[MyAppleMenu] Feb 16, 2011

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Apple's iPad Officially Passes The Higher Education Test <http://www.fastcompany.com/1727292/apple-ipad-officially-passes-the-higher-eduction-test-exclusive>
Gregory Ferenstein, Fast Company

Apple’s iPad received glowing marks for its performance in college classrooms from the eagerly anticipated Reed College evaluation, according to a new report shared with Fast Company. The iPad’s smooth interface kept up with the lighting-quick pace of college lectures, helping it to overcome the very same gauntlet that killed the Kindle’s hope of education dominance a year earlier. Most importantly, the report predicts an explosion of opportunity for both Apple software developers and tablet competitors.

**** The Easy Way To A Stop Motion Movie From Your Photos <http://mac360.com/index.php/mac360/comments/the-easy-way-to-a-stop-motion-movie-from-your-photos>
Ron McElfresh, Mac360

Smoovie is so simple to use that even children can get in on the action and create simple, animated scenes and movies within minutes using an inexpensive point and shoot digital camera.

**** Apple Cripples iBooks For Jailbreakers <http://socialapples.com/blog/2011/02/15/apple-cripples-ibooks-for-jailbreakers/>
Social Apples

Since using the greenpois0n jailbreak, I have been unable to open some of my iBooks that I rightfully purchased from the iBook Store.

**** MacBook Pro: Five Years Of Goodness <http://lowendmac.com/musings/11mm/macbook-pro-5-years.html>
Dan Knight, Low End Mac

**** June 30 Deadline For Apple Subscriptions <http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20110215/june-30-deadline-for-apple-subscriptions/>
John Paczkowski, Wall Street Journal

Apple’s new subscription plan has a compliance deadline. June 30, according to a memo sent to publishers earlier this year.

**** MacDropAny 1.4.2 <http://www.macworld.com/article/157939/2011/02/macdropany.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Dan Frakes, Macworld

MacDropAny gives you two Mac-friendly ways of creating a symbolic link for a folder you want Dropbox to sync.

**** iWeb 3.0.3 Update Released <http://www.tuaw.com/2011/02/15/aperture-3-1-1-iweb-3-0-3-updates-released/>
Michael Rose, TUAW

**** And So It Begins: iPad Magazine Apps Start Getting Updated With In-App Subscriptions <http://appadvice.com/appnn/2011/02/begins-ipad-magazine-apps-start-updated-inapp-subscriptions/>
Tyler Tschida, AppAdvice

As of this very moment, Popular Science+, Elle, and Nylon for iPad are the first apps to be updated with in-app subscriptions. Apple has actually gone so far as highlighting all three apps in the iPad App Store with subtitles that simply state “subscribe now.”

**** Reflections On Objective-C <http://alblue.bandlem.com/2011/02/reflections-on-objective-c.html>
AlBlue’s Blog

**** In-App Subscriptions Could Go Way Beyond Periodicals <http://gigaom.com/apple/in-app-subscriptions-could-go-way-beyond-periodicals/>
Darrell Etherington, GigaOM

By expanding the availability of in-app purchasing to more application types, Apple could usher in new revenue models for apps offering online gaming, tiered customer support, in-app currency, premium content and software-as-a-service (SaaS).

**** Apple TV: Losing The Tiny Remote Can Be A Big Headache <http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20032004-1.html>
Matthew Moskovciak, CNET

**** Apple Report Details Response To Foxconn Suicides <http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Apple-Report-Details-Response-to-Foxconn-Suicides-139217/>
Nicholas Kolakowski, eWeek

Apple claims it commissioned an independent “team of suicide-prevention experts” to survey Foxconn workers about their quality of life, a process that apparently involved interviewing those workers separately from their managers, as well as reviewing the factory’s living conditions.

“The independent team suggested several areas for improvement, such as better training of hotline staff and care center counselors and better monitoring to ensure effectiveness,” the report continues. “Foxconn incorporated the team’s specific recommendations into their long-term plans for addressing employee well-being.”

**** Rhapsody Bites Back At Apple <http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20032119-1.html>
David Carnoy, CNET

Rhapsody, has finally braved Apple's wrath and issued a statement saying Apple's new arrangement was "economically untenable." And while it didn't threaten legal action, it certainly hinted at it.

**** Alternate Languages Showing In OS X Applications And Services <http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20032089-263.html>
Topher Kessler, CNET

OS X and its included programs are fully localized to a variety of common languages, allowing for full translation of the OS to these languages right out of the box. Language preferences can be set up in the Language & Text system preferences if not done when the initial OS X setup assistant runs, and should work when the system is next started; however, sometimes odd problems may happen with the incorrect language showing in some situations.

**** Apple's New App Store Guidelines Get Tough On Cheating Developers <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/02/15/apple_gets_tough_on_cheating_developers_in_app_store_guidelines.html>
Daniel Eran Dilger, AppleInsider

In newly revised App Review Guidelines, revised since first being issued last September, Apple added a new bullet point:

"If you attempt to cheat the system (for example, by trying to trick the review process, steal data from users, copy another developer's work, or manipulate the ratings) your apps will be removed from the store and you will be expelled from the developer program."

**** Restore Safari Workflow After A Crash <http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20032078-263.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=MacFixIt>
Topher Kessler, CNET

**** Logitech To Stream Video To iPads, iPhones <http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobilize/logitech-stream-video-ipads-iphones-735>
Stephen Lawson, IDG News Service

**** The Clones Cometh: The App Store Is Full Of Copycats, And It's Indies Who Suffer <http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/02/halfbot-interview.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss>
Andrew Webster, Ars Technica

Developers and publishers will always try to get away with selling clones and copycat games. But it's disturbing just how easy it appears to be to release these types of games in Apple's App Stores—even when there's already a nearly identical game on the service with the same name and same visuals. Sometimes Apple takes these games down, sometimes not. But how they are put up for sale in the first place is the real problem.

**** Five iPad Safety Tips For Enterprise Users <http://www.macworld.com/article/157881/2011/02/ipad_enterprise_security.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Maria Korolov, Network World

**** My Backup Plan: Lex Friedman <http://www.macworld.com/article/157414/2011/02/mybackupplanlex.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Lex Friedman, Macworld

**** Microsoft Brings First App To The Mac App Store <http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-20032240-75.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-Apple>
Josh Lowensohn, CNET

The digital software storefront, which launched just last month, is now home to Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 Connector software. This is the application that lets Mac users sync up their iTunes and iPhoto libraries with Windows Phone 7 devices. It's also the way Mac users will be able to update the system software on their phones when Microsoft pushes out its first big update next month.



The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Decentralizing The Internet So Big Brother Can’t Find You <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/16/nyregion/16about.html?_r=1&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter>
Jim Dwyer, New York Times

**** In Search Of: A Delete Key For Email <http://www.infoworld.com/t/leak-prevention/in-search-delete-key-email-625>
Robert Lemos, InfoWorld

Lawsuits and hackers often target email archives, but a business based on making messages disappear still faces tough odds.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** The Bobby Fischer Defense <http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2011/mar/10/bobby-fischer-defense/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nybooks+%28The+New+York+Review+of+Books%29>
Garry Kasparov, New York Review Of Books

It would be impossible for me to write dispassionately about Bobby Fischer even if I were to try. I was born the year he achieved a perfect score at the US Championship in 1963, eleven wins with no losses or draws. He was only twenty at that point but it had been obvious for years that he was destined to become a legendary figure. His book My 60 Memorable Games was one of my earliest and most treasured chess possessions. When Fischer took the world championship crown from my countryman Boris Spassky in 1972 I was already a strong club player following every move as it came in from Reykjavík. The American had crushed two other Soviet grandmasters en route to the title match, but there were many in the USSR who quietly admired his brash individuality along with his amazing talent.

**** Cooking For One: Together, Independently <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/15/AR2011021502653.html?nav=rss_artsandliving/foodanddining>
Joe Yonan, Washington Post

All of which got me thinking: Could some strategies help these 20-something singles realize the benefits of living together, while supporting their ability to eat independently?

**** Circling Alaska In 176 Days <http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/03/alaska-trek/koeppel-text>
Dan Koeppel, Photograph By Michael Christopher Brown, National Geographic

Nobody had ever done it before: Hike, ski, and raft 4,679 miles through eight national parks, dozens of mountain ranges, and the length of the Yukon territory. Then along came Andrew Skurka.

**** Doing Time On Norway's Island Prison <http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,744851,00.html>
Nicola Abé, Spiegel

No bars. No walls. No armed guards. The prison island of Bastøy in Norway is filled with some of the country's most hardened criminals. Yet it emphasizes self-control instead of the strictly regulated regimens common in most prisons. For some inmates, it is more than they can handle.

**** The Perfect Menu. Now Change It. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/16/dining/16next.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss>
Julia Moskin, New York Times

When this new restaurant, Next, serves its first customers on April 1, its menu will be painstakingly reproduced from the classical French repertoire: whole lobes of foie gras baked in brioche, clear turtle soup with Madeira, duck pressed and sauced with its own blood and marrow, as served at the Tour d’Argent in Paris for more than 200 years.

These dishes, which Mr. Achatz has been refining for a year, will be served for all of three months. Next will then morph into an entirely different restaurant, and again three months after that.



SingaporeSurf
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**** Future Sustainability Of IRs Depends On Several Factors: S Iswaran <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/1110910/1/.html>
Dylan Loh, Channel NewsAsia

In an interview with Channel NewsAsia, Mr Iswaran pointed out that one factor is how people will respond when the novelty of the attractions wears off. Another is the external environment, taking into account other products available regionally.

**** What’s Wrong With The Current Singapore Growth Model? <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/02/whats-wrong-with-the-current-singapore-growth-model/>
Tan Jee Say, The Online Citizen

**** Sibling Scheme Should Remain For Singaporeans <http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC110216-0000198/Sibling-scheme-should-remain-for-Singaporeans>
Chan Hean Boon, Today

Singaporeans appreciate the Government's attempts to "sharpen" the distinction and benefits between citizens and PRs in recent years.

However, such moves seem to run contrary to the efforts. Are we afraid of driving away PRs so much that any change in policies that affect PRs may have implications for citizens as well?

**** Singapore's New Offer Just Like The Old One <http://www.smh.com.au/business/singapores-new-offer-just-like-the-old-one-20110215-1av63.html>
Michael Evans And Clancy Yeates, Sydney Morning Herald

But the three remaining positions will go to the new group's chief executive, Magnus Bocker, from the SGX, plus two further directors from the SGX board, leaving the balance of influence squarely with Singapore.

**** Furniture Rivalry Heats Up <http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/2/16/business/8063479&sec=business>
Zazali Musa, The Star

**** Pro-family Or Pro-baby? <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/02/pro-family-or-pro-baby/>
Howard Lee, The Online Citizen

The significant change would actually be if policies switch from being pro-baby to being pro-family. Unless we recognise the importance of the family and how it acts as the centre for children, no amount of incentives will lead to its development.

**** The Relentless March Of The Gini Coefficient <http://singaporedesk.blogspot.com/2011/02/relentless-march-of-gini-coefficient.html>
Singapore Notes

**** Addressing Immigration Concerns More Tangibly <http://guanyinmiao.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/addressing-immigration-concerns-more-tangibly/>
Guanyinmiao's Musings

**** Crossing The Causeway For Medical Care Affects Everyone <http://flaneurose.blogspot.com/2011/02/crossing-causeway-for-medical-care.html>
Flaneurose

Even you are financially comfortable (but not wealthy) and are averse to the idea of traveling far from home for medical care, circumstances may change in the future that may warrant you to give this option some serious consideration.

**** A New Low For SMA <http://singaporemd.blogspot.com/2011/02/new-low-for-sma.html>
Singapore M.D.

Just because practitioners of a certain mode of alternative medicine are registered does not mean that there is any evidence backing their claims; reality does not alter itself because of cultural beliefs, political decrees, economic conveniences, or public opinion. Hopefully, as a professional society representing (about) half of all doctors in Singapore, SMA understands that.

If we claim to be a profession that is built upon science, if we claim to be advocates for our patients, then we must speak up even when we know it will not be well-received, even when we know it will offend.

**** The Slow & Steady Deterioration Of Singapore <http://mrwangsaysso.blogspot.com/2011/02/slow-steady-deterioration-of-singapore.html>
Gilbert Koh, Mr Wang Says So

What is the use of having world-class casinos? What is the use of paying ministers their world-class salaries? What is the use of hosting the Grand Prix, or becoming a medical tourism hub, or giving foreigners scholarships to study in Singapore? What is the use of spending $1 billion to build beautiful flower gardens at Marina Bay?

When you cannot even get the basic things right.

**** CPF Keeps 2.5% Ordinary Account Interest Rate <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1111048/1/.html>
Mustafa Shafawi, Channel NewsAsia

**** Republic Poly Hostels Are Reserved For Foreign Students <http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=5907>
SgPolitics.net

**** SDP Unveils Alternative Budget <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1111102/1/.html>
Leong Wee Keat, Channel NewsAsia

The Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) has unveiled an alternative Budget, the first time an opposition party is presenting to the government's financial policy for the year ahead.

Among its proposals, the SDP is proposing a graduated GST to take into account essential goods versus luxury goods. The proposed GST will range from 0 for essential goods and services such as food and medical care, to a maximum of 10 per cent for non-essential goods such as luxury items, costing more than S$500 each.

**** No Goodies In SDP’s Shadow Budget – CSJ <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/02/no-goodies-in-sdp’s-shadow-budget-–-csj/>
The Online Citizen

“Goodies are to sweeten the poison,” Dr Chee added. “It is especially dangerous for the government to come up with sweeteners prior to the elections.” He contended that the ‘goodies’ served as distractions to the needs of the people.

Dr Chee gave a few examples of the effects of the ‘misallocation’ of expenditure; a widening income gap, low productivity, elderly continuing to do ‘back-breaking work’, HDB flats priced out of reach of young couples, and more Singaporeans going across the causeway to seek cheaper medical treatment.

**** Back To Square One For Motorsports Hub? <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Sport/Story/STIStory_635494.html>
Leonard Lim, Straits Times

The relationship between the two shareholders of a consortium to build a permanent racetrack in Changi has apparently soured, with Singapore businessman Thia Yoke Kian prepared to quit in a few weeks.

The completion of the Changi Motorsports Hub by the end of this year may also be delayed, pushing back plans to have top races like MotoGP and Japan's Super GT by March next year.

**** Flu Cases Exceed Epidemic Levels <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1111119/1/.html>
Sharon See, Channel NewsAsia

The number of flu cases in Singapore has gone higher than the epidemic levels first seen in January. The Health Ministry said most people with flu recover with rest and treatment.

**** Facebook Places Arrives In Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan <http://asia.cnet.com/crave/2011/02/16/facebook-places-arrives-in-hong-kong-singapore-taiwan/>
Damian Koh, CNET

Places, which is used primarily on mobile devices, lets members send their location to Facebook the same way they'd post a status update. Aside from letting people know where they are, they can also show who they're with by tagging their friends using the same system that Facebook employs for photos. 

**** Singapore Restricts Release Of Oscar Contender The Kids Are All Right <http://www.citypress.co.za/Entertainment/News/Singapore-restricts-release-of-Oscar-contender-The-Kids-Are-All-Right-20110216>
DPA

Singapore’s film censors had restricted the showing of a lesbian-themed, Oscar-nominated film, in a move that shocked the local cinema scene, a media report said today. The Board of Film Censors rated The Kids Are All Right as category R21, applying to “films that may contain adult issues, themes and more explicit scenes”, and limited its release to one single print, the Straits Times newspaper reported.

“I thought we had grown up. I am flabbergasted,” said Lesley Ho, former director of the Singapore International Film Festival.

**** Cut Defence Spending And Ministerial Salaries: SDP <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_635570.html>
Tessa Wong, Straits Times

Cut defence spending and ministerial salaries, and spend more on education, healthcare and social benefits. These are among the many proposals in the Singapore Democratic Party's (SDP) shadow budget, released on Wednesday as a counter-proposal to the government's budget due on Friday.

Ministerial salaries would also be slashed heavily to yield an estimated $15 million. The SDP suggests pegging the prime minister's salary to about $60,000 a month, with other ministers' salaries reduced proportionately. It also suggests cutting out the positions of minister mentor, senior minister, and ministers without portfolio in the Prime Minister's Office.