[MyAppleMenu] Jan 17, 2008

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
====================================

**** Microsoft Excel 2008 <http://www.macworld.com/article/131558/2008/01/excel2008.html>
by Rob Griffiths, Macworld
Excel 2008's major draw is its Intel- and PowerPC-native code; beyond that, though, there just aren't that many new features, and, of the features that are new, none truly stand out.

**** Opinion: A Keynote View From The Cheap Seats <http://www.macworld.com/article/131654/2008/01/moltz1.html>
by John Moltz, Macworld
On Segways, crying babies, touching Apple execs, and other keynote madness.

**** MindManager 7 Mac Gains Leopard Support <http://www.macworld.co.uk/macsoftware/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=20171>
by Jonny Evans, Macworld UK

**** Macworld.Ars: Apple Stock Suffers Largest Keynote Loss Since 1998 <http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/01/17/macworld-ars-apple-stock-suffers-largest-keynote-loss-since-1998>
by Justin Berka, Ars Technica

**** MWSF: Quark Ships Leopard Update, Reveals Labs <http://www.macworld.co.uk/procreative/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=20174>
by Jonny Evans, Macworld UK
Quark at Macworld Expo introduced new Xtensions portal, Quark Labs and ushered in Leopard support within Quark Interactive Designer.

**** Apple Should Pass Economic Stress Test <http://online.barrons.com/article/SB120043580164692471.html?mod=googlenews_barrons>
by Tiernan Ray, Barron's
If the U.S. economy goes into a recession, any public company with an uncanny knack for generating outsize growth may find its shares highly prized by investors.
One such company could be Apple, which despite sales of $24 billion last year, sells just a fraction of the world's personal computers and less than 1% of all cellphones. That tiny market share presents plenty of upside for Apple as it makes inroads in both fields.

**** Reporters Notes From Interview With Steve Jobs <http://www.businessweek.com/technology/ByteOfTheApple/blog/archives/2008/01/my_posterior_ha.html?campaign_id=rss_blog_byteoftheapple>
by Peter Burrows, BusinessWeek
Apple has to settle for a third day delay, to give studios time to rack up DVD sales.

**** When Apple's Keynote Bonce Is A Thump <http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2008/tc20080116_282937.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_top+stories>
by Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek
For those who bought before Macworld in hopes of cashing in on a keynote bounce, I have only one word: suckers.

**** Yes, We've Got It. You Like Thin.
by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu
Making MacBook Air that thin is not an easy feat. Now that Apple has done it technically, we shall see whether Apple can make some business sense out of the product.
But, perhaps, because Apple has been so successful lately in getting its products to be nice and thin &mdash; iMac, iPod, iPhone, that we are finally getting a little disillusioned. Yeah, yeah, Apple. I know you can make anything thin if you want to. So, what /else/ can you do?
Personally, I value a smaller footprint more than a shorter height in my subnotebook. Light-weight is good, but a MacBook-style thickness, to me, is just fine. I suspect many people think the same way as me, hence all the complaints about the compromises Apple had to make for the MacBook Air.
Going forward, I predict I'll see a lot of predictions about Apple making a "true" subnotebook. (Just like all those predictions about a "true" video iPods.) 12-inch PowerBook-sized MacBook? Newton-sized iPod Touch. I'll also predict that the existing MacBook and MacBook Pro computers will go down in thickness.
And Apple engineers, how's the progress on that foldable screen and keyboard going along?
<p class="permlink">Permanent Link to This Post <http://www.myapplemenu.com/2008/01/17/id0040/>

**** If Jobs Says "People Don't Read Anymore," Does This Headline Really Exist? <http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/16/if-jobs-says-people-dont-read-anymore-does-this-headline-rea/>
by Ryan Block, Engadget
/Remember how Steve Jobs said people don't watch videos on iPods, dismissing all the Portable Media Player thingies from Creative and gang? Wanna bet what's next for iPhone and iPod after Apple finally conquered Hollywood? :-)/

**** Steve Jobs Is Wrong: Android Is Good For Google <http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/01/apples-jobs-android-hurts-google-no-it-doesnt.html>
by Dan Frommer, Silicon Alley Insider
Google can get into the phone business and make its parnters &mdash; both its advertisers and the wireless carriers &mdash; happy.
/But what about Apple, /the /partner?/

**** So, Everyone's Asking What Happened Between Me And Steve Jobs Today... <http://www.tinynibbles.com/blogarchives/2008/01/so_everyones_asking_what_happe.html>
by Violet Blue
Steve Wozniak was so much nicer.

**** The Mac Switchers <http://blogs.computerworld.com/the_mac_switchers>
by Robert L. Mitchell, Computerworld
Faced with an upgrade to Vista, some IT organizations are passing in favor of the Mac. But who are they, really?

**** iTunes Rental And The System Date <http://www.tuaw.com/2008/01/16/itunes-rentals-and-the-system-date/>
by Brett Terpstra, The Unofficial Apple Weblog

**** Keynote Roundup <http://daringfireball.net/2008/01/keynote_roundup>
by John Gruber, Daring Fireball
If Apple is charging for the iPod Touch upgrade to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley, why is the Apple TV upgrade free? I'm left with the feeling that they're charging $20 for the iPod Touch upgrade simply because they can.

**** Apple MacBook Air <http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2249851,00.asp>
by Cicso Cheng, PC Magazine
These are respectable compromises. That's not to say that there isn't room for improvement&mdash;because there is&mdash;but fornow, the MacBook Air will captivate millions based on looks alone.

**** MacBook Air's Tradeoffs <http://www.macworld.com/article/131624/2008/01/macbook_air_tradeoffs.html?t=204>
by Dan Frakes, Macworld
Unlike the MacBook and MacBook Pro, the Air isn't designed to be a general-purpose computer; it has, by design, limitations that will be unacceptable for many people. But for a particular market&mdash;people who value light weight and are willing to give up other features to get it&mdash;it's an interesting machine.

**** Macwrold.Ars: Google Bringing Picasa To The Mac Later This Year <http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/01/16/google-bringing-picasa-to-the-mac-later-this-year>
by David Chartier, Ars Technica

**** First Look: iPhone 1.1.3 <http://www.macworld.com/article/131616/2008/01/iphone_update.html>
by Dan Moren, Macworld
Overall, 1.1.3 may not be as exciting an update as 1.1.1 was, but it reaffirms Apple's commitment to rolling out new software functionality to existing iPhone users, free of charge.

**** First Look: Apple TV, Take Two <http://www.macworld.com/article/131623/2008/01/apple_tv.html>
by Christopher Breen, Macworld

**** MacBooK Err: Why I'm Disappointed In Apple's Ultraslim New Laptop <http://slate.com/id/2182227/>
by Paul Boutin, Slate
I don't care about having the world's skinniest laptop. Rather, I need to be able to blog breaking news when I'm not near a Wi-Fi hotspot. I look forward to fawning over my friends' new MacBooks. But when they despeartely need to e-mail the boss, I'll just savor the triumph of whipping out my phone.

**** MW08: iPhone And iPod Touch Get IMAP Support For Gmail <http://www.macuser.com/updates/mw08_iphone_and_ipod_touch_get.php?lsrc=murss>
by Aayush Arya, MacUser

**** Macworld Best Of Show Winners <http://www.macworld.com/article/131642/2008/01/bos.html>
by Jim Dalrymple and Jason Snell, Macworld

**** Review: Microsoft Office For Mac 2008 &mdash; Better Than iWork? <http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9057338&source=rss_topic123>
by Jake Widman, Computerworld
You'll find that Office 2008 helps you get your work done more quickly and easily than before. You're also likely to start using features that were always there but were too much trouble to bother with.

**** Analysis: Apple Faces Competition In Movie-Rental Market <http://www.macworld.com/article/131635/2008/01/rentalcomp.html>
by Brian Chen, Macworld

**** Mac Users: MacBook Air Lacks Features <http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/16/Mac-users-MacBook-Air-lacks-features_1.html>
by Agam Shah, IDG News Service
Omission of FireWire port, lack of storage capacity, slow hard drive, and high price tag are some of the complaints Mac users have about Apple's latest laptop.
/Thin, it seems, is not on many people's wishlist for a subnotebook./

**** The iPhone's Updates Make It Revolutionary <http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2008/01/16/iphone_updates/>
by Farhad Manjoo, Salon
The iPhone you bought last June is actually better now than it was back then.
/The magic of software!/

**** Steve Jobs Helps Me Find My Way <http://www.crn.com/software/205800850>
by Ed Moltzen, CRN
Apple is making good on Oppenheimer's promise of adding solid, new iPhone functionality, at no additional cost to buyers, every few months.

**** Want An iPhone? It Looks Like A Long Wait Ahead <http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Story/STIStory_196988.html>
by Chua Hian Hou, Straits Times
Singapore consumers who want to get their hands on Apple's iPhone, hailed as Time Magazine's gadget of the year for 2007, will have to wait.
The reason: None of the three mobile phone operators here has been able to lock down a deal with the California-based tech giant.

The Tomorrow Weblog
====================================

**** Yahoo Throws Weight Behind OpenID Standard <http://www.news.com/8301-13577_3-9852348-36.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
by Caroline McCarthy, CNET News.com

**** Analysis: Sun's Billion-Dollar Baby <http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/17/news-sun-mysql-analysis_1.html?source=rss&url=http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/17/news-sun-mysql-analysis_1.html>
by Neil McAllister, InfoWorld
Following its buyout by open-source-happy Sun, will MySQL founder or flourish?

**** Why Watermarking Will Never Replace DRM <http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080116-why-watermarking-will-never-replace-drm.html>
by Ken Fisher, Ars Technica

**** My Open Wireless Network <http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/01/my_open_wireles_1.html>
by Bruce Schneier
Whenever I talk or write about my own security setup, the one thing that surprises people &mdash; and attracts the most criticism &mdash; is the fact that I run an open wireless network at home.

**** What Sun+MySQL Says About Open-Source Busienss Models <http://www.cnet.com/8301-13556_1-9851659-61.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
by Gordon Haff, CNET News.com

MyAppleMenu Reader
====================================

**** The $1.4 Trillion Question <http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200801/fallows-chinese-dollars>
by James Fallows, The Atlantic
The Chinese are subsidizing the American way of life. Are we playing them for suckers&mdash;or are they playing us?

**** In Praise Of Melancholy <http://chronicle.com/temp/reprint.php?id=t5wqrs9hpxt70zjz3bv348pqg1hcxz0r>
by Eric G. Wilson, Chronicle Of Higher Education
American culture's overemphasis on happiness misses an essential part of a full life.

**** No Good For Nothing: The Attack Of The Crapsheets <http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/01/no_good_for_nothing_the_attack.html>
by Nicholas Lezard, Guardian
They may not cost any money, but free evening papers are exacting a heavy toll from literate culture.

**** Dmitri's Choice <http://www.slate.com/id/2181859/fr/rss/>
by Ron Rosenbaum, Slate
Nabokov wanted his final, unfinished work destroyed. Should his son get out the matches?

SingaporeSurf
====================================

**** Food On A Merlion's Table <http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dav/2008/01/17/life/food.on.a.merlion.s.table.html>
by Dorothy Bangayan, Sun.Star Davao
Singapore, the land of lah's and laksa, of bee eng chiang and kopi roti, of sate barbecues and chili crabs. The cuisine betrays the stiffness Singapore is known for.

**** Maids Face Unfair Agreements <http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaileditorial.asp?fileid=20080117.F05&irec=4>
by Christopher Chew, Jakarta Post

**** Singapore Dec Inflation Estimated Up 2.5-4.5 Pct On Higher Food, Transport Costs <http://www.thomsonfxhub.com/fxhub/news-detail.jsf?newsId=9575&pageId=0>
by Thomson Financial
Singapore's consumer price index (CPI) is expected to show a further rise in December after surging to a 25-year high in November, as prices of food and transport continued to climb.

**** Chikungunya Fever Detected, Believed To Be Locally Transmitted <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/323131/1/.html>
by Channel NewsAsia
A new strain of viral disease called chikungunya, which is transmitted in the same way as dengue fever by aedes mosquitoes, has been detected in Singapore.

**** Singapore's GIC Says Citi, UBS Investments Unique <http://www.reuters.com/article/fundsFundsNews/idUSSIN3318820080116>
by Kevin Lim, Reuters
Singapore's biggest sovereign wealth fund said on Wednesday its large investments in banks Citigroup Inc and UBS AG are unique at a time of financial turmoil and did not represent a strategy shift.

**** MOH To Make It Mandatory For Private Hospitals To Publish Bill Sizes <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/323128/1/.html>
by Hasnita A. Majid, Channel NewsAsia

**** Strawberry Generation - True Or False? <http://alfred-muses.livejournal.com/1516.html>
by Introspective

**** Long Queues Have Started At Lim Chee Guan... <http://keropokman.blogspot.com/2008/01/long-queues-have-started-at-lim-chee.html>
by The Keropok

**** Know Who To Give The Wake-Up Call To, Please <http://aaron-ng.info/blog/know-who-to-give-the-wake-up-call-to-please.html>
by Aaron Ng, Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
There is no excuse for the behaviour of this principal, and Lui Tuck Yew just made things worse defending the principal.
To demoralise hardworking students with such insensitive remarks is not the right thing to do for an educator.

**** That's Not The Way To Build Confidence In Youths <http://singaporepatriot.blogspot.com/2008/01/thats-not-way-to-build-confidence-in.html>
by Gerald Giam, SIngapore Patriot
The principal was clearly in the wrong and it would have been better to just admit it and move on.

**** Living Like Kings <http://insideindonesia.org/content/view/1031/47/>
by Michele Ford and Lenore Lyons, Inside Indonesia
Working=class Singaporeans travel to Indonesia's Riau Islands in search of a fantasy built around sex.

**** Have We Lost Our Audacity To Hope? <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/01/17/have-we-lost-our-audacity-to-hope/>
by Choo Zheng Xi, theonlinecitizen
Our politicians will have to speak beyond their political constituencies with an eye to more than winning elections. They need to speak to history as it will be seen years later, and create a national narrative that will shape our country's destiny, whatever that may be.

**** She Is Being So Unfair <http://tnp.sg/news/story/0,4136,153615,00.html?>
by Liew Hanqing and Desmong Ng, New Paper
When we spoke to students from schools which have uniforms similar to those pictured on the website, they were outraged by the misuse of their uniforms.
/This is a perfectly good time for Singapore schools to drop the idea of wearing a uniform./

**** Hard Questions On The Citigroup Purchase <http://antineodem.wordpress.com/2008/01/16/hard-questions-on-the-citigroup-purchase/>
by The Anti Neo-Democracy Theorist
The bigger question here is can the government investment corps and Temasek Holdings come out to justify the deal?
/Such deals, I suspect, will only yield good results in the long term. Unfortunately, in the long term, all of key players and stakeholders will be dead./

**** Premium Bus Services &mdash; Priced To Match <http://www.todayonline.com/articles/232610.asp>
by Looi Teik Soon, Public Transport Council, Today

**** Lower-Income Residents At Henderson Road Have Poorer Health Than Most: Survey <http://www.todayonline.com/articles/232645.asp>
by Alicia Wong, Today
In three out of four key health indicators, a group of lower-income, mainly elderly, residents at Henderson Road are faring poorer compared to the national average.
/Hence, if the CPF annuity plan were to be implemented as earlier announced, these poorer folks will be forking out money to the more wealthy and longer-living people to enjoy./

**** Boon Keng Bonanza <http://www.todayonline.com/articles/232650.asp>
by Neo Chai Chin, Today
Demand for 'condo-like' HDB flats outstrip supply by five times.

**** Want An iPhone? It Looks Like A Long Wait Ahead <http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Story/STIStory_196988.html>
by Chua Hian Hou, Straits Times
Singapore consumers who want to get their hands on Apple's iPhone, hailed as Time Magazine's gadget of the year for 2007, will have to wait.
The reason: None of the three mobile phone operators here has been able to lock down a deal with the California-based tech giant.

**** Tourist Pass: A Cinch For Visitors Or Just Another Inconvenience? <http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Online%2BStory/STIStory_196974.html>
by Chin Yuh Wen, Straits Times
/This incident seems to tell us that there is no clear ownership of this Tourist Pass product within Ez-Link and STB. Nobody can do anything: it's all red-tapes./