[MyAppleMenu] Jan 24, 2009

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Microsoft Shuts Down 'Flight Simulator' Game Studio <http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2339520,00.asp>
by Brian Heater and Mark Hackman, PC Magazine
Microsoft confirmed Friday that the software giant has shuttered ACES Studios, the developer of the Flight Simlator series of games, whose latest inarnation is Flight Simulator X. The simulation is considered Microsoft's oldest product, whose original version first shipped in 1982.

**** I Am Here: One Man's Experiment With The Location-Aware Lifestyle <http://www.wired.com/gadgets/wireless/magazine/17-02/lp_guineapig?currentPage=all>
by Mathew Honan, Wired
On a sunny Saturday, I spotted a woman in Golden Gate Park taking a photo with a 3G iPhone. Because iPhones embed geodata into photos that users upload to Flickr or Picasa, iPhone shots can be automatically placed on a map. At home I searched the Flickr map, and score&mdash;a shot from today. After adjusting the settings so that only her shots appeared on the map, I saw a cluster of images in one locatoin. Clicking on them revealed photos of an apartment interior&mdash;a bedroom, a kitchen, a filthy living room. Now I know where she lives.

**** Swarm Gold <http://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=1010>
by Franklin Pride, Inside Mac Games
Swarm Gold is a repetitiv space shooter with no much variety in levels or enemies, but it's an ok purchase if you've got nothing to play.

**** Palm To Apple: We'll "Vigorously" Defend Our IP, Too <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/01/23/palm_to_apple_well_vigorously_defend_our_ip_too.html>
by Zach Spear, AppleInsider

**** Settlement Reached Over Scratched 1G iPod Nanos <http://www.macworld.com/article/138424/2009/01/ipodnano_settlement.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Dan Moren, Macworld
Some unlucky consumers who jumped headfirst into the pool of first-generation Apple products foundselves the owners of iPod nanos that were rather easy&mdash;okay, let's say /very/ easy&mdash;to scratch and otherwise damage.

**** Review: Third-Party Browsers For The iPhone <http://www.macworld.com/article/138409/2009/01/iphonebrowsers.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Rob Griffiths, Macworld
Each of the eight browsers reviewed here has found a rationale for its existence, whether that be faster page loading by skipping images, implementing tabbed browsing, or some other such reason. But how well do they work, and can any of these alternatives suplant Safari's role as the primary web browser for iPhone users?

**** The Mac At 25: Networking <http://www.macworld.com/article/138420/2009/01/macat25_networking.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Rik Myslewski, Macworld
Long-range WiMAX and speedy FiOS means more bandwidth for more people.

**** Growl Offers System-Wide Notification Management <http://db.tidbits.com/article/10027>
by Doug McLean, TidBITS
As Growl's list of compatible applications and third-party plug-ins expands, this handy tool is inching closer to truly becoming a system-wide notification system.

**** Review: MacBook Air 1.6GHz <http://www.macworld.com/article/138365/2009/01/macbook_air_1_6ghz.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by James Galbraith, Macworld
Internal updates boost performance.

MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** What The Hell Just Happened? A Look Back At The Last Eight Years <http://www.esquire.com/features/opening-essay/look-back-at-bush-0209?click=pp>
by Tom Junod, Esquire
As we move into the next era of American history, we need to reflect on the bizarre sequence of events we've experienced since 2000, and on how we &mdash; and not just George W. Bush &mdash; handled them.

**** Handwriting Is On The Wall <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123275735842311981.html?mod=rss_Books>
by Cullen Murphy, Wall Street Journal
Penmanship skills are being slowly erased in a typing and texting age.

SingaporeSurf
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**** Head To Geylang For A Gay Time <http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=insightdownsouth&file=/2009/1/24/columnists/insightdownsouth/3097438&sec=Insight%20Down%20South>
by Seah Chiang Nee, The Star
Building on its history of prostitution and triads, this red light district has evolved into a mini United Nations of sorts.

**** Request For Support: Demand An Apology From MP Charles Chong For His Discriminatory Remarks <http://www.mrbiao.com/blog/request-for-support-demand-an-apology-from-mp-charles-chong-for-his-discriminatory-remarks.html>
by This Lush Garden Within
I argue that this statement is discriminatory, and against the principles of human rights - that all humans should be equal regardless of race, religion, achievements or wealth. May I also add that this statement is also against the principles of a democracy (which Singapore is supposed to be), as well as against the values of the National Pledge which we make our children recite daily in school. Such a person does not deserve to be an MP at all, because he holds beliefs that advocates social divide distincing lesser and higher mortals based on socio-economic statuses).

**** What Is Tan Yong Soon Apologizing To Peter Ho For? <http://wayangparty.com/2009/01/24/what-is-tan-yong-soon-apologizing-to-peter-ho-for/>
by Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club Of Singapore
Since Mr Tan has realized his mistake, why wasn't the letter written by him instead? Is Mr Ho trying to tell us indirectly that Mr Tan lacks the language ability to draft a simple letter of apology?
Mr Tan Yong Soon has apologized to the wrong person and Mr Peter Ho has apologized for the wrong reason.

**** Saving Jobs, Savaging Filmmakers <http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_2009/yax-975.htm>
by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread
What does this show about the People's Action Party? It really shows that they have no confidence that they can win people over in a fair and open debate. This very silly move undermines the legitimacy of their own election victories, begging questions as to why they think they cannot afford to act fairly.
It also shows how mean they are, and that there is nothing sincere in their words about opening up.

**** Concerns Over Tight Bank Loan Criteria And Other Issues Dominate Budget Feedback Forum <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/404536/1/.html>
by Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid, Channel NewsAsia