From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Wed Apr 1 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 1 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 1, 2009 Message-ID: <20090401225900.28051.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Clearwire Offers iPhone WiMax Hotspot by Roy Mark, eWeek WiMax provider Clearwire said March 31 it plans to begin offering a Wi-Fi device that allows users of Apple's iPhone and other Wi-Fi-emabled devices to tap into Clearwire's 4G mobile WiMax network. Clearwire claims its WiMax technology will deliver wireless Internet speeds several times faster than users' phones with embedded 3G technology ??? without having to find a Wi-Fi hotspot. **** 'Bookworm' Sets The Standard For iPhone Word Games by Eli Hodapp, TouchArcade While there are word games on the App Store that offer similar game play???and even some fairly obvious clones???none really compare with the complete Bookworm package as it has evolved over the years. **** My Apple Laptops: Past, Present, And Future by Charles Moore, Low End Mac **** Apple, Dell, Intel Sued Over Encryption Patent by Thomas Claburn, InformationWeek The patent in question is U.S. patent No. 5,963,646, "Secure deterministic encryption key generator system and method," which describes an encryption key generator. The system allows for "the destruction of an encryption key after each use by providing for the re-creation of the key without need of key directories or other encryption key storage processes." **** Greenpeace: Apple Greener, But Still Has A Ways To Go by Troy Wolverton, SiliconBeat Greenpeace gave Apple some kudos on Tuesday for improving its environmental policies. But the environmental activists made clear that the iPhone maker still has a long way to go before earning Greenpeace???s stamp of approval. **** Apple's App Store: A Rapidly Growing Marketplace by John Boudreau, San Jose Mercury News Less than a year old, Apple's online App Store is on its way to becoming a billion-dollar marketplace for iPhone applications that often sell for no more than a few dollars, according to Mobclix, a startup that offers developers analytical data garnered from mobile devices. **** Hitch Seen In Potential China Unicom Deal by Eric Savitz, Barrons **** Apple's $500 Or Microsoft's 81% Tax? by Robin Harris, ZDNet Just the cost of anti-virus protection for Windows justifies the mythical $500. **** VeriSign Brings Authentication Tokens To iPhone by Glenn Fleishman, TidBITS **** WireTap Studio Improves AAC Recording by Peter Cohen, Macworld **** Playing Go On The Mac by Kirk McElhearn, Macworld Your Mac and your iPhone can give you a platform for playing this strategic board game. **** Vicomsoft FTP Client Gains QuickLook, Growl Support by Peter Cohen, Macworld The new 4.6 release features support for Leopard's QuickLook feature, which lets you preview the contents of a file without opening it first. Also new in this release is support for Growl, the notification software for Mac OS X. **** SongGenie 1.1 by Kirk McElhearn, Macworld If you???ve got lots of music files with incomplete or missing artist, album, or song tags, and you want to spare yourself the time of figuring out what those tags should be, SongGenie can help tidy up your music library. **** DirecTV Releases Remote Recording Application For iPhone by Justin Berka, Ars Technica iPhone owners with DirecTV service now have an easier way to schedule recordings when they're not at home, thanks to the new DIRECTV app. The software lets users browse programs, search for shows, and record shows to any DVR associated with the account. It does it all with an interface that's tailored to the iPhone. **** Macs In The Enterprise: The Cost Factor by Tom Kaneshige, CIO Few CIOs want to shell out recession-scarce dollars for pricy Macs when a cheap PC will do just fine. Microsoft drove home this point last week with attack ads showing cash-strapped consumers choosing PCs over Macs. But are Macs really too costly in the business world? **** Disable Support Site Help Searches In Leopard by Rob Griffiths, Macworld **** MLB.com At Bat Back For 2009, Now Includes Gameday Audio by Justin Berka, Ars Technica Major League Baseball's MLB.com At Bat baseball app is back for the 2009 season, now with Gameday Audio. The price has also risen, but if you don't feel like buying the new version, you'll still be able to get real-time scores via MLB.com At Bate Lite. **** SlickEdit 2009 Debugs Perl, Python, PHP by Peter Cohen, Macworld SlickEdit is a multi-language code editor that lets programmers work in over 40 languages on seven platforms. **** Hands-On: SelfControl For Mac Blocks Distractions—Seriously by Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica SelfControl is a new, free app for Mac OS X that helps you enforce your own self control when it comes to Internet-related distractions. Create a blacklist of servers that will be blocked during a certain time period, but you had better be ready to commit, because there's no way to turn off the block until your time period has expired. **** Diary For iPhone by Kate Dohe, Macworld Journal app is off to a good start, but more features are needed. **** TimeCache 8.0 Adds Report, Invoice Improvements by MacNN The update focuses on improvements to reports and invoices, and provides more customization options for sub-sorting and sub-totalling, the ability to produce instant reports and invoices from saved settings, and an option for using a PDF file as a report or invoice background. **** Skype For iPhone: An iTunes App Store Hit by Jessica Dolcourt, CNET If Skype for iPhone seems like a big deal to you, you'd be right. It's topping iPhone App Store charts for nine countries, Skype says. **** An Apple For The Teacher by Gary J. Kunich, Kenosha News Washington Middle School, one of Kenosha Unified???s most impoverished based on free and reduced lunches, has been honored as an Apple Distinguished School for its one-to-one laptop computer program and how it incorporates technology into class work. It is one of 33 nationwide ??? and the only one in Wisconsin ??? to receive the recognition. **** Organizer For iPhone by Kate Dohe, Macworld Feature-rich day planner is marred by clunky interface. **** First Look: Daylite Touch by Steven Sande, The Unofficial Apple Weblog **** TimeBridge by John Brandon, Macworld Meeting scheduler has a good concept but limited features. **** PhotoSwap For iPhone by Chester Baker, Macworld PhotoSwap provides instant access to random pictures from random people. That said, it???s unfortunate that you cannot save contacts or jump back to old conversations. **** Troubleshooting Back To My Mac by Glenn Fleishman, Macworld Frequently, getting the service to function can be maddening. In some cases, it won???t work???no matter what you try. **** Flash'in'App Embeds Flash In Mac Apps by Peter Cohen, Macworld Eltima Software on Wednesday introduced Flash???in???App 2.0, a new version of its programming tool that helps developers load and manage Flash movies within Mac applications. **** Review: Skype Finally Does VoIP Right On The iPhone by David Chartier, Ars Technica Skype for iPhone delivers on most, but not all, of the potential of Skype's VoIP service. The app is designed well, call quality is surprisingly excellent (most of the time), and this 1.0 release leaves plenty of room for the company to pick up the straggling features with a future release. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** Think Outside The Carton, Homemade Ice Cream Lovers by David Lebovitz, Los Angeles Times Carrots, cocoa nibs, roasted buckwheat — just a few ingredient ideas to kick your imagination up a notch. **** Empty Garden by Jason Zengerle, The New Republic Why did New York stop growing basketball stars? **** An Awkward Obituary by Kurt Soller, Newsweek Seattle was a two-newspaper town until one went down. How do you cover your competitor's demise? **** Pun For The Ages by Joseph Tartakovsky, New York Times But low as puns may be, they have been known to appeal to the loftiest minds. **** 'Das Kapital' As A Boy's Bedtime Story by Dwight Garner, New York Times Sa??d Sayrafiezadeh???s memoir recounts growing up in a family of ardent members of the Socialist Workers Party, convinced that revolution was just around the corner. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** Gingrich: We Should Have Singapore-Style Drug Tests For Americans by David Neiwert, Crooks And Liars "Now, they have no drug problem in Singapore at all, number one, because they hang drug dealers — they execute them. And number two, the market is very thin, because when they catch you using, you go away with a mandatory rehab." **** From Amusement Park To Cement Park by Times Of My Life **** Courts And Laws Do Support Joint Custody by Alfred Lim, Straits Times **** Khaw Boon Wan: I Do Not Know Anything About CDC Bonuses!! by The Wayang Party Club **** Why The PAP Needs To Continue Paying Obscene Salaries To Attract Unwilling Politicians by Fang Zhi Yuan, The Wayang Party Club The zero sum game in Singapore politics means that you are either with or against the PAP. Given the climate of fear fostered by ISA arrests and defamation lawsuits on opposition leaders, it is little wonder that Singaporeans are generally averse to politics. The pervasive political apathy in the populace has led to a perculiar situation in which there is a dearth of talented Singaporeans joining politics. The PAP has to go out of its way to coax Singaporeans to join its ranks. **** One Hand Clap For The Government - Woodlands Ave 7 On The Way To Being Safe by Aussie Pete The reason I am clapping with just one hand only, is that once again I have seen no change to behaviours... I still see cyclists speeding through crowds of pedestrians (on both paths), boldly and proudly ringing their bell to part the crowds - often without even slowing, many still talking on cell phone. **** PAP MP In Ivory Tower, Can't See The Ground by Seelan Palay Help us genuinely - don't make use of us to promote yourself. Sembawang GRC does owe us, and it owes us a lot. The high maintenance costs that we have to pay, continue to fatten the Town Council's bank accounts. Some of our money was recklessly lost in speculative investments in toxic financial products; are there further losses to come? At the end of the day, we are the ones who have to bear the increasing burden. **** Family Of Dead Doctor Asks For An Inquiry by Teo Xuanwei, Today The family of Captain (Dr) Allan Ooi Seng Teik, who was found dead under a bridge in Melbourne last month, is asking for an inquiry by an independent panel to address some of the late doctor???s concerns about his job. **** Maids Can't Take Over Parents' Roles by Peter Chong, The Star At one time when I visited my cousin in Singapore, she told me how her own daughter almost wanted to kill her. **** ??????????????????????????????????????????????????? by ???????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** A Little Less Salty Now by Alicia Wong, Today Watersports enthusiasts may soon find the waters calmer at the Marina Reservoir, although visitors to the barrage may get the occasional whiff of a strange smell. These are some of the changes that can be expected as the PUB, the national water agency, begins the desalting process at the Marina Reservoir this month. **** Parliament Sitting April 13 by Straits Times **** Serving National Purposes by The Online Citizen Supporting community heritage institutions are a national imperative. **** Applications Open For Families Of Problem Gamblers To Exclude Them From Casinos by Hasnita A Majid, Channel NewsAsia The Family Exclusion Order is available to immediate family members such as spouses, children, parents and siblings, including adopted and step relations. **** No Pay Leave, Wage Freeze by Karamjit Kaur, Straits Times More than 1,400 Singapore Airlines have volunteered to take no-pay leave but it is not enough to steer the airline through the current tough times. Next step: Compulsory leave for all, and a wage freeze for managers in the current financial year, which ends next March. **** A Daring Take On A Wilde Play by Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop, New York Times Presenting Oscar Wilde???s ???The Importance of Being Earnest??? with an all-male cast dressed as men has raised a few eyebrows in conservative Singapore, leading the media regulator to request the company to prominently display an age advisory of ???16 years and above??? on all its publicity material, with the notice, ???Re-interpretation, all-male cast.??? The director, Glen Goei, said he decided to recast the well-known play, which has several female characters, because he wanted to ???celebrate??? Oscar Wilde, a man who ???dared to be true to himself and his nature??? and ???remind people what he stood for.??? From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Thu Apr 2 18:59:01 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 2 Apr 2009 22:59:01 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 2, 2009 Message-ID: <20090402225901.79469.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Apple's iPhone Emerges As Gaming Platform by Gabriel Madway, Reuters Apple's iPhone has emerged as a serious videogame platform, fulfilling the long-held promise of mobile phone gaming and positioning itself as a legitimate competitor to handheld consoles. **** Seeking Enterprise Mac Support? by Tom Kaneshige, CIO CIOs regularly turn to the tight-knit Mac user community to solve their enterprise Mac problems and to stay abreast of everything Apple. **** Steve Jobs Should Not Come Back To Apple by Shawn King, The Mac Observer Look at it from two points of view: Does Apple need Jobs as CEO and does Jobs need to be Apple's CEO? **** Apple Turns 33, No Fooling by Jeff Gamet, The Mac Observer Apple opened shop on April 1, 1976 as Apple Computer, Inc. and despite some rocky times, is still going strong 33 years later. **** Rainbow Painter 3 Now Available For Mac by Bryan Fergus, The Mac Observer Rainbow Painter 3 is an advanced image editor for retouching photos, painting and drawing. **** iPod Shuffle Sales Surge 50% As iPod Touch Maintains Top Slot by Sam Oliver, AppleInsider Sales of Apple's most affordable iPod shot up more than 50 percent a week after the company unveiled new, more compact models that shift the push controls from the player itself to the included pair of earphones. **** April Fools Day: The 'Rosebud Technology' Hoa & Xanthoma by David Morgenstern, ZDNet On the day we celebrate tricks, it???s perhaps a good time to remember a major computer industry hoax: Rosebud Technology. At the April Macworld Expo in San Francisco (this is no joke), a group of Mac tricksters hoped to lure the press into covering an exciting and new networking technology for the Mac. Of course, some took the bait. **** App Store Lessons: Dealing With Pink Uploads Of Doom by Erica Sadun, Ars Technica Did iTunes Connect reject your application upload? **** Complex by John Gruber, Daring Fireball The way to build a complex device with all the features you want is not to start by trying to build a device with all those features, but rather to start with the fundamentals, and then iterate and evolve. On the other hand, how many company have the luxury of time to evolve? **** Withdrawing From The Addictive iPhone by Stephen Lawson, Macworld My true addiction was the mobile Web. I???m not talking about the useful parts, such as the application that told me when the next bus was coming, though not having that reshapes my day a bit sometimes. What keeps me reaching for my iPhone like a phantom limb is just the diversion of something new to look at during the innumerable downtimes of my day. **** Canadians Can't Use New Skype App For iPhones by Chris Sorensen, The Star Millions of iPhone users around the world now have the ability to make cheap or even free wireless calls using Internet calling service Skype ??? unless, of course, they happen to live in Canada. **** Skype's iPhone Limits Irk Some Consmer Advocates by Leslie Cauley, USA Today Apple's unique treatment of the new Skype Internet calling feature on the iPhone ??? the free app works only on Wi-Fi, not the cellular or 3G network ??? is raising concern among public-policymakers and consumer advocates. They say it's a clear example of AT&T, the sole carrier of the iPhone in the U.S., trying to handicap a direct competitor. **** Apple Mac Pro by Stephen Dean, Register Hardware It???s expensive, but the Mac Pro's price is justified by the raw power of the Xeon processor. **** Apple Offers Free Accounting And ERP Seminars Online by Peter Cohen, Macworld The Tomorrow Weblog ==================================== **** Light And Cheap, Netbooks Are Poised To Rehsape PC Industry by Ashlee Vance and Matt Richtel, New York Times Get ready for the next stage in the personal computer revolution: ultrathin and dirt cheap. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** Blowfish's Bad Rap Is Killing Him by John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times A Japanese chef wants to convince people that the deadly fish known as fugu is perfectly safe in the right hands. His, for example. **** Paper Money by Daniel Gross, Slate All newspapers???all print media???have been hit hard in this recession. All face an existential crisis and may ultimately face the prospect of bankruptcy. Those whose owners saw papers as assets to be flipped, leveraged, and stripped are already bankrupt. **** The Undemocratic People's Republic Of Korea by Juliet Lapidos, Slate Why do the most totalitarian countries always have the most democratic-sounding names? SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** Childcare Cetnre Al-Amin Takes Issue With ST Report by Ong Dai Lin, Today A childcare centre is suing newspaper company Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) for alleged defamation. Al-Amin Education is claiming that a Straits Times article last year had implied its Tampines branch was responsible for a 13-month-old boy and his five-year-old cousin contracting hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). **** Travel Agents Seek To End Row, Approach Uddhav Thackeray by Sudha Menon and P.R. Sanjai, Wall Street Journal In their ongoing agitation against Singapore Airlines, representatives of the Travel Agents Association of India, or Taai, and Travel Agents Federation of India, or Tafi, have decided to approach Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray to mediate in the imbroglio, said Rajji Rai, president of Taai. **** The Brothel In Singapore: Karin's True Story Of Slavery by Amanda Kloer, Change.org Karin's story illustrates the vast work which needs to still be done. **** $500 Deposit To Open POSB Account Is Too High by Azmanshah Zailamshah, Straits Times I always thought POSB was the people's bank. **** Singapore Airlines Implements Shorter Work Months by AFP Singapore Airlines (SIA) on Wednesday announced shorter work months for management and ground staff as part of cost-cutting measures to deal with the impact of the global economic crisis. A company statement said it will also implement a wage freeze for managers and warned it cannot rule out further measures to keep costs down if the worldwide downturn worsens. **** An Onlne Petition To The Singapore PM To Investigate The Death Of Indonesian Student David Hartanto Widjaja by The Wayang Party Club **** Suicides In The SAF: Family Of Deceased Doctor's Public Call For Inquiry Opens A Pandora's Box For MINDEF by Lim Yii Tong, The Wayang Party Club If the allegations contained in the letter are indeed true, MINDEF will be hard pressed to account for their policy of coercing unhappy scholars to remain in service against their will. Under Article 23 of the UN Universal Declarations of Human Right, everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. In this instance, the right of Dr Allan Ooi to ???free choice of employment??? overrides the MINDEF???s right to demand him to complete his bond. **** Singapore Home Prices In Steepest Drop Since 1975 by Kevin Lim, Reuters Singapore private home prices suffered their biggest drop in more than 30 years in the first three months of 2009 as the country's worst-ever recession hammered investor sentiment in the recently booming property market. Resale prices for government-built HDB apartments, which house over 80 percent of Singapore citizens, fell 0.6 percent in the first quarter from the last three months of last year, a separate index compiled by the Housing development Board showed. **** Singaporean Buys 51% Stake by Karamjit Kaur, Straits Times Singapore's Temasek Holdings, as well as other minority shareholders of the company that owns low-cost carriers Jetstar Asia and Valuair, are pulling out of the venture. **** ????????????????????????????????? by ????????? **** ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** But Who Will Watch The Watchmen? by Alastair Su, Give Me Some Truth **** Principles & Pragmatism - Can Singapore Afford Both? by Khairulanwar Zaini, The Online Citizen That is the true tragedy in the entire affair: of being Singapore and being vulnerable to the pressures of economy and trade that ideals and principles that we should stand for have to be forsaken. **** Rise In Suicides Across Asia Feared Amid Recession by AFP As the global economy tanks and an increasing number of people get laid off in Singapore, SOS is seeking more volunteers to cope with a rise in the number of callers in need of solace from a kind voice. **** Survey Shows Singaporeans Least Optimistic About Future by Lynlee Foo, Channel NewsAsia Affluent Singaporeans are the most pessimistic in Asia when it comes to their future, according to a survey by life insurer AXA. **** The 10 Highest Paid Politicians In The World by Martyn See, Only "Objective" And "Factual" Political Films Please, We're Singaporeans This TimesOnline article gets it all wrong. From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Fri Apr 3 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 3 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 3, 2009 Message-ID: <20090403225900.45089.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Apple Cracking Down On Rogue Apps by Marin Perez, InformationWeek The revised SDK forbids developers from jailbreaking the devices or creating apps that are distributed outside the App Store. **** Yelp To Release New iPhone App by Caroline McCarthy, CNET **** Third-Gen iPod Shuffle Experiencing Control Issues by iPodnn According to support discussions, play and volume controls may malfunction when used during activities associated with sweat, such as a run or a workout. **** Weber State University: Dual-Boot iMac Shaves Computing Costs by Apple Thanks to the Intel-powered iMac???s ability to run both the Windows and Mac operating systems, WSU is now enjoying a significant savings in its hardware expenditures. And students visiting the computer labs and kiosks in the Student Union building have the convenience of using two computers in one. **** iPhone Reversi Games: A Bunch Of Losers by Ted Landau, The Mac Observer Unfortunately, none of these apps are worth their cost. And I say this knowing that several of the versions cost nothing at all. To be fair, I didn't assess all the different Reversi games in the App Store; rather, I selected 4 that appeared to be representative. Perhaps I overlooked some gem. But I doubt it. **** Older Slingboxes Incompatible With Sling iPhone App by Erica Ogg, CNET Sling Media has announced that the first few models of the Slingbox won't work with new Sling software, including the much-anticipated SlingPlayer for iPhone. **** How Apple Could Change The Face Of Digital Music by Tim Nash, Low End Mac **** Microsoft Optimistic About Office Making Its Way To iPhone by Sam Oliver, AppleInsider Microsoft still holds aspirations of delivering a version of its leading Office suite capable of running on the iPhone but needs a bit more time to get it all sorted out. **** Stanford iPhone Developer Course Available Free Via iTunes U by Chris Foresman, Ars Technica Stanford is making lecture videos and slides from its 10-week course on iPhone development available for the taking. You won't earn college credit, but it may help you on your way to being the next App Store star. **** iPhone OS 3.0 Beta Successfully Jailbroken by Dan Moren, Macworld **** Things 1.0.4 by Dan Frakes, Macworld While Things is on the expensive side, it offers a unique combination of ease of use, a great interface, and flexibility that sets it apart from other to-do managers I???ve used. And if you???re an iPhone user, right now the combination of Things for Mac and Things for iPhone is my favorite task-management system. **** Vuzix Offers 'Works With iPhone' Cables For Video Eyewear by Peter Cohen, Macworld Vuzix goggles enable you to view video privately by wearing a headset that displays the image in front of your eyes. **** Apple's Q2 '09 Financial Results To Be Discussed On April 22 by Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica Apple plans to announce its second fiscal quarter results on April 22, 2009. At that time, we expect the company to focus largely on how little of a hit it's taking compared to other manufacturers in this slowing economy. **** The iPod's Alarming Options by Christopher Breen, Macworld Most of us are accustomed to using our iPods in our waking hours???for the morning commute, afternoon workout, and ride home from work. But you needn???t restrict your iPod???s duties to the daylight. Your little portable media player can also act as a sleep and wake aid. **** Fast Tap Camera For iPhone by Beau Colburn, Macworld Tap anywhere to take a photo???but be prepared for long save times. **** Simplify Renaming Multiple Files In The Finder by Rob Griffiths, Macworld **** Apple - Evolutionary Or Just Reinventing The Wheel? by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, ZDNet My take is that Apple is in an unique and enviable position of having a user base that???s cool enough to do without certain features for as long as it takes. **** OmniFocus, TaskPaper, And Things by Frank H. Wu, About This Particular Macintosh For the most detail and power, chose OmniFocus; for the fastest and easiest introduction to these concepts, Things; for the best notes and the sheer elegance of it, TaskPaper. If you are disciplined, any of them will improve your life. If you are not disciplined, the programs at least will facilitate the development of good habits. **** Why Boxee Loves Apple by Philip Elmer-DeWitt, Fortune **** Apple Blunder Confirms Imminent Nehalem Xserve Launch by AppleInsider In what appears to be a slip-up on one of its international online stores, Apple has inadvertently revealed that it plans to announce shortly new Xserves featuring Intel Corp.'s Nehalem-based Xeon processors. **** StoryMill Takes A Novel Approach by John Martellaro, The Mac Observer StoryMill is a writer's tool that provides organization and composition support for writing a novel. It exploits the strengths of a computer, especially in the context of Mac OS X and a Cocoa application, to assist the novelist with scenes, timelines, characters, locations and some tactical assistance such as clich?? detection. The Tomorrow Weblog ==================================== **** Hal, Call Your Office: Computers That Act Like Physicists by Kenneth Chang, New York Times Theoretical physicists are not yet obsolete, but scientists have taken a couple of steps toward replacing themselves. **** Digg Launches Pervasive, Software-Free Toolbar by Josh Lowensohn, CNET **** Palm's Effort To Woo Developers by Maggie Shiels, BBC News Smarthphone maker Palm is pitching its new software development kit (SDK) for its next-gen operating system, WebOS. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** May The Force Be With Them by Emily Bazelon, Slate Why does Star Wars still take over the minds of small boys? **** First As A Child, Then As A Parent: Life's College Tours by Jan Benzel, New York Times For many families with 16- and 17-year-olds, the Grand Tour doesn???t mean Europe. It???s New England in mud season, the South as the cherry trees begin to bloom, California, Chicago, Ohio ??? the architecture may well be Gothic, but the do-it-yourself waffle maker in the cafeteria is among the artifacts most keenly examined on the road trip to college. If it???s Tuesday, we must be in North Carolina. Or is it Ohio? **** Spoiled: Organic And Local Is So 2008 by Paul Roberts, Mother Jones Our industrial food system is rotten to the core. Heirloom arugula won't save us. Here's what will. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** Touring Singapore's Gastronomical Heritage by Neel Chowdhury, Time The irony is both sad and delicious. The Little Nyonya, a Singaporean television serial about a Chinese Peranakan family that concluded in the middle of January, was told entirely in Mandarin, a language whose creeping bid for dominance in Singapore has lately eclipsed Baba Malay ??? the pidgin Malay at the heart of Peranakan culture. But in a sly act of revenge, the immensely popular serial triggered a boomlet in all things Peranakan. **** SBS Explains Delay In Aiding Crash Victim by Tammy Tan, SBS Transit, Straits Times Let me explain why we have not been able to do so despite trying for the last few days to get more information about the person who was involved in the accident with our bus. **** Senseless Prank No Laughing Matter by Cindy Lim, Straits Times **** New Team Formed To Battle Crime At Integrated Resorts by New Paper For the past two years, the CPIB has been preparing for a new industry that will offer a different sort of challenge in its battle against corruption - the integrated resorts (IRs). **** Relief Loan Is Similar To Early Withdrawal From CPF by Tan Kin Lian My proposal is intended to protect the integrity of the CPF as a saving plan for retirement. **** Solito's New Film Banned In Singapore by Ricky Calderon, Tempo **** A Top-Ranking I Am Not Proud Of by Huang Shoou Chyuan, NoFearSingapore I am still convinced that to say that only if Singapore???s political office-holders are paid astronomical salaries, could we have a non-corrupt and clean government is a false dichotomy and an insult to each and every Singaporean???s intelligence. The words "altruism" and "self-sacrifice" are obviously alien to the PAP and not present in their vocabulary! **** Taxi Fare From JB To Singapore Is RM5 More by The Star Johor Baru-Singapore Taxi Federation acting chairman Ahmad Osman said the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board approved the increase last week. **** Government's Continued Silence On CDC Bonuses Is Fasting Eroding Public Trust And Confidence In Its Governance by Fang Zhi Yuan, The Wayang Party Club On the whole, Singaporeans do not begrudge civil servants receiving a pay and bonus which is commensurate with their peformance. What we ask for is simply for the respective organizations to keep us informed on how they utilize public funds. Is this too much to ask for? **** Singapore Zoo's Baby malayan Tapir Brings Its Tapir To eight by Los Angeles Times Victoria, a one-month-old Malayan tapir, is the most recent addition to the Singapore Zoo's Malayan tapir population (her birth brings the total to eight). **** Singapore Aims To Be Top Arbitration Centre by Zakaria Abdul Wahab, Bernama Singapore is steadfast in turning the city-state into one of the leading arbitration centres in Asia and in the world, the government says. Law minister K Shanmugam said Singapore's judicial philosophy facilitated arbitration in the city-state, and the judiciary had through case law, made clear that it would support the arbitral process and would not interfere with it. **** Travel Agents' Boycott Hits Singapore Airlines by Parul Chhaparia, Financial Chronicle The tussle between Singapore Airlines and travel agents on the issue of commission has cost Rs 500 crore to the largest foreign airline operating from India. According to the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), the airline has lost Rs 500 crore in the past 94 days since travel agents decided to boycott it after a zero-commission regime was proposed. **** No Ships Laid Up In Singapore by Robin Chan, Straits Times There are no ships laying idle in Singapore waters despite a global trade collapse that has left a record 485 'unemployed' vessels around the world. The assurance came from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) on Thursday, in response to questions over whether local ports may be unsafe due to a large number of empty ships clogging the waterways. **** Singapore March PMI Up, But Manufacturing Contracts by Reuters Singapore's purchasing managers' index, a leading indicator for manufacturing, edged up in March from the previous month, but the overall index shows the industry continued to contract for the seventh consecutive month. **** ?????????????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? ??????????????????:??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Philip, Your Dad Just Slapped Me by Civil Advocator I believe that you father???s book deserved to be read by Singaporeans. I???d like to tell you that there is Internet which can make it very easy for people to get your dad???s book. Just a couple of mouse click and the entire book goes to your PC in the form of a PDF file. I hope someone could approach the publisher of your dad???s book, to check if such an electronic version of the book could be made available, for people to download. **** ??????????????????????????????????????????????????? by ???????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** ??????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????? by ??????????????? **** SIA, Emirates Lose Australia Appeal In Cartel Case by Mark Bendeich, Reuters An Australian court has dismissed attempts by Singapore Airlines and Emirates to prevent the Australian competition watchdog from demanding documents in relation to a price-fixing probe, the watchdog said on Friday. **** Young PAP v2.009 by Loh Chee Kong, Today Having made forays into Facebook and online multimedia, the ruling party is now taking the cyber-battle for hearts and minds up another notch. Its youth wing is set to launch an offensive in the weeks ahead, with a revamped website that could feature a more prominent no-holds-barred forum, lively rebuttals by party activists to online chatter, and provocative essays by external writers. **** Leave Orchard Road As It Is by Tabitha Wang, Today For once in our life, can't we let go of the reins for a bit and let things develop organically? As long as the pedlars don't tout or set up stalls that are a safety hazard, what's the harm in letting them try to make some business in these difficult times? **** Survey Shows Death Attitudes In Singapore by Channel NewsAsia Being a burden to one's family, medical cost and pain — these are Singaporeans' top three fears about death, as revealed in a first ever survey on death attitudes in Singapore. **** The Top 30 Highest Paid Politicans In The World by My Singapore News **** StarHub To Be Operating Company For Singapore's New Broadband Network by Channel NewsAsia Telecommunications service provider StarHub has won the bid to operate Singapore's Next Generation National Broadband Network. **** Botanic Gardens Turns 150 by Straits Times The Singapore Botanic Gardens marks a century and a half of lush foliage and brilliant flowers this year. On Friday, the Grande Dame opened a year-long series of festivities with a live video conference with the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, England. **** StarHub Wins Opco Deal In Singapore's NBN by Alfred Siew, Techgoondu It???s been known for years that telco firms are morphing into media companies. So, why aren???t the rules clearer to allow for the right kind of competition that brings better value to people? Without rules to curb cross-bundling, the NGNBN will only solve one part of the problem - and be bogged down by another. **** Unemployed PMETs Situation: Bad To Worse... by Diary Of A Singaproean Mind The PAP continues to insist that its economic model is the best for ordinary Singaporeans but ordinary Singaporeans are beginning to ask : What's in it for us? **** Singapore Leaders Congratulate Najib by Bernama Malaysia's new prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has received congratulatory messages from Singapore leaders who expressed confidence that ties between both countries would be further enhanced. Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong said he was confident that Malaysia would continue to prosper under Najib's stewardship, saying that he look forward to working closely with the new prime minister to further enhance "our warm relations and mutual cooperation". From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Sat Apr 4 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 4 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 4, 2009 Message-ID: <20090404225900.217.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Multiwinia by Chris Holt, Macworld I???ve seen better real time strategy games, but few with such an original look and so easy to just pop in and play. Multiwinia is light, humorous, and not particularly deep strategically, but its price and status as an independently developed game helps me justify its recommendation. The story could be better incorporated in the overall arc of the game and hopefuly future update addresses the crates. Overall, this is one of the most memorable strategy games I???ve played in a while. **** Demo Your iPhone Without Cables by Erica Sadun, Ars Technica DemoGod utility lets you skip the cables and send your screen directly to a Mac. Apparently based on VNC and the venerable iPhoney utility, DemoGod displays your screen using data transmitted over WiFi. It's a great way to create demonstration videos. **** Default Folder X 4.2 Adds OpenMeta Tags, Bugfixes by MacNN Version 4.2 now supports OpenMeta tags in the Spotlight and Open dialogs, and adds a new AppleScript command, ClearRecentFolders, which clears the list of recently-used folders in an active folder set. **** The iPhone Gold Rush by Jenna Wortham, New York Times Is there a good way to nail down a steady income? In this economy? Try writing a successful program for the iPhone. **** Snow White Chomps On Poison Apple Mod by Darren Murph, Engadget Oh sure, this MacBook Apple mod isn't nearly as functional as that secondary display one, but you just can't beat the artistic flair here. **** When iPhone Apps Annoy by Brian Caulfield, Forbes Developers should stick to Apple's guidelines if they want their apps to work well on the device. The Tomorrow Weblog ==================================== **** E-Book Market Heats Up by Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg and Sara Silver, Wall Street Journal Barnes & Noble Inc. has launched a free electronic-reader application for Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry as general book sales flag and the e-book market heats up. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** Scientists Map The Brain, Gene By Gene by Jonah Lehrer, Wired While conventional brain maps describe distinct anatomical areas, like the frontal lobes and the hippocampus???many of which were first outlined in the 19th century???the Allen Brain Atlas seeks to describe the cortex at the level of specific genes and individual neurons. Slices of tissue containing billions of brain cells will be analyzed to see which snippets of DNA are turned on in each cell. **** A Traveler's Way With Words by Jamie James, Wall Street Journal In editorial offices these days, the term "travelogue" is shorthand for "boring," designating flowery descriptions of places that impede the narrative thrust of a piece of writing -- something to be cut. But in the late 19th century, the reading public hungered for travelogue. Steam-powered ships and the telegraph were shrinking the world quickly, but reliable photographic reproduction -- not to mention motion pictures and color printing -- was still decades away. The best instrument for capturing the newly accessible, if faraway, places of the time was still the pencil -- the reporter's notebook or the artist's sketch. **** What Would It Look Like To Fall Into A Black Hole? by Stephen Battersby, New Scientist Falling into a black hole might not be good for your health, but at least the view would be fine. **** Signs And Portents by Steven Heller, New York Times Books on vintage New York City storefronts, advertising illustration, early photojournalism, fashion photography and Bollywood film posters. **** The Past As Peep Show by Susan Dominuss, New York Times Two books examine vain efforts to keep a lid on the seamy, steamy side of New York. **** Just One Last Swirl Around The Bowl by Dan Barry, New York Times A man becomes emotionally attached and plays caregiver to his daughter's dying fish. **** The Panda Paradox by Daniel Libit, Washington Post With so few pandas left in the world, the pressure on the National Zoo to deliver another cub is enormous. But the mysteries of the animal's reproductive system make that quest a race against time. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** Singapore On "Grey" List Of Tax Havens Named By OECD by Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia Being on the list means Singapore has agreed to the international tax standard, but has yet to substantially implement the measures required. **** CEO's Bonus: Straits Times Barking Up The Wrong Tree Again by Jeremy Koh, The Wayang Party Club Temasek and GIC executives need not fear anything by disclosing their salaries and bonuses. If they feel they truly deserve the renumeration received, then they should not be ashamed to reveal it. **** Display Of IC Number A Breach Of Privacy by Alvin Koh, Straits Times While I understand and agree that the regulation has its benefits, I do not see why service staff have to wear something that reveals their NRIC numbers, which I believe is private information. **** Singapore A "Blacklistee" To Be? by Choo Zheng Xi, The Online Citizen Singapore laws on banking secrecy need to rethought so that a balance can be struck with our desire to cooperate with the international community???s attempts to apprehend money launderers. MOF???s less than subtle attempt to divert the international community???s attention from TIEAs by highlighting its compliance with the apparently less onerous DTAs is unfortunate. **** Tax-Haven Blacklist Stirs Nations by Anthony Faiola and Mary Jordan, Washington Post One day after world leaders threatened tax havens with sanctions, a host of countries on a freshly published "list of shame" scrambled to get off it even as questions surfaced over China's maneuvers to exclude Hong Kong and Macau. **** Singapore Sends Autopsy Report To David's Family by Jarkarta Post Singapore???s Nanyang Technology University (NTU) has finally sent the autopsy report of David Hartanto Widjaja, an Indonesian student who died on its campus last month, to his family. **** Government Approves Direct Langkawi-Singapore Flights by Anthony Tan, The Star The Government has approved direct flights between Langkawi and Singapore which will take off soon. From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Sun Apr 5 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 5 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 5, 2009 Message-ID: <20090405225900.33146.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Turn Your iPod Or iPhone Into A Portable Drive by Kris Fong, Macworld Whether you use your iPod or iPhone for entertainment, communication, or to amplify your cool quotient, all models share one thing in common: They can function as portable storage devices. Depending on the model, your device features either a hard drive or flash drive that allows you to read and write files to it just like an external drive once you enable it to do so. Here???s how. The Tomorrow Weblog ==================================== **** Small Company Offers Web-Based Competition For Microsoft Word by Rnadall Stross, New York Times MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** The Best Damn Job In The Whole Damn World by Roger Ebert, Chicacgo Sun-Times A. J.Liebling once wrote, "Freedom of the press belongs to the man who owns one." Not quite right. It also belongs to the people who produce one, even if they do smoke at their desks. **** In Praise Of The American Short Story by A. O. Scott, New York Times The near-simultaneous appearance of three new literary biographies offers a powerful and concentrated challenge to the habit of undervaluing the short story. **** Liberty, Equality, Envy by Am??lie Nothomg, New York Times In Europe, and especially in France, there is envy for the faith that Americans have in their president. **** Help Wanted, After All by Geeta Kohli, Boston Globe I finally admit it: I met my fiance through a newspaper ad with the aid of Dad and Mom. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** ???????????? by ?????????, ???????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Unemployment Rate For 1Q 2009 Likely To Be Higher Than 4Q 2008 by Channel NewsAsia With the first three months of 2009 just over, Singapore's manpower minister, Gan Kim Yong, said the unemployment rate for the first quarter of this year is likely to be higher than the last three months of 2008. **** Loss In Popular Votes Is A Failure For PAP, But Success For Singapore by Fang Zhi Yuan, The Wayang Party **** ?????????????????????! by EVA????????????, EVA???????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????! **** Singapore's Parliament Calls For Submission Of Names For NMPs by S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia Singapore's Parliament has called for names to be submitted for the next batch of Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs). **** ??????????????????????????????????????? by ?????????, ????????? From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Mon Apr 6 18:59:01 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 6 Apr 2009 22:59:01 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 6, 2009 Message-ID: <20090406225901.62029.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Micro-Billing, Byte By Byte, Suits The World Of Cellphones by Matt Richtel and Bob Tedeschi, New York Times Apple???s payment model strongly resembles that of the phone industry. A consumer enters his credit card data once, and all subsequent downloads are automatically charged to that account. By making the process convenient, Apple has been able to sell software applications that, accessed through a computer, would be free. LiveStrong???s calorie-counter app, for example, is free online but a version of it costs $2.99 in the iPhone App store. **** ColorSplash For iPhone by Aayush Arya, Macworld Image-editing tool brings selective desaturation to the iPhone. **** iStat Menus by Craig Grannell, Cult Of Mac **** ImageBuddy 4 Adds Raw File Format Support by Peter Cohen, Macworld ImageBuddy helps users rotate, size, crop, mask and layout digital photos for printing. ImageBuddy supports drag and drop printing and layout from iPhone and Aperture. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** Got Poetry? by Jim Holt, New York Times The grandest claim for memorizing poetry is made by Clive James, himself a formidable repository of memorized verse. In his book ???Cultural Amnesia,??? James declares that ???the future of the humanities as a common possession depends on the restoration of a simple, single ideal: getting poetry by heart.??? A noble sentiment. I just wish that James had given us some reason for thinking it was true. **** The Color Of Shadows by Colm T??ib??n, The New Yorker **** Siblings And Half Siblings by Jana Prikryl, The New Yorker **** The Long-Term Marriage by Spencer Reece, The New Yorker SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** Construction Faces Crunch by Jessica Cheam, Straits Times Construction firms that rely heavily on private-sector projects face tough times ahead as more property developers delay building works. **** A Good And Competent Government Is No Longer Enough For Singaporeans by Fang Zhi Yuan, The Wayang Party Club The PAP has failed to meet the needs and aspirations of the population so far. Without the GRC system, a weak opposition and a compliant media under its thumb, it would have been booted out of office a long time ago. **** The Ruling Party Has Not Learnt The Lessons From AIG by Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net Mr Lim Boon Heng has gotten his case wrong. The outcry over the mega bonuses paid by AIG was not simply due to the fact that AIG had been bailed out by American taxpayers??? money, but also due to the fact that managers and executives at AIG had, for the past several years, indulged in highly speculative and risky activity that brought down the whole company and threatened the entire financial system when the US housing market collapsed. **** ?????????????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** ???????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????? ????????????????????? by ???????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Bus Operators Fined by Felicia Wong, Straits Times SBS Transit, the larger operator, was fined $4,500 for its failure to ensure that 85 per cent of feeder bus services were operating at headways of not more than 10 minutes. While SMRT met this requirement immediately since it was introduced August 2008, it was fined $100 for exceeding the 95 per cent loading during peak hours. **** Engaging Netizens - Time To Come Out Of Comfort Zones, oliticians by Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen Internet engagement by politicians is a new phenomena in Singapore ??? and parties on both sides of the fence are adopting tentative stances towards it. The politicians do not want to get into something they are not familiar with; while netizens are wary of politicians usurping Net space for their political agenda. But if discussions on issues of importance are to progress, both parties have to accept that perhaps it is time to stop staying on their respective sides of the fence. **** The Panda That Trampled On The True Orchids by Ravi Philemon, The Online Citizen Organisations like WWF Singapore are in best position to exercise their corporate citizenry, to pressure SBG over the orchid naming issue. Having said that, should every organisation which professes to support human rights and green issues, now avoid using SBG since Dendrobium Thein Sein in all probability may not be removed from the SBG???s VIP Orchid Gardens? It is a decision best left to the organisations themselves. But such decisions should be done only after careful consideration of all options. **** Singapore Vows To Change Tax Laws To Remove Havens by AFP Singapore has vowed to amend its tax laws within the year after being named in a list of countries that have not yet fully implemented global standards aimed at eliminating tax havens. From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Tue Apr 7 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 7 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 7, 2009 Message-ID: <20090407225900.31139.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Skype's iPhone App May Force FCC Hand On Wireless Net Neutrality by Roy Mark, eWeek It's a wireless carrier's worst nightmare: software on devices such as Skype's VOIP app for the iPhone and other innovative mobile video technologies that allow users to bypass the carrier's own services. The FCC must decide if the agency's network neutrality rules apply to the wireless world. **** 4 Elements by Richard Hallas, Inside Mac Games Once you start on it, it's quite compulsive, in a mechanical sort of way, and it's not hard to find yourself playing through large chunks of it without coming up for breath. But it's so easy that one could theoretically just run through the whole thing in one sitting (given enough time), and there's not much replay value because there's no real challenge. It's such a pity because there's clearly a lot of potential here; it just hasn't been fully explored. **** Brightkite For iPhone by Chester Baker, Macworld Privacy features make this location-aware social networking app compelling. **** A Special Phone App Helps Visually-Impaired Use The iPhone by Dan Moren, Macworld **** Benchmarks: Mac Pros, iMacs Gaming Performance by James Galbraith, Macworld **** Scheduling Software Update by Christopher Breen, Macworld **** SelfControl Blocks Internet Time Bandits by Doug McLean, TidBITS SelfControl is an excellent little tool for blocking out Internet distractions without sacrificing access to sites on which you rely. **** Accounted 2 Accounting Software Adds New Reports, Multiple Currencies by Peter Cohen, Macworld **** Apple Updates iTunes TO 8.1.1 by Arnold Kim, MacRumors.com **** Combination Offers Challenging iPhone Puzzles by Erica Sadun, Ars Technica For only a dollar, this game has enough challenges to keep you busy for hours. **** CopyPaste Pro Updated by Jim Dalymple, Macworld The latest version also adds a preference to paste a clip on double click instead of opening it in the Editor. An open editor tool has also been added. **** Steve Jobs' Killer Instincts by Brian Caulfield, Forbes Despite Microsoft's recent anti-Apple ads, the iPhone maker still has the upper hand in craftiness. **** Apple: A Sleeping Giant In The Enterprise And The iPhone Its Trojan Horse by Brendon Chase, Technology & Business Even if Apple doesn't seem too interested in the corporate market, some commentators believe the industry is at a tipping point, and Apple is slowly creeping in to the world of business. **** Locking The Door On Mac Security... by Mac-Techs Blog Just because OS X has a stellar record among users does not mean that OS X is secure. **** Music Labels Pitch Extras On iTunes by Ethan Smith, Wall Street Journal Record companies, weary of scraping by on 99-cent song downloads and dwindling CD sales, are trying to dress up and reimagine their most profitable product — the album — to woo music fans on Apple Inc.'s iTunes Store. **** Labels Bet Flexibility Boosts iTunes Sales by Yinka Adegoke, Reuters Apple Inc and major music labels are betting that the launch of three-tier pricing at the iTunes Music Store will boost music sales with a new mix of song-based packages and give consumers more options. **** CanIAffordIt For iPhone by Ben Boychuk, Macworld Expense tracker puts purchases in perspective. **** Contour 1.1 by Tm Haddock, Macworld If you???re trying to finish a big box office feature but your story seems to run out of steam around page 60, Contour 1.1 could help you lay a proper foundation that better equips your story for success. If you prefer spending weeks working on backstory and character development for your Altman-esque ensemble film, you might find Mariner Software???s Contour too plot-centric for your taste. **** Apple Introduces Nehalem-Based Xeon Xserves by Sam Oliver, AppleInsider As expected, Apple on Tuesday announced an updated family of Xserves that deliver an 89 percent improvement in performance per watt and up to twice the overall performance of the previous models by tapping Intel's "Nehalem" Xeon processors and a next generation system architecture. **** Nineteen Ways To Open A File by Kirk McElhearn, Macworld You may content yourself with double-clicking on files to open them, but depending on what you???re doing, there may be a quicker or more convenient option. Here are 19 different ways to get the job done. **** iTunes Is DRM-Free, Adds Variable Pricing by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld **** App4mac's Presto 1.0 Abbreviates Common Phrases by Bryan Fergus, The Mac Observer App4mac released Presto 1.0 on Monday. Presto 1.0 is a utility designed for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard that allows users to define text abbreviations for frequently used phrases. **** Houdah Releases HoudahGeo 2.2 Geocoding Software For Mac OS X by Chris Barylick, The Mac Observer The update adds support for iPhoto '09's Places feature, as well as new interface enhancements and other changes. **** Data Robotics Intros 8-Bay, 16TB DroboPro by Jeff Gamet, The Mac Observer **** Apple Rebrands iPhone Stereo Headset, Drops 'iPhone' by Charles Starrett, iLounge The Tomorrow Weblog ==================================== **** The Future Of Baseball Cards Is Virtual by Dave Rosenberg, CNET **** 'I Need To Read This' Saves URLs Worth Reading Later by Jsh Lowensohn, CNET **** Scientists Use Virus To Help Build Battery by Tom Espiner and Robert Goodwins, CNET Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have demonstrated how a genetically modified virus can be used to construct both the cathode and anode of a lithium ion battery. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** When All You Have Left Is Your Pride by Benedict Carey, New York Times The fine art of keeping up appearances may seem shallow and deceitful, the very embodiment of denial. But many psychologists beg to differ. **** Scratching Relieves Itch By Quieting Nerve Cells by Benedict Carey, New York Times Neuroscientists at the University of Minnesota report that specialized cells in the spinal cord appear to be critically involved in producing the sensation of itch and the feeling of relief after the application of fingernails, at least in healthy individuals. **** Bombs Rock Cario by Chrstian Wiman, Slate **** Happy 5th Birthday, Subservient Chicken by Rick Webb, Barbarian Blog Five years. Holy moly. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** Temasek And GIC Ranked Lower Than Timor Leste's Petroleum Fund On International Scoreboard For SWFs By Peterson Insitute! by The Wayang Party Club Temasek and GIC performed especially badly under the ???structure??? category. GIC does not state the source of its funds which is not kept separate from Singapore???s international reserves. **** More Graduates Turn To Entrepreneurship As Job Market Sours by Lin Yanqin, Today **** Why Currency Devaluation Is Singapore's Best Option by Reuters For all the ambiguity afforded to Singapore by its unique currency-based monetary policy, its central bank will still have to effectively devalue the currency if it wants to meaningfully achieve lower interest rates. Singapore's central bank announces its policy after a six-month hiatus next week, and barely anyone doubts that authorities will have to ease monetary settings to shore up an economy that is already in recession and toying with deflation. **** 1 Dies, Another In Coma by Nicholas Yong, Sujin Thomas & Diana Othman, Straits Times One person is dead, another is in a coma and 25 others have been hospitalised so far in what is possibly Singapore's worst case of mass food poisoning. **** Seletar Residents See Rising Rents by Tessa Wong, Straits Times **** David Widjaja's Autopsy Report Released, Results Not Disclosed by Terence Lee, The Online Citizen ???It???s very, very unfair,??? he said before finally calming down. **** Are We Lost? by Singapore Democrats It is clear the PAP has lost its way. With the world financial and economic undergoing a fundamental shift in the way it operates, we need a new model upon which to build our future. That model is one based on transparency and accountability, one where the people come first. **** "Bonus" Need Not Be A Dirty Word In Kindness Month by Feed Me To The Fish It's only obscene when it makes a mockery of national service, nation building and civil service. Or are we being 'unkind' to Mr Lim Boon Heng, his bosses and colleagues in highlighting their achievement of being the best paid in the world? **** PTC Fines On Transport Companies Are Meaningless by The Online Citizen $100 is only 0.00024%% of SMRT???s quarterly profit. How can this amount encourage SMRT to improve their services? This amount is simply too little and meaningless. **** Positive Tax Haven News For Expat Savers by Shelter Offshore The good news is, two havens that have recently become more attractive to expat savers have actually agreed to accept the transparency directives of the OECD. **** Random Musing by Running Legs I was quite amazed by how Singapore have stoop so low to name a orchid after an authoritarian regime. Explanation given was to uphold tradition of naming an orchid for visiting head-of-state. Oh please. Dispense us with the crap. **** Fallacious Facelift by Prose Pedagogies 40 million dollars in making changes to things shopping crowds hardly ever notice is a completely asinine way of spending money. **** One Hundred Dollar Fine For... SMRT. by Everyday's Life In A Snapshot - For Lesser Mortals Only Well done, Public Transport Council. That fine was really productive. Oh sorry, I forgot. That was symbolic lah.The fines would have struck fear into the consumer-oriented SMRT and SBS Transit, hence they will 100% clean up their act to prevent themselves from being fined again in the future. **** 'Bonus' Not A Dirty Word by Dee Kay Dot As Gee Why is our Minister talking about something that is so far away from home? What does AIG bonus has to do with Singapore? **** This Week Is Kindness Week In Singapore by Diary Of A Singaporean Mind There is nothing to change and the system is fine. ... **** TOC Correction: What It Should Have Been by Choo Zheng Xi, The Online Citizen **** Singapore, Johor To Improve Network Of Buses by New Straits Times Plans are afoot to put more buses on the road between Johor and Singapore to meet the demand of commuters. **** Calling For A Mental Revolution by The Online Citizen The main problem seems to be a continuing stigma against mental illness and a perception that mental healthcare is ???not scientific???. **** Kidney Donors To Be Reimbursed Through Third Party by Hasnita A Majid, Channel NewsAsia This means that the bills for post-transplant medical check-ups will be sent directly from the hospital or clinic to a charity or religious group that is responsible for administering the reimbursements. **** 'Light Touch' On New Media by Serene Luo, Straits Times Blogs, the Internet and other new media like social networks are already regulated 'with a light touch', and it is likely to continue in that vein, said the new acting minister for information, communication and the arts Lui Tuck Yew. **** What Happened To Orchard Road? by What Else Can This Be Apart From My Blog **** Registers Of Electors Certified; Singapore Now Has Some 2.26m Electors On List by Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia Those who want to look at the list can go to the Elections Department or any of the 105 Inspections Centres island-wide which are primarily community centres and clubs. From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Wed Apr 8 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 8 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 8, 2009 Message-ID: <20090408225900.84344.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Apple Refusing Royalty-Free License To Widget Patent by Tom Krazit, CNET Apple believes it has a patent that could potentially throw a wrench into an effort to develop a Web standard for updating widgets. **** Scrivener Brings Out The Scribbler by John martellaro, The Mac Observer Scrivener is a writer's tool that assists with a wide range of writing tasks, not just a novel, that can benefit from organizational support. **** Consumers Don't Care If Steve Jobs Is Apple's CEO by Dan Frommer, Silicon Alley Insider Some 80% of consumers surveyed by ChangeWave say Jobs' retirement would have no effect on their likelihood of buying Apple products in the future. **** Could MacHeist Prompt Apple Into An App Store For Macs? by Kit Eaton, Fast Company Since its inception in 2006, MacHeist has been variously reviled, applauded and seen soaring success. The annual event, which mixes entertainment, charity, free software, and software bundling, has become a phenom in the Mac world. Given the success of Apple's iPhone App Store, could MacHeist prompt Apple to create an App Store for Macs too? **** Macs Aren't Safer, Just A Smaller Target by Riva Richmond, New York Times Just how relaxed (or smug) should Mac users be? **** Series Of New iPhone Commercials Highlight More Handy Apps by Chris Foresman, Ars Technica Apple has released three new ads, each highlighting three apps that might appeal to certain demographics???the idea being that whatever you need, "there's an app for that." **** Apple Announces First Batch Of WWDC09 Sessions by Jonathan Seff, Macworld **** WordsWorth 1.4 For iPhone by Chris Barylick, Macworld WordsWorth is a puzzle gamer???s dream come true, well worth its $2 price tag on the App Store and could be truly great with a few bug fixes to round out the title. **** CoverScout 3.1 by Kirk McElhearn, Macworld CoverScout is designed to help you find and edit album art for tracks in your iTunes library or in any folder on your hard drive. **** Citrix Introduces App Receiver For iPhone by John C. Welch, Macworld **** DRM-Free iTunes: What It Means For You by Christopher Breen, Macworld **** New $1.29 iTunes Tracks Provide An Opening For Competition by Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica The music sold on the iTunes Store is now 100 percent DRM-free with Apple's new tiered pricing in place. However, not every song that was sold with DRM is available on the store anymore for an iTunes Plus upgrade, and we weren't able to find any music that fell into Apple's lowest-end pricing tier. So why not go to Amazon instead? **** Can A MacBook Replace A 12-Inch PowerBook? by Derik DeLong, Macworld About a month ago, I finally had to let go of an old friend. After a couple years of propping him up, it was time to retire my 12-inch PowerBook. **** Yahoo Messenger Brings Full-Featured IM To iPhone by Jennifer Van Grove, Mashable Yahoo Messenger for iPhone, which debuted in the app store this morning, does more than just let you chat with your buddies. The application???s feature set offers the next best thing to online IM, and it???s all packaged inside a slick and easy to use interface. **** iTunes' New Pricing Structure Is A Band-Aid by Eliot Van Buskirk, Wired Although new prices will be a step in the right direction for many iTunes customers, they are a superficial fix for iTunes' real threat: that most consumers and even some artists think 69 cents per track is far too dear. **** Nambu: New Twitter Client Rocks The Mac Desktop by Scott Gilbertson, Webmonkey Nambu is a curiously-named but powerful new desktop client for Mac OS X that???s built for Twitter addicts. Its primary strength is that it offers an interface for Twitter not unlike Apple???s Mail client. Nambu also manages to pack in most of the features found in its competitors and offers some very cool additions of its own, including threaded conversations, support for multiple Twitter accounts and the ability to isolate tweets with links. **** Is All Fair In Apple's iTunes $1.29 Variable Pricing? by Seth Weintraub, Computerworld Sources at Apple tell me that Apple is getting different prices than Amazon from the recording idustry. The record companies are, and have been for awhile, favoring Amazon. In fact, Amazon is selling songs for less than the price that Apple pays for them in some cases. **** Tap Tap Is Tops by Maggie SHiels, BBC News The very addictive Tap Tap Revenge, that involves users tapping through beats or shaking their device along with the music, has made history by becoming the most downloaded of all the 15,000+ apps in the App Store. **** Review: Galcon For IPhone by Jeff Whitfield, Macworld In this entertaining game, you try to conquer planets controlled by your enemy. Galcon is fast-paced and a perfectly fun way to pass five minutes. The Tomorrow Weblog ==================================== **** Google Local Gives Small-Town Feel by Nicholas Kolakowski, eWeek Google has refined its search to give users local results off nonspecific keywords, such as "restaurants" or "gym." Users can also input specific location or street names, without the added keywords of a city or state, to obtain local results. Google has been expanding its search features and other capabilities as it continues to compete with Microsoft and Yahoo for online market share. **** A Desktop That Begs To Be Organized by Katherine Boehret, Wall Street Journal MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** He Who Smelts, Simply Melts by Bonny Wolf, Washington Post It turns out I belong to a cult. We are not organized, we don't have meetings and until a few days ago, I didn't even know we existed. Then I started calling around looking for smelts and realized I am not alone. Area fishmongers carry smelts every year for people who don't think winter's over until the tiny silver fish appear in markets. **** Noah Webster Gives His Blessing by Daniel Redman, Slate Dictionaries recognize same-sex marriage—who knew? **** Wine And Pizza by Eric Asimov, New York Times I guess the sad idea is that nobody actually bakes their own pizza, so delivery pizza is in fact the standard. **** Do You Own Facebook? Or Does Facebook Own You? by Vanessa Grigoriadis, New York Magazine Trust is a fragile commodity. **** The Dark Side Of Dubai by Johann Hari, The Independent Dubai was meant to be a Middle-Eastern Shangri-La, a glittering monument to Arab enterprise and western capitalism. But as hard times arrive in the city state that rose from the desert sands, an uglier story is emerging. **** Larger Than Life In London by A. A. Gill, New York Times It???s invariably the little things, the unconsidered, off the cuff, in passing, unrehearsed things that snag our attention, and seem to be telling of the bigger things. In the case of Barack Obama???s first visit to London and the Group of 20 conference to save the endangered habitat of bankers and real estate salesmen, it was the handshake with the bobby that seemed to be emblematic. In a forest of waving palms, this handshake meant more. **** Take A Walk by Bill Bunn, Salon There is only one way humans are made to move. They are made to walk. There are many other ways to get around. You can canoe, for instance. Or paraglide. Or jog. But these modes of transportation are not the staple of human mobility. Walking is unavoidable, a necessity for those with two working legs. **** A Skeptic's Guide To Passover by Michael Lukas, Slate Scientific explanations for the parting of the Red Sea, the 10 plagues, and the burning bush. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** Mindef Clarifies Doctor's Bond by Jermyn Chow, Straits Times In a letter to the media on Tuesday, the defence ministry said it would have preferred to keep such exchanges private out of respect for Capt (Dr) Ooi and his family. However, it said an earlier letter by the family had raised 'several issues', and it was necessary to clarify them. **** No Reason To Exclude Working Shareholders From Jobs Credit by Arthur Tan, Straits Times This seems to run counter to the objective of trying to help companies stay afloat. **** Pay Issue Over Charity, Religious Heads: So What's New? by Narayana Narayana, Straits Times The more pragmatic attitude of "quid pro quo" or more simply "what's in it for me?" had already then replaced any ideals of altruism. **** Latest Fines Won't Affect Bus Companies by Colin Lim, Straits Times Fines amounting to merely $4,500 and $100 are pocket change to the bus companies and may send the wrong message to them. **** Bacteria In 2 Geylang Food Poisoning Case Identified by 938 Live In an update on the rojak food poisoning outbreak, the Health Ministry (MOH) says early investigations reveal that two cases of food poisoning have tested positive for the bacteria called Vibrio Parahaemolyticus. MOH says the bacteria is part of the normal flora of the marine environment and is a common cause of food poisoning associated with consumption of raw or partially cooked seafood. **** The Ming Yi Fiasco: A Sombre Lesson In A System Which Relies On "Trust" by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club The Ming Yi fiasco has proven to Singaporeans again beyond doubt that a system which relies on trust alone is a faulty one open to abuse. When there are no checks and balances in the system, a powerful, charistmatic or influential leader will be given a blank cheque to run the organization without having to account to anybody. And that lies the real danger. Can we expect human beings to check on themselves? **** Politically Motivated Defamation Suits Hurt Free Speech And Do Serious Damage To The National Discourse by Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net To suggest that defamation suits are a valid means of promoting good dialogue is to regard citizens as politically and socially immature brats who are unable to exercise good judgment. **** Overpackaged Singapore by Eicolab Singaporeans seem to love the plastic bag. **** Devalue Singapore Dollar? It's Going To Hurt by Blowin' In The Wind **** Should Church/Charity Leaders Be Paid Handsomely? by Christel Quek I???m just upset that we???re increasingly misguided in our faiths. The church???s exponential growth in terms of attendance and income should never be attributed to a single person alone. **** ?????????????????????27???????????????????????????????????? by ?????????????????????????????????, ???????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????100??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Defending The Right To Bonuses by Groundnotes After years of rewarding the smartest guys with the best credentials to drive the economy, we now realize that the smartest guys may not necessarily be the best guys to do the job. Wall Street is learning that a credential-based meritocracy is not always the best way to go. This lesson is seeping into the consciousness of Singaporeans as they read about the paradigm shifts in corporate culture over in the US. With the rationale for our high ministerial salaries so informed by market logic and US corporate culture, it is no wonder that someone has come out to defend the right to bonuses. **** One More Victim Dies In Geylang Food Poisoning Incident by 938 Live **** Spring Cleaning In Full Swing At Geylang Serai Market by 938 Live 938LIVE understands from stallholders that since the temporary market started functioning some three years ago, no spring cleaning had been organised. **** Thanks Minister, I Also Do Not Want Singapore To Be A Rogue Regime! by Huang Shoou Chyuan, NoFearSingapore If we include foreign donors into the scheme, we are unable to monitor the donor back in their homeland and we do not know where the money goes to and we are never sure that the money from the recipient really went to help defray expenses only. **** Singapore Said To Restrict Donor Payments by AFP Singapore will temporarily restrict payments for organ donations to its nationals to prevent wealthy locals from exploiting poor foreigners, a report said. From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Thu Apr 9 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 9 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 9, 2009 Message-ID: <20090409225900.28351.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** I Switched To Mac After A Lifetime Of Windows, And It Doesn't Matter by Adam Frucci, Gizmodo **** Dictionary.com Comes To The iPhone by Stan Schroeder, Mashable **** Bloom For iPhone by Beau Colburn, Macworld Make beautiful music???or let Bloom do the work???with this gorgeous app. **** Gift Card Scammers Soliciting iPhone Devs by Jason D. O'Grady, ZDNet **** Locating A Lost Cursor by Christopher Breen, Macworld There are a couple of things you could try. The first is to simply make the cursor larger. **** Oregon Trail For iPhone by Chris Holt, Macworld Gameloft does a lot of things brilliantly in this latest edition of Oregon Trail. The visual style is fun, the controls are intuitive, there???s plenty of new content and it???s genuinely funny. If players can get beyond the long load times and the drain on their iPhone???s battery, this is a rich and rewarding experience. **** The Importance Of Color Management by James Dempsey, Macworld I recently had a conversation with Andy Hatkoff, Vice President of OEM and technology licensing, at Pantone. Andy is in charge of making sure that hardware and software companies can successfully integrate the Pantone Color System into their digital color workflow. This encompasses graphic design, print, publishing, fashion design and product lifecycle management solution providers such as Adobe, Microsoft, Quark, HP, Xerox, Ricoh, and many other companies where color plays a critical role. **** Apple Addressing Cracks On White MacBook Casings by Slash Lane, AppleInsider Apple is privately acknowledging an issue with the enclosure on some of its white 13-inch MacBooks, which in some cases have seen the formation of hairline cracks during normal usage patterns. **** iPhone Skype May Be Tip Of The Iceberg For Carriers by Stephen Lawson, Computerworld Though mobile operators say they want more open phone platforms and are moving toward packet-based 4G networks, they are stuck between a future of being "dumb pipes" like DSL or cable operators and a present in which the bulk of their revenue still comes from the sale of voice minutes. **** Read It Later's New iPhone App Works Offline by Josh Lowensohn, CNET **** Apple Sued Over Touch-Screen Rights by Jonathan Adams, New York Times The Taiwanese company Elan Microelectronics has sued Apple, alleging infringement of two of its touch screen patents, an Elan spokesman said Wednesday. **** iPhone's Wi-Fi Problems Cause Heated Speculation by Bill Ray, The Register iPhone users who found their Wi-Fi failing after the last firmware upgrade are starting to identify what went wrong, while some have managed to get Apple to replace iPhones with handsets that have never seen 2.2.1. **** Revolution 3.5 Adds New Data Grids, Behaviors by MacNN Runtime Revolution has released an update to its programming tool for professional data presentation on the Mac OS X, Revolution 3.5. **** No iTunes Tax For New York by FMQB The proposed "iTunes tax" in the budget for New York state has been dropped by Governor David Patterson. The sales tax would have been imposed on digital downloads as a way to raise funds in and close a budget gap. However, the tax was left out of the state budget that passed last week. **** Benchmarks: 2.93GHz Xeon-Based Mac Pros by James Galbraith, Macworld Customized Mac Pro sets Speedmark benchmark record. **** AT&T And Apple Needlessly Shackle Skype Users by Bill Snyder, InfoWorld I think Ma iPhone is way off base in its treatment of Skype, and I urge you to defend the principle of Net neutrality, whether it be wired or wireless. But don't do so in a knee-jerk way: The destruction of business models by new technology is of great importance to those of us who make our living in media and information technology, and I'd urge you to give it real thought. **** Sweaty Workouts Killing iPhones? by David Martin, CNET Apple's sensor (at the bottom of the iPhone) could easily be set off by sweat from your hands. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** Your Bra Size: The Truth May (Pleasantly) Surprise You by Laura M. Holson, New York Times First there was economic inflation. Then there was grade inflation. Now comes cup inflation. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** Top Dollar For Top Talent: Why Not? by Ng Zi Yun, Straits Times Surely, the size of a leader's salary is justifiable if he attracts a lot more revenue than if he were not part of the organisation. I'm very distrubed with our obsession of using money as the only way to measure performance and rewards. **** Burned By Banks, Temasek Digs For Resources by Saeed Azhar and Joseph Chaney, Reuters Singapore's Temasek, like other Asian and Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds, is digging for deals in mining and oil, as it licks its wounds from financial sector investments that have soured in a global crisis. **** Library Deposits A Must To Preserve National Heritage by Ngian Lek Choh, National Library, Straits Times The National Library Board (NLB) Act 1995 requires Singapore publishers to deposit two copies of every print publication with the National Library, under the Legal Deposit requirement. The purpose is to preserve Singapore's published national literary heritage and make it accessible to present and future generations. **** Authorities Took 2 Days TO Shut Down Killer Rojak Stall? by Gerald Giam **** Road Closures For F1 Race Cut To 7 Days This Year by Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia While speed demons were on a high during last year's inaugural night race, some businesses within the F1 circuit found themselves left out of the party as extensive road closures before and after the race put the brakes on spending. With more experience this time round, government agencies - Singapore Tourism Board and Land Transport Authority - and race organiser Singapore GP said they will shorten the road closure period to improve the situation. **** Ships Being Laid Up As Trade Slows by Simon Hartley, Otago Daily Times The viability of some shipping lines is being questioned with hundreds of ships laid up across the globe and at anchor as trade and cargo volumes dwindle. **** The Futility Of Speaking Up In A Totalitarian One-Party State by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club Active citizenry is a myth in a totalitarian one-party state like Singapore where the rubber-stamp Parliament passes legislation according to the wimps and fancies of a tinpot dictator with scant regards for public opinion. **** Dr Allan Ooi's Case: MINDEF's Second Letter Still Did Not Answer Key Questions by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club An unbreakable bond is tantamount to modern slavery. If there were no such clause initially, why should Allan be refused his basic human right to leave his current employment in search of a better one? **** En Bloc Sales Should Be Unanimous by Letty Aw Siew Hua, Today The concept of en bloc sales should be reviewed. En bloc should mean ???all agree to sell???. The premise that you can sell away another???s right to live in peace, provided 80 per cent give support: This is the crux of the issue. It???s an unsound premise. **** F1's Closing The Road For 7 Days, Shops Around There Will Be Hit Badly For A Week by Haro Genki **** ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????1??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Tanglin Best BBQ Seafood?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** ???????????????41????????????????????????????????????????????? by ????????? ????????? ?????????, ???????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????41???????????? **** Moral Vs Legal Obligations - Allan Ooi by Wicked In other words. they are using the guilt card. **** Food Poisoning And Hygiene Standards by Xiamenloh **** Nude Couple Charged by Elena Chong, Straits Times A couple, who caused a stir by strolling down naked along Lorong Mambong earlier this year were charged in court on Thursday. **** Singapore Faces Lower Growth by Aaron Low, Straits Times Singapore's growth forecast for this year will have to be be revised downwards from the current -2 to -5 per cent as exports continue to be hit by the global economic slowdown, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Thursday. But he does not think it will go into double-digits. **** Singapore's Born-Again Christians Thrive by AFP Singapore, a predominantly ethnic-Chinese Buddhist society of 4.6 million, has seen a boom in recent years in born-again Christian movements, which experts said people perceive as modern institutions reflecting their personal aspirations. **** How Many Ministers Does Singapore Have? by Harish Pillay, Alas, a blog! I continue to be amazed by the utter waste of tax-payer monies that goes to pay the ministers who, on the face of it, do nothing. **** Eating Food At Hawker Centre by The Blog Of A Certified Geek **** The Fundamentals Of Singapore's Foreign Policy: Then And Now by Singapore Government So long as the succeeding generations of Singaporeans do not forget the fundamentals of our vulnerabilities, and not delude themselves that we can behave as if our neighbours are Europeans or North Americans, and remain alert, cohesive and realistic, Singapore will survive and prosper. From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Fri Apr 10 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 10 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 10, 2009 Message-ID: <20090410225900.94656.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Tidy Up 2.0 Adds Almost 50 New Features by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld Tidy Up has been update with a new user interface and the ability to exclude any supported applications from a search, among other changes. **** Pocket God Weekly Update Hindered By Apple's Review Process by Erica Sadun, Ars Technica Apple's opaque review process has long been an issue for iPhone developers. With unclear guidelines and fortune-cookie-like rejection notices, developers often have to guess as to what they did wrong in order to remedy their submissions. Bolt Creative, the maker of the wildly successful Pocket God recently found itself at the receiving end of a cryptic rejection. **** Apple To Disable .Mac Website Tools In July by AppleInsider MobileMe subscribers using legacy .Mac website tools have been warned by Apple that the .Mac Groups and HomePage features will be discontinued in July, leaving existing pages live but taking away the ability to edit or update them. **** Tip: You Can Turn On An iPhone's WiFi While In Airplane Mode by David Chartier, Ars Technica ouT can easily turn on an iPhone's Airplane Mode, then turn WiFi back on. **** Ambrosia Updates WireTap Studio, Snapz Pro, WireTap Anywhere by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld Ambrosia Software released updates to three of its applications to add compatibility for Mac OS X 10.5.7. **** Review: iStat For iPhone by James Savage, Macworld iStat displays data about your iPhone. But its true value comes when you pair it with the free iStat Server for the Mac to get remote access to your Mac's statistics. **** When iPhone Pushes, Text Message Fees Fall by Glenn Fleishman, TidBITS: **** The Microsoft Discount by Dan Miller, Macworld Forget the ???Apple tax??????maybe PCs cost less because Windows is worth less. **** The Good Blogs Explorer For iPhone by Ben Boychuk, Macworld **** Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 by Chris Holt, Macworld When many developers are foregoing storytelling, originality, and creativity in designing their games, the well-cast cut scenes, bizarre unit types, and the weird storyline of the Red Alert series offers the strategy world a refreshing change. **** Apple Begins Countdown To 1 Billion iPhone Apps Downloaded by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld First, you have to be amazed that people have downloaded one billion applications for the iPhone and iPod touch. Second, you can win some cool stuff if you download an app between now and the time that Apple reaches the one billion mark. **** iTunes Price Changes Hurt Some Rankings by Glenn Peoples, Billboard Two days after the Apple iTunes Music Store raised prices on some individual tracks, there was evidence the price increases have hurt the sales rankings of songs given the higher $1.29 price. The Tomorrow Weblog ==================================== **** Finding Pages From Browser History by Erica Naone, MIT Technology Review A new tool aims to make a web browser's history more useful. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** Pairing Wine With Chinese Food by Jen Linliu, New York Times On a recent Tuesday evening, I gathered a group of eight wine and Chinese cuisine experts in my courtyard kitchen in central Beijing to taste a broad range of 10 Chinese dishes with eight wines. The goal was to test the common perception that it???s challenging ??? or downright impossible ??? to pair wines with Chinese cuisine. **** Pianist Gould Foresaw Tech Role In Music by Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times This week marks 45 years since Glenn Gould made his last public performance. He preferred to offer recordings that someday, he wrote, could be altered by the listener in different ways. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** Who Should Take The Rap For Geylang Serai Food Poisoning? by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party **** Speak For Those Who Do Not Have A Voice by Tan Kin Lian **** Swinging Reform Party To The Center - Kenneth Jeyaratnam Enters The Political Fray by The Anti Neo-Democracy Theorist The surprised entrance of Kenneth Jeyaratnam into Singapore???s rather bleak opposition scene presents a fresh air into Singapore???s political scene. **** Family Seeks Clarifications On NTU Student's Death by Channel NewsAsia The family of David Widjaja, the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) student who fell to his death on campus last month after allegedly stabbing his lecturer, is in Singapore to seek clarification from the authorities on several matters. **** Are You Aware Of AWARE? by Sam's Thoughts The Straits Times is interesting. They do their snoops but leave the "reading" to their readers. They mentioned Jenica Chua, Angela Thiang, Claire Nazar and Alan Chin in the article. For those who have followed the news, these individuals have contributed their (conservative) views in the S377A debate in 2007. I have no idea how AWARE works, but it is definitely interesting to know what plans they have in store for Singapore - women, children and men, of different backgrounds and identities. **** Son Of Singapore's Late Opposition Icon Enters Politics by AFP British-trained economist Kenneth Jeyaretnam, 50, told AFP he had been approached to join other parties but decided going with the Reform Party was the right thing to do. **** Gays Now Facing A Backlash From Their Own Doing? by Where Bears Roam Free For now, it appears that some women (maybe some men behind the scene too) have taken over an institution to counter the gay movement. Only time will tell what this development will lead us to. **** The Borg Take Over AWARE At AGM by Writing-Yoga-Living Now I understand why these new committee members (& the NMPs they support) were writing paranoid letters & scaremongering about people???s hidden agendas & plans to force the majority to live by rules of a vocal minority??? **** Not Secular Feminists But Sectarian Fundamentlists: And They'll Come For You Too by Glass Castle It is sad that it should come to this, but Constance Singam and the rest of the AWARE ???old guard??? should take heart: there is a way forward. Disassociate publicly from the new AWARE. Set up a new organisation. State clearly, without hedging, and without obfuscation, what you stand for: secular feminism, including abortion rights, equality for LGBTQ people, and freedom from oppressive gender roles. Put it in your constitution this time, and make it a habit to stand up for what you believe in, in the loudest, clearest, most principled possible terms, whenever the opportunity arises. Be transparent about your values, and accountable ??? including, yes, to queer women (more on this below). Learn from this mistake and it won???t happen again. It might even be better this time. **** Fruit Machines A Hit With Kids by Amelia Tan, Straits Times Principals and the Health Promotion Board (HPB) say the appeal of machine-dispensed fruit lies in the attractive packaging it comes in. Doesn't sound like this is environmental friendly. From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Sat Apr 11 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 11 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 11, 2009 Message-ID: <20090411225900.15644.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** 10 Undocumented Changes In iPhoto '09 8.0.2 by Adam C. Engst, TidBITS **** Two NBC Shows Rib Steve Jobs by Dan Moren, Macworld **** inTouch Contacts For iPhone by Dale Gardner, Macworld Interesting contacts organizer marred by flaws, limitations. **** Go Apple, Young Man by Cameron Sturdevant, eWeek Once a fixture only in graphics departments and on rogue users??? desks (or laps), Macs are making their way into the enterprise. As a lifelong Microsoft/PC user, I???ve decided to ???live the Mac life??? so that I can put both platforms in perspective in my Labs analysis and reviews. **** BumperCar Kid-Friendly Web Browser Improves Performance, Security by Peter Cohen, Macworld New to the 2.2 release is an updated version of Apple???s WebKit engine, which works faster and is more secure. Also new in this release is compatibility with Adobe Flash 10. **** Searching For Boggle: Word Spotter And Quordy Both Satisfy by Erica Sadun, Ars Technica While neither offered the perfect Boggle experience, both provided usable, fun applications. Simply put, you would not go wrong with either product. Word Spotter and Quordy both provide entertaining takes on Boggle and are well worth the $1 or $3 that they cost on App Store. **** Twitterlator Pro 2.1 Saves Tweets For Offline Reading by iPodNN **** Apple Releases iPod Shuffle VoiceOver Kit 1.0.1 Upgrade by Joseph L. Flatley, Engadget The 17MB download corrects pronunciations for several artist names, as well as correcting a few "minor bugs." **** Steve Jobs Maintains Grip At Apple - WSJ by Reuters More than three months into a medical leave from Apple Inc, chief executive Steve Jobs remains closely involved in key aspects of running the company, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** Keeping Up With Being Kept by Ruth Padawer, New York Times At first glance, the web site SeekingArrangement.com seems like any other dating site. Most of the men are looking for fit, sexy women, and most of the women want nice guys who can make them smile and laugh. But if eHarmony or Match.com is a chatty social mixer, Seeking Arrangement is a down-and-dirty marketplace where older moneyed men and cute young women engage in brutally frank transactions. They???re not searching for longtime soul mates; they want no-strings-attached ???arrangements??? that trade in society???s most valued currencies: wealth, youth and beauty. In the cheesy lexicon of the site, they are ???sugar daddies??? and ???sugar babies.??? **** Going For The Filp Side by Douglas Quenqua, New York Times Bob Saget can't even get through the door without his worlds -- the wholesome and the profane -- colliding. **** About That Book Advance... by Michael Meyer, New York Times ???In the old days,??? the novelist Henry Bech, John Updike???s fictional alter ego, once said, ???a respectable author never asked for an advance; that was strictly for the no-talents starving down in the Village.??? Since then, Washington Square rents have soared, and writers of fair and ill repute alike seek advance payment for their books. **** Paper Tigers by Nicholas Lemann, The New Yorker What media moguls make. **** 50 Years Of Stupid Grammar Advice by Geoffrey K. Pullum, The Chronicle Of Higher Education April 16 is the 50th anniversary of the publication of a little book that is loved and admired throughout American academe. Celebrations, readings, and toasts are being held, and a commemorative edition has been released. I won't be celebrating. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** Just Admit You Screwed Up, Yaacob! by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club As the minister in charge of NEA, Dr Yaacob should be on the ground inspecting the premises and visiting the victims in the hospital on the very day itself if not the day after, but he was nowhere to be seen or heard. Even if he is not available, the next highest official such as his Permanent Secretary Tan Yong Soon should have stepped forward to fill his shoes. Again, he wasn???t around. (or is he in Paris now for another cooking course?) **** Enforcement Regime At Hawker Centres To Be Stepped Up by Hasnita A Majid, Channel NewsAsia The National Environment Agency (NEA) will step up its enforcement regime at hawker centres to ensure there are no more lapses in hygiene standards -- which the environment and water resources minister Yaacob Ibrahim says can never be compromised. **** Anti-Gay Lobby Hijacks AWARE by Musings It will be interesting to see, therefore, whether Aware will continue to be able to leverage on its networks, or whether it will continue to succeed without being able to do so. **** Our Bloated Defence Budget: What Is The Perceived Threat? by The Wayang Party Club **** Mind Wars: PAP Blogs Back by Seah Chiang Nee, The Star This fast growing city is set to become an even more exciting place. The location to watch is the blogosphere, which will become a new political arena after the Government launches a web offensive within the next few weeks to retake lost ground. I do not see an ???anything goes??? website for free political discussions ??? if it happens - not having a spreading impact on the mainstream media. **** ABC's And Hawker Stalls by New Paper The New Paper team visited 18 hawker centres and found that only some eight out of 10 of the stalls had displayed the grades - despite it being compulsory to do so. **** ???????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? 32?????????????????????????????????????????????15???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Statement of Facts??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** DBS CEO Richard Stanley Dies From Leukaemia by Channel NewsAsia Responding to queries from Channel NewsAsia, DBS said after a brave fight with the disease, Mr Stanley died on Saturday morning at 8.45. His immediate family was by his side as he slipped away peacefully. **** Beware Of ST by Mathia Lee I think we must think about why the ST report was written, rather than focusing on why what happened, happened. **** Bold Gesture From The Government Needed In This Time of Crisis by The Online Citizen The government has done little to indicate that it is willing to share the pain with those who have been affected by the crisis, beyond token cuts in public sector salaries. **** Why Recent Events At Aware Concern All Of Us by Leona's Blog If you think the recent events at Aware do not have any direct implications for you, near or far, think again. **** Coup D'etat (Or Organized Crime) Of Association Of Women For Action And Research (AWARE) by Bread Crumbs And Candy Cottage It freaks the hell out of me that their hatred for their fellow human beings can reach such a fever pitch to organize this coup. **** TOC Interview: Kenneth Jeyaretnam's Debut by Darren Boon, The Online Citizen **** Malaysia, Singapore To Look At Iconic Projects In Iskandar Corridor by Mergawati Zulfakar, The Star Prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Malaysia and Singapore will look into one or two iconic projects within the Iskandar Malaysia region in Johor to symbolise the cooperation between the two nations. **** Singaporean Dr Allan Ooi's Secret Life - Family Plea by Mitchell Toy, Kellie Cameron, Herald Sun The tragedy has sparked fierce debate in Singapore over regulations that force doctors who have trained with the armed forces to then serve for at least 12 years. Dr Ooi's distraught parents, who have returned to Singapore after collecting their son's body, are desperate to know more about his last months. From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Sun Apr 12 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 12 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 12, 2009 Message-ID: <20090412225900.52793.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** iPhone Apps Are Changing The World Of Software And The Way We Work And Play by Luke Bainbridge, The Guardian Since they launched last July, iPhone applications have become one of the fastest - and most popular - technological innovations ever. There are thousands of simple and free apps, including ones that are altering the face of music. The Tomorrow Weblog ==================================== **** Software That Monitors Your Work, Wherever You Are by Damon Darlin, New York Times LiveOps, a rapidly growing company in Santa Clara, Calif., that operates virtual call centers ??? agents working from home across the country ??? has also found that software can perform other management tasks. How it uses that software points to the direction in which technology is taking the workplace. **** On The Lookout, With A Digital Security Camera by Anne Eisenberg, New York Times A new, six-ounce security camera the size of a deck of cards uses a different approach to cover a 180-degree field of view. It employs fixed, inexpensive sensors that divvy up the surveillance job, and smart software that instantly puts their separate views together into one live streaming video. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** If Only Literature Could Be A Cellphone-Free Zone by Matt Richtel, New York Times There???s not much fun, or tragedy, when a simple call can clear up everything. **** CEO Of Me Inc. by Vanessa M. Gezari, Washington Post How to satisfy the needs of work and home? A business professor and entrepreneur searches for answers -- in the classroom. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** The Importance Of Demolishing Lies Right Here And Now by Fang Zhi Yuan, The Wayang Party Club We have to stay vigilant all the time against the mainstream media and I sincerely call on all netizens to join us in our quest to be the media watchdog. **** Kenneth Jeyaretnam Can Bring Much Needed Economics Expertise To Reform Party by Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net **** Christian Fundamentalists Love Big Government by The Legal Janitor **** From Now On, Be Wary Of AWARE by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread I am pessimistic about the prospect of reversing this. This means that gay people, and anyone with liberal views on sexuality, including abortion, will have to be watchful of what new AWARE does in the future. The moment the new leaders use the organisation to further a religious, sectarian agenda, efforts must be made to counter it. An interesting question arises: Shouldn't the Registrar of Societies step in if it is later shown that a society is being used for a quasi-religious agenda? You can bet the government will rush in the moment that agenda is Islam-related. But it is one of the tragedies of Singapore that with the over-representation of Christians in government, they will not see any danger should it be a Christian agenda. They may think it can only improve Singapore! **** ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????? by Weiwei ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Mon Apr 13 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 13 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 13, 2009 Message-ID: <20090413225900.32836.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** The Problem With Push: Can Small Developers Afford It? by Erica Sadun, Ars Technica It's likely that most small- and medium-sized development houses may completely opt out of being push providers. Between infrastructure and security concerns, the infrastructure it will take to properly offer this kind of service may price itself out of reach for those developers. Background processes may not be welcome to Apple and other handset manufacturers, but when looked at closely they offer a more economically sound approach for developers. **** Deconstructing Apple's Tiny iPod Shuffle by Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek A teardown by researchers shows the device's components cost a mere 28% of its retail price???a fat profit margin. Biggest supplier: Samsung. **** iPhone Changes Dynamics Of Game Software Industry by Alex Pham, Los Angeles Times After years of building large, graphics-intensive blockbusters, developers are starting to make shorter, less expensive games for the iPhone and its phone-less sibling, the iPod Touch. **** Apple's "Billion App" Countdown Clock, It's Fake by Uneasy Silence According to the algorithm that Apple is using for the fake counter, the billionth App would be sold sometime on the 20th at 4:57am. **** So, Am I An "Apple Fanboy"? by Random Digital Musings... I am not an Apple fanboy. I am a tech aficionado. There???s a stark difference. **** Apple Closes First Quarter Without Jobs At Helm by Rex Crum, MarketWatch When Apple Inc. delivers its next earnings report later this month, it will mark a milestone of sorts: the company's first reporting period without Steve Jobs, its co-founder and chief executive. **** Gmail Sidesteps The App Store by Kate Greene, MIT Technology Review The technology behind the new Gmail could challenge Apple's control over third-party applications. **** Get Efficient With The Finder's Sidebar by Kirk McElhearn, Macworld Whenever you???ve got a Finder window open, the sidebar can give you one-click access to the items you use most. Items here are arranged by category???Devices, Shared, Places, and Search For. **** HP Adds iPhone App, Trnscoding To Home Server by Electronista **** Mac Security Part II: It's A Numbers Game by Riva Richmond, New York Times **** How Apple Put Everyone In An App State Of Mind by Om Malik, GigaOm Ask mobile app developers, and an overwhelming number are going for iPhone platform first, everything else later. **** Apple Arbitrage by Anita Raghavan, Forbes The weak pound is turning the U.K. into a discount shopping mall for some U.S. goods. The Tomorrow Weblog ==================================== **** 'Hyperlocal' Web Sites Deliver News Without Newspapers by Claire Cain Miller and Brad Stone, New York Times A number of Web start-up companies are creating so-called hyperlocal news sites that let people zoom in on what is happening closest to them, often without involving traditional journalists. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** Parrot Asks, "What'd The Fozen Turkey Want?" by Roger Ebert, Chicaco Sun-Times A joke should have the perfection of a haiku. Not one extra word. No wrong words. It should seem to have been discovered in its absolute form rather than created. The weight of the meaning should be at the end. The earlier words should prepare for the shift of the meaning. The ending must have absolute finality. It should present a world view only revealed at the last moment. Like knife-throwing, joke-telling should never be practiced except by experts. **** 'Big Bang's' Success: It's Not Rocket Science by Maria Elena Fernandez, Los Angeles Times It makes absolute sense that the folks at the Apple store Genius Bar would freak out at the sight of the cast of ??? The Big Bang Theory.??? Or that thousands of fans would fill a room to spend time with them at Comic-Con last summer. But when the paparazzi of Mexico City went so berserk over the five actors during a promotional visit in December that they required an armed bodyguard, the young cast knew their little sitcom was turning into a sensation. **** Guy Walks Into A Bar Car by David Sedaris, The New Yorker Lost loves and lost years. **** Newfane by D. Nurkse, The New Yorker **** Lunch Poem For F.S. by Jonathan Galassi, The New Yorker SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** More Singaporeans Using Smartphones by Amit Roy Choudhury, Business Times **** Only 17 Bus Services In Singapore Overcrowded? by SM Ong, New Paper Does the PTC seriously expect us to believe that, of the over 250 bus services run by SBS Transit and SMRT, only 17 of them are overcrowded during rush hour? What alternate universe does the PTC live in? I want to live in that universe. **** They're Not Just Looking For Sex by Maureen Koh and Tan Kee Yun, New Paper Do the rising number of clubs catering to women - at least 11 which have opened in under a year - necessarily mean that women are becoming bolder or wilder? **** Before You Eat, Remember To... Look by Elysa Chen, New Paper Hawkers reveal how they decide where it's safe to eat. **** Support Love by Angry Doc Because if it's not going to be about love in the end, then what's the whole point? **** Aborted Summit In Pattaya by George Yeo, Beyond SG PM was told by the Thai Government that he and the Singapore delegation should evacuate by sea, to be ferried by small boats to a nearby LST which would take us to Sattahip naval base. From there we could drive to U-Tapao. It all seemed quite unseemly to me that leaders and ministers had to leave in this way. But anyway we packed our belongings and waited for instructions since the Thais were responsible for our security. Happily we were informed around 3.30pm that the demonstrators had dispersed and we could travel by road to U-Tapao with full dignity. **** China Plans $10 Billion Asean Investment Funding by Dune Lawrence, Bloomberg **** PAP Must Take Its Head Out by Singapore Democrats Why are the ministers making themselves millionaires when they can't lead? **** Kenneth Jeyaretnam, Obama And Eric Hobsbawm by Blowin' In The Wind **** State Media's Verdict On Geylang Serai Food Poisoning Disaster: It Has Nothing To Do With The Government! by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club While I concur that every Singaporean has a part to play in ensuring public hygiene and food safety, it is not fair to attribute the blame squarely on us. If we are responsible for everything, then why do we still need to pay million of dollars for a minister to be in charge of the environment? **** Singapore GDP Probably Shrank A Fourth Quarter On Export Slump by Shamim Adam, Bloomberg Singapore???s economy probably shrank for a fourth straight quarter as manufacturing and exports collapsed, adding pressure on the central bank to allow the currency to weaken to revive growth. The worst global economic slump since World War II has pushed trade-dependent Singapore into the deepest recession in its history. Government efforts to prevent job losses by handing out cash to companies haven???t stopped manufacturers such as Creative Technology Ltd. from firing workers, and economists expect the island to loosen monetary policy this week. **** ?????????????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? by ????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Blogs And Free Speech: Report Paints Sorry Picture by Merinews China, Singapore, Tunisia and Myanmar are the countries where bloggers have been arrested for exposing corruption or abuse of human rights. **** ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? by ???????????? ???????????????63??????????????????????????????3???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Living Reefs Of Pulau Hantu by Wild Shores Of Singapore What a fabulous way to spend Easter holidays, sunrise on the reefs of Pulau Hantu at low tide! **** Economics 101 In Singapore by Warren Longwell, The Stonecypher The idea about motivating government regulators with vast sums of money is not a new or novel idea. It actually works. We know this because it has worked in Singapore for more than thirty years. **** Simon Road Oyster Omelette: Crispy Or Sticky? by iEat.iShoot.iPost Traditional little coffeeshop where you still get to see the hawkers frying their stuff on the outside. With a Hokkien Mee, Oyster Omelette and a Satay stall, it would almost seem that it is a coffeeshop designed to be a supper place. **** ???????????????????????? by ????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Old And New Citizens Do Not Get Equal Chance In Singapore by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club The reservist obligation of Singapore males is a bane to us. How can we compete with new citizens who do not have to take 14 days off each year to serve national service? **** Ladies, Have You Forgotten Your Narrative? by P N Baliji, Today If it is a case of being upset at the way leadership was seized from right under their noses, constitutionally mind you, then they should be magnanimous in defeat, lick their wounds and prepare to fight another day. Whether in politics or activism, it is that kind of maturity that Singapore needs. **** Bring Back The Top-Down Scrutiny by Lim Teck Kong, Today I used to see [head of the Hawkers Department] making his rounds in the previous centre where my father???s stall was, as well as the current one (Redhill Hawker Centre), to ensure that everything was in place and that no one was breaking the law. If there was such a person (my father had once smoked while cooking), the head would march up to him and discipline him for the bad deed. **** Singapore's Independence: What Was The Point? by Bryan Caplan, EconLog Lee may be the father of independent Singapore; but his own account of the facts suggests that Singapore's economic miracle would have begun 10-15 years earlier if the nationalist movement had never existed. I have to ask, then: What was the whole point of Singaporean independence? **** Senile Old Man. by Everyday's Life In A Snapshot - For Lesser Mortals Only Suzhou Industrial Park and success does not go together, unless you are from China. Everyone who really knows the truth must know that Singapore got their asses kicked in Suzhou, and we had to suffer in silence, while proclaiming that it was a success so as not to lose face. **** IRAS Website "Under Maintenance" by Alfred Siew, Techgoondu What do you do when the entire nation is rushing to file their taxes just two days before the April 15 deadline? **** The Year Of Online News Competition? by Singapore Kopi Tok Now, not only is there rivalry between the offline and online media, there is also intra-online media competition developing. **** Saturday Is Dine-Out Night by Bryan Huang, Straits Times Do you eat out on a Saturday evening with your friends or family? Then you are in good company, as one in two Singaporeans dines out on Saturday, according to the latest global online study released by The Nielsen Company. **** 154 Casualties. 48 Hospitalized. 2 Deaths. 122 Rats. All The Rojak Man's Fault? by Khairulanwar Zaini, The Online Citizen While the mass food poisoning may be the fault of an errant individual stall owner, the dirty state of the market reflects a worrying systemic failure on the part of the NEA and the Geylang Serai Temporary Market Management Committee. **** Singapore Says Banks Still Lending To Property Firms by Reuters Singapore developers and construction firms can still access credit markets and there is no need for loan guarantees to help the industry, the government said on Monday. **** SAF Allowed Three Officers To Be Prematurely Released From Their Bonds Since 2000 by Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia Deputy prime minister and defence minister Teo Chee Hean says that since 2000, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has allowed three officers to be released prematurely from their bonds. Speaking in Parliament on Monday, Mr Teo said the SAF is not an unreasonable organisation when it comes to the issue of officers serving out their bonds. **** ???????????????????????????????????????????????? by ?????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** MM Lee Tells New Singaporeans To Master English by Bernama Singapore???s former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew told the republic???s new citizens to master English if they want to succeed in the city-state. **** Chan Sek Keong Re-Appointed As Chief Justice by Channel NewsAsia **** More Awareness Needed About The "Leadership Grab" In AWARE by Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net Concerns over the hijacking of AWARE by anti-gay conservatives is not unfounded. According to the Straits Times as well as the popular website fridae.com, some members of AWARE???s new committee as well as other outspoken members have written to the Straits Times Forum Page opposing the repeal of Section 377A of the Penal Code which criminalises sexual relations between men. **** IRAS Says There Were Problems With E-Filing On Monday Morning by Patwant Singh, Channel NewsAsia IRAS has apologised for the inconvenience caused and is investigating the cause. **** Parliament Prorogued, To Reconvene With President's Address On 18 May by Channel NewsAsia The second session of the Eleventh Parliament will convene with the President's Address on 18 May at 8.30pm. Parliament is usually prorogued to enable the House to take stock of progress made and map out its legislative programme for the new session. **** Parliament Passes New Bill To Manage Law And Order by Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia Second minister for home affairs, Mr K Shanmugam, said: "The approach is to seek the optimal balance between the freedom to exercise political rights while not affecting public safety security and not affecting stability." **** A Tale Of 2 (Kinds Of) Deaths by Civic Advocator **** Traffic Conditions Along CTE Improve With New Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway by Timothy Ouyang, Channel NewsAsia Speaking in Parliament on Monday, second minister for transport Mrs Lim Hwee Hua said that has led to the 50-cent reduction in ERP charges at the gantry along the southbound CTE, before Braddell Road between 8.30am and 9am. **** MRT Stations On Track To Have Screen Doors On All Platforms By 2012 by Timothy Ouyang, Channel NewsAsia Senior parliamentary secretary for transport Teo Ser Luck told the House on Monday that the first group of MRT stations - Jurong East, Pasir Ris, and Yishun - will have screen doors by the end of this year. **** Singapore Says New Law Will Prevent Meeting Disruption by Reuters Singapore passed a law affecting freedom of assembly on Monday it said would help prevent the sort of disruption of international meetings that caused the cancellation of a summit in Thailand last weekend. An opposition member of parliament, however, said the rules would tighten restrictions on Singaporeans' rights. From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Tue Apr 14 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 14 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 14, 2009 Message-ID: <20090414225900.28511.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Mac Pro: THe Perfect Workstation by Tom Sullivan, InfoWorld With more than double the memory throughput of an eight-core, 3GHz Xserve, the massively parallel Nehalem-based Mac Pro is built to rock your world. **** Disk Doctor Releases Photo Recovery Software For Mac by Bryan Fergus, The Mac Observer **** iPhone Finds A Home In The Enterprise Market by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld **** Apple To Sell $899 20-Inch Aluminum iMac To Schools by Sam Oliver, AppleInsider Apple this week quietly announced plans to begin selling an aluminum 20-inch iMac configuration to qualified educational institutions for just $899, effectively closing the book on the white 17-inch legacy model that had previously assumed a similar role. **** Wish You Were Here: Send Real Postcards From Your iPhone by Nicole Martinelli, Cult Of Mac An app called ???Wish You Were Here??? lets you use pics taken with your iPhone, personalize a greeting and caption and then send them via snail mail. **** Birdhouse Helps You Polish Your Twitter Posts by Dan Moren, Macworld The $4 Birdhouse only concerns itself with one facet of Twitter: the composition of award-winning, needle-sharp tweets of infinite wisdom. **** Rehr Asks Apple To Add FM To iPods by Radio Ink Magazine NAB president/CEO David Rehr has written to Apple COO Timothy Cook to urge the electronics maker, "as a recognized leader in both the mobile phone and portable music player arenas," to begin including FM radio capability in iPhones and iPods. **** What iPhone Effect? Some Mobile Industry Insiders Are Still In The Dark by Matthaus Krzykowski, Venture Beat **** Why Developers Are More Excited About The iPhone by Jason Spero, Venture Beat **** iPhone Jailbreaking Still Going Strong by Mel Beckman, Computerworld Although most iPhone users seem satisfied with the smorgasbord of applications delivered by Apple's iPhone App Store, power users yearn for more. **** Apple Bores A Big 'iHole' In Korea's Walled Garden by Jean K. Min, OhmyNews For an average Korean, mobile Internet has remained the exotic hobby of a few early adopters. There are a number of reasons for this: The screens of average handsets are too tiny for pain-free Web browsing, home-grown user interfaces are clunky and service providers built heavy walled-gardens around their poor content and charged ridiculously exorbitant prices. The "Jesus phone" from the Cupertino, California company shattered all these preconceptions in a day. Apple's iPhone proved that sleek Web-browsing beyond any carefully groomed walled-garden is feasible and even enjoyable on a tiny screen if assisted by intuitive software, all without paying a dime to greedy telcos thanks to its Wi-Fi connectivity. **** HD Camcorders: Capturing Video Into iMovie by Christopher Breen, Macworld **** What Are All Those iTunes Files? by Kirk McElhearn, Macworld You???ve probably peeked into your iTunes folder (It???s located in your user folder: Music: iTunes) and may have been perplexed by all the files and folders it contains, wondering what they???re all for. Here???s an overview of the files and folders that iTunes uses, both in the iTunes folder and elsewhere. **** BackBlaze Online Backup Debuts For Mac by Peter Cohen, Macworld BackBlaze, an automated online backup service for PC, is now available for the Mac. It???s priced at $5 per computer per month. **** Yep (Mac OS X App) by Craig Grannell, Cult Of Mac **** Photo fx For iPhone by Tim Mercer, Macworld Maybe you find the iPhone???s built-in camera wanting. Or perhaps you just want a way to take the ordinary pictures that camera produces and turn them into something really special. In either case, Photo fx from The Tiffen Company is worth a look. **** CinemaView Displays Equipped With Mini DisplayPort by Peter Cohen, Macworld Consumers and businesses who want Mini DisplayPort-equipped monitors without paying Apple prices may soon have a new option: Collins America has announced its line of CinemaView displays ??? three forthcoming LCD monitors designed especially for the Mac. **** What A Teardown Is, And Isn't by Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek One thing I constantly have to explain when I write these stories is this: A teardown analysis doesn???t give you a full picture on a particular product???s profit margin, and it???s not intended to, nor do I suggest anywhere in the story that it does. But if you were to ask how much Apple or anyone else makes as on each unit sold of a given product, a teardown can help you get a little closer to an educated guess. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** Last Voyage For The Keeper Of The Hubble by Dennis Overbye, New York Times John Grunsfeld was sitting in an astronomical meeting in Atlanta in January of 2004 when he got a message to come back to headquarters in Washington to talk about the Hubble Space Telescope. To say that he was excited would be an understatement. As an astronaut, Dr. Grunsfeld had twice journeyed to space to make repairs on humanity???s most vaunted eye on the cosmos, experiences he had described to a high-level panel pondering Hubble???s fate only a few months before as the most meaningful in his life. He was looking forward to leading the third and final servicing mission, which had been delayed by the loss of the shuttle Columbia and its crew the year before. **** Child's Pose by John Dickerson, Slate How my kids found peace and tranquillity at the White House Easter Egg Roll. **** No Extra Charge by Troy Patterson, Slate The dubious art of informercials. **** This Is Not The Beginning Of The End by Robert Reich, Salon It probably isn't even the end of the beginning of the recession. We can't wish the economy back to health. **** Boldly Going Nowhere by Seth Shostak, New York Times Piling into a starship and barreling into deep space may long remain ??? like perfect children or effort-free bathroom cleaners ??? a pipe dream. **** After The Service, The Widow Considers The Etymology Of The Word Salary by J. Allyn Rosser, Slate SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** Parliament Passes The Public Order Act Of 2009 by Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net **** Parliament Passes Bill To Corporatise Changi Airport by Channel NewsAsia A smaller CAAS will continue to be the regulator, promoter and developer of the aviation industry, while a corporatised entity will operate Changi Airport and the airport emergency services as well as exploit investment opportunities overseas. **** Singaporeans Can Kiss Elections Goodbye by Singapore Democrats The SDP has been hoping that it will not come to pass. But it has. Singapore is set to purchase electronic voting machines from India. We might as well kiss elections goodbye. This is no melodrama and it is certainly no exaggeration. Here's why. **** Aren't They Quick To Change Their Headlines? by Mr Wang Says So If there are 10,000 available jobs, and 5,000 of them go to Filipinos, then at best 5,000 of them are left for Singaporeans. That's half. That's not the "bulk". **** MTI Revises Forecasts For 2009 GDP Growth To -9.0 To -6.0 Per Cent by Ministry Of Trade And Industry, Singapore Government The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) announced today that it expects Singapore's GDP to contract by 6.0 to 9.0 per cent in 2009, lower than the contraction of 2.0 to 5.0 per cent that it had forecast on 21 January 2009. (Note: Link goes to PDF document.) **** Exploring The Unique Wonders Of Singapore by April Fonti, Daily Telegraph It can be difficult to explain the lure of Singapore. **** 4 Month Delay In Food Grading Label & 61 Rats At Geylang Serial Market: Has NEA Been Complacent? by Fang Zhi Yuan and Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club The unfortunate Geylang Serai food poisoning episode has exposed the flaws of both NEA???s grading system and its enforcement. **** Public Order Bill by Sylvia Lim, The Workers' Party The Bill as a whole will give the State a carte blanche to control citizen activity and further erode whatever little power Singaporeans have to pursue legitimate causes. This is in contrary to the Workers??? Party belief in Power to the People. **** ??????????????????????????????????????????????????? by ZhengNinG ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????90????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Singapore Says Economy May Contract As Much As 9% by Shamim Adam, Bloomberg Singapore said its recession will be deeper than previously expected, prompting the central bank to adjust the band within which the currency is managed to help the nation exit its worst economic slowdown on record. The worst global economic slump since World War II has pushed Asia???s trade-dependent nations into the region???s deepest slowdown in more than a decade. Singapore???s efforts to prevent job losses by handing out cash to companies haven???t stopped manufacturers such as Creative Technology Ltd. from firing workers as orders fall. **** No Reason For Weakening Singapore Dollar: MAS by Channel NewsAsia **** Singapore Devalues Currency After Record GDP Fall by Nopporn-Wong Anan, Reuters Singapore's central bank on Tuesday eased monetary policy for the second time since 2003 by effectively devaluing the currency as the government forecast a record economic contraction this year. The move came as Singapore's economy contracted a record 11.5 percent from a year earlier in the first quarter of 2009, more than a market median forecast of an 8.8 percent slump and deepening the trade-dependent city-state's worst ever recession. **** Review Of The Public Sector by Tan Kin Lian In recent years, many government agencies have reduced their manpower in the bid to cut cost. We now have insufficient number of people to enforce the law. **** A Freeze On Rent Will Be Unfair: Fu by 938 Live, Channel NewsAsia **** We Need To Cover Cost Of Living by Melvin Lim Soon Hin, Today The government should consider allowing low-income earners ??? say below $2,000 ??? to choose to pay a reduced (say, 10 per cent?) CPF contribution to make up for the loss in income. **** Opposing The Public Order Bill by Yaw Shin Leong **** Good Tactics, Bad Strategy by Hard Hitting In The Lion City The Singapore government may have done a good job on the conversion scheme but it is a case of good tactics, bad strategy. **** Singapore: Recession Likely Deeper Than Expected by AFP Singapore's worst economic crisis since independence is predicted to be even worse than expected, with output now forecast to shrink by up to 9.0 percent in 2009, official data showed. The revised 2009 outlook was the fourth downgrade since November, a reflection of the severity of the recession confronting the trade-dependent state as electronics and other manufactured exports continue to plunge. **** 150 AWARE Members Seek Vote Of No Confidence In New Executive Committee by Channel NewsAsia Some members of the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) have sought a vote of no confidence in the newly elected executive committee. **** Cheaper Broadband Soon by Chua Hian Hou, Straits Times Consumers can expect more Internet service providers (ISPs) to launch 100Mbps consumer broadband services next year at about $75 a month or less. **** Buzz Over Resort Jobs by Lim Wei Chean, Straits Times Two reports circulating on the Internet that half of the 10,000 jobs at Sentosa's upcoming integrated resort (IR) have been set aside for foreigners have created a furore among some Singaporeans. **** Photo Gallery: Geylang Serai Market In The Aftermath Of Singapore's Worst Food Poisoning Outbreak by The Wayang Party Club **** Call For Checks And Balances by Jeremy Au Yong, Straits Times Three Members of the House yesterday opposed the new public order rules, arguing that these gave overarching powers to the police without sufficient checks and balances. **** ????????????????????????????????????????????? by ?????? **** Singapore Dollar Devalued After Worst Ever Slump by Blowin' In The Wind The ministry's powers of economic divination seem to have been rattled by the crisis as the economy gets worse and worse. **** Singapore To Get 39 Percent More Hotel Rooms Amid Glut, CBRE Says by Bloomberg ????With declining occupancy and revenue-per-available-room levels already apparent, the addition of new supply will likely result in a further softening of the market, Alison Poore, senior consultant at CBRE Hotels-Southeast Asia, said in a statement. **** Singapore Expands Air Services Agreement With Malaysia by Channel NewsAsia The new agreement gives carriers of both countries the right to operate between Singapore and six new destinations in Malaysia, namely Ipoh, Kuala Terengganu, Kuantan, Malacca, Sandakan and Tawau. **** The End Of Asia's 'Export-Led' Development Has Begun by Xiaoxiong Yi, Lancaster Eagle Gazette Economically, Asia's export-led development finally might have outlived its usefulness. **** An Alternative To Penalising Labour by The Online Citizen **** Muzzling The Madding Crowd by The Online Citizen Like the new Films Act passed some weeks earlier, the Public Order Act introduces enough ambiguity and powers to ??? in effect ??? constrict civil liberties even as it retains a visage of liberalisation that allows the government to self-righteously argue that it is taking a positive step. **** Rojak Seller To Go To Court by Judith Tan, Straits Times **** MediaWARE by Sam's Thoughts Our mainstream media has to conduct itself more professionally. You have to respect your subjects/interviewees. Even if you want to be conservative or sympathetic to the government, you should at least portray, for example, minorities or political opposition without damaging/threatening their reputation or dignity. **** Don't Mess With The Singapore Dollar by Mark Cranfield, Wall Street Journal Singapore isn't willing to step onto the slippery slope of competitive currency devaluation. By ceding that it can't control external demand for its goods, it's being as clear as it can that it doesn't want foreigners to lose confidence in the Singapore dollar and take their wealth elsewhere. The money these temporary residents spend in the local economy has become significant in the past five years, and a driver of the near doubling in residential property prices between 2006 and 2008. From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Wed Apr 15 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 15 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 15, 2009 Message-ID: <20090415225900.88043.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** REAL Software Ships REALbasic 2009 Release 2 by Chris Barylick, The Mac Observer The new version includes more than 70 improvements and new features as well as COM automation support for Windows and support for MySQL. **** Adventures In iTunes Sitting by John Martellaro, The Mac Observer It was a simple desire: display the name of the currently playing song within the Mac OS X Menu bar. Not in a menu item, something that requires a click, but right there, in plain sight, impervious to changes in Spaces. It took some searching, but I found one, and several other interesting iTunes helpers along the way. **** app4mac Announces Jump 1.0, Projector 1.0 by MacNN Jump is a quick-access utility, aimed at making the launch of apps, documents and folders more convenient; Projector, meanwhile, tracks and calculates a project's tasks and costs. **** Apple, Grow Up: It's Time To Fix App Store Approvals by Shawn King, The iPod Observer Apple's decisions are obviously not consistent, not well understood (even by people at Apple) and simultaneously confusing and frustrating for both the users and the developers. And it's particularly egregious when it doesn't have to be this way. **** Schizophrenic's Will Valid by K. C. Vijayan, Straits Times Judges should not let medical opinions sway their decision if they are not backed up by the facts, the chief justice has said. **** Apple iPhone And The Enterprise: Happy Together? by Michelle Maisto, eWeek The Apple iPhone can find a comfortable home in the enterprise, a new report from Forrester Research suggests. The RIM BlackBerry is still a superior messaging and calendar device, eWEEK is told, but with the iPhone 3.0 addressing many often-voiced security concerns, for content-centric applications, the iPhone is becoming the sanctioned enterprise device of choice. **** 3G iPod Shuffle Teardown Reveals Same Costs As In 2007 by Aidan Malley, AppleInsider In spite of fears that Apple was suddenly inflating its margins, a new teardown from iSuppli has revealed that the third-generation iPod shuffle costs as much to make as its predecessor did two years ago. **** Apple Updates Aperture, iMovie With Bug Fixes by Dan Moren, Macworld **** Crazy Penguin Catapult For iPhone by Kyle Bailey, Macworld It's penguins versus bears in this chilly casual game fare. **** Back-In-Time 1.3.4 by Dan Frakes, Macworld Tri-Edre???s Back-In-Time is a useful utility that aims to address Time Machine's shortcomings by providing a very different interface for accessing Time Machine backups **** Microsoft Updates Office 2004 And 2008 by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld **** Fully Functional Office 2008 For Mac Trial Is Now Available by Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica Those who want to try out Office 2008 for Mac but don't want to fork over hundreds of dollars just yet can now use a 30-day trial of the software. **** AT&T Chief Looks To Keep iPhone, Deepen Wireless Push by Amol Sharma, Wall Street Journal AT&T's exclusive deal to carry the iPhone in the U.S. expires next year, according to people familiar with the matter, and CEO Randall Stephenson is now in discussions with Apple Inc. to get an extension until 2011. **** Why Apple Should Not Extend AT&T's Exclusive iPhone Service Deal by Lonnie Lazar, Cult Of Mac **** Skype No Longer Works On Jailbroken iPhones by Quincy Pince-Nez, 9 To 5 Mac **** iPhone Wi-Fi Failures Caused By Battery Heat? by David Martin, CNET Many people think that the problem is caused by the iPhone overheating, and some go so far as to place their iPhone into a refrigerator to speed up the cooling process. (We don't suggest that you do the same; refrigerating your iPhone could cause water damage and void your warranty.) We recommend letting the iPhone cool at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes, or until cool to the touch. **** Apple Selling 22 iPhones, 28 Macs Per Store Each Day by Kasper Jade, AppleInsider Observations made at more than two dozen Apple retail stores over the last few weeks show Apple to be maintaining healthy sales of Macs and iPhones that aren't far off from rates seen during the lead-in to last year's holiday shopping season. **** Switching Again by AppleDifferent Mac simply makes my life easier and more comfortable. **** You'll Get Used To $1.29 Songs At The iTunes Store by David Zeiler, Baltimore Sun The reality is neither Apple nor its rivals needs the 99-cents fits all policy anymore. Yes, it was genius in 2003. It kept things simple and encouraged a wary public to try out iTunes. But as a business tool, it has outlived its purpose. The Tomorrow Weblog ==================================== **** A Word Processor That Keeps Track by Erica Naone, MIT Technology Review TextFlow claims to have a novel approach to online collaboration. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** Dinosaur At The Gate by Maureen Dowd, New York Times Why can???t Google, which likes to see itself as a ???Don???t Be Evil??? benevolent force in society, just write us a big check for using our stories, so we can keep checks and balances alive and continue to provide the search engine with our stories? He declines to pony up money, noting that newspapers could opt out of giving their content to Google free and adding, ???We actually like making our own money for obviously good capitalist reasons.??? SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** Dine-In At A 7-Eleven Store? by Audrey Tan Ruiping, New Paper Convenience store chain 7-Eleven has opened an outlet at the Sengkang Sports and Recreation Centre - and you can eat there. **** Plea To OK 'Crooked Causeway' by New Paper Businessmen and the public in Johor are hopeful that the crooked bridge project across the Straits of Johor will spur development within the city, which has been adversely affected since the opening of the new Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex. **** Anti-LGBTQ Is Anti-Feminist by Glass Castle Advocacy for women's rights which ignores LGBTQ rights is incomplete at best, and may be downright detrimental at worst. **** Cathay, Singapore Face 'Tough' Calls As Qantas Cuts by Chan Sue Ling, Bloomberg Qantas Airways Ltd., Australia???s largest carrier, will cut about five percent of its staff in anticipation of a record loss caused by a drop in business class travel. Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. and Singapore Airlines Ltd. may be next. **** Public Order Act: A Nervous Government Lashes Out by Singapore Democrats This two-pronged gambit of introducing the Public Order Act and electronic voting will kill off politics and political competition in Singapore. It is also a signal that the government is ill-at-ease with itself and with the people it rules. It is a nervous beast, and nervous beasts lash out at anything it perceives as a threat. Confident rulers seek the mandate of the people, nervous ones crush them. **** Stop Misleading The Public On The Public Order Act by Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net Let us call a spade a spade and let us all be clear as to what the Act really is all about ??? a sugar coated poison pill that further subjugates political freedom and civil rights in the name of public interest. **** Lessons From Ian Tomlinson's Death: Implications Of The New Public Order Act Giving Police Powers To Stop Filming Of Ongoing "Security"Operations by The Wayang Party Club **** 150 Call For Vote Of No Confidence by Choo Zheng Xi, The Online Citizen **** Amazing Speed At Which Rojak Seller Is Charged Diverts Attention Away From Role Of Authorities by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club The charge appeared to be timed perfectly to divert attention away from authorities which are facing intense public scrutiny and pressure for failing to prevent the outbreak. **** Singapore's Sweet Rings by Manuela Zoninsein, Cond?? Nast Traveler To Singaporeans, frying dough balls is a form of connoisseurship. **** Singapore Minister Shares Experiences by Viet Nam News Visiting Singaporean minister mentor Lee Kwan Yew has been sharing his country???s experiences with tackling the global economic crisis with Viet Nam. **** ??????????????????????????? by ???????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Of Power, Freedom And Money by My Singapore News **** Shame Sham Shanmugam by Cavalierio To read Shanmugam's speech in full is to be thoroughly amazed by a speech that is replete with elementary false-dilemmas and double-speak. **** ??????????????????????????? by ??????, ????????????(????????????) ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Feb Retail Sales Up 10.5% by Straits Times Sales for the month rose a seasonally adjusted 10.5 per cent from January, due to stronger car sales, said the Department of Statistics (DOS) on Wednesday. Excluding motor vehicles, February's retail sales index.declined a seasonally adjusted 3 per cent from January. Compared with a year ago, February retail sales fell 5.7 per cent, hurt by a 25.8 percent drop in food and beverages sales. **** Will Singaporeans Speak Up For Others? by Tan Kin Lian, The Online Citizen We were proud and happy to be Singaporeans many years ago. We were part of the struggle to build an independent nation, based on equality and justice, which is respected by many nations around the world. Today, Singaporeans are disappointed. We are not sure if Singapore still belongs to us or only to those who are in power. **** Singapore Retail Sales Fall A Fifth Month As Recession Deepens by Shamim Adam, Bloomberg Singapore???s retail sales fell for a fifth month in February, the longest period of declines in seven years, as consumers cut spending amid an economic slump that has led to the loss of thousands of jobs. **** Sun Microsystems Confirms Retrenchment Exercise At Its Singapore Operations by May Wong, Channel NewsAsia **** ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????6??? by ???????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????2??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????6?????? **** Firefly To Fly Ipoh-Singapore Route by Bernama The Ipoh-Singapore flight route that is expected to become operational in the middle of the year would be a generator of investment and tourism between Perak and the island republic, said Perak menteri besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir. **** Local, Foreign Groups Warned Against Disrupting APEC Summit by Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia As Singapore prepares to host the APEC Summit in November, deputy prime minister Wong Kan Seng said Singapore will treat high-profile events as possible terrorist targets and deal firmly with those who engage in acts of violence during that period. From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Thu Apr 16 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 16 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 16, 2009 Message-ID: <20090416225900.78818.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Money 3.3 Adds New Languages, nvoice Template Editor by MacNN Users can now create templates and change fonts, colors, paper sizes or table styles from within the program. **** A New Way To Read The WSJ For Free: On Your iPhone by Dan Frommer, Silicon Alley Insider Another way to escape the Wall Street Journal's famous pay wall: Its new iPhone app, which is available for free on the iTunes app store. **** Late To The iPhone, Trip Hawkins' Digital Chocolate Falls In Love With It by Dean Takahashi, Venture Beat **** Snatch For iPhone by Chester Baker, Macworld The concept behind Snatch is simple???Hoofien???s app turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a trackpad and remote keyboard that controls your computer over a network. It???s quickly become one of my most used iPhone apps. **** VMware Bug Allows Windows Hack To Attack Macs by Gregg Keizer, Computerworld A bug in VMware's Fusion virtualization software could be used to run malicious code on a Mac by exploiting Windows in a virtual machine, a security researcher said today. VMware has released Fusion 2.0.4 to plug the hole. **** Encrypt More Data With Latest SecuriKey Version by Philip Michaels, Macworld **** SpiderOak Sync Delivers Cross-Platform Syncing by Jim Darlymple, Macworld SpiderOak on Wednesday introduced a new syncing service for users of multiple cross-platform computers that want to sync documents, photos and other types of media. **** A Year On, Psystar Still Defying Apple by Tom Krazit, CNET **** Vocal Effects Come To The iPhone With StompVox by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld Complete Software and iPhonicus have a released a new application for the iPhone and iPod touch called StompVox that gives users the ability to put effects on their vocals. **** CNBC's Jim Goldman On Eric Schmidt, Google CEO And Apple Director by Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek Presuming this Android-based netbook product takes off, it???s not hard to imagine a scenario where Apple also launches a netbook that makes Apple and Google direct competitors on that front too. **** Amazon Mobile For iPhone by Jeff Whitfield, Macworld With access to all the details of items sold on Amazon, wish lists, and the Remembers feature, Amazon Mobile is one of those apps that you???ll find yourself turning to just about every time you go shopping. **** Avoiding iPhone App Rejection From Apple by Brian Stormont, Mobile Orchard As has been mentioned many many times on the various developer forums, Apple???s approval process can be very frustrating and inconsistent. However, if you are careful, you can greatly reduce your risk of getting an app rejected. **** Review: Pixelmator - Is It A $59 Photoshop? In Many Ways It Is by MacRevu It???s not a $59 replacement for Photoshop, but it is a design tool that offers a great many of Photoshop???s core features at only a fraction of the cost. **** The Ultimate Mac RSS Reader Roundup by Milind Alvares, Smoking Apples **** AT&T May Have To Pay Dearly To Retain iPhone Exclusively by Matt Hamblen, Computerworld Five analysts interviewed today were divided over what Apple might do about extending the arrangement, but all agreed that an extension would clearly benefit AT&T. **** iTunes Price Hikes Treating The Industry Just Fine by Jared Newman, Technologizer **** Apple, Your Mighty Mouse Sucks. Please Fix It. by MG Siegler, TechCrunch By far the worst part about the Mighty Mouse is its top track ball. While it???s nice that the thing can move in any direction, because of that, the ball accumulates much more dirt than regular mouse scroll wheels. And once it gets clogged up enough (which you can???t see mind you because it???s all inside), it is completely unusable. Did Apple ever make a good mouse? Maybe Apple should just OEM Microsoft's. :-) **** Latest MobileMe Takes Out Glitches And Eases Syncing by Walter S. Mossberg, Wall Street Journal Apple has fixed all of the speed and reliability issues I encountered last year. **** Smule Releases Leaf Trombone: World Stage For iPhone by iPodnn Smule has released Leaf Trombone: World Stage, its latest massively multiplayer online (MMO) musical game for the iPhone and iPod touch. **** One Tale Of Woe: Apple, HP Laptop 'Refurbs' by Brooke Crothers, CNET Refurbished laptops from Apple and Hewlett-Packard are relatively inexpensive and, in many cases, virtually new. But it all depends on how you define "new." **** Cell-Phone Multi-Player Gaming Posed For Take-Off? by Olga Kharif, BusinessWeek **** LinkedIn For iPhone by Dale Gardner, Macworld Mobile version of business networking service missing key functionality. The Tomorrow Weblog ==================================== **** Toshiba To Demo New Self-Encrypting HDD At RSA Conference by Chris Preimesberger, eWeek The new encryption software, which uses Wave Systems' Trusted Drive Manager application, is built around NIST-certified AES encryption technology fully integrated within the HDD's controller, the company said. **** IBM Building Analytics Clouds by Darryl K. Taft, eWeek IBM is building analytics clouds it says will help its clients make better decisions and better utilize the data that is available to them. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** Cloned Species by Tom Mueller, National Geographic Bringing extinct species back to life is no longer considered science fiction. But is it a good idea? **** Why Newspapers Are Like Department Stores by Gene Lyons, Salon They're both outmoded business models, and they're both in trouble. **** Watch Your Language! by Stephanie Zacharek, Salon Are you loaded or shitfaced? Edumacated or frakked? A new book explores the poetic, ever-changing world of slang. **** When Nature Calls by Roger Cohen, New York Times The bizarre case of an air traveler who was refused use of a business-class lavatory on a Delta Air Lines flight offers a morality tale for our age. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** Stunned He May Face Court by Sujin Thomas, Straits Times THE man at the centre of the food poisoning incident at Geylang Serai Temporary Market said on Wednesday he is resigned to having his licence suspended. However, Indian rojak stallholder Sheik Allaudin Mohideen, 70, was taken aback when told by The Straits Times that he may wind up in court. **** IR Jobs: Are Singaporeans Being Given Priority? by Tan Shao Ken, Straits Times The government and the IRs must work to ensure that Singaporeans who are qualified and want a job with the IRs get one. **** Live Animals Sold In Supermarkets: It's Unhygienic & Cruel, Says SPCA by Teh Jen Lee, New Paper It has expressed 'serious concern' over the welfare of such animals like freshwater turtles and bullfrogs that are being sold in Sheng Siong supermarkets. **** Should NEL Officer Be Punished For Sitting? by Geraldine Yeo, New Paper **** Flutterbies by Journey To The Sinking Lands But look underneath and you realise the flowers aren???t real. **** W by Loo Zhan How will filmmakers in Singapore ever get the freedom to create a film like ???W???? **** Singapore Men Put Love On Hold On Financial Worry by Koh Gui Qing, Reuters "No money no honey" seems to be ringing true for Singapore's bridal agencies, which are seeing slowing business as the financial crisis and a looming recession hit love in the country. **** Some Comments On The Aware Thing by Musings If you're wondering why Aware has done so much but you haven't heard of it, the answer has to do with the way civil society groups work in Singapore. You campaign for what you want, but only until the Government starts listening to you and realising that you're right. Then you back off and let the Government implement your proposals in the way they see fit. Then you let the Government take all the credit. The moment you start getting all media-whore-y and high-profile, your relationship with the Government is screwed. **** Family To Take Legal Action To Investigate David's Death by The Jakarta Post The family of David Hartanto, an Indonesian student accused of stabbing his professor at Singapore's Nanyang Technology University (NTU) before committing suicide, will take further legal steps to investigate his death. **** A Government Out Of Order by Gerald Giam It is plain to me that this law was drafted with one event and one person in mind: APEC and Chee Soon Juan. **** Singapore-JB Bus Links To Double by Maria Almenoar, Straits Times The number of bus services linking Singapore and Johor Baru in Malaysia is being doubled from eight to 16. **** Women's Advocacy Group Aware Picks New President by Alicia Wong, Today The new guard sealed its leadership grab in women???s advocacy group Aware yesterday when one of their own, Ms Josie Lau Meng Lee, was appointed president. **** Residents Did Not Make Complaints by Zul Othman, Today The panel has completed interviewing all the parties involved, chairman Johnny Tan told Today, and the only party that maintains it had called up the authorities about the broken railing is the family of victim Siti Nur Aini. But the family is not certain when they placed the call, so tracing the records has not been possible. **** Agency Should Take Responsibility by Tony Lee, Today **** Singaproe's Government-Backed Loans Reach Record High In March by Xinhua **** Time For Police And NTU To Answer Allegations In Jakarta Post Article On David Widjaja by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club **** Business Plummets At Geylang Serai Temporary Market by Neo Chai Chin, Today Business has dropped by over 50 per cent, and on Wednesday afternoon, about half the food stalls were not even open. **** What Is The Role Of Kampung Ubi Ciziten Consultative Committee In The Geylang Serai Food Poisoning Fiasco? by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club Everybody has a role to play in maintaining the hygiene of the environment. SM Goh Chok Tong has been quick to point fingers at the ungracious habits of Singaporeans, but conveniently forget to mention the fact that the wet market is a project by Kampong Ubi CCC under Marine Parade GRC. **** DBS Exec Is Aware's Head by Tan Dawn Wei, Wong Kim Hoh & Yen Feng, Straits Times DBS Bank said it had told her just before last night's Aware exco meeting that it did not support her running for president. The bank said it supported employees' participation in community work, but they needed approval before taking on external appointments. And Ms Lau did not have the green light to be Aware president. **** S'pore Works With Countries Serious About Knowledge Transfer, Says MM Lee by Channel NewsAsia Singapore minister mentor Lee Kuan Yew said Singapore will assess a country's ability to absorb the transfer of ideas and knowledge before deciding whether to collaborate with the country on joint projects. **** Circle Line To Open 2 Days Ahead Of Schedule, Fares Identical To NEL by Channel NewsAsia Commuters can look forward to the first stretch of the Circle Line starting operations two days earlier than scheduled, with fares identical to those on the North East Line (NEL). There will be no changes to bus routes for now. **** If A Resident Made A Complaint But Not In Writing by Ringisei The only thing vaguely constructive I have to say about this small part of the whole sorry incident is, when dealing with any large organization, if it ain???t written down, it doesn???t exist. If the issue at hand really bothers you, it???s best to create a paper trail. **** The New Adventures Of Josie And The Pussycats by Sam's Thoughts **** Home Affairs Ministry To Consider Borrowing From Loansharks An Offence by S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia Wong Kan Seng said this would hold borrowers accountable if their reckless borrowing or gambling habits endanger the safety and security of the community. **** Singapore Steps In To Foster Media Sector by Sumathi Bala, Financial Times The new media industries, which include game developers, animators and other related digital specialists, are projected to generate 10,000 jobs and more than S$10bn in value by 2015. **** Naive To Expect IRs To Give Priority To Singaporeans In Job Applications by Jeremy Koh, The Wayang Party Club To put it bluntly, the IRs are never meant to create jobs for Singaporeans in the first place. The Singapore government needs the IRs to provide an additional source of revenue for their coffers through taxation and the two consortiums who won the right to build the IRs just want to maximize their profits. **** Iconic Raffles Hotel Is For Sale -- Again by The Edge Singapore No buyers have yet emerged but analysts say several Asian and global hotel chains as well as private equity investors would probably be interested in buying a piece of Singapore history. Still, the US$450 million asking price in the current depressed climate might be too steep even for those who would normally treasure Raffles in their portfolio. From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Fri Apr 17 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 17 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 17, 2009 Message-ID: <20090417225900.71355.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** 'Through The Looking Glass' Game Resurrected For iPhone by Peter Cohen, Macworld The Macintosh???s first game was called ???Through the Looking Glass.??? Sometimes referred to as ???Alice,??? It featured pieces that looked like characters from the Lewis Carroll story. The game has made its return on the iPhone in the form of AliceX. **** Drop7 For iPhone by Bonnie Ruberg, Macworld Every so often a casual game comes along that???s entirely simple, entirely original, and entirely addictive. Area/code???s Drop7, which challenges players to line up numbered balls in a grid seven squares wide and seven squares high, definitely falls in that category. Like Tetris or Bejeweled, it???s easy to learn, difficult to master, and even harder to put down. **** Researcher Finds Possible Bug In iPhone by Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service Charlie Miller said he???s found a way to trick the iPhone into running code that enables shellcode. To run shellcode on an iPhone, however, an attacker would first need a working exploit for an iPhone, or a way to target some software vulnerability in, for example, the Safari Web browser or the mobile???s operating system. **** Media 100 Suite Unveiled by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld Media 100 introduced its latest editing and postproduction system, Media 100 Suite. The suite features Multicam Editing and Boris RED, as well as a new Voice Over Tool for audio recording direct to the Media 100 timeline. **** DivX 7 Video Software Released For Mac by Peter Cohen, Macworld **** iTunes Price Changes Deliver Mixed Results by Katie Marsal, AppleInsider Price increases that took effect on Apple's iTunes Store last week reportedly hurt unit sales of some of the most popular songs but ultimately managed to drive marginal increases in overall revenues for the digital download service. **** Apple Responds To Microsoft Ads: "A PC Is No Bargain" by Prince McLean, AppleInsider Apple has responded to the new Microsoft ads promoting low-cost generic PCs as a cheaper alternative to the Mac, stating "A PC is no bargain when it doesn't do what you want." **** Strategery For iPhone by Lex Friedman, Macworld If you like turn-based strategy games, you???ll enjoy playing Strategery. It???s attractive, quick to play, and charmingly addictive. **** Undercover Can Track Down Your Lost Or Stolen iPhone, Kinda by David Chartier, Macworld Undercover can covertly transmit your device???s location and IP address to authorities when you report it as lost or stolen. It???s a great idea with some clever features, but even this private i-detective has its limitations. **** Evidence Suggests First Zombie Mac Botnet Is Active by Chris Foresman, Ars Technica Security researchers have discovered that payloads delivered by trojans in pirated versions of iWork and Photoshop earlier this year are being used to create a Mac botnet. **** 'Flower Garden' - Well, It's Not Really A Game by TouchArcade Noel's Flower Garden app is just that ??? a virtual flower garden in your iPhone. **** Cell Minute Tracker For iPhone Fills AT&T's Void by Jessica Dolcourt, CNET **** New Yelp For iPhone Lets You (Sort Of) Write Reviews by Jessica Dolcourt, CNET **** Apple's iPhone Is A Developer's Goldmine by Claudine Beaumont, Telegraph Amateur software developers are finding it easy to make thousands of pounds a day by building simple games and applications for the Apple iPhone and the iPod touch, then selling them through the iTunes store. **** Apple's Latest Weapon In The Neighbourhood Wifi Wars by Sydney Morning Herald Apple's new dual-band Time Capsules could provide the killer punch if you're engaged in wifi warfare against your neighbours. **** Apple's Not So Subtle Shift Over The Years by Applepeels I have seen nothing within the last few years to indicate that Apple is trying to drive down the price of computing for users. That is clearly something than many computer users would hope to see. I have seen Apple become a huge money machine. **** Review: WSJ -- The Wall Street Journal For iPhone by David Chartier, Macworld This mobile version of The Wall Street Journal offers equal doses of appreciated polish and unfinished features in its initial release. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** DBS "Disappointed" With Josie Lau's Disregard For Staff Code Of Conduct by Darren Boon, The Online Citizen In response to TOC queries, DBS spokesperson stated that in accordance to the Bank???s staff code of conduct, employees need to request and receive approval before taking on an external appointment, something which Lau failed to do. **** $60,000 Loan From Ren Ci To PAP MP Ong Seh Hong Sparked Furore In Cyberspace by Fang Zhi Yuan, The Wayang Party Club The Ren Ci fiasco took an unexpected twist today when it was revealed in the court by Ming Yi that he approved loans to several of its staff including is Chief Operating Officer Dr Ong Seh Hong who borrowed a stunning sum of $60,000. **** Staff-In-Confidence Matters Should Be Kept That Way, DBS by Gerald Giam Is it really necessary to regulate what staff do in their own time? Can???t staff be judged by their productivity in the office and the results they achieve? **** Reinforcing Containment by Au Yaipang, Yawning Bread **** AWARE AGM 2009: Clarifications by Mathia Lee **** No Quick Recovery For Singapore by Forbes Prospects for a recovery are tied to a revival of demand in key external markets, which is unlikely to occur until well into the second half of the year. Government policies will help cushion the impact of the recession, especially on vulnerable labor sectors, but will have limited impact on the growth outlook. **** Scholarship Bonds Need Exit Clause by Lee Pheng Soon, Straits Times Beyond full disclosure, should not an exit plan - even one based purely on monetary compensation - be built into scholarships? Sometimes it is truly impossible to foresee changes in the personal circumstances of an applicant, so serious that he cannot serve out the remainder of his bond. In that case, a fair exit option prevents the scholarship bond from actually becoming bondage, if his superiors disagree and do not release him. **** Are We Paying Too Much For Too Little Accountability? by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club Years of one-party rule with literally no challenge to its political hegemony has made the PAP complacent. It doesn???t see the need to account to anybody because they can never be removed from power with the system they put in place and so public opinion counts little for them. **** More Questions Raised Over PAP MP Dr Ong Seh Hong's Explanation Of The $60,000 Ren Ci Loan And GIC Housing Loan by The Wayang Party Club **** Singapore Warns Apec Protesters by BBC News Singapore has warned foreign protesters against trying to disrupt an Asia-Pacific summit in November due to be attended by US President Barack Obama. **** "Zahari 17 Years" Continues To Be Banned In Singapore - BFC by The Online Citizen "Please be informed that the film 'Zahari 17 Years' was previously gazetted by the Minister as a prohibited film under Section 35 (1) of the Films Act as the Minister was of the view that it???s possession or distribution would be contrary to the public interest. As the upcoming amendments to the Films Act do not relate to Section 35 (1), and the Minister has not changed his opinion, 'Zahari 17 Years' continues to be a prohibited film. Please note that we will not be releasing this film for your collection as it is an offence for any person to be in possession of a prohibited film under Section 35 (2)." **** Labour Department Denies Sabah Women Forced Into Prostitution In Singapore by Daily Express The State Labour Department (SLD) refuted claims by a non-governmental organisation that many Sabah women were manipulated by so-called employment agencies and forced into prostitution in Singapore. **** SIA Says Passenger Numbers Dived In March by AFP Singapore Airlines (SIA) said on Thursday that passenger numbers plummeted in March as the global downturn continues to weigh on travel demand. **** It Does Get Worse by The Online Citizen Despite the mainstream media???s spin, chances are that things will get worse. **** More Questions For Dr Ong by The Online Citizen **** No E-Voting Yet by Zakir Hussain, Straits Times Singapore has been studying electronic voting but has no plans to introduce it yet, said the Elections Department yesterday. It was responding to recent reports in the Indian media which said Singapore was one of several countries to have shown an interest in buying electronic voting machines from Indian company Bharat Electronics. **** ??????????????????????????? Tampines 1 Kopitiam ????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? Tampines 1?????????????????????????????????4???9??????????????????6????????????????????????????????????????????????TOP???????????????????????????Kopitiam????????????????????????????????????Kopitiam???????????????????????? **** ??????????????????????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? **** 'Starving' Model Offered Singapore Sex Work by Daily Telegraph A young Sydney woman's hopes of an international modelling career are in tatters after false promises of work left her living on one can of food per day in the global economic recession-hit city of Singapore. **** Singapore's Sinking Economy Over-Dependent On Exports by Lee June, The Choson Ilbo Singapore emerged relatively undamaged from the 1997 Asian financial crisis, which impacted more severely in Korea and other countries in the region. At that time, Lee boasted that Singapore was still the leader of Asian values and the Asian manufacturing model. But he probably has little to say this time. The Financial Times reported that the economy of Singapore was sinking as exports drop rapidly. This is the problem with depending wholly on exports without the support of domestic demand. It is also a problem facing Korea. **** My Kind Of Nature Park by Niki Bruce, Straits Times HortPark was an insight into the local environment for a non-native and for a non-wild nature lover reinforced why I've chosen to live in Singapore. At least some of the 'nature' in Singapore is exactly the way I like it ??? tidy, green, organised and safe. **** Singapore's Shame by Lucia Maes, Today What it had actually unearthed was the negligence of the governing authorities. The food grading decals were distributed only four months after the grades were revised. And Mr Sheik???s poor food preparation skills merely uncovered the chronic problem of the presence of rats. **** Rubbish Dumped And Burnt In St. John's Island Mangroves by News From The International Coastal Cleanup Sinapore **** AWARE President Questions Intentions Of Veterans Unhappy Over Election Outcome by Cheryl Lim, Channel NewsAsia In a statement to the media, she challenged these members to disclose their motives and objectives fully and honestly. **** Loansharking: PAP Government's Brilliant Solution by Diary Of A Singaproean Mind By criminalising borrowing from loansharks, the victims of loanshark harassment now cannot go to the police for help because they themselves will be arrested for borrowing from the loansharks. The police will see a sharp drop in the number of cases and the govt can say the problem is solved! Briliant! From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Sat Apr 18 18:59:01 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 18 Apr 2009 22:59:01 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 18, 2009 Message-ID: <20090418225901.71301.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** The New York Times Crosswords Daily 2009 For iPhone by Jonathan Seff, Macworld **** Encrypt Mail Keeps Prying Eyes Out Of Messages by Jeff Gamet, The Mac Observer Apimac announced the immediate availability of Encrypt Mail 1.0 for Mac OS X on Friday. Encrypt Mail lets users send encrypted messages and attachments to Mac OS X, Windows and Linux users. **** DBS Publicly Criticises AWARE's New Head by Lee Lilian, The Itch To Write **** Apple Tops PC Customer Satisfaction Survey by Tom Krazit, CNET Apple easily outdistanced its peers in a PC industry customer-satisfaction survey conducted by Forrester Research that found PC companies are only slightly more well-liked than insurance companies. The Tomorrow Weblog ==================================== **** Microsoft Cooking Up New Parallel Programming Language by Darryl K. Taft, eWeek Microsoft is working on a new language for parallel programming named Axum. Formerly known as ???Maestro,??? Axum is an incubation project that Microsoft is working on to help programmers tackle the issue of parallel programming in the .NET environment. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** The Passion Of Alec Baldwin by Caitlin Flanagan, The Atlantic The blustering actor???s memoir of divorce is really a love letter to his daughter. **** Scrolling Down The Ages by Mary Beard, New York Times There???s a lot in the Roman literary world that seems quite familiar two millenniums later: money- making booksellers, exploited and impoverished authors, celebrity book launches and career-making prizes. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** DBS Is Aware by Sam's Thoughts There is no victory for any one, even the alleged alliance, and of course, DBS included. **** (Doc Slams TOC Gerald Giam For Being Smart-Aleck) Not Feasible For Docs To Report Every Food Poisoning Case by Albert Lin, The Wayang Party Club The current MOH system of surveillance and reporting of mass food poisoning cases is adequate to deal with most outbreaks. **** No Decision Yet On 'Crooked' Bridge: DPM by Bernama The government has not made any decision whether to resume the construction of the crooked bridge over the Straits of Johor, said deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. **** NEA's CEO Reveals That Geylang Serai Market Is Run By PAP Kampong Bui CCC by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club The market management committee has been ???managing??? the market for 3 years. How can they fail to eradicate the rats which is easily accomplished by pest controllers in less than a week! If this represents the ???best??? effort put in by the Kampong CCC, then I really worry about the other temporary markets which are run by these grassroots organizations. **** Avery Lodge - A "Six-Star Dormitory For Workers" by Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen While providing migrant workers with decent lodgings is to be applauded, even if they are commercially-run dormitories, perhaps we should look beyond just dumping these workers in such compounds. **** Josie Lau Led Promotion Of Anti-Woman Organisation by Glass Castle Either Ms Lau knowingly assisted an organisation steeped in these values, or she was totally clueless about what she was doing. Either option inspires grave doubts about the direction in which she and her team might take AWARE. **** JB's Son Steps Up To Do Battle by Seah Chiang Nee, The Star More young professionals with good credentials are trickling towards the opposition camp, auguring well for the growth of democracy in Singapore. **** Singapore Economy In Free Fall Disaster by Sheldon Filger, Huffington Post Amid all the horrific economic news, Singapore can boast of an advantage denied the deficit-driven economies of Europe and the United States. During the good times, the Island nation prudently set aside substantial foreign exchange reserves. Even with a recent $20 billion stimulus package, Singapore still maintains a reserve fund of $170 billion. This will provide flexibility for policymakers to address the immediate ramifications of the severe economic contraction now occurring in their country. Nevertheless, there can be no doubt that once prosperous Singapore is facing many years of economic and financial hardship that will severely test the country's capacity for entrepreneurial innovation and hard work. **** Aware Shake-Up Won't Cancel Out 20 Years Of Sterling Work by Sabina-Leah Fernandez, Straits Times **** Singaporeans First by Krist Boo, Resorts World at Sentosa, Straits Times We understand Mr Tan's concerns and assure Singaporeans that Resorts World at Sentosa is and always will be committed to hiring Singaporeans first. We envisage that the bulk of our 10,000 job openings will be filled by Singaporeans. Currently, Resorts World at Sentosa has more than 500 staff on its payroll, 80 per cent of whom are Singaporeans. The non-Singaporeans were hired for their specialist skill sets, such as gaming and international theme park operations. **** Diplomatic Dealings: A New Bridge To Better Ties by Balan Moses, New Straits Times It is time for Najib and Lee to lay the foundations for a bridge between the two nations that will withstand the worst ???earthquake??? that one could foresee in bilateral relations. **** ?????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** NUS Alumni Data Leaked by Tan Weizhen, Straits Times Computer security is being beefed up across the National University of Singapore (NUS) after sensitive data of more than 15,000 alumni members was leaked in an e-mail. **** ?????????:???????????????????????????"??????????????????" by ????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Bloggers, Moderators Can Help Ease Public Fears In Crises by Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia The internet has made possible the rapid spread of fear in a crisis, said deputy prime minister and home affairs minister Wong Kan Seng. But he said bloggers and website moderators can help ease public concerns should a terrorist attack occur. **** Stand Up And Be Counted by The Online Citizen Two decades on though, it is possible to say that the NMP scheme has been a moderate success, at least when judged by the hopes and fears current at the time of its inception. **** A Peek At Values Coached At Anglican Church Of Our Saviour by Alice Cheong In Wonderland Perhaps, we now have a good idea of what may be implemented by the new AWARE team, who attend Anglican Church of Our Saviour, which subscribed to the above values. **** Rally Against Shark Fin Trade Opens In Singapore by AFP Animal rights activists have launched a campaign in Singapore against the consumption of shark fin, a status symbol when served at Chinese wedding banquets and dinners. From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Sun Apr 19 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 19 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 19, 2009 Message-ID: <20090419225900.11154.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Our Secret Shopper Tests The Apple Genius Bar by TechRadar UK Are the Geniuses all they're cracked up to be? **** Apple's New Weapon by Benjain Sutherland, Newsweek To help soldiers make sense of data from drones, satellites and ground sensors, the U.S. military now issues the iPod Touch. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** We're At The Center Of The Universe - Unless We're Not by Anthony Doerr, Boston Globe All those galaxies, stuffed with all those stars, stuffed with how many worlds? If our sun is one in 10 sextillion, could our Earth be one in 10 sextillion as well? Or the Earth might be one - the only one, the one. Either way, the circumstances boggle the mind. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** 5,000 Union Workers Axed by Shuli Sudderuddin, Straits Times The number of retrenched unionised workers has hit one of the highest levels in the last decade, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) said yesterday. **** Regressive Public Order Act Serves More Of A Political Than Security Purpose by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club The real motive behind the law is to prevent any public expression of disaffection and anger against the PAP???s governance because not only will it bring shame and disrepute to the PAP, it will also shatter the myth that it is a popular government voted into power by the people. **** No Need For Crooked Bridge: Johor Baru MP by Austin Camoens, The Star Johor Baru Member of Parliament Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad is against the revival of the crooked bridge project between Malaysia and Singapore, and has instead proposed that both countries work together to build a straight one. **** Why Proper Oversight Of Police Powers Is Important by Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen **** ????????????????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** ????????????????????????????????? by ?????????????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Mon Apr 20 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 20 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 20, 2009 Message-ID: <20090420225900.95371.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Apple Apps Ahead by Yukari Iwatani Kane, Wall Street Journal The shackles have been taken off developers of iPhone applications. Here's what they're working on. **** iPhone And Games by Venuri Siriwardane, The Star-Ledger If there is ever an iPhone hall of fame, Tyler Auten wants his portrait on the wall. Chosen for his good grades and programming talent, Auten is part of an elite group of students enrolled in NJIT's iPhone app development course — among the first of its kind in the nation. **** Four More "Get A Mac" Ads, No Direct "Laptop Hunters" Rejoinders by Harry McCracken, Technologizer maybe ignoring ???Laptop Hunters??? is Apple???s way of responding to it. Apple is returning to the basic mantra that ???Get a Mac??? has repeated all along???that Macs deliver fewer hassles and more powerful included software than Windows PCs. The implied message is that you should be including those factors when you do the math on a computer purchase. It???s a far more reasonable point than the one that Microsoft has busily hammered away. **** MeeHive For iPhone by Ben Boychuk, Macworld App tailors the news to your interests, but lacks some customization capabilities. **** Gourmet Gathering In Singapore Defies Lean Times by Miral Fahmy, Reuters Some 85 percent of tickets to events at the World Gourmet Summit (WGS), an annual fest organized by Singapore's tourism board and culinary firm Peter Knipp Holdings, have been sold so far despite the economic slowdown, which has hit luxury goods and entertainment the hardest. **** Five Tips For Reading Apple Security Articles by Rich Mogull, TidBITS As someone who spends most of his time reading, writing, and speaking about security, there are five things I tend to look for in Apple security news to cut to the heart of the story. After all the hype in recent days over the "Mac botnet," I thought it was time to share some of my skeptical tricks. The Tomorrow Weblog ==================================== **** Can Adobe's Flash Take TV To The Next Level? by Dan Frommer, Silicon Alley Insider Adobe's Flash video and animation platform fueled the Web video boom. Can it finally bridge the TV-Internet divide in your living room? MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** Is It Fresh? by Jon Garvie, The Times The competing myths about fresh food that have helped to mould the contents of the Western fridge. **** Vast Hell by Guillermo Mart??nez, The New Yorker Often, when the grocery store is empty and all you can hear is the buzzing of flies, I think of that young man whose name we never knew and whom no one in town ever mentioned again. For some reason that I can???t explain, I always imagine him as we saw him that first time: the dusty clothes, the bristling beard, and especially the long, dishevelled hair that almost covered his eyes. It was the beginning of spring, which is why, when he came into the store, I took him for a camper headed south. He bought a few cans of food and some coffee; as I added up the bill, he looked at his reflection in the window, brushed his hair off his forehead, and asked me if there was a barber in town. **** Sketch For A Novel by Franz Wright, The New Yorker **** Let The Record Show by Dora Malech, The New Yorker **** Headline Art by Stanley Fish, New York Times I can???t hold a candle to the headline writers of the New York Post. I am not thinking only about the famously attention-grabbing headlines like ???Headless Body in Topless Bar???, but of headlines that demand interpretive work of a kind usually associated with modern poetry. **** Longing For Great Lost Works by Stephen Marche, Wall Street Journal >From Shakespeare's 'Cardenio' to Ovid's Getic poetry, missing texts hold tantalizing possibilities. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** Bad Ratings? Close Shop by Judith Tan & Nicholas Yong, Straits Times Health minister Khaw Boon Wan said on Sunday that hospital stall holders which do not get the top 'A' or 'B' ratings may be told to close shop. **** Do Librarians Really 'Educate' Errant Users? by Charissa Yvonne Yip, Straits Times During my five-hour stay at the library, I did not see any librarians on patrol, except to put books back on the shelves. **** Scholars As Foreign Brides by Tay Shi'an, New Paper Like a true marriage, scholars and their organisations should meet as equals, each bringing something to the table, going in with their eyes open, willing to make compromises, and communicate. **** 3 In 10 Scholars Polled Say They're Unhappy by Tay Shi'an and Ng Tze Yong, New Paper Unreasonable employers or ungrateful scholars? Lack of dialogue and unrealistic expectations cited as reasons. **** Feuding Camps Shaping Up For A Showdown by Ho Lian-yi, New Paper Both sides are strengthening their positions by marshalling their forces before an expected extraordinary general meeting (EOGM) initiated by a group of Aware veterans. **** Reconsider Twins' Surgery by Judith Tan, Straits Times Three of the four twins joined at the head who were separated in operations here are dead, and the fourth is not in good shape. Given this track record and the similarly dismal results overseas, health minister Khaw Boon Wan on Sunday suggested that doctors reconsider plans to separate yet another pair of such conjoined twins. **** ???????????????????????????????????? by ??????????????? **** NEA CEO's Open Letter: Full Of Empty Rhetoric And Short Of Substance by Fang Zhi Yuan, The Wayang Party Club Singaporeans do not need any more empty words and promises from the authorities. What we want to see most is accountability, justice and transparency - accountabilty in taking responsibility for one???s missteps, justice in ensuring the culprits are punished and transparency in revealing the findings of the internal inquiry to the public. **** ????????????????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? **** Where Are The Jobs? by Tan Kin Lian The unemployment rate in Singapore may appear low by international standards, but it is seriously under-reported. Due to the lack of employment benefit, many people do not bother to report that they are looking for work. **** More Unsatisfied Customers by Lim Wei Chean, Straits Times Consumers in Singapore said they were less happy last year than in 2007, according to a national customer-satisfaction survey. **** The New Leadership At AWARE Has Done Great Disservice To The Organization And To All Singaporean Women by Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net By taking over the helms of leadership at AWARE through the use of subversive tactics and then alienating the Old Guard, the new Exco has damaged the organization and disrupted the good work that it has been doing thus far. It has done a great disservice to AWARE and to all Singaporean women. **** Learn From The Regrets Of The Flatulence Analyst by Mr Wang Says So The government may like to treat you as a digit, but you don't have to treat yourself like that. Please give your own future a little more tender loving care. **** Singapore Embraces Barter In Recession by Puja Bharwani, Reuters Currently, there are two online barter exchanges -- Barter Vista and BarterXchange -- and they are attracting hundreds of people seeking innovative ways to stretch their dollars. **** Singapore Botanic Gardens Develops Orchid Seed Bank by Neil Chatterjee, Reuters Singapore's Botanic Gardens is developing an orchid seed bank and a section devoted to healing plants, as it looks to help conserve Southeast Asian species threatened by development and climate change. The seed bank, in its early stages and part of a global project, will keep alive dust-like orchid seeds by chilling them in liquid nitrogen. **** Singapore Order Vs Malay Disorder by Mathaba Orderly efficient transport and immigration processing in Singapore contrasts sharply with the chaos on the Malaysian side of the border. **** Singapore Doctor Still Considering Indian Twins' Operation by AFP A prominent Singapore doctor said Monday it was "premature" to rule out an operation to separate Indian twin sisters joined at the head despite a warning from his own country's health minister. **** For Much Is At Stake by The Online Citizen From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Tue Apr 21 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 21 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 21, 2009 Message-ID: <20090421225900.81451.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Apple To Release Q2 2009 Financial Results On Apirl 22nd by Eric Slivka, MacRumors.com **** Nvidia Offers Quadro FX 4800 Card For Mac by Peter Cohen, Macworld Nvidia on Monday announced that their high-end Quadro FX 4800 graphics card is now available for the Mac. The card is coming in May, 2009 and will be available for $1800 from Apple and select Mac resellers and workstation integrators. **** Word Twiddle For iPhone by Tony Craine, Macworld Random word generator can help spur creativity. **** Tweetie For Mac Released by David Chartier, Macworld Tweetie features a unique UI with separate sections for your friends??? timeline, replies and mentions, direct messages, and a search panel that can be torn off into a separate window. **** Revisiting The Mac Mini Media Center by Christopher Breen, Macworld Prepare the mini for life as a media center with more RAM, an external drive. **** LittleSnapper Arrives For iPhone by David Chartier, Macworld **** Navigating The Next Generation Of Mac Twitter Apps by Julio Ojeda-Zapata, TidBITS A recent crop of Mac-based Twitter clients gives me reason to hope that my days of tweeting from a Web browser might, at last, be numbered. The recent releases of Tweetie, Lounge, and Nambu provide power and flexibility, along with the elegance and flair Mac users demand. **** There's A Newspaper In My iPhone by Rich Rosen, O'Reilly While I wouldn't want to see the Times or the Journal mimicking USA Today's look-and-feel, they could learn a thing or two from some of the advanced techniques that USA Today employed, to make each of their apps a little more distinctive. **** The State Of The Smartphone: iPhone Is Way, Way Ahead by Sarah Perez, Read Write Web What the report confirms is what we've been hearing for some time now: the iPhone is king, smartphones are the new laptops, and iPhone applications can and do make money. **** Chop Sushi For iPhone by Omaha Sternberg, Macworld Chop Sushi is a puzzle game that requires a lot of tactical thinking during play, and a large number of hours to complete. **** Legal Copy by MacJournals Here it is???complete with inconsistent grammar and punctuation. **** Apple Rejects App For Using An Icon That Somewhat Resembles An iPhone by MG Siegler, TechCrunch Developer Marco Arment submitted version 1.4 of Instapaper several days ago for approval into the App Store. He???s had several other versions approved in the past, but this one was rejected. Why? Well, he decided to use an small icon within the app that looks like it could be an iPhone. **** Apple Needs China More Than It Does Verizon by Joe Wilcox, eWeek For Apple's iPhone to truly be a world-class smartphone, it needs to be everywhere in the world. But the iPhone isn???t officially distributed where it needs to be most: China, the world???s largest cell phone market. To me, personally, being in China is way overrated. **** Why I Care About This Apple Vs. PC Business by The League Of Ordinary Gentlemen It???s Apple that started this. To me, it seems like this mirrors attitudes of users as well??? I don???t go to the coffee shop and talk shit to Mac users, but I???ve seen the same from the other direction. **** Hands-On: Tweetie For Mac Shakes Up Twitterverse by Brian X. Chen, Wired Tweetie is a beautiful, slick and intuitive app that meets and exceeds the high standards set by its mobile predecessor. We love it, and we'll go as far as to say that Tweetie will create a significant impact on Twitter as a whole. **** 3 Mac Apps To Help You Concentrate by Milind Alvares, Smoking Apples For those who want a forced environment, which will make sure your procrastinating (means twittering) days are over, here are a bunch of them that will help you out. **** Media Express 2.0 Improves Mac Compatiblity by MacNN **** FlipBook For iPhone by Chester Baker, Macworld Animation tool makes wonderful use of iPhone???s multi-touch controls. **** Why Apple's New Ad Campaign Is Genius, And Why Microsoft Can't Win As 'PC' by Andrew Nusca, ZDNet Simply stated: Microsoft can???t win if it embodies the PC role. Big as the company is, it simply doesn???t control enough of the process to make arguments on behalf of OEMs. The Tomorrow Weblog ==================================== **** Dissent Made Safer by David Talbot, MIT Technology Review How anonymity technology could save free speech on the internet. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** Why Isn't The Brain Green? by Jon Gertner, New York Times Decision scientists are trying to figure out why it???s so hard for us to get into a green mind-set. Their answers may be more crucial than any technological advance in combating environmental challenges. **** A Magazine With A Puzzle Buried Inside by Dave Itzkoff, New York Times For its latest issue, Wired wanted J. J. Abrams???s contributions and sensibility on every page, and devoted the entire magazine to the topic of mystery as a catalyst for imagination. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** Mixed Reactions On Linking Foodstall Tenders With Hygiene Ratings by Cheryl Lim, Channel NewsAsia **** Citizens Hope For Transparency In New Public Order Law by Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia The new public order law, passed in Parliament on Monday, has generated much debate online. While some say it infringes on civil liberties, others believe this will not be the case as long as the law is exercised judiciously. **** DBS Bank's Public Hanging by Au Yaipang, Yawning Bread Think about it. Her superiors must have been extremely upset to have a statement prepared in advance for just that eventuality. They must have foreseen the possibility that she would deliberately flout their instructions. What do they know about her that they have not revealed? **** Possible Singapore, Beyond Lee Kuan Yew by Loh Chee Kong, Today **** Malaysia's Crooked Bridge Rears Its Ugly Head Once More by Ben Bland, Telegraph Hence, the old joke about the crooked bridge being designed to represent the true nature of Malaysia-Singapore relations: Singapore is straight and Malaysia is crooked. **** Bridge Project No Rush by Hazlin Hassan, Straits Times Prime minister Najib Razak on Monday said the government was in no rush to revive an aborted 'crooked bridge' project in Johor. **** ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? by ???????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????Kingdom Holding?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????78??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Crossroads Of Human Diversity by The West Australian Singapore has always been at a crossroads. A conduit for people, for culture and for goods. As an important sea route it???s had 20 centuries of exposure to Arabs, Chinese, Malay, Indians, British and other Europeans. And they???ve all left their mark. **** 55 'Ignorant' Lawyers Let Off by K. C. Vijayan, Straits Times Some 55 lawyers who breached a legal requirement were spared punishment by the Attorney-General after the Law Society explained that they were 'ignorant' of the new law. **** Playing The Blame Game In The Geylang Serai Food Poisoning: PAP's Forte In Absolving Itself From Any Blame In Screw-Ups by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club It???s high time the PAP stop playing the blame game. They should not bite the hands which feed them. We are feeding them to run the country and not spit at us to cover up for their own inepitude and uselessness. **** 8???????????????239??? ??????????????????????????? ????????????3?????? by ?????????, ???????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Tanglin Best BBQ Seafood?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????15????????????????????????????????????3????????? **** ?????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? **** The Right To Die In Singapore by Ben Bland, Asia Sentinel Singapore may have not a reputation for opening its doors to outspoken activists but in an intriguing move, next month it will host a seminar by one of the world???s most controversial speakers, Philip Nitschke, the Australian campaigner for voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide known, like Dr Jack Kevorkian in the United States, as "Dr Death". What makes the visit of the renowned pro-euthanasia campaigner even more surprising is the legal status of suicide in Singapore, where attempting to take your own life remains a criminal offence. Those who have slashed their wrists or taken an overdose but failed to kill themselves are routinely handcuffed to their beds when they are brought into hospital by the police. Assisting a suicide is considered an even more serious crime, with a mandatory jail term for anyone found guilty of such an offence. **** ????????????????????????????????????????????? by ???????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????86???????????????????????? **** Expect Small Pay Rise by Michelle Tay, Straits Times According to the latest survey by human resources firm Hewitt Associates, the average annual salary increment projected for 2009 is 2.1 per cent. **** ICA To Set Up Centralized Biometrics Hub by Channel NewsAsia The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) is setting up a centralised hub containing biometric data such as facial images and fingerprints of all Singaporeans, permanent residents as well as foreigners staying here. **** StarHub's Callback Service Now Available On iPhone by Jimmy Yap, The Singapore iPhone Guide **** New Marina Downtown On Track For Completion By Year-End by Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia Singapore will see a glut of hotel and office spaces when projects at the Marina Bay Downtown come on stream in the months ahead, but developers say they are not worried. **** Singapore To Welcome 'Dr Death' After Oxford Union Rebuff by Ben Bland, Telegraph In what must be a first, risk-averse Singapore will next month open its arms to an activist who has been deemed too controversial to speak at the Oxford Union, which likes to boast that it is "the last bastion of free speech in the Western world". **** Pirates Ahoy! Gay Netizens And The AWARE Hijacking by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread Gay equality is only problematic if you don't believe in non-discrimination and equality. If you did, it would roll off your tongue as easily as race, religion, etc. That she tripped over this told us everything we needed to know about the direction of AWARE under the new leadership. **** Josie Lau's Interview Leaves Questions Unanswered by Choo Zheng Xi, The Online Citizen If Ms Lau is keen on building a collegial working environment, why have their actions been so destructive? A New Paper opinion piece the day after the interview read: ???Few straight answers in AWARE interview???. I am inclined to agree. From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Wed Apr 22 18:59:01 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 22 Apr 2009 22:59:01 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 22, 2009 Message-ID: <20090422225901.97137.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Stay Oriented With The Finder's Path And Title Bars by Kirk McElhearn, Macworld When you move around in the Finder, it???s easy to get confused about where you are. For example, you may navigate deep into a set of project archives and become unsure about which year or month you???re in. Two bars can help you figure out where you are and offer some shortcuts. **** PopChar X Adds 'Reverse Search' Feature by Peter Cohen, Macworld PopChar X helps you find and insert special characters into applications ??? making it unnecessary to memorize complicated key sequences need to invoke extended ASCII or Unicode characters. **** A Little Over A Week nd A Half Ago... by Garrett Murray, Maniacal Rage Perhaps it???s just frustration speaking here, but when Apple ties my hands behind my back and lets users punch me publicly in the face without allowing me to at least respond back, it???s hard to get excited about building an app. **** Mac Mini Media Center: Configuring Front Row by Christopher Breen, Macworld Connect your mini to your AV system and configure Apple???s software. **** Quick Look And Video Files by Rob Griffiths, Macworld Quick Look, the OS X 10.5 feature that lets you peek into files without opening them, is a great time saver, and the interface is about as simple as it gets. **** On Macs And Malware by Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek I???m living proof that a Mac user can exist happily without using anti-virus software on their computer, and I have done so for about a decade. **** DMG Canvas 1.0.8 by James Dempsey, Macworld DMG Canvas is dead-simple to use, and makes the otherwise-boring task of creating custom volume windows fun. **** Sway For iPhone by Chris Holt, Macworld Sway is ideal for gamers looking for a quick challenge on the iPhone???s mobile platform, and can enjoy a long gaming experience (owing to the difficulty). **** Dictionary.com For iPhone by Lex Friedman, Macworld Overall, the app is solid, and it works as advertised. I did find that typing stalled a bit when the app had a lot of type-ahead suggestions to offer, and it can sometimes take a noticeable half-second for definitions to appear???even though they???re all residing on the device. **** Why Time Capsule Is Doomed To Suck by Louis Gerbarg, /dev/why!?! **** Jeopardy! Super Deluxe by Ted Bade, Inside Mac Games I found playing with the AI???s a bit odd feeling, but I do like the challenge of finding the answers, so I gravitated toward the single player options. There are lots and lots of clues in this game. If you like that aspect of Jeopardy, you will definitely find a lot of fun here. Because you can play with real people, this version has the potential to be a fun family game. **** Why Snow Leopard Should Be (Almost) Free by Adam C. Engst, TidBITS >From a business standpoint, older versions of Mac OS X do nothing but create costs for Apple and for developers, but it's difficult to encourage users to upgrade without an incentive. With the bold move of making Snow Leopard free or very cheap, Apple would attract not just all Leopard users, but every user of Tiger who had put off upgrading to Leopard because the new features weren't worth $129. **** Follow The Cash by Macsimum News Cash is king, and more so, especially in these recessionary times when it comes to comparing and valuing possible business performances. **** Riding The New Wave by Phil Elliott, Gameindustry.biz **** Jer's Novel Writer Is A Memorable Writer's App by John martellaro, The Mac Observer **** A Beautiful Machine: Two Months On The Unibody MacBook by Charles Moore, The Apple Blog After two months of getting configured and acquainted, I???m pretty much comfortably settled in with my first Intel Mac ??? a little jewel of a 13??? unibody MacBook ??? and thus far it???s pretty much all good. **** How Green Is Apple: Good Citizenship Or Good Business? by Jeff Bertolucci, Macworld There???s little doubt that Apple is turning greener. But industry watchers say that the company is crowing about improvements it would have had to make anyway. ???It???s not just about manufacturers doing the right thing,??? says IDC research analyst David Daoud. ???It???s really the market forcing them to do so.??? **** How Green Is Apple: Where Does The E-Waste Go? by Jeff Bertoulcci, Macworld This lack of transparency makes it difficult to assess Apple???s e-waste operation. **** How Green Is Apple: Cleaning The Supply Chain by Jeff Bertolucci, Macworld Like most electronics manufacturers, Apple doesn???t actuallly make its own products. That can make it hard to assess the environmental impact of its production processes. **** Google Joins Effort For 3D Web Standard With New Plugin, API by Ryan Paul, Ars Technica Google has released a new open source browser plugin that provides APIs for displaying rich 3D graphics in Web content. Google hopes that the plugin will help to advance a collaborative effort to create open standards for bringing 3D to the web. **** Fliq Notes, Doc 2.0 Add Two-Way Sync To The iPhone by MacNN Mark/Space has released version 2.0 updates for Fliq Notes and Fliq Docs on the iTunes App Store, adding support for two-way syncing of notes, documents and files with both Macs and PCs. **** Media Survey: Apple Oriented Businesses Have Bright Outlook by Lonnie Lazar, Cult Of Mac MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** Tackling The Ethics Of Eating by Mary MacVean, Los Angeles Times With the growing move toward sustainable, simpler habits, choosing how and what to eat can get complicated. Enter the green guru. **** Helen Gurley Brown: The Original Carrie Bradshaw by Dwight Garner, New York Times In her entertaining new biography of Ms. Brown, ???Bad Girls Go Everywhere,??? Jennifer Scanlon, a professor of gender and women???s studies at Bowdoin College, charts her subject???s rocketlike rise out of the Ozarks. She also argues, convincingly, for Ms. Brown as a feisty, pivotal and too easily dismissed pioneer of the American women???s movement, one who dismayed more serious feminists with her breezy tone, her refusal to see men as the enemy and her belief that sex is not only great fun but also a ???powerful weapon??? for single women. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** What And Who Can You Trust? by Diary Of A Singaporean Mind You simply cannot trust people to handle money when there are no checks in place. Even for good and honest people, as the saying goes, "trust, but verify." **** Yasmin Defends 'Funeral' by Faridul Anwar Farinordin, New Straits Times A Singapore TV commercial by award-winning filmmaker Yasmin Ahmad, posted on YouTube, is raising a storm. **** What Should The Indian Rojak Man Be Charged For? by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club The haste in which Mr Allaudin was charged seemed to give one the impression that he was being made a scapegoat to take the rap for others. **** Wanted: An NMP For The Arts by Mayo Martin, Today For the first time, the community is searching ground-up for candidates to the post of Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) . **** Open Letter To Environment Minister Yaacob Ibrahim To Set Up An Independent Panel To Investigate The Geylang Serai Market Food Poisoning by The Wayang Party Club **** ????????????????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Suicide Peak Ahead by Susan Long, Straits Times If the downturn deepens, Singapore should brace itself for a rise in suicides. And it should do all it can to prevent the increase from starting now, warns Dr Chia Boon Hock. **** Firefly May Start Flying To Singapore In June by Leong Hung Yee, The Star FlyFirefly Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), is expected to commence its inaugural flight to Singapore in June following the approval from the transport ministry. **** ???????????????????????????????????????????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Raffles And Savoy by Heba Fatani, Kingdom Holding Company, The Times We leave it to readers to ask the question as to why a business enterprise would embark on such expensive expansion and renovation, especially in these financially troubled times, only to turn around and sell its hotels in a significantly depressed real estate market. **** Singapore Puts Itself In The Innovation Hot Spot by Carol Lewis, The Times If we don't take the time to work smarter and be more innovative then someone else in the global economy will - probably in Singapore. **** Port Operator PSA: Container Shipping Slump Bottomed by Neil Chatterjee and Harry Suhartono, Reuters Ports operator PSA said on Tuesday a slump in container shipping trade has hit bottom but many ports are likely to face overcapacity and increasing competition before global volumes rebound. **** Singapore Veteran Returns After 50 Years by Neil Graham, Grantham Journal **** Tiger Keeps Mauling Singapore Airlines' Image In Australia by Ben Sandilands, Plane Talking Tiger Airways seems to have a culture of being evasive, tricky, unreliable and contemptuous of its customers. The antithesis of its major shareholder. **** What If This Happens In Singapore? by Dee Kay Dot As Gee What if one day, a police officer did something wrong and they use this law to stop witness from recording the deed? Are we safe? Is there really a need to have this Public Order Bill? **** World Standard Government? by Singaland PAP is feared so much that no public agencies dare to censure any of its subsidiaries even if their action, or inaction as in this case, not only can harm but lead to loss of human life. **** Stop Pushing For The Crooked Bridge by Koon Yew Yin, Centre For Policy Initiatives The public should note that the latest Mahathir blast on the bridge contains no clear or strong justification for building the crooked bridge ??? no economic reason, no technical reason and most important of all, no balanced analysis of the pros and cons of building the bridge. **** Nudism In Singapore by Sam's Thoughts What is it about religion, pop culture, capitalism, patriarchy, etc. that makes us have an unfavourable view of nudism? **** Corner's Inquiry Into NTU Student's Death Fixed For May 20-26 by 938 Live A coroner's inquiry into the unnatural death of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) student David Hartanto Widjaja has been set for next month. **** No Linking Of Hygiene Ratings To Food Stall Licence by Hasnita Majid, Channel NewsAsia The National Environment Agency (NEA) has no plans to link the grading system of food stalls to the renewal of their licence. This disconnect is quite disturbing. A single measurement yardstick is going to mean two different things under two different systems: this can easily go out of sync. I think MOH should really set its own (higher) standards and do the measurements themselves, rather than rely on NEA's measurements which is for a different purpose. From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Thu Apr 23 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 23 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 23, 2009 Message-ID: <20090423225900.26749.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** BIAS Unveils SoundSoap Pro 2 by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld BIAS introduced the next version of its noise reduction utility, SoundSoap Pro 2, improving on the applications ability to remove unwanted noise from a sound file. **** Trend Smart Surfing Protects Users From Online Scams by Peter Cohen, Macworld Trend Smart Surfing for Mac blocks instant message and e-mail links that lead to dangerous Web sites. It can also protect users from ???phishing??? scams that try to trick users into revealing confidential information, and it keeps Web sites from installing software of the Mac. **** Managing An iWeb Site From Multiple Macs by Christopher Breen, Macworld Unfortunately, MobileMe doesn???t support this kind of syncing. But other services do. **** AT&T Reports Smooth Sailing On The iPhone Front For Q1'09 by Chris Foresman, Ars Technica AT&T's results for the first quarter of this year spell good news for the company as well as Apple. Over 1.6 million iPhones were activated on AT&T's network in the first three months of 2009. **** Mac Mini Media Center: Get Content by Christopher Breen, Macworld Much to Apple???s dismay, music and video don???t begin and end with the iTunes Store. Multimedia content is available from DVDs you own, live television broadcasts, and content streamed across the Internet. **** Strong iPhone And iPod Sales Drive Apple Profits To $1.21 Billion by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld Apple on Wednesday reported a profit of $1.21 billion for its fiscal second quarter ending March 28, 2009, buoyed by strong iPod and iPhone sales. Mac sales were down three percent for the quarter compared to last year, but sales of the iPod and iPhone were up for the same period. **** Apple Removes 'Baby Shaker' From App Store by Tom Krazit, CNET In the past, Apple has shown no hesitation in rejecting iPhone applications that it felt contained offensive language or objectionable content. **** Apple Q2 09 Call: Apple "Very Happy" With AT&T, Still No Netbooks by Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica Once again, Apple COO Tim Cook shot down the idea of Apple selling a netbook. "When I look at what's being sold in the netbook space today, I see cracked keyboards, terrible software, junky hardware, very small screens," Cook said. "[That's] not something that we would put the Mac brand on, quite frankly. It's not a space, as it exists today, that we're interested in." **** iPhone Teleprompter, Accessories Demoed At NAB by iPodnn Bodelin Technologies has created an iPhone app and several accessories that turn an iphone or iPod Touch into a teleprompter. **** Steve Jobs To Return As Scheduled In June: Apple by AFP **** Apple CFO: Consumer SPending Stronger Than Business, Govt by Ben Charny, Wall Street Journal **** Will Apple And Google Go To War Over Netbooks? by Preston Gralla, Computerworld To succeed, both Google and Apple will probably have to take somewhat of a similar marketing approach —- we're not Microsoft. **** Downsizing My Mac Software To Work Better For Me by Bambi Brannan, Mac360 The trend today is toward data portability, which means it???s my data and I should be able to use it anywhere. **** In Defense Of Baby Shaking On The iPhone by Saul Hansell, New York Times Do we want Apple to be able to block applications that include praises for the Palm Pre or criticisms of the salary of Steve Jobs? On the other hand, should we force Apple — or any business — to sell anything and everything? **** Why AT&T Wants To Keep The iPhone Away From Verizon by Saul Hansell, New York Times AT&T???s earnings report on Wednesday highlights the enormous stakes involved in the renewal of its exclusive contract to distribute Apple???s iPhone in the United States. **** Apple Partners Wait Patiently For iPhone Opportunity by Kevin McLaughlin, ChannelWeb Apple talks a lot about the brand halo effect between the iPod, iPhone and Mac sales. According to many Apple resellers, this effect could be exponentially amplified if Apple were to allow them to sell the iPhone. **** Capo For Mac May Be A Musician's Best Friend by Jeff Smykil, Ars Technica If you are a musician of any level and enjoy incorporating your Mac into your practice sessions, you owe it to yourself to give Capo a try. **** iPod Touch Is Apple's Sleeper Hit by Dan Frommer, Silicon Alley Insider **** How Apple Is Squeezing Out More Profit Than Ever by Bobbie Johnson, The Guardian The Tomorrow Weblog ==================================== **** Google To Highlight GWT At Google I/O Developer Conference by Darryl K. Taft, eWeek MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** China's Other Minority, Seen By One Of Its Own by Howard W. French, New York Times In this memoir, ???Dragon Fighter,??? part defiant political tell-all, part engrossing personal saga, Rebiya Kadeer paints a vivid picture of her life as a mother of 11 and a businesswoman who spent nearly six years in prison on her way to becoming the Uighur people???s most prominent dissident. **** Losing Its Cool At The Mall by Eric Wilson, New York Times This spring, spending by teenagers, a closely studied but rarely understood segment of the population, is off by 14 percent, a direct reflection of the economy, according to a report this month by the investment bank Piper Jaffray. And that is having a profound effect on an already unraveling mall culture, where deep discounters and stores known for heavy promotions are suddenly the popular destinations and aspirational brands are struggling to fit in. **** Our Hawaiian Holiday Without, Well, Hawaii by Michelle Slatalla, New York Times So last week we joined the ranks of Americans who are staying home and calling it a vacation. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** Singapore 10% GDP Drop, 7.5% Unemployment Likely: IMF Report by Blowin' In The Wind **** Grading System Is 'Sound' by Amresh Gunashingham, Straits Times The A-B-C-D cleanliness grading system for food stalls is sound, robust and has led to higher hygiene standards here, environment and water resources minister Yaacob Ibrahim said on Wednesday. He was also not in favour of taking away the licences of stallholders who do not score the top A or B grades. **** Made To Pay MRT Fare For Baby Stroller by Ang Siow Hui, Straits Times **** Resorting To Suicide Is An Act Of Cowardice by C.V.G. Krishnan, Straits Times I could not, therefore, even imagine that it still has an appeal to many finding themselves at the edge of despair. How about facing up with scientific research ??? especially those on depressions and mental illness ??? and doing some reading? After all, you are a journalist, aren't you? Isn't ignorance another form of cowardice? **** So Hard To Get Through To Tiger Airways' Hotline by Vijeya Kumar Govindan, Straits Times Low-cost doesn't mean you can not give decent customer service. (Just ask the auntie selling $1.50 breakfast at my local coffeeshop.) Tiger Airways is a shame for its Singapore Airlines parent. **** Why Are Trains Faster In Paris, Tokyo, HK? by Nicholas Joshua Law, Straits Times Subway trains in Paris arrive at intervals of between 90 and 105 seconds. Those in Tokyo and Hong Kong arrive at two- to 21/2-minute intervals. In Singapore, the peak period train interval is four minutes. Most of the time, it is six minutes. The Paris and Tokyo train systems are much bigger and older than Singapore's, yet they have a higher frequency of arrivals. **** In Singapore, A More Progressive Islamic Education by Norimitsu Onishi, New York Times After starting the day with prayers and songs in honor of the Prophet Muhammad???s birthday, the students at the Madrasa Al Irsyad Al Islamiah here in Singapore turned to the secular. An all-girls chemistry class grappled with compounds and acids while other students focused on English, math and other subjects from the national curriculum. Teachers exhorted their students to ask questions. Some, true to the school???s embrace of new technology, gauged their students??? comprehension with individual polling devices. **** Room For Political Robustness by Poh Lee Heng, Today I personally would rather live with a certain amount of instability due to political differences, in exchange for political robustness. I think Singapore has matured vastly over the last 20 years and can survive and prosper even if there are political differences. **** ????????????????????????????????? by ???????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Dr M: Scenic Bridge Will Enhance Iskandar Project by Chan Kok Leong, The Edge Malaysia The elder statesman said that the bridge will improve traffic flow between Singapore and Malaysia and hence benefit IDR. **** Further Restrictions On Rights In Singapore by Amnesty International Amnesty International recognises the security concerns and the challenges of policing such a large event. However, this development has the potential of further constricting freedom of peaceful assembly in Singapore, which is already compromised. This law should be amended to ensure full compliance with international human rights standards. Amnesty International calls on the Singapore government to meet its legal obligations under Article 14(1) of the Singapore Constitution to preserve freedom of speech and expression; the right to assemble peaceably and without arms; and the right to form associations. **** ??????????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** ???????????????????????????????????? by ???????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Yaacob Still Daydreaming About His "Sound" & "Robust" System by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club **** Student Activism - What's Next? by Darren Boon, The Online Citizen Singapore has come a long way from violent protests and demonstrations, and it is unlikely that we would go back this route. And I believe there is no need to resort to militancy or disruptive tactics to advocate a cause. A peaceful and collective civic participation to a fair cause at the right moment is useful in getting concerns heard. The students group is a testament to this. Yet, it???s lamentable that right now students can???t do much outside their studies and co-curricular activities, and that they can only look forward to a day whereby even a public petition wouldn???t be a taboo any longer. **** Questions For Justice Choo Han Teck In The Sentencing Of Lim Hong Eng by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club **** Silenced, Defenceless by Cavalierio The POA is about preserving the dominance of the PAP. For this reason, the POA is about us, the citizens. **** March Tourist Arrivals Down 13.2%-On-Year by Channel NewsAsia Tourist arrivals to Singapore fell by 13.2 per cent last month, compared to March 2008. **** Singapore Inflation Slows To 21-Month Low As Recession Deepens by Shamim Adam, Bloomberg Singapore???s inflation slowed to a 21-month low in March as a weakening economy eroded demand and transport and communication costs eased. **** Mister Sandman, Bring Me Some Sand by Asia Sentinel Singapore continues to grow on everybody else's land. **** "?????????????????????????????????" ?????????????????????????????? by ????????? ?????????, ???????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** ????????? ?????????????????????????????? by 21CN?????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Family Of NTU Student Questions Police About University's Statement by Nurviana Mubtadi, Channel NewsAsia One of their main concerns is the release of a statement by the university about the events leading to Widjaja's death before police investigations were completed. **** Wireless at SG Still 'Growing' by Victoria Ho, ZDNet Asia Singapore's free wireless Internet service, Wireless at SG, is still seeing new sign-ons, according to the government and local operators. **** Tropical Storm Behind Strongest Winds To Hit Singapore In 9 Years by Tan Yew Guan, Channel NewsAsia The National Environment Agency (NEA) says a tropical storm is the reason for the strong winds which blew into Singapore Wednesday night. A wind speed of up to 83 kilometres per hour was recorded -- the strongest in nearly nine years. From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Fri Apr 24 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 24 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 24, 2009 Message-ID: <20090424225900.90896.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Charge It On Your AirEx by Dan Frakes, Macworld **** Steve Jobs: Nobody Loves Me by William P. Barrett, Forbes Steve Jobs, the man rolling out iPods, iPhones and cool computers to millions of adoring customers, once felt he wasn't getting enough respect—from his own board of directors. That, at least, was what he told the Securities & Exchange Commission while explaining his actions in the Apple option-backdating scandal that broke in 2006. The scandal, which was part of what caused Apple then to take an $84 million earnings writedown, raised questions about whether Jobs had helped set advantageous grant dates for options for himself and other executives. **** Apple's iPod Touch Sales Double, Nearly On Par With iPhone by Katie Marsal, AppleInsider Sales of Apple's iPod touch, once discounted as a pricey niche product, have more than doubled over the past 12 months to rates nearly in line with the iPhone, fueled by an explosion of attractive gaming titles on the App Store that are boosting overall multi-touch device shipments into Nintendo DS territory. **** Ancient Frog For iPhone by Lex Friedman, Macworld Ancient Frog is a meditative puzzle game from Ancient Workshop with beautiful imagery and a serene soundtrack that???s as unusual to play as it is to describe. **** Tips For Greener Computing by Michael Gowan, Macworld There are two really good reasons to practice green computing: It saves you money, and???bit by bit???it helps save the planet. It???s a major win-win. Here are just a few of the little things you can do to make a big difference. **** Why I'm Switching From Twitterrific To Tweetie by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld I would highly recommend giving Tweetie a try???you won't regret it. **** Mac Mini Media Center: Control Everything Remotely by Christopher Breen, Macworld Software and hardware options abound for controlling your media center from the couch. **** HanDBase For Mac Can Synchronize With iPhone by Peter Cohen, Macworld **** Apple Apologizes For Baby Shaker by Tom Krazit, CNET Just hours before the App Store offers up its 1 billionth download, Apple was forced to acknowledge that perhaps the most notorious iPhone application ever constructed was "deeply offensive" and a "mistake." Baby Shaker appeared on the App Store Monday, and was pulled Wednesday after a media frenzy grew following the discovery of the application by the founder of a shaken baby syndrome foundation. **** Apple Sells Its One Billionth iPhone App by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld Nine months after opening its App Store, Apple announced on its Web site that it reached the milestone of selling its one billionth iPhone application on Thursday. **** JellyCar For iPhone by Zach Okkema, Macworld Simple driving game is a fun way to pass the time???particularly for kids. **** The End Of Innocence At Apple: What Happened After Steve Jobs Was Fired by Frank Rose, Wired It seems unthinkable today ??? but more than two decades ago, when personal computers were still new and everybody listened to music on a Walkman, Steve Jobs was cast out of Apple. The year was 1985. IBM and Microsoft dominated the world of computing. The revolutionary Macintosh, launched with such fanfare just a year earlier, appeared to be foundering. And Jobs, the guiding force at Apple from the beginning, seemed not just expendable but a threat to the company he???d built. **** Apple's Guidance Game by Dan Frommer and Kamelia Angelova, Silicon Alley Insider Why does Apple (AAPL) always "beat expectations?" Because it sets the bar so low it could fall over it. **** Why Apple's MobileMe Doesn't Work As A $100 Service by Wilson Rothman, Gizmodo The service itself is made up of many pieces you already have. This presents a complicated economic argument. **** Apple Is Already Selling A Netbook by Michael Hickins, InformationWeek **** Apple Retails Shed 1,600 Full-Time Positions by Tom Krazit, CNET The retail arm of the company now employs 14,000 full-time equivalent workers, down from 15,600 at the end of Apple's first fiscal quarter, according to a filing with the SEC. **** Why Does Apple Rise While The Rest Fall? by John McKee, TechRepublic Apple Inc???s leadership has shown vision, guts, and determination. They created a clear business plan and executed it without any outwardly visible hesitation. **** Review: FontExplorer X Pro 2.0 by Jay J. Nelson, Macworld FontExplorer X Pro 2.0.1 is an advanced, feature-complete font-management tool. It's as if the developers asked hundreds of designers and prepress professionals what they wanted, and then delivered everything on the list. **** Mac Malware Not A Big Deal - Yet by ZDNet **** How To Recycle Your Mac by Lisa Schmeiser, Macworld Here are a variety of solutions???from low-effort to time-intensive???that???ll keep your conscience and your closet clear. **** Thirteen Year-Old Revealed As Winner Of Apple's Billion App Contest by Peter Cohen, Macworld Connor Mulcahey downloaded the one billionth app: Bump, a contact information swapping application developed by Bump Technologies. The Tomorrow Weblog ==================================== **** RealTime: No YouTube Revolution Yet by CNET RealTime lets friends share what they're watching on YouTube. But you'll have to build a new social network, and it doesn't unlock any hidden YouTube value. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** Does Updike's Last Verse Hit Its Mortal Mark? Plainly. by Michael Dirda, Washington Post In their last years, many artists cast aside all their usual flourishes, dismiss the circus animals and simply set down, as directly as possible, the realities and inevitabilities of old age. So John Updike has done in this moving book of poems. As he ruefully attests, "In the beginning, Culture does beguile us,/but Nature gets us in the end." **** Bound To Burn by Peter W. Huber, City Journal Humanity will keep spewing carbon into the atmosphere, but good policy can help sink it back into the earth. **** Darwin's Worms by Amy Stewart, The Wilson Quarterly When I stand on a patch of earth and wonder about the activity occurring underfoot, I???m not alone. Gardeners are inquisitive by nature; we???re explorers; we like to turn over a log or pull up a plant by the roots to see what???s there. Most of the gardeners I know are, like me, quite interested in earthworms, in the work they do churning the earth and making new dirt. We hold soil in our hands, squeeze it and smell it as if we???re checking a ripe melon, and sift it to see what inhabits it. Ask a gardener about the earthworm population in her garden, and I guarantee she???ll have something to say on the subject. It seems strange, then, that most scientists before Charles Darwin (1809 ???82) didn???t consider worms worthy of study. **** Gather 'Round The Cadaver by Barron H. Lerner, Slate The photographs in the remarkable new book Dissection shocked me, even though I spent a year in anatomy class during medical school. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** Showdown At AWARE Office Over Lock Change By New Exco by Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia **** Singapore's LGBT Community Plans 'Pink Dot' Event by PinkNews.co.uk An unusual day in the park planned for next month will show support for Singapore's lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans population. **** Misinformation Spread By AWARE's New Exco Is Deserving Of The Sternest Rebuke by Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net The underhand tactics used by this bunch of intolerant individuals to promote their own selfish agenda and the misinformation that is being spread by AWARE???s new Exco is deserving of the strongest rebuke. Let us condemn this atrocity. **** Coup Leader Comes Open by Zakir Hussain, Straits Times Senior lawyer Thio Su Mien on Thursday revealed the key role she played in bringing about the change of leadership at the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware). **** 'Legalise Loan Sharks' Like We Legalise Prostitutes Here? by Ng Tze Yong, New Paper Grassroots volunteers say government should declare amnesty and regulate loanshark activities. **** Lack Of Public Transport Options At Night Safari by Ajit Koshy, Straits Times **** The "Foam" Lifts Of Pasir Ris Upgrading Program by The Wayang Party Club **** New Exco Got Death Threats by Sandra Davie, Straits Times A death threat was sent to a member of the new exco of Aware as well as the husband of president Josie Lau. **** Membership Shoots Up by Zul Othman, Today Aware???s membership numbers have swelled so much in the run-up to its extraordinary general meeting on May 2 that the women???s advocacy group has to find a new venue to hold it. **** Universal Seek Global Talent For Singapore Park by AFP US entertainment giant Universal Studios on Thursday announced a global recruitment drive for aspiring actors, singers and other performers for shows at its upcoming theme park in Singapore. **** Save Singapore Reefs by Grace Chua, Straits Times The most comprehensive proposal to save Singapore's coral reefs yet was released on Thursday, calling for the government to formally recognise the richness of reef habitats like Raffles Lighthouse and Cyrene Reef in the southern islands. **** A Peculiar Irony by A Xeno Boy In Sg **** Did Josie Lau Lie? Contradictions In Earlier DBS Statement And Her Revelation On CNA 'Talking Point' That She Has No Plans To Run For AWARE President by The Wayang Party Club **** Thais Say Suffered In Singapore "Jungle Brothel" by Nopporn Wong-Anan, Reuters Singapore's sex trade is a side of the Southeast Asian city-state less well-known than its air-conditioned shopping malls, efficient governance and laws that ban littering and the import of chewing gum. **** Pirate Mother Ship Appears On Hoizon, Guns Blazing by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread Stripped down to the basics, the "agenda" of Thio and her recruits had nothing to do with serving women or advancing feminism. It had just one objective -??? to purge AWARE of anything to do with tolerance, diversity and the empowerment of women. During the last few weeks, many people have wondered why this clique that took over AWARE did not instead set up their own Christian-linked organisation to promote their views. As you can now see, that wouldn't have achieved their objective: It was never to construct an alternative discourse, it was to silence and destroy AWARE's work. **** NEA To Issue Temporary Food Hygiene Rating Labels by Ang Ka Swan, Channel NewsAsia The National Environment Agency (NEA) plans to issue temporary food hygiene rating labels on the spot. This is so that hawkers need not wait for the agency to issue actual labels. **** AWARE Old Guard Say They Feel Responsible For What Has Happened by Cheryl Lim, Channel NewsAsia From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Sat Apr 25 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 25 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 25, 2009 Message-ID: <20090425225900.23222.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Apple Found Guilty Of Willful Patent Infringement by Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica Apple has been found guilty of willfully infringing on a "predictive snooping" patent awarded to Opti Inc. in 2002. The company has been ordered to pay just over $19 million in compensation, despite its attempts to have the patent thrown out. **** Mac Mini Media Center: Is It Worth It? by Christopher Breen, Macworld Here???s what it costs to turn your mini into a media center???and how it performs. **** Cut Down On Cables by Dan Frakes, Macworld Instead of carrying fewer cables, I carry smaller cables. **** Pixelpipe For iPhone by Rob de la Cretaz, Macworld Upload once to share photos with more than 75 online destinations. **** Apple Store: The Big Chill by Philip Elmer-DeWitt, Fortune Is there an Apple Store near you? Count yourself lucky, because the days of Apple???s aggressive expansion into the branded retail space are over ??? at least for now. **** Did Apple Just Fire 1,600 Retail Workers? Nope. by Peter Kafka, Wall Street Journal The very strong likelihood here is that Apple cut a lot of workers??? hours, but not workers themselves. The Tomorrow Weblog ==================================== **** Lip-reading Computer Can Distinguish Languages by CNET Lip-reading computer from researchers in Britain is able to identify languages spoken with "high accuracy," according to scientists. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** Come Visit. Live Life. Eat Cheese. by Gail Collins, New York Times It???s hard to go wrong when you???re picking a state flower, but the number of bad slogan-driven tourism campaigns is legion. **** With Kindle, Can You Tell It's Proust? by Joanne Kaufman, New York Times The publishing world is all caught up in weighty questions about the Kindle and other such devices: Will they help or hurt book sales and authors??? advances? Cannibalize the industry? Galvanize it? Please, they???re overlooking the really important concern: How will the Kindle affect literary snobbism? **** Great And Terrible Truths by Tom Bissell, New York Times David Foster Wallace???s address at Kenyon College was funny, warm ??? and unmistakably dark. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** AWARE Veterans Set The Record Straight by Darren Boon, The Online Citizen Dr Soin had made it clear that AWARE had been founded on the principle of inclusiveness, and clarified the misconception of AWARE being pro-gay. **** The Crux Of The AWARE Fiasco Is Not About Homosexuality Or Religion But The Space For Diversity by Eugene Yeo and Fang Zhi Yuan, The Wayang Party Club What is really at stake is the space for a diversity of views in our secular, cosmopolitan and pluralistic society. Singapore is a multiracial, and multicultural nation. We must be able to tolerate inherent differences in beliefs and values so as to co-exist peacefully with one another. **** Show Tolerance, Respect by Straits Times Deputy prime minister Teo Chee Hean on Friday called for the two groups at loggerheads in the ongoing Aware saga to show respect and tolerance for each other's views. **** AWARE - And Why You Should Cancel Your DBS Credit Cards by Mr Wang Says So **** Singapore Shuns Help From RI Over Student's Death by Jakarta Post Indonesian police said Friday a team of officers, currently in Singapore offering assistance into the investigations surrounding the controversial death of Indonesian student David Hartanto, had been turned down. From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Sun Apr 26 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 26 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 26, 2009 Message-ID: <20090426225900.250.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Review - SplashNotes - Yet Another Outliner For iPhone by Mobile Tech Addicts MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** No, You Can't Get An Upgrade by David Segal, New York Times Forget the upgrade. The game now is avoiding the downgrade. This is grim and troubling, in part, because so much of our consumer culture is built around the enticements of the Better. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** ????????????:????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Where Money Holds Sway by Seah Chiang Nee, The Star The large salaries paid to the elite is pushing many Singaporeans towards an unhealthy chase for the dollar. **** A Malay Dilemma by The Online Citizen Why the PAP struggles to renew its class of Malay leaders. **** Bridge For Bugis Crowds by Debbie Yong, Straits Times To be ready by year-end, it will lessen road congestion at Illuma mall and Bugis Junction. **** Singapore Day 2009 In London by The Online Citizen **** Happy Singapore Day! by For It Is Difference That Moulds Me **** 7 Ministers, Media & Community Leaders Make Up New National Integration Council by S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia Singapore has set up a new National Integration Council to promote and foster social integration among Singaporeans and with new citizens and permanent residents. **** Lessons From Singapore by Dennis Morrison, Jamaica Gleaner News **** Sentosa Sardine-Packed? by Cara van Miriah, Straits Times Life is not quite a beach nowadays along the Siloso shoreline at Sentosa. It is more, well, a mini-construction site. **** ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Bloggers' Maturity Demonstrated In Aware Saga by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread Lunatic Straits Times readers aside, bloggers and their readers have now given the lie to the Singapore government's oft-repeated warning that freedom of speech will lead to chaos and strife, a scary scenario based on the accusation that bloggers and non-government-related site-owners have no sense of responsibility. **** Government Won't Interfere In AWARE Saga by S Ramesh/Cheryl Lim, Channel NewsAsia Minister for community development, youth and sports, Vivian Balakrishnan said the problems facing AWARE are not a national one, so it is best for the organisation to settle them democratically and according to its constitution. **** Embrace Foreigners, And Screw The Locals(NSmen) by Military Life: Memoirs Of A Conscript In The Lion City Singapore Inc runs first and foremost by economic considerations. I accept that. But why is the government screwing us NSmen by imposing obligations in a way that is both disruptive and detrimental to our economic competitiveness. They expect us NSmen to grin and bear it when we know we are competing on an unequal playing field? How can you expect us to embrace immigrants who are fighting for the very same rice-bowls and who do not need to make similar sacrifices to preserve it? I have risked my life every time I report for my annual in-camp training to protect and defend our way of life only to find that sacrifice entails having me risk my livelihood?! From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Mon Apr 27 18:59:01 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 27 Apr 2009 22:59:01 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 27, 2009 Message-ID: <20090427225901.66482.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Why Apple Isn't Feeling The Bite Even As Other Tech Titans Stumble by Andrew Keen, The Independent The iPhone is more than just a successful hardware product. With its telephone and internet access, it is driving the real-time communications revolution. **** iPhone Is Boosting Demand For Location-Based Services by Om Malik, GigaOm **** Apple "Say On Pay" Motion Approved By Shareholders by Reuters Apple Inc said a shareholder proposal for more say over executive pay was approved at its annual meeting on February 25. The iPod, Mac and iPhone maker originally said it believed the resolution had failed. But it said on Monday that it had incorrectly counted abstentions as "no" votes. An internal investigation found the mistake was due to human error, Apple said, adding the problem was discovered shortly after it filed its 10-Q with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last Thursday. **** Apple Xserve Review by Dave Mithcell, IT Pro The Tomorrow Weblog ==================================== **** Computer Program To Take On 'Jeopardy!' by John Markoff, New York Times I.B.M. plans to announce Monday that it is in the final stages of completing a computer program to compete against human ???Jeopardy!??? contestants. If the program beats the humans, the field of artificial intelligence will have made a leap forward. **** Tired Of Old Web Friends? A New Site Promises Strangers by Douglas Quenqua, New York Times **** A New E-Paper Competitor by Parchi Patel, MIT Technology Review Pixels containing ink reservoirs could lead to bright e-readers that look more like printed paper. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** Against Readings by Mark Edmundson, The Chronicle Of Higher Education If I could make one wish for the members of my profession, college and university professors of literature, I would wish that for one year, two, three, or five, we would give up readings. By a reading, I mean the application of an analytical vocabulary ??? Marx's, Freud's, Foucault's, Derrida's, or whoever's ??? to describe and (usually) to judge a work of literary art. I wish that we'd declare a moratorium on readings. I wish that we'd give readings a rest. **** Treatment by Ange Mlinko, The New Yorker **** Forgotten Fountain by W. S. Merwin, The New Yorker **** Purpose-Driven Life by Brian Boyd, The AMerican Scholar Evolution does not rob life of meaning, but creates meaning. It also makes possible our own capacity for creativity. **** Inside The Baby's Mind by Jonah Lehrer, Boston Globe It's unfocused, random, and extremely good at what it does. How we can learn from a baby's brain. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** Do Away With Cafes In Libraries by R. Jaichandra, Straits Times I do not see the need to have cafeterias inside public libraries when numerous eating establishments are found just outside the libraries, some of which are located in shopping centres. It must have looked good on paper: attract new users by appearing hip, while earning extra money for the NLB. Except that it totally alienate the core customers. **** Declining Property Values Sock Singapore Developers by Patricia Kowsmann, Wall Street Journal As property prices in Singapore continue to tumble, one of the country's biggest developers posted disappointing earnings while another said it will raise capital to protect itself against the downturn. Analysts said the severity of the earnings decline suggests the property market in Singapore and in the rest of Asia is unlikely to recover this year. **** Lee Boon Yang As Keppel Chair: How Much Are We Spending To Keep Ex-PAP Leaders On GLCs And Stat Boards? by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club The PAP practice of lavishing generous rewards on its ex-leaders only goes to maintain political stability to serve its own partisan interest while it is a drain on our state resources. **** I Am A Liberal by Me And My Thoughts I understand that discrimination can never be rooted out. What I hope to see though is a world where discrimination is criticized and recognized as contemptible in public opinion. Would Thio Li Ann and friends have gotten away if they talked about racial discrimination rather than gay discrimination? Yet both are the same and fundamentally contemptible. There was a time where slavery, gender discrimination and colonialization were not viewed as immoral, and I hope gay discrimination will go the same way and gradually be recognized as abhorring in time to come. **** Singapore All-Age Employment by SimpleBlob's Life **** Singapore Urges Public To Pass The Soap by Nopporn Wong-Anan, Reuters Singapore, one of cleanest nations in Southeast Asia, launched on Monday a campaign to teach people how to wash their hands properly to help curb the spread of disease. **** SBS Transit Freezes Salaries, Cuts Bonuses Of Senior Staff by Channel NewsAsia **** Singapore's Cable Car Rides To Close For S$36m Overhaul by Cheryl Lim, Channel NewsAsia Mount Faber Leisure Group is investing in a whole new cable car system which will see 67 new cable car cabins, as well as a Swarovski-encrusted VIP cabin. **** Kenneth Jeyaretnam As Secretary-General Of Reform Party by Channel NewsAsia Kenneth Jeyaretnam has been voted in as secretary-general of the Reform Party by its central executive committee. The post was left vacant by his late father, veteran opposition politician JB Jeyaretnam, after his death in September last year. **** Workers Protest Against Unpaid Wages In Singapore by AFP More than 100 construction workers from China gathered outside Singapore's manpower ministry Monday to complain about unpaid wages and cancellation of their work permits, witnesses said. **** Singapore Says To Improve Disclosure On Tax Evasion by Reuters Singapore will revise its laws this year to improve disclosure on foreigners evading income taxes in their home countries, its finance minister told his Japanese counterpart, a Japanese Finance Ministry official said. From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Tue Apr 28 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 28 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 28, 2009 Message-ID: <20090428225900.65466.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** iMovie And The Uncooperative Camera by Christopher Breen, Macworld **** Apple Is Sued After Pressuring Open-Source iTunes Project by Robert McMillan, IDG News Service The operator of a technology discussion forum has sued Apple, claiming that the company used U.S. copyright law to curb legitimate discussion of its iTunes software. **** A Few Thoughts After 19 Years Of TidBITS by Adam C. Engst, TidBITS Despite the doom and gloom surrounding the content industry (with newspapers especially up against the wall), I believe there are plenty of solid livings to be made publishing content on the Internet. Publishing hasn't been easy in the past, and it won't be easy in the future, and serious money will accrue only to a lucky few. But with an eye toward producing original content and creating an appropriate scale of business, I think we will be able to keep publishing TidBITS as far into the future as we can reasonably see. **** Essential Tips To Get The Best From iTunes by TechRadar Whether it's converting movies to watch on your iPod while out and about, building party playlists, getting album art online, buying music, renting films or backing up iPhones, there's an awful lot under the surface. Most importantly, many of the tips and tricks we're going to show you will save you time, and maybe even reveal a few things you didn't know you could do. So read on to become an iTunes and iPod expert. **** Apple Hires Former ATI Graphics Chip Designer by Electronista Apple has quietly signaled a new emphasis on graphics by hiring an influential graphics chipset designer from AMD. **** Apple Offers Live 24/7 MobileMe Chat Support by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld **** Amazon Buys Creator Of Stanza iPhone App by Electronista **** Apple 'Pretty Messed Up' When Steve Jobs Returned by Antone Gonsalves, InformationWeek Jobs' comments made to the SEC during his stock backdating deposition reveal the lengths the co-founder had to go to reset Apple's direction. **** Getting Around Apple's App Store Vetting Process by AppScout So, there you go. If you want to make it into the App Store—more flowers! **** The Tale Of Steve Jobs, An Old House And Preservationists by Therese Poletti, MarketWatch This is a story that normally wouldn't get a lot of attention here, but this yarn involving a high-powered tech chieftain, a kowtowing Silicon Valley township, an old house and a clash of wills is worth telling. **** FileZilla 3 Review by Karl Hodge, Macworld UK **** The Best iPhone Music Apps by Wendy Sheehan Donnell, PC Magazine Here's what you need to transform your iPhone into the ultimate mobile music machine. **** By My Way Of Calculating It, Apple Is The Number One Computer Vendor In The US by Dennis Sellers, Macsimum News Figure in the iPod touch and Apple moves into the number one spot. **** 15 Easy Fixes For Mac Security Risks by Ryan Faas, Computerworld The truth is that Apple Inc. does provide a pretty safe platform. The company leverages a number of advanced technologies to keep users and their data safe from harm. But no system is perfect, and there are a number of security holes — many of them easily closed — that are common on Mac OS X systems. Here are 15 ways to fix the most frequently exploited security risks and protect your Mac. **** Tweak Your Sound In iTunes And On The iPod by Kirk Elhearn, Macworld Equalization is changing the volume of certain frequencies to change the sound of music during playback. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** Meals Worth A Flight (Or A Cab Ride) by Mimi Sheraton, New York Times How many stars then would the good Guide accord a restaurant that is worth a special plane trip across the Atlantic? Given the cost, confusion and discomfort of air travel these days would four stars be enough for that designation, or might such a place rate a five-star constellation? **** The Name's Du Xiao Hua, But Call Me Steve by Huan Hsu, Slate What's up with Chinese people having English names? **** Eurydice: 1887 by Avery Slater, Slate SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** Free Makan & Show For Quitters In London? by Feed Me To The Fish **** Death Penalty Ineffective Deterrent by Paul Chin, The Sun **** Four Key Witnesses To Testify For David by The Jakarta Post In an attempt to convince judges that David Hartanto Widjaja, an Indonesian student who died on the campus of Nanyang Technology University (NTU) in Singapore in March did not commit suicide, his family will present four additional key witnesses at a Coroner Court???s inquest in Singapore on May 20-26. **** Singapore's 'Culture Wars': Fragmenting Politics by Groundnotes These hot button issues will make policy-decisions more complicated. It will make Singapore politics more sophisticated because the PAP will have to speak to a variety of constituents and decide which to court. There would be more bargaining and negotiating as the ruling party will have no choice but to bear in mind the deeply held values of a wide array of people. This fragmentation of identities will lead to a fragmentation of politics. **** Borrowing From Loansharks - Criminalising Without Providing Real Choice by Ravi Philemon, The Online Citizen Enacting a law to criminalise without having effective safeguards against the hurdles that life throws at those that earn lower income is, to say the least, not thoughtful. **** ?????????????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** ??????????????????????????????????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Reply To Recent Comments And Claims About AWARE's Sexuality Education Programme In Schools by Ministry Of Education, Singapore Government The schools that engaged AWARE found that the content and messages of the sessions conducted were appropriate for their students and adhered to guidelines to respect the values of different religious groups. The schools did not receive any negative feedback from students who attended the workshops and talks or their parents. In particular, MOE has also not received any complaint from parents or Dr Thio Su Mien, who was reported to have made specific claims about sexuality education in our schools. MOE has contacted Dr Thio Su Mien to seek clarifications and facts to substantiate her claims. **** Marina Coastal Expressway To Cost More Than $4b To Build by Lin Jiamei, 938Live Costing more than $4 billion, it is much higher than the initial estimation of $2.5 billion due to the difficult soil conditions. When completed, the 5-kilometre road will serve as a high speed link to the new Downtown area in Marina Bay. The connection will in turn allow a section of the ECP to be coverted into arterial roads serving nearby developments such as the integrated resort. Given that it nearly doubled in cost, I sure hope the government has re-evaluated the cost-benefit analysis carefully. **** Singapore-Based Company Collaborating With Company Owned By Burmese Drug Lord To Build Myanmar's New Airport by The Wayang Party Club **** Riding Out The Economic Storm In Singapore by Neel Chowdhury, Time Numbers like these suggest Singaporeans are in a funk so deep only psychiatrists would be flourishing here. Consumer confidence has fallen to an all-time low, according to pollster A.C. Nielsen's latest bi-annual survey. Yet the city's malls and restaurants are no less crowded than before. Property launches are thronged, especially for cheaper suburban homes. Nor are Singaporeans just flipping the pages of the glossy property brochures or sadly gazing at the architectural models, wishing they were one of the frolicking toy figures in the miniature pool. They're buying too. Property developers sold 1,332 units of new private homes in February, a bumper sales crop that was the highest since August 2007, when the economy was booming. **** AWARE's Extraordinary Meeting To Be Held At Singapore Expo by Channel NewsAsia The Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) has changed the venue of its extraordinary meeting to Singapore Expo Hall 2. From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Wed Apr 29 18:59:01 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 29 Apr 2009 22:59:01 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 29, 2009 Message-ID: <20090429225901.39530.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Notebooks For iPhone by Lex Friedman, Macworld Note taker benefits from in-app help, usable interface. **** NetworkLocation 3.0.5 by Glenn Fleishman, Macworld This clever utility examines data about your network and USB connections to determine your present location, and can then modify your other system settings based on rules you configure. NetworkLocation gets you most of the way to your desired state, and can get even closer if you know a bit of AppleScript. **** Apple Adds New Artist Lessons To GarageBand by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld With the latest update, Apple added two new Sting songs???"Message in a Bottle" and "Fragile"???and Sarah McLachlan's "Angel". **** Apple's WWDC 2009 Conference Is Sold Out by Arnold Kim, MacRumors.com **** Doylestown Hospital: Always On Call by Apple A community medical center near Philadelphia, Doylestown Hospital relies on a mobile workforce of 360 independent physicians to provide a highly responsive healing environment for thousands of patients. Those physicians stay connected 24/7 to colleagues and hospital staff with their first responder: Apple iPhone 3G. With iPhone, doctors get access to patients??? vital stats, medical reference applications, and breaking health alerts to provide collaborative and efficient patient care. **** iPod To Reach Out And Touch Someone by Katherine Boehret, Wall Street Journal This week, I tested ways to make the Touch even more like the iPhone: apps that use the Internet to make phone calls. **** MultiBrush 4.0 Adds New Tools, Restoration Options by MacNN AKVIS has released MultiBrush 4.0, an update to its tool suite for retouching and enhancing photos. New tools are designed to improve retouching, restoration and collage creation. All pens and brushes feature automatic adjustments for preserving colors, texture, brightness and tonal range from the original image, allowing the restored section to blend into the existing background. **** Apple Using iPhone To Play AT&T Against Verizon? by Sinead Carew and Gabriel Madway, Reuters Apple Inc appears to be playing the top two U.S. mobile operators AT&T Inc and Verizon Wireless against each other as it shops for the next distributor for its popular iPhone. Whether one or both operators sign a deal, analysts are in no doubt that Apple wins in the end. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** What's So Funny? by Alex Beam, Boston Globe In the immortal deathbed phrase variously attributed to actors Edwin Booth, Edmund Kean, Donald Wolfit, and others: "Dying is easy, comedy is hard." **** A Nonfiction Marriage by Jonathan Van Meter, New York Magazine After the massage parlors, after the affair, after the scandalous book that nearly broke up his family, Gay Talese is writing a new opus???about his relationship with his wife. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** An Open Letter To Ms Josie Lau by Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net You claimed that you are seeking to serve other women in Singapore, but all I can see is that you are serving your own bigoted cause. Your resume posted on AWARE???s website lists an impressive array of corporate credentials, but unfortunately it also reveals that you have never been involved in feminism or helping women. In the absence of any track record of feminist work, we have to judge you based on your words and deeds over the past few weeks. Your behaviour speaks for itself. **** Migrant Worker Problems Must Be Tackled At Roots by Au Yaipang, Yawning Bread What I have noticed is that the Manpower Ministry is not taking a pro-active approach to these problems. There is an unmistakable tendency to merely play passive mediator when complaints flood in, even when employers have clearly violated one or more laws. One cannot but get the sense that the civil servants just want the problem to go away, and their actions seem to be mainly directed at chasing complainants away and looking good to the media. **** Singapore Raises Alert Level by Straits Times Singapore's Ministry of Health on Tuesday night raised the pandemic alert phase for swine flu outbreaks from green to yellow as the epidemic has entered a new phase with more than 16 countries reporting confirmed or suspected infections. **** What The School Programme Teaches Students by Deeksha Vasundhra, Aware CSE Development Team (2006-07), Straits Times The CSE programme takes a lifelong approach to sex and aims to equip young people for adulthood and marriage as there are even fewer chances for sex education after they leave school. **** iPhone Nation, Part 2 by The Singapore iPhone Guide **** AWARE EGM Venue Moved To Expo, Next To "Transformation Conference 2009" Co-Organized By COOS And 40 Other Churches by The Wayang Party Club This is a number game. The majority wins, as simple as that. **** Expect More Layoffs by Sue-AnnC hia, Straits Times Workers should continue to brace themselves for tough times ahead as the global economy has yet to hit the bottom and more layoffs are likely, labour chief Lim Swee Say has said. **** Sleepless In Singapore by The Online Citizen The country is ill-equipped to cope with a possible rise in homelessness. **** ?????????????????????????????? by ???????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Worst Is Over For Singapore by Fiona Chan and Robin Chan, Straits Times The worst is over for Singapore's economy, but a decisive rebound is not on the cards, said the Monetary Authority of Singapore on Wednesday. **** Bus Scheme Extended by Maria Almenoar, Straits Times Motorists will have to give way to buses on more roads from June when the Mandatory Give Way to Buses Scheme is extended. The scheme, which started with a three month trial in December at 22 bus stops along three roads, will now be extended islandwide over two years. **** Singapore Air Should Handle China Eastern With Care by Andrew Peaple, Wall Street Journal Tempting though entry into China's airline sector may be, Singapore Airlines must tread very carefully when it comes to China Eastern Airlines. The Chinese carrier's leadership claims Beijing is keen to revive talk of an investment from Singapore's flagship carrier. **** URA, NParks Introduce Schemes To Promote More Skyrise Greenery In Singapore by Tmothy Ouyang, Channel NewsAsia Come December 1 this year, new projects and re-developments within the central business district, Kallang Riverside and Jurong Gateway areas will be required to have green landscape at least equivalent in size to the development site area. **** AWARE Changes Venue Of Extraordinary General Meeting Again by Channel NewsAsia The Association of Women for Action and Research or AWARE has changed the venue of its extraordinary general meeting again. **** Singaporeans Need To Overcome Negative Traits by Tan Kin Lian, The Online Citizen From applesurf at myapplemenu.com Thu Apr 30 18:59:00 2009 From: applesurf at myapplemenu.com (applesurf at myapplemenu.com) Date: 30 Apr 2009 22:59:00 -0000 Subject: [MyAppleMenu] Apr 30, 2009 Message-ID: <20090430225900.46915.qmail@voot.pair.com> MyAppleMenu ==================================== **** Crabble: The iPhone, iPod Touch Stand That Fits In A Wallet by David Chartier, Macworld Seskimo makes a clever plastic stand for iPhone and iPod touch called the Crabble, which has recently been updated with a much better design that, like the original, still folds and fits in a wallet. **** Adobe Updates InContext Editing Service by Jackie Dove, Macworld Adobe on Wednesday released an update to its InContext Editing service, the Web content maintenance tool introduced last fall in conjunction with Dreamweaver CS4. Version 1.5 of InContext Editing offers simplified administration and complete editing capabilities within the browser. **** Remotely Fixing The Family Printer by Christopher Breen, Macworld **** AT&T Re-Inserts Slingbox 3G Terms by Electronista AT&T on Wednesday quietly updated its cellphone terms of service to again potentially ban devices like the Slingbox on its network. **** Apple's 17-Inch MacBook Pro Is Long On Looks, Battery Life by Cameron Sturdevant, eWeek Apple's 17-inch MacBook Pro is the thinnest and lightest notebook in its category, and the system is well-engineered and powerful. It also boasts up to 8 hours of battery life—a very good thing given that the battery is built-in. All of this earns the MacBook Pro eWEEK Labs' Analyst's Choice award. **** In Major Shift, Apple Builds Its Own Team To Design Chips by Yukari Iwatani Kane and Don Clark, Wall Street Journal Apple Inc. is building a significant capability to design its own computer chips, a strategy shift that the company hopes will create exclusive features for its gadgets and shield Apple's work from rivals. The Silicon Valley trend-setter has been hiring people from many different segments of the semiconductor industry, including engineers to create multifunction chips that are used in cellphones to run software and carry out other chores. **** Six Quick Fixes You Should Never Skip by Ted Landau, Macworld Here are a few tried-and-true remedies you shouldn???t forget in the rush to try more-complicated troubleshooting techniques. **** Tribal Trouble 2 by Franklin Pride, Inside Mac Games The Tomorrow Weblog ==================================== **** Anti-Virus Moves To The Cloud by Larry Seltzer, eWeek Vendors such as Panda Security, McAfee and Trend Micro are looking into cloud security approaches. The volume and velocity of malware developments necessitate changes like this, and there are advantages to the cloud approach. It's also a risky move, but it's beginning to look inevitable. MyAppleMenu Reader ==================================== **** Final Edition by Stefany Anne Golberg, The Smart Set In praise of the newspaper obituary. **** American Stonehenge: Monumental Instructions for the Post-Apocalypse by Randall Sullivan, Wired Whoever the anonymous architects of the Guidestones were, they knew what they were doing: The monument is a highly engineered structure that flawlessly tracks the sun. It also manages to engender endless fascination, thanks to a carefully orchestrated aura of mystery. And the stones have attracted plenty of devotees to defend against folks who would like them destroyed. Clearly, whoever had the monument placed here understood one thing very well: People prize what they don't understand at least as much as what they do. **** Of Loos And Language by Roger Cohen, New York Times That England???s gone, of course, it???s had its glossy makeover like everywhere else. Gastropubs shun bangers and lumpy mash and even Leeds is trendy. But language is another story. SingaporeSurf ==================================== **** Identity Mobilisation - A Threat To Society by Au Yaipang, Yawning Bread If we don't want to see this kind of identity mobilisation tear society apart over the question of homosexuality, the solution is not to freeze, stand still and move no further forward on the question of gay equality, but the opposite: To move faster. To blur the distinction and value differential between gay and straight. So that scary bogeymen conjured by fanatical minds are not believed but laughed away. And fanatics seen for what they are: the real threat. **** Why Singapore's Sustainable Development Blueprint Is Unsustainable by Singapore Peak Oil: Energy, Entropy, Economics, Ecology In spite of the blueprint's laudable efforts and lofty goals to maintain sustainable growth (an oxymoron really) and to raise green living standards, one topic that is sorely missing is any discussion at all about the future availability of dense energy sources, namely fossil fuels, to implement the "four-pronged strategy". Singapore's position, if I understand correctly, is that no revolutionary progress in energy 'creation' is expected or assumed. **** A Year After Storm, Subtle Changes In Myanmar by New York Times The secretive and xenophobic junta ??? still fearing a seaborne invasion by Western powers ??? now readily accepts air shipments of foreign aid, even from the West. Myanmar???s neighbors in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, especially Indonesia and Singapore, have been widely credited with helping the junta to assume a somewhat more relaxed posture. **** Turned Off By Bad Service At Sushi Restaurant by Irving C. Johnson, Straits Times My friends and I had lunch at Sakae Sushi in West Coast Plaza last week and were disturbed by the low service quality. What was to have been a short lunch dragged into a painful hour of having to deal with untrained staff and a general lack of attention. **** Employment Situation In First Quarter 2009 by Ministry Of Manpower, Singapore Government Preliminary estimates show that total employment declined marginally by 1,000 in the first quarter of 2009 as the economy continued to worsen. Falling external demand has severely affected the manufacturing sector where employment declined by 19,900, deeper than the 7,000 loss in the earlier quarter. Supported by a strong pipeline of building projects, construction employment grew by 8,500 in the first quarter of 2009, but lower than the gains in the earlier quarters. Services added 10,300 workers, substantially lower than before. **** Jobless Rate Hits 4.8% by Sue-Ann Chia, Straits Times The unemployment rate for Singaporeans and permanent residents hit a five-year high of 4.8 per cent last month, according to the latest Manpower Ministry figures, but this is still below the peak reached during the Sars crisis in 2003. **** ???????????????????????????????????? by ?????????, ???????????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? **** Singapore Employers Fire Record Number Of Workers by Shamim Adam, Bloomberg Singapore employers fired a record number of workers last quarter as the nation???s deepest recession since independence in 1965 forced manufacturers to cut output. **** Budget American Food In Singapore by Cullen Hartley **** Singapore Has Reason To Be Quietly Confident Despite Downturn, Says PM Lee by Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia In his May Day message on Thursday, Mr Lee said the country must use this crisis to prepare for a different and more competitive world. **** Couple Who Walked In Nude At Holland Village Fined S$2,000 Each by Timothy Ouyang, Channel NewsAsia A couple who walked nude at Singapore's Holland Village in January, were fined S$2,000 each on Thursday. **** Ex-Reform Party Chairman Denies Ouster by Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen **** Orange Alert by Irene Ngoo, Straits Times Singapore on Thursday raised the Mexican swine flu pandemic alert from Yellow to Orange, and will quarantine people who have been to Mexico recently and tighten infection control measures at hospitals.