[MyAppleMenu] Dec 20, 2008

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** A 'True' Apple Expo?
by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu
The question that is on my mind: will Apple organize its own expo-like show? Or mini expos rotating among its stores? Where is Guy Kawasaki to cheer for the third-party developers?
<p class="permlink">Permanent Link to This Post <http://www.myapplemenu.com/2008/12/20/id0025/>

**** The Silence Of The Fans <http://technologizer.com/2008/12/19/the-silence-of-the-fans/>
by Harry McCracken, Technologizer
The strongest argument against Silent Keynote is probably this: It's very, very unlikely to make Apple reconsider its decision to end support of Macworld Expo. It might even make it dig in its heels.

**** It's OK To Be Mad At Apple But Give Schiller Some Respect <http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=11309>
by Sam Diaz, ZDNet.com
Don't intentionally disrespect Schiller because the company made a business decision that you don't agree with.

**** App Store Pricing (It's Not A Free Market!) <http://appcubby.com/blog/files/app_store_pricing.html>
by AppCubby
Ranking apps by volume incentivises cheap gimmicky apps, and makes it difficult for developers to charge a fair price for quality apps.

**** Steve Jobs, Tech's Last Celebrity Tech CEO? <http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/19/technology/fortt_tech_ceos.fortune/index.htm>
by Jon Fortt, Fortune
With the Apple chief's decision to step out of the spotlight at next month's Macworld Expo, an era comes to an end.

**** Aquaria <http://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=1006>
by Franklin Pride, Inside Mac Games
If you want the best ten hours (twenty for te completist) of entertainment you've had since World of Goo, Aquaria is definitely worth the $30.

**** Ambrosia Releases Fifteenth Anniversary Game Bundle <http://www.macworld.com/article/137690/2008/12/ambrosia.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Peter Cohen, Macworld
Ambrosia Software has put together a collection of some of its most popular games, including a few that have been updated to run on newer Macs. The 15th Anniversary Holiday Bundle costs $19.
/I spend countless hours of my waking life playing Apeiron by Ambrosia. Maybe you should too? :-)/

**** Apple Shocks World, Reveals It Is A Huge Corporation <http://www.macworld.com/article/137685/2008/12/apple_shocks_world_reveals_it_is_a_huge_corporation.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Scott McNulty, Macworld
Let's face it: the people crying foul the loudest about Apple's Macworld Expo plans are also the kind of people that will buy whatever Apple comes out, with nary a moment's hesitation.

**** App Store Lessons: Bad Karma Tricks <http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/12/19/app-store-lessons-bad-karma-tricks>
by Erica Sadun, Ars Technica
Google spends a lot of time trying to develop algorithms to discount page rank spammers. Clearly, App Store is going to have to invest in that same kind of approach.

**** Apple Co-Founder To Advise ModBook Maker <http://www.macworld.com/article/137677/2008/12/woz_axiotron.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Dan Moren, Macworld

**** Mac Game Arcade Debuts <http://www.macworld.com/article/137669/2008/12/macgamesarcade.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Peter Cohen, Macworld
Mac Games Arcade lets you browse, download and buy nearly 400 downloadable games.

**** Silent Protest Planned For Jobs-Less Keynote <http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/12/19/silent-protest-planned-for-jobs-less-keynote>
by Justin Berka, Ars Technica

MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** You Never Know What You'll Find In A Book <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/21/books/review/Alford-t.html>
by Henry Alford, New York Times
We may never fully understand what prompts people to leave unusual objects inside books.

**** Mind-Body Problems <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/21/books/review/Russo-t.html>
by Maria Russo, New York Times
To the list of fiction-writing British explorers of the modern feminine condition add Patricia Ferguson, a former nurse and midwife whose sixth book, "Peripheral Vision," is both cheerful and emotionally wrenching.

**** Have You Seen My Daughter? <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/21/books/review/Wagner-t.html>
by Erica Wagner, New York Times
This is a novel about loss and healing; a novel that acknowledges the depth of loss and the limits of healing.

**** My Tiny, Briny Luxury Item <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/21/fashion/21roach.html?_r=1>
by Mary Roach, New York Times
Every time we go, I peel off to indulge a luxury I will never give up: a single Kumamoto oyster, $1.75, shucked on the spot, at Rudy Figueroa's little altar of ice chips.

**** Grabbing A Bite Between Flights <http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/12/21/travel/21airport.html>
by Matt Gross, New York Times
No one likes to eat in airports, but eat in airports we must.

**** B-Ball With Barack <http://www.time.com/time/specials/2008/personoftheyear/article/0,31682,1861543_1865068_1865096,00.html>
by Craig Robinson, Time
Your ball, Mr President. I know you're going to drain the big shots.

**** Why Music? <http://www.economist.com/printedition/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=12795510>
by The Economist
What appetite drives the proliferation of music to the point where the average American teenager spends 1&frac12;-2&frac12; hours  a day&mdash;an eight of his waking life&mdash;listening to it?

SingaporeSurf
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**** Pedra Branca - KL 'Uses Papers Given By Singapore'! <http://remgold.blogspot.com/2008/12/pedra-branca-kl-uses-papers-given-by.html>
by OpEd

**** Taken Aback <http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2008/12/20/lifetravel/2783967&sec=lifetravel>
by The Star
My family and I have just come back from a trip to SIngapore. We had anticipated the unfavourable exchange rate but not the unease I felt seeing one aspect of our neighbour's development &mdash; working senior citizens.

**** Bus Passengers Unhappy With CIQ <http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/12/20/nation/2836646&sec=nation>
by Farik Zolkepli, Yee Xiang Yun and Suan Song, The Star
What was previously a five-minute walk for bus passengers from Singapore to reach the city centre now takes almost 20 minutes from the Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex.

**** Singapore Shows Wales How To Survive Recession <http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business-in-wales/business-columnists/2008/12/20/singapore-shows-wales-how-to-survive-recession-91466-22516438/>
by Dylan Jones-Evans, Wales Online
What is encouraging for the Singaporean economy is that large technology-based firms continue to see this small country of 4.5 million as the place in which to invest for the future.

**** Singapore's Very Own Subprime Crisis In The Making? <http://mrwangsaysso.blogspot.com/2008/12/singapores-very-own-subprime-crisis-in.html>
by Mr Wang Says So
I can't see how this can work out well.

**** 19 Of 26 Homeschoolers Met Ministry's PSLE Benchmark <http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Story/STIStory_316555.html>
by Tan Teck Ann, Ministry Of Education, Straits Times
The request by parents to lower the benchmark does not serve the interests of these students. Instead, parents should consider enrolling them in our national schools to avail themselves of the full opportunities and resources our schools provide.
/I think the issue is not of lowering the benchmark, but to standardize the benchmarks so that they are the same for students in national schools and home-schoolers./

**** How Much Is HDB Profitting From Resale Levies? <http://wayangparty.com/2008/12/20/how-much-is-hdb-profitting-from-resale-levies/>
by The Wayang Party Club Of Singapore

**** Public Gambling <http://singaporelifetimes.blogspot.com/2008/12/public-gambling.html>
by Singapore Life And Times
The TCs were just lucky this time around. I know of people, and you will too, whose investments have almost been wiped out, or at least reduced so drastically that it would be a pain greater than going to hell, to liquidate now.
/Of course, these people didn't understand the meaning of the word 'diversify'. The policy of limiting 'risky' investment to 30% cannot be ignored in the argument./

**** Our Dumb World
by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu

>From The Onion's Our Dumb World <http://www.theonion.com/content/atlas> atlas about Singapore: The hermetically sealed corporate biosphere of Singapore protects each of its carefully monitored 4.4126 million citizens from germs, crime, emotion, and dust.

<p class="permlink">Permanent Link to This Post <http://www.myapplemenu.com/singapore/2008/12/20/id0010/>

**** Food Hawkers The New Folk Heroes <http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=insightdownsouth&file=/2008/12/20/columnists/insightdownsouth/2848628&sec=Insight%20Down%20South>
by Seah Chiang Nee, The Star
I believe it is the simple food hawkers who keep their prices low in adverse conditions, something that exerts a major, repeated impact on every family.
/Note who was not chosen by this columnist as heroes: the politicians. In fact, to most people, the last politicians who can probably qualify as heroes are from the Lee Kuan Yew's generation./