[MyAppleMenu] Jan 18, 2008

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Microsoft PowerPoint 2008 <http://www.macworld.com/article/131597/2008/01/powerpoint2008.html>
by Franklin N. Tessler, Macworld
Whether you're using PowerPoint by necessity or choice, the latest version's new additions are useful, and produce attractive results. Unfortunately, Mac users will miss out on capabiliites available to Windows users and the intuitive interface of Keynote.

**** MWSF: ConceptDraw 7.5 Ships <http://www.macworld.co.uk/macsoftware/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=20182>
by Jonny Evans, Macworld UK

**** First Look: On Cloud 9 With Apple's MacBook Air <http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9057741&source=rss_topic123>
by Ryan Faas, Computerworld
There can be no real question that the MacBook Air is a truly innovative product. One close-up look at its incredibly bright, clear screen, its stunning light and thin form factor, the inclusion of multi-touch functions and the combination of wireless technologies show that the MacBook Air continues Apple's tradition of next-generation innovation and design. But does that mean that it's the perfect portable Mac for everyone? Probably not.

**** Apple Squashes 24Hr Movie Rental Workaround <http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/01/17/24hr.film.rental.bug.fixed/>
by MacNN
/I wonder if the hack will still work if you disconnect from the internet after downloading the rented movie./

**** Why Are Windows Products Moving To Apple's Mac OS? <http://www.betanews.com/article/Why_are_Windows_products_moving_to_Apples_MacOS/1200521847>
by Jacqueline Emigh, BetaNews
Migration from Windows to Mac OS does seem particularly evident this year, particularly with big names showing up at Macworld for the very first time.

**** Pulling The Story Of Apple's New Laptop Out Of Thin 'Air' <http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9057678&intsrc=news_ts_head>
by Seth Weintraub, Computerworld
Unlike past years, when rumors abounded with little confirmation, the Macintosh rumor community this time put togethe pieces of the mysterious laptop puzzle from clues left around the web &mdash; and may have even tricked Apple into showing its cards a bit early.

**** Serious Speech Dictation Makes Its Mac Debut At Macworld '08 <http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080117-serious-speech-dictation-makes-its-mac-debut-at-macworld-08.html>
by Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

**** Macworld 2008 Keynote Now Available As Podcast <http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/01/17/macworld-2008-keynote-now-available-as-podcast>
by Iljitsch van Beijnum, Ars Technica

**** Time Capsule And Its Associated Rage Factor <http://db.tidbits.com/article/9407>
by Glenn Fleishman, TidBITS
If Apple can now reliably write backups to a hard drive connected via Serial ATA, why can't it handle a drive connected via USB?
/I agree with Glenn Fleishman: hold your anger for a few more days to see if Apple pushes out an update for AirPort Extreme customers to use Time Machine./

**** LightWorks 7.8 Simplifies Lighting Effects <http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/01/17/lightworks.78.released/>
by MacNN

**** MWSF: EyeTV 3 Supports Remote Access Features, More <http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/01/17/eyetv.3.advanced.features/>
by MacNN

**** Expo Notes: Getting Creative At Expo <http://www.macworld.com/article/131658/2008/01/creative.html>
by Heather Kelly, Macworld
Here are some of my favorite little finds on the Expo fllor so far. They're all programs for adventurous people who want to dabble in something new and creative.

**** First Look: iTunes Movie Rentals <http://www.macworld.com/article/131663/2008/01/itunesrent.html>
by Peter Cohen, Macworld
Despite some minor glitches, iTunes rental are simple to grab and enjoy.

**** iTunes Movies Outsell HD-DVD And Blu-Ray Disc <http://www.businessweek.com/technology/ByteOfTheApple/blog/archives/2008/01/itunes_movies_o.html?campaign_id=rss_blog_byteoftheapple>
by Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek

**** First Look: iPod Touch 1.1.3 <http://www.macworld.com/article/131667/2008/01/ipodtouch113.html>
by Christopher Breen, Macworld
Upgrade isn't seamless, but it brings welcome changes.

**** Of Canaries And Coal Mines <http://diveintomark.org/archives/2008/01/17/of-canaries-and-coal-mines>
by Mark Pilgrim, Dive Into Mark

**** 'Mac People' More Open, Liberal Than PC Users, Study Says <http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9057738&source=rss_topic123>
by Elizabeth Montalbano, Computerworld
People who prefer Apple's Macintosh computers over PCs have long been thought to be on the artsy, hip end of the personality spectrum &mdash; and now a study proves that "Mac people" indeed are more liberal and open-minded than average folks.

**** Expo Notes: Flock Of One <http://www.macworld.com/article/131672/2008/01/expoflock.html>
by Dan Moren, Macworld
My award for the best one-man-show at this year's expo goes to Evan Hamilton. Evan's the community ambassador for Flock,a free cross-platform web browser based on Mozilla Firefox that's designed to integrate with a variety of popular social networking services.

**** Violet Blue: Steve Jobs Snubbed Me <http://www.news.com/8301-13772_3-9852738-52.html?part=rsssubj=newstag=2547-1_3-0-20>
by Daniel Terdiman, CNET News.com
But boy, is the man cold-hearted. What does he expect to happen if he walks the floor at Macworld?
See Previously:
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.

The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Are You Suffering From Password Pressure? <http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/17/security.banks>
by Anna Pickard, The Guardian

**** Why Is Finland Europe's Technology Leader? The Prime Minister Explains <http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9852832-54.html?part=rsssubj=newstag=2547-1_3-0-20>
by Michael Kanellos, CNET News.com

MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Why We Love <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1704672,00.html>
by Jeffrey Kluger, Time
The lure of losing our faculties is one of the things that makes sex thrilling&mdash;and one of the vey things that keeps the species going. As far as your genes are concerned, your principal job while you're alive is to conceive offspring, bring them to adulthood and then obligingly die so you don't consume resources better spent on the yong Anything that encourages you to breed now and breed plenty gets that job done.
But mating and the rituals surrounding it make us come unhinged in other ways too, ones that are harder to explain by the mere babymaking imperative.

**** Superheroes In Real Life <http://articles.citypages.com/2008-01-16/feature/superheroes-in-real-life/>
by Ward Rubrecht, City Pages
Inspired by comic books, ordinary citizens are putting on masks to fight crime.

SingaporeSurf
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**** PTC, Operators Welcome News Of LTA Planning Central Bus Network <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/323448/1/.html>
by Wong Mun Wai, Channel NewsAsia

**** Land Transport Review Part 1: Public Transport\ <http://sgtransport.blogspot.com/2008/01/land-transport-review-part-1-public.html>
by Daniel Chin, Singapore's Land Tansport

**** Mediocrity In Meritocracy: There Must Be, There Cannot Be <http://mollymeek.livejournal.com/179059.html>
by Mollymeek

**** Major Overhaul To Improve Bus Travel <http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_197555.html>
by Straits Times
First, the government will take back control of the planning of routes from the two main public transport companies. Then the bus market will be opened up to more competition.
Transport minister Raymond Lim announced the plans to make public transport a choice mode and a viable alternative to the car on Friday morning. The overhaul will take place over the next few years.
See Also:
Speech By Mr Raymond Lim <http://app.mot.gov.sg/data/s_08_01_18.htm>, Minister For Transport And Second Minister For Foreign Affairs, At The Launch Of The Land Transport Gallery, 18 January 2008, 9.20 AM. (Singapore Government)

**** Malaysia, Singapore Airlines Review Route Agreement <http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSKLA00656220080117>
by Reuters
Flag carriers Malaysian Airline System Bhd and Singapore Airlines are reviewing their cooperation agreement covering the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore route, the Malaysian airline said on Thursday. "Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines are considering the framework of their long-standing agreement on services between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, to take into account the entry of new competitors into this market," it said in an email to Reuters.

**** Jetstar Eyes Singapore As Key To Europe <http://business.smh.com.au/jetstar-eyes-singapore-as-key-to-europe/20080117-1mly.html>
by Sydney Morning Herald
Jetstar is considering using Changi Airport as its key overseas long-haul hub, amid growing speculation it cold act with its 45 per cent Qantas-owned Singaporean affiliate, Jetstar Asia, to offer joint services into Europe.

**** When Graciousness Gets Left Behind <http://www.insanepoly.com/blog/?p=462>
by Insane Polygons
The fear of being left behind has been craved into the national psyche.

**** 27 Hapless Girls And One Unhappy Principal <http://mrwangsaysso.blogspot.com/2008/01/27-hapless-girls-and-one-unhappy.html>
by Mr Wang Says So
What's the worst that could happen? One year later, you find that you can't make it to the poly. You can still go to the ITE then. Where's the damage? None that I can see. (And no, the size of your principal's annual bonus is not relevant.)

**** "The People Look To Us For Leadership. Let Us Provide It." - Dr Chee Soon Juan <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/01/18/%e2%80%9cthe-people-look-to-us-for-leadership-let-us-provide-it%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-dr-chee-soon-juan/>
by Andrew Loh, theonlinecitizen
Without institutionalized reforms put in place, Dr Chee feels any election swill be futile undertakings by opposition parties.

**** Doorstep Flyers A Hazard All Round <http://www.todayonline.com/articles/232816.asp>
by Frederick Yeo, Today

**** More Pawn Jewellery As Gold Hits Record High <http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Story/STIStory_197398.html>
by Tara Tan and Amy Tan, Straits Times
With gold hitting a record high of US$909 an ounce on Monday, Singaporeans are cashing in.

**** Ending Not Televised Due To Technical Glitch; MediaCorp To Re-Screen Movie Tonight <http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Online%2BStory/STIStory_197306.html>
by Parker Lim, MediaCorp TV, Straits Times

**** That Extra 5% May Not Go Far <http://www.todayonline.com/articles/232846.asp>
by Neo Chai Chin, Today
Wages are set to increase in the year ahead, but inflation may curb the purchasing power of your fatter paycheque, according to a survey on salary trends.

**** Why Cut Off At Age 85? Queries Halimah <http://www.todayonline.com/articles/232839.asp>
by Sheralyn Tay, Today
Why is 85 the cut-off age for MediShield &mdash; the government's catastrophic illness insurance scheme &mdash; asked Mdm Halimah, who heads the government parliamentary committee for health, and a member of parliament for Jurong GRC.