[MyAppleMenu] Apr 11, 2011

applesurf at myapplemenu.com applesurf at myapplemenu.com
Mon Apr 11 18:59:00 EDT 2011

MyAppleMenu
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**** Man Sued By Apple Support Firm For Complaining Gets New iMac <http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20052508-71.html>
Chris Matyszczyk, CNET

**** Adobe Debuts Creative Suite 5.5 <http://www.macworld.com/article/159128/2011/04/cs55.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Jackie Dove, Macworld

In a radical departure from its traditional 18-month upgrade cycle, Adobe has announced Creative Suite 5.5, a new mid-cycle update of its major creative applications. Substantial upgrades to InDesign, Dreamweaver, Flash Professional, Premiere Pro, and After Effects accompany a new SDK for Photoshop CS5.

**** Steve Jobs Authorized Biography Coming In 2012 <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=135299165>
Associated Press

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has finally agreed to participate in a book about his life.

Simon & Schuster announced Sunday that Walter Isaacson's "iSteve: The Book of Jobs" will be published in early 2012. Isaacson has been working on the long-rumored biography since 2009 and has interviewed Jobs, members of his family, colleagues at Apple and competitors.

**** Adobe Launches Subscription Editions For Creative Suite 5.5 <http://www.macworld.com/article/159138/2011/04/cs55sub.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Jackie Dove, Macworld

**** Ars Reviews GarageBand For iPad: A Killer App For Budding Songwriters <http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2011/04/garageband-for-ipad-a-killer-app-for-budding-songwriters.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss>
Chris Foresman, Ars Technica

GarageBand for iPad is easily worth a $5 investment, whether you want a mobile songwriting studio, or you just want to play around with making some music and learn a bit about different instruments. All of the program's separate functions can be duplicated with numerous separate apps of various quality and price, but there are none that combine all of its music-making prowess into one integrated app.

**** Don't Put Your Iphone Next To Your Head <http://alexbogusky.posterous.com/dont-put-your-iphone-next-to-your-head>
Alexbogusky's Posterous

Who does that? Has anyone heard that you should do that? It's actually quite weird if you try it.

Obviously, talking on speaker or with an earpiece makes sense as a precaution. But the radiation is not present just when you're on a call. It can be strongest when the phone is in your pocket and you're not on it. My phone just officially moved out of my pocket into my messenger bag.

**** Apple AirPlay Private Key Exposed, Released <http://www.tuaw.com/2011/04/11/apple-airplay-private-key-exposed-released/>
Dave Caolo, TUAW

Laird has thrown the door open for software solutions. Now, you can stream music between Macs, to appropriately-configured consoles (like an Xbox), etc. ShairPort is built in Perl and C. Have fun, folks.

**** Once The Hobby Of Tech Geeks, iPhone Jailbreaking Now A Lucrative Industry <http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/once-the-hobby-of-tech-geeks-iphone-jailbreaking-now-a-lucrative-industry/2011/04/01/AFBJ0VpC_story.html>
Ian Shapira, Washington Post

An early form of jailbreaking started shortly after Apple unveiled the iPhone in 2007, but the practice has now evolved into a lucrative industry with millions of consumers. Some developers, meanwhile, are raking in tens of thousands of dollars in sales off their apps, technically called “packages,” “themes” or “tweaks” in jailbreak parlance.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** The Illuminated Text <http://raintaxi.com/online/2011spring/ashbery.shtml>
Claude Peck, Rain Taxi

Two remarkable artists join hands across time—and across the chasm of some of the most idiosyncratic French ever written—in a new translation by John Ashbery of Arthur Rimbaud’s Illuminations. The project makes so much sense that one wonders why someone didn’t think of it sooner.

**** City Limits <http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/2c5b2d02-6165-11e0-a315-00144feab49a.html?ftcamp=rss>
Edwin Heathcote, Financial Times

Although puppyishly enthusiastic, Glaeser can also be provocative, noting for instance that 1,000 years ago three of the world’s four biggest cities – Seville, Cordoba and Palermo – were Islamic. (Constantinople was the fourth.) It is a point worth remembering, as western architects, forgetful of history, rebuild the Gulf.

**** Poem Of The Week: Interstate By Anne-Marie Fyfe <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2011/apr/11/anne-marie-fyfe-interstate?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Carol Rumens, The Guardian



SingaporeSurf
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**** GE: PM Lee Announces PAP Team For Ang Mo Kio GRC <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1121926/1/.html>
Dylan Loh, Channel NewsAsia

They include Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, Mr Inderjit Singh, Mr Seng Han Thong and new PAP candidates Ang Hin Kee and Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar.

**** What Has Become Of The PAP? <http://ge2011.theonlinecitizen.com/2011/04/what-has-become-of-the-pap/>
Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen

Is it capable of winning a fight only if it threw monetary incentives at the electorate, disadvantage its opponents with dubious changes to the electoral boundaries, and have the media – which it controls – place it on a pedestal above all others?

It is rather sad to see the PAP, a party which carried the nation on its shoulders when its people were left out in the cold and thus winning admiration and trust from its people, degenerate into a party which uses all means – even unfair ones – to hang on to power.

**** Sizeable Opposition An Effective Check <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_655226.html>
Tin Chee Yee, Straits Times

Mr Ang said he dreaded the scenario where untested and unheard of opposition members enter Parliament via GRCs. The ruling party is doing the same thing now by introducing untested and members unheard of until recently, some clearly without much relevant political experience, and some who became citizens only recently.

**** Two Party Systems, Talent, And Lots Of Hard Truths <http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/04/10/two-party-systems-talent-and-lots-of-hard-truths/>
The Temasek Review

Put bluntly, if there is a dearth of political talent in Singapore, it has entirely to do with PAP rule. Or put another way, as with a whole host of other concerns, PAP rule has only been detrimental to the national interest.

Yet just how true is it that there is a shortage of political talent in Singapore?

**** Writer Plans To Do Time With Orwell And Huxley In Changi <http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/writer-plans-to-do-time-with-orwell-and-huxley-in-changi-20110410-1d99z.html>
Steve Meacham, Sydney Morning Herald

AT 76, Alan Shadrake knows the books he will be taking into solitary confinement if he is sent to Changi prison by Singapore's Appeals Court today - Rudyard Kipling's Kim, George Orwell's 1984, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and a couple of his favourite H.G. Wells novels.

When Nguyen was sentenced to death in 2004, Shadrake interviewed Singh, who boasted that in 1964 he had hanged 18 people in a single day. ''That interview sparked the idea of doing a book on Singh,'' Shadrake said. ''But as I investigated the cases involving the death penalty in Singapore, I realised it had to be a very critical book. So I abandoned that plan and told Singh, but he continued to help me.''

Shadrake continued writing his book for the next four years but its thrust now was that rich citizens of wealthy countries were far more likely to escape a death sentence in Singapore than poor citizens of Third World countries, backed up by many case studies.

**** North-South Expressway: Residents Want Answers <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1121983/1/.html>
Neo Chai Chin, Today

**** Two Fine Young Men Leaving PAP <http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/2011/04/two-fine-young-men-leaving-pap.html>
Chua Chin Leng, My Singapore News

Could the leaving of two fine young men from the Tampines GRC be more than what is reported? Personally my feeling is that Tampines is the number one hot potato to fall. I could be grossly wrong as the reading is that housing is no longer a problem, fully solved and well. Heng Swee Kiat may find his ministerial dream taking a longer time should this happen. And he might have to move to another GRC in a future GE to enter Parliament.

**** MM Lee Speaks Again On Malay-Muslim Integration <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/04/mm-lee-speaks-again-on-malay-muslim-integration/>
The Online Citizen

**** Chiam's Wish Of Contesting In A GRC Coming True ... <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC110411-0000300/Chiams-wish-of-contesting-in-a-GRC-coming-true-,,,>
Hoe Yeen Nie, Today

Another new candidate is Mr Wilfred Leung, Mr Chiam's campaign manager in the last election, and the party's assistant secretary-general.

He said: "What we're bringing to the residents of Bishan-Toa Payoh is very simple. They have everything here, that's without a doubt. "What our team is going to bring to Bishan residents is just one thing - their voice to Parliament."

**** Do GRCs Raise Stakes Too High? <http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC110411-0000283/Do-GRCs-raise-stakes-too-high?>
Sin Wei Xiang, Today

Under this system, you can't have your cake and eat it, too. For the PAP, it cannot enjoy the benefits of inducting new candidates and potential office-holders under the GRC scheme in the name of leadership renewal, without the risks of losing Cabinet Ministers and existing appointment holders. For Mr Low, he cannot lead a GRC team in an attempt to grow the opposition presence in Parliament without the attendant possibility of losing his incumbent seat - an "all-or-nothing" outcome.

As for the issue of the opposition being not yet ready to form an alternative government, vis-a-vis the issue of voting for the opposition in the upcoming GE, this really is a chicken-and-egg question. The electorate cannot expect to see a stronger opposition that is "ready to form an alternative government" in the future, while denying them the opportunity to contest and win GRCs now.

**** Sour Grapes <http://singaporedesk.blogspot.com/2011/04/sour-grapes.html>
Singapore Notes

Lee Hsien Loong tried another angle in damage control by asserting that those in the private sector may not be able to adapt to the thinking and culture of the civil servants. Their contacts may also be different from those of the bureaucrats, or so he said. Sounds pretty much like the fox in the Aesop's Fable who was not able to reach the grapes and declared them to be sour, beguiling itself of its disappointment by saying, "The grapes are sour, and not ripe as I thought."

Meanwhile the opposition parties seem to be faring better in gathering the juicy fruit, and will probably be just as successful in producing new wine for the people.

**** Singapore, Myanmar Reaffirm Stand To Strengthen Bilateral Cooperation <http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=577970>
Bernama

Singapore and Myanmar have reaffirmed their stand to continue strengthening their cooperation bilaterally and within Asean, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement Sunday.

**** 选前报道 张志贤：我们只用志愿者　 没用居委会中心和资源助选 <http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp110411_004.shtml>
林诗慧, 联合早报

针对工人党秘书长刘程强昨早在如切区受访时，批评行动党有人民协会属下基层组织来帮它做基层工作，因此对反对党不公平的说法，张志贤昨午接受本报访问时作出回应。

他说：“竞选期间，我们只用志愿者，没有用居民委员会的中心和资源。我们并不能这么做。”

他也指出：“我们一直都走访家家户户了解居民的忧虑。这没有什么不寻常，也不是竞选活动，我们只是到居民的家和他们见面，了解他们的忧虑，知道他们担心的课题有哪些。”

**** 300户公寓居民请愿　要求修改南北高速设计 <http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp110411_020.shtml>
李静仪, 联合早报

此外，居民也不满陆交局未实现承诺，没安排居民与其他政府机构如市区重建局和国防部等进行对话。针对这点，陆交局表示双方之间可能有些误解，指上月中与居民开会后，已建议居民通过邻里委员会提出这个意愿，因为该区议员李美花已成立了工作委员会来应付可能出现的问题。

**** 选前报道 朱倍庆吁后港居民： “未来五年让我服务” <http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp110411_008.shtml>
蔡欣颖, 联合早报

朱倍庆说，无论刘程强是否留守后港区，行动党还是会以“一样的步伐，一样的心情来工作”，继续与居民合作，改善他们的生活。

**** 选前报道 民联秘书长林睦荃： 高学历不能保证是好议员 <http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp110411_013.shtml>
王秘, 联合早报

大选临近，人们在看待政治候选人时，不自觉将一些拥有高学历和良好职业背景的候选人贴上“王牌”或“A队”的称号。新加坡民主联盟秘书长林睦荃认为，“高学历不一定能保证是好议员”，更乐于称自己的竞选队伍为人民的队伍。

他说：“我们的队伍中也有博士和工程师，但我们不是A队，而更乐于称为人民的队伍”。而所谓“人民的队伍”是表明民联是“从人民中来，到人民中去”的服务态度。

**** Elites At The Party <http://singaporedesk.blogspot.com/2011/04/elites-at-party.html>
Singapore Notes

But the real atrocity came about when daddy "apologised" for her "rantings of an 18-year-old among friends":

"What she said did come across as insensitive. The language was stronger than what most people could take.

I think if you cut through the insensitivity of the language, her basic point is reasonable, that is, that a well-educated university graduate who works for a multinational company should not be bemoaning about the government and get on with the challenges in life. Nonetheless, I have counselled her to learn from it. Some people cannot take the brutal truth and that sort of language, so she ought to learn from it."

Well the brutal truth was soon unleashed on him, and he had to apologise a second time, this round directly and without reservation to Mr Derek Wee and members of the outraged public. Not exactly the kind of epithet to be treasured for posterity. But that's about all he had to show for two whole terms in parliament.

**** ‘Elitist’ Wee Siew Kim Retires From Politics <http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/04/11/elitist-wee-siew-kim-retires-from-politics/>
The Temasek Review

Mr Wee came into public spotlight when his daughter Wee Shu Min made disparaging remarks about a fellow Singaporean Mr Derek Wee on her blog in 2006.

Mr Derek Wee, 35, a Singaporean who works for a multinational corporation, had written in his blog on Oct 12 that he was concerned about competition from foreign talent and the lack of job opportunities for older workers here, therefore he asked the government should try to be more understanding of such employment woes. Ms Wee, then a second year Humanities in Raffles Junior College ridiculed Mr Wee, calling him ‘old’ and ‘under-motivated’ for his views and ended by telling him to ‘get out of my elite uncaring face.’

**** Singapore Will Revalue Currency Or Steepen Band, Survey Shows <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-10/singapore-central-bank-will-revalue-currency-or-steepen-band-survey-shows.html>
Lilian Karunungan And Jay Wang, Bloomberg

Singapore will revalue its currency to tame inflation that exceeded the government’s target in February, joining other Asian central banks in tightening monetary policy, predict 10 of 20 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

Consumer prices rose 5 percent in February from a year earlier, after a 5.5 percent gain in January that was the most since 2008, according to official data released March 23. Prices may gain by up to 4 percent this year, compared with an earlier forecast of no more than 3 percent, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s government predicted Feb. 17.

**** Solid But With Holes: The Workers’ Party Manifesto <http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2011/04/11/solid-but-with-holes-the-workers-party-manifesto/>
Yawning Bread

The manifesto is indeed quite comprehensive and there is no proposal above that I would disagree with in principle. In some places however, the party does not go far enough.

**** Chen Show Mao, Is One Of Us <http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/2011/04/chen-show-mao-is-one-of-us.html>
Chua Chin Leng, My Singapore News

And he was a foreign talent of sort but chose to be a Singaporean and did what every male Singaporean will do, to serve the country in uniform. At a young age, before aspiring to be a politician, he has already made his choice. This is the biggest test of his commitment to this country. He has done everything that is expected of him as a Singaporean.

**** PAP Ministers Failing To Relate Cause And Effect <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/04/pap-ministers-failing-to-relate-cause-and-effect/>
Joseph Teo, The Online Citizen

Mr Lim Boon Heng goes on to say, “… So when it comes to a campaign, a short 10 days, I think it’s quite difficult for people to assess… so it would be a pity if people are made to cast their choices without the proper assessment of candidates.”

People should be given sufficient time to make a proper assessment of their candidates. However, the cause of insufficient assessment time is not that the opposition parties do not reveal their line-up. The matter is entirely in the hands of the ruling party.

**** SDP Lays Down Challenge To Dr Vivian Balakrishnan <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/04/sdp-lays-down-challenge-to-dr-vivian-balakrishnan/>
The Online Citizen

Specifically, the SDP wants Dr Balakrishnan to explain to residents three issues: his ministry’s over-spending on the Youth Olympic Games; the “$8 million of the residents’ sinking funds your Town Council lost in toxic investments in 2008”; and why Dr Teo Ho Pin, the MP for Bukit Panjang SMC “failed to speak up on the buy-over of the Fajar wet market in Bukit Panjang by Sheng Siong which caused rentals and prices to increase.”

**** SDP Will Hold PAP Ministers Accountable <http://yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/4724-sdp-will-hold-pap-ministers-accountable>
James Gomez, Singapore Democratic Party

The most serious security lapse is the escape of Mr Mas Selamat Kastari from the Whitley Detention Centre. He escaped through an open toilet window whilst the Centre's surveillance cameras malfunctioned.

Some three years later, it came to light that Mr Selamat`s family offered him refuge, and for their role they were convicted and sentenced to jail. Mr Wong Kan Seng has not been personally held responsible for this security lapse. And this is not his first.

Shifting the blame by PAP Ministers is not new. When Bukit Timah Road flooded in 2009, Environment Minister Yaacob Ibrahim told us it was a once-in-50-years freak incident. When Orchard Road was flooded, the problem was debris in a culvert blocking the water flow. There was always an excuse, no acknowledgement of failure of planning by the Ministry.

**** Court Of Appeal Reserves Judgment On Alan Shadrake <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/04/court-of-appeal-reserves-judgment-on-alan-shadrake/>
Deborah Choo, The Online Citizen

**** The PAP’s Broken System: The Issue Of Talent <http://dlzj.wordpress.com/2011/04/11/the-paps-broken-system-the-issue-of-talent/>
Ἴκαρος Flew Too High

These elections serve as a time of reflection on a broken political system after nearly 52 years of PAP rule, yet the PAP continues to press home the point that it is only right for the people to back the PAP, to seek out the best talents for itself, to support its unfair electoral system and to restrict the flow of crucial information to other parties. All these have turned the issue of talent into that of the PAP’s survival and not of the country. Only time will tell if Singaporeans choose to back a much needed change to our country’s political system.




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