[MyAppleMenu] Apr 13, 2010

applesurf at myapplemenu.com applesurf at myapplemenu.com
Tue Apr 13 18:59:00 EDT 2010


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

**** iPad's Book-like Touches May Appeal To Traditional Readers <http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la-et-ipad-notebook12-2010apr12,0,818720.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+features%2Fbooks+%28Los+Angeles+Times+-+Books%29>
Carolyn Kellogg, Los Angeles Times

Books on the iPad are electronic without losing their essential bookness, in a way that e-books haven't been before.

**** Is Apple The New Microsoft? <http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2010/04/12/is_apple_the_new_microsoft/index.html>
Andrew Leonard, Salon

It is long past time for us to dispense with binary notions of closed versus open, and instead think of the technology ecosystem as populated by multiple hybrid beasties. In this new landscape, some succeed with tighter, proprietary models -- Apple -- while others flourish through a comparatively greater embrace of openness -- Google. But everyone competes on a basically level playing field -- the Internet and the ever-lower cost of computing processing power make certain of that. In this environment, you fail when you don't deliver real value to your customers, not because you chose a strategy that was more open or closed than that of your competitors, and especially not because you leveraged your market dominance into crushing a competitor who might have had a better product than yours.

Apple is not the new Microsoft. Nobody is the new Microsoft. That's because the Internet won.

**** Something Fishy In Flash Town <http://www.thomas-fitzgerald.net/2010/04/12/something-fishy-in-flash-town/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ThomasFitzgeraldnet+%28thomas+fitzgerald.net%29>
Thomas Fitzgerald

The worst thing about this is the way that Adobe are trying to claim the moral high ground and claim that they are only trying to forwarding the interests of developers, and some people are actually believing them.

**** Play 5.1 Audio In iTunes <http://www.macworld.com/article/150554/2010/04/itunes_surround.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Christopher Breen, Macworld

**** VirusBarrier Server Gets Update From Intego <http://www.macworld.com/article/150551/2010/04/intego_announces_virusbarrier_server_3.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Ramu Nagappan, Macworld

**** A Brief Assessment Of Jobs's iPhone OS Defense <http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/04/steve-jobs-weighs-on-iphone-os-dev-controversy.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss>
Peter Bright, Ars Technica

The new 3.3.1 terms tie developers' hands, yet do nothing to ensure that applications are high quality or that platform features are exploited by software developers. In our view, the targets remain Adobe and Android, and everyone—except perhaps Apple—still loses.

**** Apple's Wager <http://arstechnica.com/staff/fatbits/2010/04/apples-wager.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss>
John Siracusa, Ars Technica

Apple is playing a dangerous game of chicken with itself. On one hand you have its mobile platform strategy and associated products, succeeding in the market and growing ever upwards and outwards. On the other hand you have the policies that are ostensibly making this happen, pissing off developers and causing high-level corporate clashes. If the platform outruns the angry developers and partners, Apple wins, and wins big. But if things start to go south for the platform, Apple's options are becoming fewer by the day.

**** Omni Group 'Happy' With App Sales, Offers 30-day Refund <http://www.macworld.com/article/150555/2010/04/omnigroup_ipad.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Marco Tabini, Macworld

Well-known independent Mac developer The Omni Group has announced that it will extend its 30-day refund guarantee to sales of its iPhone OS software made through Apple's App Store.

**** My Close Encounters With Steve Jobs (Part 1) <http://www.my-wellness-coach.com/2010/04/close-encounters-with-steve-jobs-part-1.html>
David Bunnell, All2GetherNow

Just as my vision turned into a painful blur, Steve turned to Andrew and asked, "What makes you think a dull PC guy like yourself can appreciate an elegant machine for artists like the Macintosh?"

**** Apple Approves Opera Mini For iPhone <http://appadvice.com/appnn/2010/04/breaking-alternative-opera-iphone-browser-approved/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AppAdvice+%28AppAdvice%29>
Alexander Vaughn, App Advice

Opera has just announced that Apple has finally decided to approve their alternative iPhone browser, Opera mini.

**** Apple Opens SMS Door For Third Parties <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/12/in_app_sms/>
Bill Ray, Register

Last week Apple announced version 4 of the iPhone OS, adding a lot of stuff which makes the iPhone harder to insult, but also adding the ability to send SMS messages from within an application. That might seem a minor addition, but if it lasts into the final release it could open the way to a host of applications which draw their revenue direct from the customer without having to go through iTunes, or Apple.

**** The Apple Way Of (In)Security <http://www.cio.com/article/590623/The_Apple_Way_of_in_Security?source=rss_news>
Morey Haber, CIO

When will Apple become a juicy target for hackers and cyber-crooks? Industry experts have predicted that as Apple's market share grows, so will the malware targeting its platforms. To date, this has yet to happen, but why?

**** Apple iPad Will Make Cloud Storage Take Off <http://www.cio.co.uk/news/3220006/apple-ipad-will-make-cloud-storage-take-off/?olo=rss>
Lucas Mearian, CIO

The rapid spread of tablet devices like the Apple iPad and HP Slate could prove to be a boon to providers of online storage services as users seek ubiquitous data access and synchronisation across multiple mobile platforms for devices that don't have much internal storage capacity.

**** iPad As E-Reader For The Blind <http://blogs.forbes.com/booked/2010/04/12/apples-ipad-brings-easy-reading-to-the-blind/>
Benjamin Clymer, Forbes (blog)

Computer nerds, tech columnists and the general public may not know where the iPad fits into the existing media consumption landscape--but the blind and visually impaired see it as the only e-reader worth owning. Call it further proof that Apple is more than just a pretty face.

**** Jobs Confirms Original iPhone Won't Run iPhone OS 4 <http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-20002318-37.html?part=rss&amp;subj=news&amp;tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
Jim Dalrymple, CNET News

We had a feeling it would be the case, but Apple CEO Steve Jobs confirmed on Monday that the original iPhone would not run the company's newest iPhone OS.

**** iPad's Versatility Threatens To Sideline E-Readers <http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2010/tc20100412_516320.htm>
Olga Kharif, BusinessWeek

**** First Look: Photoshop CS5 <http://www.macworld.com/article/150412/2010/04/photoshopcs5fl.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Jackie Dove, Macworld

Not surprisingly, Adobe has incorporated a long list of user requests into this upgrade—notably the ability to drag and drop a file into an open document to create a new layer and to simultaneously adjust the opacity of multiple layers. Enhancements to the image editor’s warping and painting capabilities, selection-refinement tools, photographic tools, and 3D features—not to mention the program’s ability to work with huge files—are the hallmarks of the CS5 release. It's all accomplished with relatively little change to the program's familiar interface.

**** Apple Releases New MacBook Pros With Intel Core i7, i5 Processors <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/04/13/apple_releases_new_macbook_pros_with_intel_core_i7_i5_processors.html>
AppleInsider

Apple on Tuesday issued long-awaited updates to its MacBook Pro line of notebook computers, upgrading them to Intel's latest high-end Core i7, Core i5 and Core 2 Duo mobile processors, and adding new automated graphics switching technology.



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

**** How I Lost My Middle-Class Life <http://www.salon.com/life/pinched/2010/04/12/five_kids_in_a_trailer/index.html>
Jayme Reid, Salon

What keeps me going? It's not faith. It's not hope. I don't have either. I think it's just motherhood. That unsinkable tenacity that makes women do whatever they have to do for their children.

**** How Hoarding Shows Cured My Hoarding <http://www.salon.com/ent/tv/heather_havrilesky/2010/04/10/am_i_a_hoarder/index.html>
Heather Havrilesky, Salon

"It's just stuff." This is what my father told a reporter as he watched his condo burn down a year before his death. The reporter referred to him as "stoical," but I get it: Thanks to a faulty attic fan, his life was in flames and all he could do was stand there and watch. He had to be wondering which things he might lose, and how much it would bother him to lose them: The sweatshirt he wore in college? The book he was reading, beside the bed? Witnessing an inferno where your home once stood, the orange and red flames dancing against a clear blue sky, you might just feel awe at having escaped a fiery death. What does stuff matter, in that context?

**** Generic <http://www.slate.com/id/2250149/?from=rss>
Rachel Hadas, Slate Magazine



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

**** Large-scale Events At East Coast Park Hurt Some Hawkers' Business <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1049621/1/.html>
Sharon See & Evelyn Lam, Channel NewsAsia

**** Homeless In Singapore Due To Technicalities <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/04/homeless-due-to-technicality/>
Yong Pagit, The Online Citizen

“Who am I going to blame? I didn’t ask to be divorced. I am independent, I work very hard. I just need extra help. They didn’t help just because of their policies. The government only will help me when I become a destitute.”

**** Timely For S'pore To Share Views On Nuclear Non-proliferation: Experts <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1049647/1/.html>
May Wong, Channel NewsAsia

Political watchers say it is timely for Singapore to share its views on the non-proliferation of nuclear and cement its ties with the United States.

As a major trading hub, experts believe it is important for Singapore to share its knowledge on trans-shipment security to prevent nuclear proliferation. They feel the country can also contribute to discussions on developing high technology nuclear energy at the Summit.

**** How Much Would I Have Made? <http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC100413-0000081/How-much-would-I-have-made?>
Tong Jee Cheng, Today

So, to make $100,000 after 26 years - just $3,846 a year - I would have to downgrade to a smaller unit. If HDB flats are indeed such valuable investments, shouldn't I be upgrading instead?

**** Mah Bow Tan : We Don't Fudge The Numbers Part 3. <http://singaporemind.blogspot.com/2010/04/mah-bow-tan-we-dont-fudge-numbers-part_12.html>
Diary of A Singaporean Mind

Minister Mah is losing a lot of credibility trying to talk his way out.

**** Fear Is The Key To The Singapore Story <http://callantham.org/blog/2010/4/12/fear-is-the-key-to-the-singapore-story.html>
Trapper's Swamp

This fear of alternatives, of a different journey to reach the same goals, is what is holding us back as a people, and enables the PAP to continue holding us back. We need to change this mindset if we are to progress, even if we do it one person at a time. Talk to your neighbours, your friends, your family, especially those who rely on mainstream media, and show them what they're not seeing, what news have been hidden from them, and get them to question everything they know.

**** ST Editorial Highlights Statistical Trickery <http://callantham.org/blog/2010/4/12/st-editorial-highlights-statistical-trickery.html>
Callan Tham, Trapper's Swamp

I won't call it a triumph of journalism standards, but it is refreshing to see an ST editorial that cautioned against dismissing legitimate issues with the excuse of astroturfing, and exposed the sleight-of-hand that National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan presented to the ST as justification for rising resale flat prices, using Hazel Poa's blog post.

**** Singapore Economy Probably Grew, Adding Pressure On Currency <http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessweek.com%2Fnews%2F2010-04-12%2Fsingapore-economy-probably-grew-adding-pressure-on-currency.html&usg=AFQjCNF3LKA0A2uojtJ_1E71Ii8drvHMsg>
Shamim Adam and Jay Wang, BusinessWeek

Singapore’s economy probably rebounded last quarter as manufacturing improved and the opening of the country’s first casino boosted services, adding pressure on the central bank to tighten monetary policy this week.

**** Censorship Review Committee Focus Group Afterthoughts <http://thinkingbetterthinkingmeta.blogspot.com/2010/04/censorship-review-committee-focus-group.html>
Sam Ho, Sam's thoughts

It is unethical and bigoted to decree the illegality of positive portrayals of any minorities in our society. The media has a role to truthfully portray society and should not distort reality with denigrating stereotypes and negative portrayals. I don’t know what is more offensive: the media depiction of a happy gay couple or the intolerant mindset of policy-makers who feel these bunch of people are less human.

If the CRC and MDA ever want to invoke the rhetoric of “values” or “Asian values” in our society, I urge you to do some research on these values, and also shed light on your rendition of “values”. Are these values predominantly middle class ethnic Chinese Singaporean Christians of higher education disguised and marketed as universal?

**** Are We Ready For Politics In Schools? Yes We Are <http://guanyinmiao.wordpress.com/2010/04/13/are-we-ready-for-politics-in-schools-yes-we-are/>
Guanyinmiao's Musings

Competition of politics, in the school context, would allow students to read more and comprehend the policies proposed or enacted by the different political parties. The enhanced sensibilities and intellect would empower them to make wise decisions – whether they are in the public sector or not – in the future. In this sense, political education does go a long, long way.

**** Public Money To Integrate Foreigners In Singapore <http://us.asiancorrespondent.com/secret-blog/public-money-should-be-used-for-integrating-foreigners>
Liau Chuan Yi and Norvin Chan, Asian Correspondent

This points us towards a disturbing observation - that a certain segment of the population has become so radicalized that the idea of spending a single cent on foreigners equates to blasphemy.






More information about the applesurf-list mailing list