[MyAppleMenu] Feb 15, 2011

applesurf at myapplemenu.com applesurf at myapplemenu.com
Tue Feb 15 18:59:00 EST 2011

MyAppleMenu
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**** Apple Caught Underage Kids Making Its Gadgets <http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-caught-underage-kids-making-its-gadgets-2011-2>
Jay Yarow And Matt Rosoff, Business Insider

Apple found underage workers in 10 of the 127 supplier factories it audited in 2010, according to a supplier responsibility study it just released. The company also discovered "involuntary labor," bribery, and unsafe working conditions, and addressed last year's suicides at supplier Foxconn.

**** Deskovery Adds Real Functionality To Mac OS X Desktop Windows <http://www.betanews.com/article/Tip-Deskovery-adds-real-functionality-to-Mac-OS-X-desktop-windows/1297714719>
Nick Peers, Beta News

Its main functionality is accessible from the green maximize window button: click and hold the mouse on there and you'll see a tiny pop-up window appear with a host of options. These are designed to allow you to work with two or four windows visible at once: just choose the appropriate option to resize and pin the window to a corner or edge of the screen.

**** It’s Business Time For Apple’s iPad <http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20110214/its-business-time-for-apples-ipad/>
John Paczkowski, Wall Street Journal

The consumer market has evolved into a de facto evangelist for Apple in enterprise, a lucky development for the company, which is uniquely positioned to benefit from it.

**** The Untold Story Of How My Dad Helped Invent The First Mac <http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663212/the-untold-story-of-how-my-dad-helped-invent-the-first-mac>
Aza Raskin, Co.Design

It was written in reaction to Steve Jobs taking over managing hardware development. Reading through it, I was struck by a number of the core principals Apple now holds that were set in play three years before the Macintosh was released. Much of this is particularly important in understanding Apple's culture and why we have the walled-garden experience of the iPhone, iPad, and the App Store.

**** The Daily Remains Free Through February 28th, Could Signal Release Of iOS 4.3 Update <http://appadvice.com/appnn/2011/02/daily-remains-free-february-28th/>
Bryan Wolfe, AppAdvice

**** How To: Send Any Webpage From iOS To Your Mac Browser <http://www.macstories.net/tutorials/how-to-send-any-webpage-from-ios-to-your-mac-browser/>
Federico Viticci, MacStories

The hack revolves around Mobile Safari, Dropbox, the free web service Send to Dropbox and folder actions for OS X.

**** Space Gremlin Helps You Free Up Hard Drive Space On Your Mac <http://www.tuaw.com/2011/02/14/space-gremlin-helps-you-free-up-hard-drive-space-on-your-mac/>
Josh Helfferich, TUAW

This nifty little tool will help you to eat up all of the junk that's clogging up your Mac's precious hard drive space. It visualizes the contents of each of your drives in a really intuitive way: Item squares that scale dynamically based on how large items are in relation to the parent folder or drive. This means that it's a perfect app for finding out which artist is taking up all that space in your iTunes folder, or which game is causing your Mac to run low on resources.

**** Quickly Download Files From URLs <http://www.macworld.com/article/157917/2011/02/downloadurlservice.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Daniel Beck, Macworld

**** Kindle For iOS Updated – “Real Page Numbers” Added! <http://appadvice.com/appnn/2011/02/kindle-ios-updated-real-page-numbers-added/>
Joe White, AppAdvice

**** Apple Launches Long-awaited Subscriptions For App Store <http://www.macworld.com/article/157927/2011/02/app_store_subscriptions.html?lsrc=rss_main>
David Chartier, Macworld

Subscriptions for iOS apps will work much the same way as we’ve already seen with The Daily. Publishers can charge subscriptions on a weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, semiannually, or yearly basis, and customers can sign up via in-app purchases that get automatically billed and renewed on their iTunes accounts. With this method, Apple takes 30 percent of subscription fees.

Publishers are also free to make their subscriptions available outside of their apps, say, via their own Websites and to existing subscribers of a print edition. If customers sign up that way, publishers get to keep 100 percent of their subscription fees. However, publishers are not allowed to provide in-app links to let customers sign up outside their apps, and Apple stipulates that in-app subscription prices remain either the same or less than their counterpart offers.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Do Too Many Authors Spoil The Book? <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2011/feb/14/too-many-authors-spoil-book?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Wayne Gooderham, The Guardian

Other people's hidden handwriting lurks in many an author's work, but is it an entirely decent practice?

**** Imagining A World Of Total Connectedness, And Its Consequences <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/science/15scibks.html?partner=rss&emc=rss>
Katherine Bouton, New York Times

Michael Chorost is not only a clear and concise science writer, but also a visionary. The coming integration of humans and machines may be a bit further off than he thinks, but he convinced me that we will get there someday.

**** "Alone Together": Is Technology Ruining Our Ability To Be Alone? <http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2011/02/14/alone_together_sherry_turkle/index.html>
Andrew Keen, Salon

A new book looks at the ways social networking is warping our sense of independence -- and ability to interact.



SingaporeSurf
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**** Incomes Up But Gap Widens <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC110215-0000189/Incomes-up-but-gap-widens>
Leong Wee Keat, Today

Overall, all income groups experienced more than three per cent growth in household income from work, "in tandem with strong economic growth", the Department of Statistics said yesterday.

The Gini coefficient, a measure of income inequality ranging from zero to one - with a larger value signifying greater income inequality - inched up by 0.001 to 0.472.

**** Politics In America: Learn From Singapore? <http://erpz.net/2011/02/14/politics-in-america-learn-from-singapore/>
ERPZ

Not that I am an ardent or blind supporter of the way Singapore's democracy works, but I do feel that it is better to have a working government, albeit one that prescribes and reproaches like a strict parent, rather than a dysfunctional government that struggles to do anything at all for its people.

**** Book Review: Kuan Yew's Grim Vision <http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2988&Itemid=195>
Asia Sentinel

Lee dismisses the idea that the current generation of Singaporeans would serve their country the way his did. With the educational advantages they've been bestowed, they can make more money in banking or real estate, or pack up and leave the country. This worldview is also why he rejects the suggestion that Singapore had an alternative to courting and depending on foreign companies for its economic development through manufacturing and now research and development.

**** Not Mutually Exclusive <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_634914.html>
Eugene Tan, Straits Times

To suggest that the current Cabinet, or indeed the current opposition members, consists of non-conviction politicians is to do them a great injustice.

**** Unwise To Criticise Alternative Medicine, Says SMA <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_634921.html>
Abdul Razakjr Omar, Singapore Medical Association, Straits Times

The SMA does not encourage its members to refer to alternative medicine practitioners. But we have to be realistic. They exist and are here to stay. Most public hospitals already offer acupuncture services. Several have TCM clinics on their premises.

**** Have Another Radio Station For Foreign Workers <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_634866.html>
Moiz Tyebally, Straits Times

**** 'Unfair' To Apply Poly Fee Hikes Only To New Intake: Iswaran <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC110215-0000213/Unfair-to-apply-poly-fee-hikes-only-to-new-intake--Iswaran>
Ong Dai Lin, Today

Senior minister of state (education) S Iswaran said yesterday it would be unfair for the latest fee increases in polytechnics to be applied only to the new intake and that these fee hikes have been applied across the board traditionally.

**** Should The HDB Pay Market Rate For Flats Acquired Compulsorily? <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/Singaporeinbrief/EDC110215-0000194/Should-the-HDB-pay-market-rate-for-flats-acquired-compulsorily?>
Cheow Xin Yi, Today

Said senior parliamentary secretary (ministry of national development) Maliki Osman: "HDB's compensation policy ... is designed such that lessees do not enjoy undue financial gains as a result of the compulsory acquisition action." He added that the compensation amount takes into consideration the financial penalty for lease infringement, as well as the HDB's holding and administrative costs.

**** Page Is Still Open At Borders S'pore <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC110215-0000188/Page-is-still-open-at-Borders-Spore>
Cheow Xin Yi, Today

Although The Wall Street Journal has reported that Borders Group is preparing to file for bankruptcy in the United States, book lovers need not fret because, since 2008, Borders stores in Singapore, as well as Australia and New Zealand, are owned by Redgroup Retail - an Australian book and stationery retailer - and not the US chain.

**** MCYS Reviewing Scope And Adequacy Of Its Childcare Subsidy Schemes <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC110214-0000459/MCYS-reviewing-scope-and-adequacy-of-its-childcare-subsidy-schemes>
Cheow XinYi, Today

Howver MCYS minister of state Yu-Foo Yee Shoon told Parliament yesterday that the ministry, however, has no plans to introduce more subsidies beyond what is already provided for under the Student Care Fee Assistance Scheme, as student care fees are "still generally affordable". She said the number of child beneficiaries has increased over the last three years with the income ceiling raised from $1,500 to $1,800.

**** Nearly Half Of Private Sector Establishments Offer Paternity Leave <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC110214-0000411/Nearly-half-of-private-sector-establishments-offer-paternity-leave>
Today

Despite not being specifically legislated, a manpower ministry survey indicates that 48 per cent of private sector establishments with at least 25 employees provided paternity leave last year, although there were no details about the duration of leave given.

**** LTA To Consider Building NSE In Phases <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1110697/1/.html>
Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia

**** Race Issues In Singapore: The Need For Greater Public Discussion <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/02/race-issues-in-singapore-the-need-for-greater-public-discussion/>
Lisa Li, The Online Citizen

What do we make of MFA’s rejection of free expression and extensive public discussion of race and religion, in light of the PAP government’s reluctance to curb a senior Cabinet member in his freely contentious speech? This points to double standards of the PAP government, or a paternalistic view that ordinary people cannot be trusted to have a mature discussion about these sensitive topics.

Yet, the gracious dignity of AMP’s criticism of MM Lee’s comments, and the lively and respectful debate about race issues at Saturday’s forum is indication that Singaporeans can certainly handle public debate about difficult issues–and even if some of us cannot, we need to learn, not by shutting up, but by emulating good examples of genuine debate in public arenas.

**** TOC Speaks To RP’s Newest Member <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/02/toc-speaks-to-rps-newest-member/>
Deborah Choo, The Online Citizen

**** How Not To Run A Facebook Page <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/02/how-not-to-run-a-facebook-page/>
Ravi Philemon, The Online Citizen

In the speech given at the roadshow where the Facebook page was launched, PM Lee said, “We look forward with confidence to next year and the years after that, but at the same time we always have to ask ourselves what can go wrong”.

If only those behind the Facebook page had heeded his advice.

**** School Hours And Activities <http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/parliamentary-replies/2011/02/school-hours-and-activities.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+singapore-education%2Fparliamentary-replies+%28Parliamentary+Replies%29>
Ministry Of Education, Singapore Government

Schools have the autonomy to vary the hours of instruction time based on what is best in the educational interests of their pupils. In addition, as part of holistic education, schools carry out a range of activities outside curriculum hours. Schools exercise discretion on the types and frequency of activities, to meet the needs of their student populations.

**** Release Of PSLE Results <http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/parliamentary-replies/2011/02/release-of-psle-results.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+singapore-education%2Fparliamentary-replies+%28Parliamentary+Replies%29>
Ministry Of Education, Singapore Government

After each national examination, various ethnic groups and their corresponding language media show keen interest on the identity of the top students from each of their respective communities in order to recognize and celebrate their achievements. The Ministry has therefore been releasing listings of the top students from the major races in national examinations since the 1990s.

**** More Singaporeans Coming To Malaysia For Medical Services <http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/2/15/nation/8063322&sec=nation>
Winnie Yeoh, Qishin Tariq And A. Raman, The Star

Reports showed that there was a 60% increase of Singapore citizens and permanent residents coming to Malaysia for medical services last year compared with 2009.

**** 国会简讯 小贩中心应合理收费 <http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp110215_036.shtml>
联合早报

雅国说，影响食物价格的因素有好几个，包括原料与人力成本、摊位租金与市场竞争等。“在国家环境局所管理的近5万个熟食摊位中，42%获得租金津贴，这有助于让食品价格维持在可支付得起的水平。……新加坡各个地区都有足够数量的小贩中心，让人们购买熟食。”

**** 张思乐：方便年长者过马路 行人天桥装电梯 可行性不久后公布 <http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp110215_007.shtml>
李静仪, 联合早报

交通部兼社会发展、青年及体育部高级政务次长张思乐昨天在国会回答官委议员黄学忠的询问时说，当局很快就会公布有关在行人天桥装置电梯的可行性报告，以及下一步准备要怎么做。

**** Failing To Understand Basic Economics <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/02/failing-to-understand-basic-economics/>
Joseph Teo, The Online Citizen

Hawker centres and wet markets serve a community. It is a location-based service. If you remove or privatise the hawker centre at Bedok central, and claim that a “public option” still exists because there is a hawker centre in Yishun, Marine Parade, or even Chai Chee, you would be grossly mistaken.

**** Healthcare For Singaporeans In Malaysia <http://mrwangsaysso.blogspot.com/2011/02/healthcare-for-singaporeans-in-malaysia.html>
Gilbert Koh, Mr Wang Says So

The government is just a large, unwieldy, faceless piece of machinery programmed to carry out its own political agenda; pursue its own policies; and serve its own interests. Those interests may or may not coincide with your interests. If they do, well, that's just a coincidence.

**** Hard Facts On Singapore <http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/02/15/hard-facts-on-singapore/>
Foo Loon Sung, The Temasek Review

The only truth about LKY’s system of govt is it leads to us working harder and harder….sometimes for less.

**** Inflation: The View From The Ground <http://guanyinmiao.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/inflation-the-view-from-the-ground/>
Guanyinmiao's Musings

Stemming profiteering and financially-empowering struggling Singaporeans in the upcoming Budget statement are short-term strategies. In the long run, recommendations must be considered to genuinely raise worker productivity and wage levels, and provide necessary subsidies – especially in areas of transportation, education and healthcare – to empower Singaporeans to thrive economically.

**** Is The Death Penalty For Drug Trafficking Justified? <http://kentridgecommon.com/?p=10011>
Chetan Cetty, Kent Ridge Common

Since the government uses the deterrence argument to support its case, it has to face up to these challenges (which I do not claim are insurmountable). And if it can’t, then it does not have a good reason for imposing this punishment. As things stand though, it should at least seek to explain why it continues to take away lives, of which Vui Kong’s could be next. If it can’t, then it should have the honesty and courage to abandon this law.

**** Safety Certified But Not Satisfied <http://singaporedesk.blogspot.com/2011/02/safety-certified-but-not-satisfied.html>
Singapore Notes

**** Bosses Can't Penalise Those With MCs <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_635082.html>
Kor Kian Beng, Straits Times

Employers are committing an offence when they penalise their workers for taking sick leave, said ministry of manpower's senior parliamentary secretary Hawazi Daipi on Monday.

**** Tesla Abandon Singapore, No Thanks To The Government <http://www.zemotoring.com/2011/02/tesla-abandon-singapore-no-thanks-to-the-government/>
Zero Emission Motoring

**** ASX, SGX Move Towards Merger Of Equals <http://www.smh.com.au/business/asx-sgx-move-towards-merger-of-equals-20110215-1au58.html>
Eric Johnston, Sydney Morning Herald

The Australian Securities Exchange and takeover suitor Singapore Exchange have agreed to have an equal number of Australian and Singapore citizens appointed to the board, if their planned $8.4 billion goes ahead.

The proposal, to have five Australians and Singaporeans, as well as three international directors on a 13-member board, is part of changes made to the proposed governance arrangements of the merged entity.

**** Private Home Sales Fall To Three-month Low <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/1110859/1/.html>
Jonathan Peeris, Channel NewsAsia

This is an 11 per cent month-on-month drop from the 1,332 units sold in the previous month. It is also the lowest monthly sales figure since October.

**** Changi Motorsports Hub Construction Comes To A Halt <http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2011/02/15/changi-motorsports-hub-construction-comes-to-a-halt/>
Kai Fong, Yahoo!

Construction work on the Changi Motorsports Hub has ground to a halt, after the consortium in charge of the project, SG Changi, missed a deadline to make an instalment for $50-million in piling work.

In response to queries, Mr Alvin Hang, spokesman for the Singapore Sports Council (SSC), which is overseeing the project, would say only that the SSC “expects SG Changi to comply with all its commitments under the project agreement.”

After the fiasco at Kallang Sports Hub, I would think SSC would be more pro-acitve?

**** Singapore Households Getting Smaller <http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2011/02/15/singapore-households-getting-smaller/>
Ewen Boey, Yahoo!

The average size of a Singaporean household shrank to 3.5 persons in 2010 from 3.7 persons in 2000, according to a study by the Department of Statistics (DOS).

Meanwhile, married couples now account for a smaller proportion of households, as they made up 70 percent of the total in 2010 versus 74 percent in 2000.

**** Property Rental, S'pore Is World's 5th Most Expensive <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_635127.html>
Straits Times

Singapore is now the 5th and the 3rd most expensive country in the world and Asia respectively for two-bedroom rental property.

This ranking came about as a result of a 15 per cent increase in monthly rent to US$2,810 (S$3,600) last year for an unfurnished two bedroom property, according to a report by ECA International, a knowledge and solutions provider for international human resources professionals.

**** Govt To Extend More Support To Needy Singaporeans <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1110881/1/.html>
Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid, Channel NewsAsia

The minister for community development, youth and sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said the government will extend more support to Singaporeans, especially those who face challenges at a time of rapid economic and social changes in the country. He said this will be the theme of this year's Budget which will be presented by the Finance Minister this Friday.

**** Having Children Not Top Priority For S'poreans: Survey <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1110932/1/.html>
Monica Kotwani, Channel NewsAsia

Most young Singaporeans do not see having children as a top priority, according to a new survey of over 1,000 Singaporeans and permanent residents aged 21 to 39 years.




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