[MyAppleMenu] Nov 3, 2010

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Less Is More: MacBook Air Packaging Hits New Low <http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/11/macbook-air-packaging-hits-new-low.php?campaign=th_rss>
TreeHugger

**** Apple Looks To A New Computing Era <http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/02/apple-looks-to-a-new-computing-era/?partner=rss&emc=rss>
Nick Bilton, New York Times

Apple isn’t in a rush to switch everyone and everything to the cloud just yet. Apple wants to get it right this time around, and customers will likely see these changes happen slowly.

**** Apple Now Accepting Submissions For iOS 4.2 Apps <http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-31747_7-20021533-243.html>
Joe Aimonetti, CNET

Apple, after releasing the iOS 4.2 beta Gold Master version of its mobile operating system, is now accepting apps for the App Store that have been tested against iOS 4.2 GM and are ready for public release.

**** Apple Faces Complaints Of MacBook Air Display Problems <http://www.macnn.com/articles/10/11/02/users.claim.screens/>
MacNN

Some owners of the latest MacBook Air notebooks have begun reporting reliability problems with displays. Several threads on Apple's discussion forums include claims of various distortions, incorrect colors, horizontal lines, vertical lines, and blank screens. A few users also claim the devices will not wake from sleep.

**** Apple Allows One In Every 20 Tablet Computers To Be Sold By Someone Else <http://venturebeat.com/2010/11/02/apple-allows-one-in-every-20-tablet-computers-to-be-sold-by-someone-else/>
Dean Takahashi, Venture Beat

About 95 percent of all tablet computers shipped in the third quarter were iPads, according to a study by Strategy Analytics. The Boston market research firm said that tablet computer shipments were up 26 percent from the previous quarter.

**** Apple Ends Personal Shopping Service In Stores <http://www.ifoapplestore.com/db/2010/11/02/apple-ends-personal-shopping-service-in-stores/>
ifoAppleStore

As part of the expected rush of holiday shoppers, and a change in philosophy on serving customers, Apple has quietly ended its free Personal Shopping service that provided appointment-based product demonstrations and selection assistance.

**** Technological Triumph: Apple Lands On Top <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303362404575579490805542482.html?ru=yahoo>
Isabella Steger, Wall Street Journal

Apple's market share in Asia is still tiny, but rising, notably in smartphones.

**** Apple’s Piggybank Earns Less Than Savings Accounts <http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-11-02/apple-s-piggybank-earns-less-than-savings-accounts.html>
Adam Satariano, Bloomberg

Apple Inc.’s piggybank, stuffed with $51 billion in cash and investments, is earning a lower return than a typical U.S. savings account. Some investors say Steve Jobs should put that money to better use.

**** The Future Of Notebooks: Ars Reviews The 11" MacBook Air <http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2010/11/the-future-of-notebooks-ars-reviews-the-11-macbook-air.ars>
Chris Foresman, Ars Technica

The 11" MacBook Air is svelte, solid, and performs many common tasks without breaking a sweat. But whether the new laptop is right for you depends on your willingness to trade poor performance and a high price tag for this new MacBook Air's signature combination of style and battery life. In this one respect, the new MacBook Air harks back to the original iMac—an eye-catching piece of cutting-edge industrial design wrapped around a feeble, long-in-the-tooth microprocessor.

**** This Just In: iTunes Moving To 90 Second Clips! <http://symintranet.com/blog/?p=3273>
Symphnoic Distribution

iTunes (and Apple) will be increasing the length of music clips on their system from 30 seconds to 90 seconds! We have just received the notification from Apple that this will be happening soon and are very excited to report the news as we firmly believe this is a decision that will show an increase of sales for our partners.

**** Using Apple’s Preview As An Image Editor <http://52tiger.net/using-apples-preview-as-an-image-editor/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+52Tiger+%2852+Tiger%29>
52 Tiger

Don’t dismiss Preview as a mere PDF reader. It’s one of the many useful tools that comes with every Mac. With a little exploration, you’ll find that it’s more powerful than you thought, and maybe all you need.

**** Regarding The Idea Of iPad Apps Running On Mac OS X <http://daringfireball.net/2010/11/ipad_apps_mac_os_x>
John Gruber, Daring Fireball

The whole point of Apple’s success with iOS has been the opposite of “write once, run anywhere”. It’s more like “write a version that is specifically optimized for this particular device”.

**** Jobs Says iTunes Extras Are 'Coming' To Apple TV <http://www.tuaw.com/2010/11/02/jobs-says-itunes-extras-are-coming-to-apple-tv/>
Mike Schramm, TUAW

"Coming."

**** Microsoft Office For Mac 2011 Goes From Clunky To Cool <http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9194260/Microsoft_Office_for_Mac_2011_goes_from_clunky_to_cool?source=rss_operatingsystems>
Jake Widman, Computerworld

It's faster, more capable, more fun to use and all-around nicer than any previous version this century. With Office for Mac 2011, Microsoft has gotten it right.

**** iPad Owners Furious That Apple Is Turning The Screen-Lock Switch Into A Mute Button <http://finance.yahoo.com/news/iPad-Owners-FURIOUS-That-siliconalley-773158589.html?x=0>
Dan Frommer, Yahoo!

Apple seems to be making the rare move of putting the customer's needs after Apple's own desire for consistency across its device lineup. In other words, Apple is screwing the customer, forcing them to do more work than previously necessary to access a device's useful feature.

**** Lawsuit: Apple Turned iPhone 3Gs Into "iBricks" To Boost iPhone 4 <http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/11/lawsuit-apple-turned-iphone-3gs-into-ibricks-to-boost-iphone-4.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss>
Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

In a lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of California for San Diego, plaintiff Biana Wofford alleges that Apple purposely crippled the iPhone 3G with its introduction of iOS 4 in order to boost iPhone 4 sales, and hopes to get her lawsuit elevated to class action status.

**** Lucky 13: A MacBook Air Review <http://brooksreview.net/2010/11/mba-review/>
Ben Brooks, The Brooks Review

The 13 is a wonderful Mac and I can do just about everything on it that I could on my MacBook Pro. 14 Somethings are not as fast as they used to be, but those are things that I do infrequently and that when I am doing them I am never in a rush to finish them.

I couldn’t be happier switching to the ‘limited’ 13” MacBook Air as my primary Mac.

**** App To Convert Flash On iPhone Hits App Store <http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-20021610-37.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-Apple>
Lance Whitney, CNET

After its recent approval by Apple, Skyfire, a mobile Web browser that converts Flash videos to HTML5, hit the App Store today at 2 p.m. PT.

**** The Case For Affordable Adapters <http://www.macworld.com/article/155433/2010/11/affordable_adapters.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Christopher Breen, Macworld

For the price of a single Apple adapter you can have both a DVI and a VGA adapter from MonoPrice.com.

**** ITC Staff Sides With Nokia In Apple Complaint As Trial Begins <http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/11/itc-staff-side-with-nokia-in-apple-complaint-as-trial-begins.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss>
Chris Foresman, Ars Technica

In a recommendation submitted to the judge presiding over the patent dispute filed against Nokia by Apple, International Trade Commission staff members suggested that "the evidence will not establish a violation" of Apple's patents.

**** Facebook App Gets An Update & Some Hot New Features – Nothing For The iPad <http://appadvice.com/appnn/2010/11/facebook-app-update-hot-features-ipad/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AppAdvice+%28AppAdvice%29>
Alexander Vaughn, AppAdvice

To please their now 200 million mobile users, Facebook has proceeded to add a new interface to their iOS app to let users manage the new Groups feature. Also, the Places feature has been improved with support for pictures, as well as enhanced tagging.

**** PopChar 5.1 For Mac OS X Adds Unicode Support <http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/popchar_5.1_for_mac_os_x_adds_unicode_support/>
Dennis Sellers, Macsimum News

Ergonis Software has released PopChar X 5.1, an update of the tool for finding and typing special characters. The upgrade supports the brand-new version 6.0 of the Unicode standard and can now identify more than 23,000 characters by their names.

**** Muji Releases New Productivity Apps For iPad <http://www.macworld.com/article/155419/2010/11/muji_ipad.html?lsrc=rss_main>
David Dahlquist, Macworld

**** Trailrunner For Mac OS X Runs To Version 3.2 <http://www.macsimumnews.com/index.php/archive/trailrunner_for_mac_os_x_runs_to_version_3.2/>
Dennis Sellers, Macsimum News

Trailrunner, a Mac OS X solution for folks doing long distance sports, has been updated to version 3.2. The upgrade can import activity recordings from the new Nike+ GPS app for the iPhone.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Gulag A Go-Go <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703673604575550040676501502.html?KEYWORDS=gulag>
Jeremy Hildreth, Wall Street Journal

'Doesn't anybody smile in Russia anymore?" Rep. John McDowell of the House Committee on Un-American Activities asked the novelist Ayn Rand. "You paint a very dismal picture." It was 1947 and Rand, a Russian émigré, was giving testimony before the committee regarding life in Stalin's U.S.S.R.

"Look," Rand retorted, "it is very hard to explain. It is almost impossible to convey to a free people what it is like to live in a totalitarian dictatorship. I can tell you a lot of details. I can never completely convince you, because you are free."



SingaporeSurf
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**** 'Free' Speech In Singapore <http://www.eyeotw.org/2010/11/free-speech-in-singapore.html>
Eye Of The World

**** S’pore: Petition Appeals For Release Of British Journalist <http://aliran.com/3183.html>
Aliran

We would like to stress the fact that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), of which Singapore is a founding member, is a protector of basic freedoms.  The Singaporean government in July 1993 joined other member states in supporting the Vienna Declaration on Human Rights 1993 that calls on countries to respect the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that guarantees freedom of expression.

**** ASX Willing To Negotiate Singapore Takeover: Report <http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/ASX-hints-at-changes-to-deal-pd20101103-ATQCZ?OpenDocument>
Business Spectator

In response to questions within government circles over the proposed deal's value to Australia's national interest, Mr Elstone says there is room for negotiations if changes are required to obtain government and regulatory approval.

**** The Rise Of Illustrated Art In Singapore <http://www.cnngo.com/singapore/visit/citypulse/where-art-thou-singapore-022346>
Alethea Jane Seet, CNNGo

**** A Question I Hope My Children Will Never Have To Ask Me <http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC101103-0000053/A-question-I-hope-my-children-will-never-have-to-ask-me>
Chan Hean Boon, Today

If a crisis or war were to hit Singapore, it would be very disheartening to see hundreds of thousands of foreigners and PRs ditching the country, leaving behind 3 million Singaporeans to fend for themselves.

And that does not discount new migrants, especially those who have not done NS, and Singaporeans who have the financial ability to pack up and go.

**** Is Exclusion Of Liability For Injury Caused By Negligence Lawful? <http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC101103-0000045/Is-exclusion-of-liability-for-injury-caused-by-negligence-lawful?>
Peter Wadeley, Today

Given the prevalence of this practice in the workplace and educational institutions, perhaps it should be made a criminal offence for anyone to purport to exclude liability in such circumstances.

**** British Author Shadrake Guilty Of Contempt Of Court <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1091073/1/.html>
Zul Othman, Channel NewsAsia

In his judgement, Judge Quentin Loh said 75-year-old Shadrake's claims were made without rational basis.

**** Anonymity <http://mollymeek.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/anonymity/>
Molitics

A reader should judge the writing based on its inherent worth and not whether the writer has chosen to leave a name and other information that a political regime can use to seek out its opponents.

**** 詹时中在民联内斗中失势 可能带领人民党脱离民联 <http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp101103_001.shtml>
游润恬, 联合早报

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**** Legal History Made In Shadrake Trial Verdict <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/11/breaking-news-legal-history-made-in-shadrake-trial-verdict/>
The Online Citizen

The real risk test should be applied, said Justice Quentin Loh at the judgement of the Alan Shadrake trial this morning. His decision overturned over four decades of precedence where the Inherent Tendency Test had been applied for contempt cases.

Applying the real risk test to his decision, Justice Loh identified 11 out of 14 of the contentious statements as being in contempt of court. Out of these 11 statements, Judge Loh said that there was “more than a remote possibility that a significant number of people who have read Shadrake’s book would believe his claims.”

**** Singapore Gay Group Highlights Poor Gay Rights Record Ahead Of Un Review <http://www.fridae.com/newsfeatures/2010/11/01/10410.singapore-gay-group-highlights-poor-gay-rights-record-ahead-of-un-review>
Fridae

Gay advocacy group People Like Us is among eight civil society groups which has submitted a joint report collated by MARUAH, the Singapore Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism.

**** Singapore Court Convicts UK Author Of Contempt <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704462704575591321709854304.html>
Chun Han Wong, Wall Street Journal

The next hearing was scheduled for Nov. 9, when Mr. Shadrake would be sentenced—and would also have a chance to apologize and withdraw his statements—Mr. Loh said Wednesday. It wasn't immediately clear if any such amendments would affect Mr. Shadrake's possible sentence.

**** Is Temasek Review Credible? <http://irreligiously.blogspot.com/2010/10/is-temasek-review-credible.html>
Irreligously

I do read Temasek Review every once in a while because it produces the occasional gem. But for it to be taken seriously by the wider public, it must change its approach.

**** UK Author Shadrake Convicted Of Contempt In Singapore <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11681302>
BBC News

"This is a case about someone who says among other things the judges in Singapore are not impartial... (and are) influenced by political and economic situations and biased against the weak and the poor," Justice Quentin Loh said.

The judge noted that 6,000 copies of the book have been sold so far, the newspaper reported. If left unchecked, this would result in readers losing confidence in the administration of justice in Singapore, Justice Loh said.

**** The Little North Korean In Every (Older) Citizen <http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/the-little-north-korean-in-every-older-citizen/>
Au-Chen ToShan, Yawning Bread

**** How Singapore Could Become The Most Important City In The Emerging World <http://techcrunch.com/2010/11/03/how-singapore-could-become-the-most-important-city-in-the-emerging-world/>
Sarah Lacy, TechCrunch

**** Economic Rebound But Workers Unhappy With Jobs, Says Survey <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1091103/1/.html>
Mustafa Shafawi, Channel NewsAsia

Explaining the results, JobsCentral CEO Lim Der Shing said many employers are still cautious about strong hiring and wage increase. Employees therefore have not really seen their bonuses or wages increase much.

**** SDA-Chiam Rift Widens <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_598796.html>
Kor Kian Beng & Zakir Hussain, Straits Times

Leaders of the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) on Tuesday rejected their chairman Chiam See Tong's decision to appoint a new secretary-general and backed incumbent Desmond Lim instead.

They also rebuffed Mr Chiam's efforts over the past year to bring Reform Party (RP) into the SDA fold, saying the negotiations were conducted without the official nod of the alliance leaders.

**** Two More Parties To Join The S’pore Democratic Alliance? <http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2010/11/03/two-more-parties-to-join-the-spore-democratic-alliance/>
Alicia Wong, Yahoo!

**** Speech By Mr Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister, At Singapore International Energy Week, 01 November 2010, 9:30 Am At Suntec Ballroom <http://www.pmo.gov.sg/News/Speeches/Prime+Minister/Speech+by+PM+Lee+at+Singapore+International+Energy+Week.htm>
Prime Minister's Office, Singapore Government

I am confident that we can make these changes and progress to a smart energy economy because we are small, compact and we can organize ourselves well and undertake rational policies on a very long term basis so as to get to the right phase over the horizon. The choices we make will affect not just our generation but the next generation and generations to come. But with far sighted planning and creative implementation, we can keep Singapore both economically vibrant and environmentally sustainable and build Singapore into one of the most livable cities in the world. Clean, green, safe and efficient now and for a long time into the future.

**** Road To SGX-ASX Merger Will Be "Long And Bumpy": SGX CEO <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/1091141/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia

Singapore Exchange's CEO Magnus Bocker said SGX would do what it takes to see the alliance through. He added that SGX is making efforts to complete the merger by the second quarter of next year -- the deadline that was indicated by the company when it announced the deal on October 25.

**** SFD's Report On Electoral Reform To UN Universal Periodic Review <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/11/singaporeans-for-democracys-report-on-electoral-reform-to-un-universal-periodic-review/>
The Online Citizen

**** The Astonishing Success Of National Education <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/11/the-astonishing-success-of-national-education/>
The Online Citizen

**** Singapore's Economic Growth, At What Cost? <http://yawshinleong.blogspot.com/2010/11/singapores-economic-growth-at-what-cost.html>
Yaw Shin Leong

**** Takeover Of ASX Not In The National Interest <http://www.smh.com.au/business/takeover-of-asx-not-in-the-national-interest-20101103-17e5m.html>
Adele Ferguson, Sydney Morning Herald

Australian retail investors have condemned the move by the Australian Securities Exchange to sell itself to the Singapore Exchange and believe it should be recast to put the ASX on an equal footing with Singapore.

In the latest Investor Pulse survey, 55 per cent of investors do not believe the takeover of the ASX by Singapore is in the country's national interests.

**** Why Judgement On Shadrake Is Significant <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/11/why-judgement-on-shadrake-is-significant/>
The Online Citizen

On balance, the judgment can be seen as a big step forward but the law on contempt in Singapore is really still far from ideal.