apple WInner As Smartphone Sales Slow <http://www.pcworld.com/article/154930/apple_winner_as_smartphone_sales_slow.html>
by Mikael Ricknas, IDG News Service

**** Mac Malware - Were We Wrong? <http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/2008/12/mac_malware_were_we_wrong.html>
by Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC
One thing that this incident does show is Apple's split personality when it comes to communicating with its users and with the medai.

**** Amazon.com Invades The APple App Store <http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/to-post-at-530-am-pst-wed-amazoncom-invades-the-apple-app-store/>
by Brad Stone, New York Times
There is one unusual and noteworthy aspect of the app called Amazon Remembers, which Amazon is calling "experimental." The tool lets users take a photograph of any product they see in the real world. The photos are then uploaded to Amazon and turned over to the far-flung freelance workers in Amazon's Mechanical Turk program, who will try to match them with products for sale on Amazon.com.

**** The Killers: Virtual Sessions <http://www.apple.com/logicstudio/action/thekillers/?sr=hotnews?sr=hotnews.rss>
by Joe Cellini, Apple

**** Apple Tells Court It Believes Someone Is Behind Psystar; Adds New Claims, Including DMCA Violation <http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20081202230318899>
by Groklaw

**** Apple May Be Chilling iTunes Competition: Critics <http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE4B271G20081203?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews>
by David Lawsky, Reuters
Everyone agrees Apple achieved its dominance n music downloads and players with good products and marketing, which makes it entirely legal. Nevertheless, rivals and a technology rights group are concerned Apple is overly aggressive.

**** Giz Explains: Why OS X Shrugs Off Viruses Better Than Windows <http://gizmodo.com/5101337/giz-explains-why-os-x-shrugs-off-viruses-better-than-windows>
by Matt Buchanan, Gizmodo
Bascially, Unix-based systems are architectued so that they require administrator privileges to modify the OS and are traditionally more strict in enforcing them.

**** Trojan Horse Targets Anti-Virus Maker Intego <http://cultofmac.com/trojan-horse-targets-anti-virus-maker-intego/5426>
by Ed Sutherland, Cult Of Mac
Another wrinkle in the spy-vs-spy Mac security game appeared Wednesday when a Mac Trojan horse attempted to disguise itself by naming a file "intego," a reference to Intego, the anti-virus company.

**** EFF Proposes DMCA Exemption For iPhone Jailbreaking <http://www.macworld.com/article/137304/2008/12/jailbreak_dmca.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Dan Moren, Macworld
The proposal was submitted by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and argues that end users should be allowed to jailbreak their phones to use legally-acquired third-party applications.

**** FlatOut 2 <http://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=1002>
by John Samsel, Inside Mac Games

**** Review: ToCA Race Driver 3 <http://www.macworld.com/article/137253/2008/12/tocaracing3.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Chris Holt, Macworld

**** iPhoto, The Secret Disk Space Thief <http://www.macworld.com/article/137283/2008/12/iphoto_disk_thief.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Scott McNulty, Macworld
iPhoto is a paranoid application. When you hit delete in iPhoto the offending picture isn't actually deleted. Instead, it's whisked away to the iPhoto Trash.

The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Who Needs A TV? I'm Watching On A Laptop <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/technology/personaltech/04basics.html?ref=todayspaper>
by Laura M. Holson, New York Times
There is much to suggest that watching shows online is more than just a passing fancy.

**** A Winning Web Formula <http://www.technologyreview.com/web/21753/?a=f>
by Kate Greene, MIT Technology Review
Advertisers could benefit from analyzing the early popularity of online content.

MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** The Fine Art Of Literary Rejection Letters <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2008/dec/03/publishers-rejection-letters>
by Hannah Edelstein, The Guardian
Writing rejection letters is a delicate skill, one that must be fine-tuned over time (weeks, even) as one digs out from under the slush pile. For it is not easy to achieve and balance the two central goals of a truly accomlished rejection letter: trying not to make the writer feel distraught whilst also discouraging him or her from ever contacting you ever again.

**** Laugh Factory <http://www.latimes.com/features/magazine/la-mag-nov302008-hollywoodrules,0,1695131.story?track=rss>
by Carolyn Omine, Los Angeles Times
Being a /Simpsons/ writer is hard work&mdash;unless you're a genius.

SingaporeSurf
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**** Labour Chief Urges Employers To Give Priority To Local Workers <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/394214/1/.html>
by Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia

**** Singapore Is 12Th Most Expensive City In Asia <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/394198/1/.html>
by Cheryl Foris, Channel NewsAsia
Singapore is the 12th most expensive city in Asia, according to a global survey on cost of living by international human resource company ECA International. The country jumped 27 places, and is one of Asia's biggest movers.

**** The Face Of Pro-Family (Singaore Edition) <http://blog.careerarchitects.com/the-face-of-pro-family-singapore-edition/>
by Ethan Pang, Better, Higher!
Is this what "pro-family" is about? And to think that we live in an equal opportunity society.

**** Postcard From Singapore <http://www.sramanamitra.com/2008/12/04/postcard-from-singapore/>
by Sramana Mitra On Strategy
In America, by and large, we don't see much of this kind of formality anymore.

**** Singapore To Cut Government Land Sales To Help Property Market <http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/12/04/afx5778097.html>
by Reuters
Singapore said on Thursday it will cut back on government land sales next year to support the property market as the city-state battles recession.

**** Why Change? <http://desparatebeep.blogspot.com/2008/12/why-change.html>
by Tang Li, Desparatebeep
Media is just one example of how "Not Changing" is stunting Singapore. It's disturbing that the government seems content with dwarfism and even encourages it.

**** Singapore And Singapore Inc: The Difference <http://www.pressrun.net/weblog/2008/12/singapore-and-singapore-inc-the-difference.html>
by Blowin' In The Wind

**** Why We Cannot Respect Human Rights In Singapore... <http://singaporemind.blogspot.com/2008/12/why-we-cannot-respect-human-rights-in.html>
by Diary Of A Singaporean Mind
There is no way for the UDHR (Universal Declaration of Human Rights) to be adopted in Singapore, here's why.

**** Open Letter To Mr Gopalan Nair <http://thesingaporeangamer.com/2008/12/04/open-letter-to-mr-gopalan-nair/>
by The Singaporean Gamer
How is this standing up like a man and living like a man?

**** Electricity Bills To Fall 25% <http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_310217.html>
by Liaw Wy Cin, Straits Times
Electricity tariffs for households will be cut by about 25 per cent for January to March, in line with lower fuel oil prices. The reduction is the first since April 2007, and is lower than the 21 per cent spike in October - the biggest one-time increase in seven years.

**** THe Great Singaporean Hamburger Battle <http://namaste-express.blogspot.com/2008/12/great-singaporean-hamburger-battle.html>
by Joakim Enegren, Namaste Express
Now you know what my visit to Singapore was all about. Please don't tell my wife.

**** Your Accusations Against Singapore Are Scandalous <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122835330363477955.html?mod=googlenews_wsj>
by Chan Heng Chee, Ambassador of Singapore to the United States, Wall Street Journal
The fundamental disagreement between Singapore and the Journal (and its sister publications) has been that you want to force Singapore to change its rules to comply with U.S. norms, so that journalists will not be sued even if they denigrate our judiciary or publish false, defamatory articles. This was the basic issue over which The Asian Wall Street Journal and the Far Eastern Economic Review clashed with the Singapore government two decades ago. We allowed these journals to resume circulation after they signaled clearly that they would henceorth abide by Singpaore laws. But as shown by your articles, affidavits filed on your behalf in court, and statements made by your counsel, you are now again campaigning for a change in the laws.

**** AirAsia Pioneer Talks About More KL-Singapore Flights <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/394074/1/.html>
by Jennifer Chen, Today
"My aim now is to tell people that we are as good as <Singapore Airlines is>... in the back end. I think we can be as good in the economy section. That's my goal before I leave my job as CEO."

**** Singapore Does Uphold Human Rights' Norms <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/12/singapore-does-uphold-human-rights&iacute;-norms/>
by Koh Jie Kai, The Online Citizen

**** Singapore Arrivals Plunge <http://www.aviationrecord.com/SearchResults/tabid/37/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/1688/Singapore-arrivals-plunge.aspx>
by AviationRecord.com

**** Benchmarks For Homeschooling Students <http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Story/STIStory_310056.html>
by Tan Teck Ann, Ministry Of Education, Straits Times
The PSLE benchmarks for designated schools (madrasahs and San Yu Adventist School) and homeschooling students were developed while taking into account the profile of the students who wish to be exempted from Compulsory Education, and were set after public consultation. The benchmarks and the need to meet these benchmarks from this year have been communicated to the homeschoolers since 2003.

**** Reflections On The DBS-FOTF Faux-Pas <http://magnezium.blogspot.com/2008/12/reflections-on-dbs-fotf-faux-pas.html>
by Musings
I think DBS did what they did simply because they believed it was the right thing to do. And for that, I say yay for DBS.