[MyAppleMenu] Oct 1, 2010

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** An Illusionist Explains Why Apple Products Really Are Magical <http://www.andrewmayne.com/blog/2010/9/29/an-illusionist-explains-why-apple-products-really-are-magica.html>
Andrew Mayne

We're all used to the idea of Apple products being called "magical" both by Apple marketing and users who interact with them.  It may be surprising to some to know that in the actual physical design of iPods, iPhones and iPads, Apple engineers use some of the same techniques that magicians have used for years to deceive audiences.

**** Apple's Top Down Road To The Enterprise <http://www.technightowl.com/2010/09/apples-top-down-road-to-the-enterprise/>
Gene Steinberg, TechNightOwl

It’s all happening not as the result of Apple making a huge sales push into the enterprise, but — sometimes anyway — as the result of savvy executives trying out new toys and finding that Apple indeed offers the right tool — indeed the best tool — for many business tasks.

**** Review: Apple TV (2nd Generation, Late 2010) <http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=49b3ea9c6e497c4867e27651f8f7513b>
Jonathan Seff and Jason Snell, Macworld

The new Apple TV is a spectacular hardware upgrade from the old model. The device is easy to use, and excels at three tasks: playing back content from local iTunes computers, renting iTunes content over the Internet, and playing back Netflix streams. But it’s somewhat hampered by a limited selection of TV shows available for rent, and locked out of the larger catalog of items available for purchase. And until Apple expands the Apple TV’s capabilities, either by adding support for other Internet streaming services or by opening the device to third-party development, the product is locked in to only a few content sources.

**** Medical Students Given iPhone To Access Textbooks Off-campus <http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=c644963de41271e59498b74aef9a20ae>
Carrie-Ann Skinner, PC Advisor

Medical students at the University of Leeds are being given Apple iPhones to ensure they can access text books when away from campus.

**** How To Kill That Ping Drop-down In iTunes 10 <http://www.tuaw.com/2010/09/30/how-to-kill-that-ping-drop-down-in-itunes-10/>
Dave Caolo, TUAW

**** Apple Shuts Flagship Beijing Store As iPhone 4 Scalpers Run Amok  <http://www.9to5mac.com/28823/apple-shuts-flagship-beijing-store-as-iphone-4-sales-explode?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+9To5Mac-MacAllDay+%289+to+5+Mac+-+Apple+Intelligence%29>
Jonny Evans, 9 To 5 Mac

**** China iPhone Craze Breeds Scalpers <http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/09/30/china-iphone-craze-breeds-scalpers/?mod=rss_WSJBlog&mod=>
Loretta Chao, Wall Street Journal

Apple customers who were hoping the company’s recently expanded presence in China would mean easier access to officially sold iPhone 4s have been disappointed, but a run on the devices has been kind to at least one group: gadget scalpers.

**** Apple’s Airplay Could Be ‘A Disruptive Force In The Market’ - Isuppli <http://www.siliconrepublic.com/digital-life/item/18030-apples-airplay-could-be-a>
Silicon Republic

“AirPlay represents another effort by Apple to stake a leadership position in the burgeoning connected home market,” said Jordan Selburn, lead analyst of consumer electronics for iSuppli. “The technology leverages Apple’s dominant position in the MP3/PMP player market.

“With AirPlay, the iPad, iPod and iPhone can be the servers for a home filled with music — and music distribution via iTunes,” said Selburn.

**** Is Apple TV Just One Big App That's Destined For The iPad? <http://techland.com/2010/09/30/is-apple-tv-just-one-big-app-thats-destined-for-the-ipad/>
Doug Aamoth, Techland

**** Facebook Executive Expects To Reach Ping Deal With Apple <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/09/30/facebook_executive_expects_to_reach_ping_deal_with_apple.html>
AppleInsider

The chief technology officer of social networking site Facebook said he expects that his company will reach a deal with Apple to integrate with its own music-centric social networking service, Ping.

**** Apple TV Review: Outstanding Design, But Light On TV Content <http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-media-receivers/apple-tv-fall-2010/4505-6739_7-34167361.html?tag=mncol;txt>
Matthew Moskovciak, CNET

The Apple TV's new low $99 price makes it an easy impulse buy for Apple fans looking to bring Netflix into the living room, but you may want to wait until more content--or Apple's forthcoming AirPlay update--becomes available.

**** Apple's Shrinking Nano <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704483004575524902014176726.html>
Wall Street Journal

**** How Apple Stores Got It Right <http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2806,2369974,00.asp>
John C. Dvorak, PC Magazine

The tech scene in general could use some more of the buzz and energy you can find any night in an Apple store. Now that everyone knows exactly how to do it right, what are they waiting for?

**** Why The iPod Still Matters <http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=3aecca41e77d5f27b62ddfd7195b7cc1>
Michael Gartenberg, Macworld

Apple has carefully balanced iPod features over the years with interesting segmentations. And this year, the lineup is quite clear and linear. They are all called iPod, but they all do something different for Apple.

**** Trouble With iPad Is Having Just One <http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2010/10/trouble_with_ipad_is_having_ju.html>
Allan Hoffman, The Star-Ledger

The thing is addictive, and if you think you’ll buy one and consider it yours, rather than also your roommate’s and your kid’s and anyone else in your household, guess again. In my experience, the iPad is something like a video game console, a television or a stereo — a semi-communal device more than a personal one.



The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Would You Wear A Camcorder On Your Ear? <http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=e9cfe870cdf67e70f2e9ec298ad9de89>
Rik Fairlie, New York Times

If you’re obsessed with sharing your life in video – and equally enthusiastic about multitasking – you might want to take a look at the Looxcie, a $199 camcorder that you wear over your ear to enable hands-free video capture.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Flash! <http://www.thesmartset.com/article/article09301001.aspx>
James Polchin, The Smart Set

On looking at those who don't want to be seen.

**** The End Of The Story <http://www.believermag.com/issues/201010/?read=article_baron>
Zach Baron, The Believer

Robert Jordan died before he could finish his sprawling, thirteen-book fantasy epic, so his widow hired a thirty-one-year-old fantasy novelist to finish it for him.



SingaporeSurf
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**** Parents Concerned After RSAF Helicopter Made Emergency Landing Near School <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1084360/1/.html>
Milton Sau, Channel NewsAsia

Though there was no damage to civilian property, the aircraft had landed relatively near a housing estate.  And the field where the helicopter landed is a popular spot for leisure activities for residents from the nearby housing estate.

**** Hong Kongers Hate To Lose Out To Singaporeans In Anything <http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC101001-0000104/Hong-Kongers-hate-to-lose-out-to-Singaporeans-in-anything>
Tabitha Wang, Today

I'm beginning to wonder whether big events like the Olympics and other Games are really as prestigious as they used to be.

**** NTU Rebuts Commentary On Rankings <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_585241.html>
Su Guaning, Nanyang Technological University, Straits Times

**** The Majority Fetish <http://veryfinecommentary.tk/politics/the-majority-fetish/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-majority-fetish>
Yoong Ren Yan, Very Fine Commentary

There is no viable alternative to democracy. The quote often attributed to Winston Churchill rings true: “Democracy is the worst form of governance, except for all those other forms that have been tried.” But democracy should not be placed on a pedestal as a sort of theoretically perfect system to which we must all aspire by allowing its assumptions to be fulfilled in society, because it is not perfect and does not deserve that pedestal any more than feudalism, communism or anarchy. We have a long way to go yet, and the first step is to acknowledge that democracy is not the last step.

**** Wait, It Gets Betterer <http://singaporedesk.blogspot.com/2010/10/wait-it-gets-betterer.html>
Singapore Notes

**** åŸŽç®¡ï¼šå«æ¿æ–°åŠ å¡ï¼Œè¿˜æ˜¯å­¦ä¹ æœé²œï¼Ÿ <http://njcgw.blog.sohu.com/160432753.html>
桥上人家

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**** Better To Have 'Minimum Skills' <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_585396.html>
Straits Times

Labour chief Lim Swee Say said yesterday that advocates who want a minimum wage as a way to improve the lot of low-paid workers were opting for an 'easy solution'.

Taking such an step would, instead, lead to higher unemployment rates as companies start moving to more cost-competitive locations, he argued.

So, it is better to pretend we have enough jobs when some of these jobs cannot pay enough for survival?

**** Singapore May Revalue Currency This Month, Morgan Stanley Says <http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-10-01/singapore-may-revalue-currency-this-month-morgan-stanley-says.html>
Lilian Karunungan, Bloomberg

Singapore’s central bank may revalue its currency again at a twice yearly meeting this month because of the nation’s strong economic growth and balance of payments, according to Morgan Stanley.

“The MAS will need to re-center the nominal effective exchange-rate band in order to allow more headroom for the Singapore dollar to move higher,” wrote Hong Kong-based analysts Stewart Newnham and Yee Wai Chong. “The combination of strong above-trend growth and a large external surplus is likely to continue to generate powerful, positive macro-dynamic support for the Singapore dollar.”

**** Private Property Prices Slow In Q3 <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/1084485/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia

Private residential property prices rose from 184.2 points in the second quarter to 190.0 points in the third quarter of 2010.

**** HDB Resale Flat Prices Rise 4.1% In Q2 <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/1084486/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia

Prices of resale flats have reached a new peak, rising another four per cent in the third quarter over the second quarter.

**** Making Mega Sporting Events Viable - The Singapore Way <http://sify.com/news/making-mega-sporting-events-viable-the-singapore-way-comment-news-national-kkbrObhajdd.html>
Anand Philar, Sify

Although the YOG evoked only lukewarm interest among the international media and spectators, the event threw up interesting possibilities with regard to future multi-discipline Games.

**** James Gomez On Political Future: “I Don’t Back Down In A Fight” <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/10/james-gomez-on-political-future-%e2%80%9ci-don%e2%80%99t-back-down-in-a-fight%e2%80%9d/>
Deborah Choo, The Online Citizen

**** Question To Be Raised In Parliament On Apache Emergency Landing <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1084541/1/.html>
Dylan Loh, Channel NewsAsia

The issue of the emergency landing of an RSAF Apache helicopter will be raised in Parliament when it sits later this month.

**** Apache Landing Due To Glitch <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_585470.html>
Straits Times

Preliminary findings show that a mechanical glitch caused a Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Apache to make a forced landing in Woodlands field on Thursday afternoon, said deputy prime minister and defence minister Teo Chee Hean on Friday.

See Also: Singapore Blames 'Mechanical Problem' For Apache Incident [http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/10/01/348040/singapore-blames-mechanical-problem-for-apache-incident.html], by Craig Hoyle, Flightglobal.

**** Wildlife Claws Back In Singapore, With A Little Help <http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20101001-240095.html>
AFP

With a land area smaller than that of New York City, Singapore has made deliberate, painstaking efforts to preserve the concrete jungle's last few natural habitats, and the results are encouraging.

**** Malaysia Kicks Off Homestay Packages Targeting S'poreans <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1084509/1/.html>
S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia

**** Swearing-In Ceremony Of Sundaresh Menon, S.C. As Attorney-General And A Member Of The Presidential Council For Minority Rights <http://www.agc.gov.sg/docs/Media_Release_%20AG_(1_Oct_2010).pdf>
Attorney-General's Chambers, Singapore Government

(Note: Link goes to a PDF document.)

**** $10m Bar For PR Scheme <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_585448.html>
Teh Joo Lin, Straits Times

Foreigners aiming to become permanent residents in Singapore through a government scheme will have to double the minimum value of assets they park here to $10 million.