[MyAppleMenu] Dec 16, 2008

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Apple Loses Some Shine As Mac Sales Slow <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122938758242108907.html?mod=googlenews_wsj>
by Yukari Iwatani Kane and Justin Scheck, Wall Street Journal
Apple, which has outpaced the overall personal computer market this year despite its strategy of eschewing discounts, showed its first signs of weakness in November. Sales of Macs in U.S. stores last month declined 1% from a year ago, while industry-wide PC sales rose 2%, according to research firm NPD Group Inc., which tracks retail sales.

**** Apple Debuts Two Holiday Get A Mac Ads <http://www.tuaw.com/2008/12/15/apple-debuts-two-holiday-get-a-mac-ads/>
by Cory Bohon, The Unofficial Apple Weblog

**** Aluminum MacBook Review <http://theunixgeek.blogspot.com/2008/12/aluminum-macbook-review.html>
by Patrick Braga, The Unix Geek

**** Apple iPhone Vs. Blackberry Storm <http://agileui.blogspot.com/2008/12/apple-iphone-vs-blackberry-storm.html>
by Agile UI
It doesn't really matter if one product is "better" than another, what matters is whether it provides "a better experience for me."

**** Apple Kills iPhone App, Claiming API Violation <http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10123619-37.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
by Tom Krazit, CNET News.com
Apple has rejected an iPhone application that supposedly uses off-limits technology just like Google's mobile application&mdash;only the developer swears it's not true.

**** 'MacHeads' Film To Debut At Macworld <http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10123596-52.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
by Daniel Terdiman, CNET News.com

**** An Apple A Day <http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=283409&pub=1&div=News>
by Ginny Miller, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
While playing around at home with her new Apple MacBook, Valnisi came across a reference to field trips. One thing led to another, and last month some of her students got a technology treat at the Apple store in Germantown, Tenn.

**** What Your iPod Says About You <http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/12/15/ipod-colors-apple-tech-personal-cx_bc_1215ipod.html>
by Elizabeth Woyke and Brian Caulfield, Forbes
Apple was the first company to realize that gizmo players are as much about personal expression as they are about function.

**** Apple's 24-Inch LED Cinema Display Rreview <http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/15/apples-24-inch-led-cinema-display-review/>
by Darren Murph, Engadget
The 24-inch LED Cinema Display is a well thought-out product. It's the first display that isn't ashamed to be built for notebook owners, and the simple inclusions that make it unique are incredibly handy and entirely useful.

**** DRM's Lingering Hold At iTunes <http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/12/apple-itunes-dr.html>
by Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times
What seems clear is that the issue is caught up in the long-running negotiations between the labels and Apple over variable pricing. The truly strange thing here is that neither side is well served by DRM.

**** Apple's iPhone Takes Off <http://news.cnet.com/Year-in-review-Apples-iPhone-takes-off/2009-1039_3-6248253.html>
by Tom Krazit, CNET News.com
While 2007 might have seemed like the year of the iPhone, Apple will probably look back on 2008 as the year it became a cell phone company.

**** 10.5.6 Update Disables Direct iPhone Pwnage Jailbreak <http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/12/15/breaking-10-5-6-update-disables-direct-iphone-pwnage-jailbreak>
by Erica Sadun, Ars Technica

**** Apple Lists Carriers With Authorized iPhone Unlocks <http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/12/15/unlocked.iphone.carriers/>
by MacNN
Apple is now listing which countries and carriers around the world are carrying unlocked versions of the iPhone, the company's website reveals.

**** Apple Releases Securty Update 2008-008 For Tiger, Server <http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/12/15/apple-releases-security-update-2008-008-for-tiger-server>
by David Chartier, Ars Technica

**** Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.5.6 <http://www.macworld.com/article/137542/2008/12/osxupdate.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld
A big chnage has been made for users of Apple's MobileMe syncing service. According to Apple, contacts, calendars, and bookmarks on a Mac automatically sync within a minute of the change being made on the computer, another device, or the web at me.com.
See Also:
A Deeper Look At Mac OS X 10.5.6 <http://www.macworld.com/article/137559/2008/12/1056update.html?lsrc=rss_main>, by Rob Griffiths, Macworld.

**** BBEdit 9.1 Improves FTP Performance <http://www.macworld.com/article/137541/2008/12/bbedit.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld
Bare Bones Software released an update for its HTML and text editor, BBEdit, on Monday, adding a new font and improving the performance of FTP.

**** New Mac Notebooks Still Having Problems With 4GB Of RAM <http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/12/15/new-mac-notebooks-still-having-problems-with-4gb-of-ram>
by Justin Berka, Ars Technica
Many owners of the new laptops have had their machines crash frequently with 4GB of memory installed.

The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Journal Steps In Net Neutrality Hornet's Nest <http://www.wordyard.com/2008/12/15/journal-net-neutrality/>
by Scott Rosenberg, Wordyard

**** The Made-Up Dramas Of THe Wall Street Journal <http://lessig.org/blog/2008/12/the_madeup_dramas_of_the_wall.html>
by Larry Lessig

MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Get Along Without A Pinkie? It's Tougher Than You Might Think <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/health/16pink.html>
by Dana Scarton, New York Times
The pinkie, the humble fifth finger, has long been viwed as a decorative accessory, something to extend daintily from a wine glass. So what would you lose if you didn't have one?

**** Specializing In Problems That Only Seem Impossible To Solve <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/science/16prof.html>
by Bina Venkataraman, New York Times
For Dr. Fridrich, tackling an impossible puzzle is not a hobby, and the Rubik's Cube is not simply a game. They are obsessions.

**** "The Wind In The Willows" At 100 <http://www.salon.com/opinion/kamiya/2008/12/16/wind_in_the_willows/index.html>
by Gary Kamiya, Salon
Mole, Rat, Toad and Badget kept me up late reading as a kid. Now I love Kenneth Grahame's classic even more.

**** So Your Kitchen Is Tiny. So What? <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/weekinreview/14bittman.html?_r=1>
by Mark Bittman, New York Times
I'm here to help you feel better.

**** Leaving Literature Behind <http://chronicle.com/free/v55/i17/17b01401.htm>
by Bruce Fleming, Chronicle Of Higher Education
The good news is that we've created a discipline: literary studies. The bad news is that we've made ourselves rulers of a realm that has separated itself almost completely from the rest of the world.

SingaporeSurf
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**** Rolex Appeal Fades As Recession Blues Hit Singapore <http://in.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idINTRE4BF15Q20081216>
by Melanie Lee, Reuters

**** The Possibility Of The Impossible Wage Increase In Singapore <http://mrwangsaysso.blogspot.com/2008/12/possibility-of-impossible-wage-increase.html>
by Mr Wang Says So
The essential question is - in these bad times, how would companies be able to afford a relatively generous 4% wage increase? A rather brutal answer came to my mind. The 4% wage increase would be possible, if firms retrenched more employees now.
/Of course, a recession will not affect everyone equally. There will be retrenchments, but there will also be jobs that will still pay well./ 

**** Singapore Safe From Tsunamis <http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_315022.html>
by Liaw Wy Cin, Straits Times
A two-year study has confirmed what has been anecdotally known about Singapore - that its shorelines are relatively safe from tsunamis.

**** Singapore To Convene Wage Council, May Cut Pensions <http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/12/15/afx5824997.html>
by Reuters
Singapore will convene its National Wages Council (NWC) in early January, four months ahead of schedule, in what economists say may be a prelude to a cut in employers' pension contributions.
The government last cut employers' contributions to the CPF, the retirement fund for Singaporean workers, by 3 percentage points to 13 percent in October 2003 to help firms cope with the effects of the SARS outbreak.

**** National Wages Council To Reconvene In January 2009 <http://www.mom.gov.sg/publish/momportal/en/press_room/press_releases/2008/20081216-national.html>
by Ministry Of Manpower, Singapore Government
The National Wage Council (NWC) will reconvene in early January 2009 to review its guidelines issued in May this year.

**** Jobs Available In Singapore <http://www.pressrun.net/weblog/2008/12/jobs-available-in-singapore.html>
by Blowin' In The Wind
The current recession looks set to turn Singapore into a nation of teachers and civil servants.

**** Weird Cases: Kangaroo Court <http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/columnists/gary_slapper/article5345938.ece>
by Gary Slapper, The Times

**** Bye-Bye Causeway Checkpoint, Hello CIQ <http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/12/16/nation/20081216094738&sec=nation>
by Farik Zolkepli, The Star
After 41 years of being in operation, the Malaysia-Singapore Causeway checkpoint finally closed its doors at 12.01 am on Tuesday.

**** Singapore Air Traffic Falls Most In Five Years On Recession <http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aFm9G_6aHpMI&refer=asia>
by Anand Krishnamoorthy, Bloomberg
Singapore Airlines Ltd., the world's largest carrier by market value, reported its biggest slump in traffic in more than five years as a global recession cuts travel demand.

**** Fremont Attorney, Activist Home After Four-Month Detention In Singapore <http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_11239180>
by Matthew Artz, The Argus
In standing up for free speech in his native Singapore, Gopalan Nair unwittingly thrust himself into a one-man economic crisis.

**** Singapore Sets A More Humane Cap To Caning <http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/legalpost/archive/2008/12/15/singapore-sets-a-more-humane-cap-to-caning.aspx>
by Mitch Kowalski, National Post

**** Drug Smugglers Using Singapore For Transit - Report <http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2008/12/16/asia/OUKWD-UK-SINGAPORE-DRUGS.php>
by Reuters
Drug smugglers are increasingly using Singapore as a transit point to ship heroin to the United States and Europe, despite some of the world's strictest drug laws in the city-state, a newspaper reported on Tuesday.

**** Important For HDB To Reveal Building Costs <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/12/important-for-hdb-to-reveal-building-costs/>
by See Leong Kit, The Online Citizen
For the average Singaporean, his HDB flat is the single most expensive purchase item in his lifetime. Thus, it is important for HDB to clear to air once-and-for-all by providing transparent replies to the above two simple questions, and disclosing detailed cost figures for its Pinnacle project.
/It is to the government's advantage to keep prices artificially high, it seems./

**** Sister Stands Outside Classes Daily To Take Note For Sick Girl <http://tnp.sg/news/story/0,4136,186902,00.html?>
by Genevleve Jiang, New Paper