[MyAppleMenu] Jun 25, 2011

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** What Went Wrong With Final Cut Pro X <http://jefferyharrell.tumblr.com/post/6830049685/what-went-wrong-with-final-cut-pro-x>
Jeffery Harrell

This isn’t an omission. This isn’t a quirk we all have to get used to. This was a choice. Somebody at Apple — several somebodies, probably — had to sit down and think this through and decide it sounded like a great idea.

And all it would’ve taken was a five-minute conversation with anybody who’s ever worked in commercial post a day in their lives. “Hey, how about we show you every bin and every shot on your system all the time?” “No! That’d be a catastrophe!” That’s all it would’ve taken.

But either Apple didn’t have that conversation, or they didn’t listen when they did.

**** Professional Video Editors Weigh In On Final Cut Pro X <http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/professional-video-editors-weigh-in-on-final-cut-pro-x/>
David Pogue, New York Times

The “missing features” generally fall into three categories: features that are actually there and have just been moved around, features that Apple intends to restore and features that require a third-party (non-Apple) add-on or plug-in.

**** The Final Word: Yes, You Will Be Able To Access iCloud Apps On The Web <http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/24/icloud-on-the-web/>
MG Siegler, TechCrunch

"Yes. Web access to iCloud Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Find My iPhone will be available at icloud.com this fall."

**** Putting iPhone Tracking Apps To The Test <http://www.macworld.com/article/160667/2011/06/find_a_lost_iphone.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Liane Cassavoy, PCWorld

I like iHound’s speed and its additional geolocation features, and I was impressed with GadgetTrak’s photo-snapping prowess. Keep in mind that you don’t have to choose just one: You could run all of these apps at once. But if I did have to choose, I’d go with Apple’s Find My iPhone. Not only did it perform the best, acing most of my tests, it’s free.

**** Bugs & Fixes: Troubleshooting Final Cut Pro X <http://www.macworld.com/article/160725/2011/06/fcpx_quirks.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Ted Landau, Macworld

Coinciding with this week’s release of Final Cut Pro X, Apple has posted well over a dozen new Knowledge Base articles detailing various quirks of the new software. I’ve summarized the key issues below. I follow that with a brief look at users’ largely negative assessment of the update.

**** Review: Final Cut Pro X <http://www.macworld.com/article/160713/2011/06/fcpxrev.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Gary Adcock, Macworld

For the time being, as someone that needs to work for a living, I am not giving up my hardware-based version of Final Cut Pro 7 just yet, especially since Apple makes it possible for users to have both FCP X and Final Cut Studio functional on the same computer.

I regret that the older suite of tools has been removed from the Apple Store, but I plan to start using this version of Final Cut Pro for my direct to web deliverables and keep testing while I wait for App Store updates and additional features.

**** Weekend Bitchmeme: The Three People Steve Jobs Should Fire (Can Someone Else Exploit These?) <http://scobleizer.com/2011/06/24/weekend-bitchmeme-the-three-people-steve-jobs-should-fire/>
Robert Scoble, Scobleizer

Whoever designed the new 27-inch iMac and the new 27-inch Cinema display should be fired. Why? They don’t line up! Is it too much to ask that two monitors from the same company should line up perfectly when placed on a desk?

**** Turn Your Mac Into An HD DVR With EyeTV HD <http://terrywhite.com/techblog/archives/8147>
Terry White



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Between Shades Of Grey By Ruta Sepetys – Review <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jun/24/between-shades-grey-sepetys-review?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Linda Buckley-Archer, The Guardian

The fluid narrative is compelling yet restrained. The horrors of the cattle trucks and the gulag, the cruelty of the Soviet guards, are all there. Minor characters are memorably and vividly drawn, and the first half of the book, in particular, roars along. Dr Johnson wrote that the only end of writing is to enable readers better to enjoy life, or better to endure it. Hard to read but even harder to stop reading, there is no doubt into which category this tremendous first novel belongs.

**** '... Lay Thee Down' <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jun/24/lay-thee-down-poem-tim-liardet?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Tim Liardet, The Guardian

**** Gutted <http://www.lrb.co.uk/v33/n13/steven-shapin/gutted>
Steven Shapin, London Review Of Books

In the past, a weak stomach and poor digestion was recognised as one of the diseases of philosophers, scholars and the learned. There was a finite quantity of vital spirits in the body: if they were called on to power digestion, they would not be available for the demands of deep thinking, and, conversely, philosophising interfered with the stomach’s duties.

**** Everything You Think You Know About The Collapse Of The Soviet Union Is Wrong <http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/06/20/everything_you_think_you_know_about_the_collapse_of_the_soviet_union_is_wrong>
Leon Aron, Foreign Policy

Whence such strangely universal shortsightedness? The failure of Western experts to anticipate the Soviet Union's collapse may in part be attributed to a sort of historical revisionism -- call it anti-anti-communism -- that tended to exaggerate the Soviet regime's stability and legitimacy. Yet others who could hardly be considered soft on communism were just as puzzled by its demise.



SingaporeSurf
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**** It's Uncool To Act Cool On Cooling Off Day! <http://feedmetothefish.blogspot.com/2011/06/its-uncool-to-act-cool-on-cooling-off.html>
Feed Me To The Fish

The Election Dept is not interested in dealing with Nicole's complaint unless an official police report is lodged. This "Bo Chap" attitude speaks volumes of the "Can makan, makan lah" attitude of supposedly responsible guardians of law, justice, integrity and election foreplay. Can we expect fairplay when the Dept reports to a PAP PM? 

It gets hilarious when there is still 'no picture, no sound' from the Singapore Police Force.

**** Is There A Truly Independent Candidate? <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC110625-0000092/Is-there-a-truly-independent-candidate?>
Eugene K B Tan, Today

Given that there remains residual unhappiness from the GE, a candidate endorsed by the Government and/or NTUC may be perceived in some quarters to be less independent than the other candidates. A government "blessing" could end up being a kiss of political death.

**** $5,000 Security Bond Not Forfeited If Maids Get Pregnant <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_683663.html>
Farah Abdul Rahim, Ministry Of Manpower, Straits Times

MOM understands employers' concerns that they should not be held responsible when their maids violate the Work Permit conditions on their own accord, especially outside designated work hours or on their rest days. Therefore, since January last year, MOM has removed employers' liability if the maid gets pregnant or breaches other Work Permit conditions that relate to her own behaviour. It is untrue that the $5,000 security bond will be forfeited for pregnancy.

Even in the extreme case where the maid absconds and the employer is unable to repatriate her, only half of the security bond will be forfeited, so long as the employer has made reasonable efforts to locate the maid. The forfeited security bond is used to cover repatriation and other related costs once the worker is found, so that it does not exact a cost on taxpayers in Singapore. This includes the cost of providing food and temporary accommodation, as well as arranging for her repatriation to her home country. This is also the case for non-domestic foreign workers.

**** It’s Singaporean Vs Others <http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=insightdownsouth&file=/2011/6/25/columnists/insightdownsouth/8965387&sec=Insight%20Down%20South>
Seah Chiang Nee, The Star

At one stage the minorities were fearful that immigration could turn Singapore into a “province of China”. Nevertheless, Singaporeans seem to say: “No way – not now, not ever.”

**** 谁该理我的公积金？ <http://www.zaobao.com.sg/yl/yl110625_004.shtml>
何惜薇, 联合早报

**** Elected Presidency - Why Tan Kin Lian? <http://singaporealternatives.blogspot.com/2011/06/elected-presidency-why-tan-kin-lian.html>
Goh Meng Seng, Singapore Alternatives

**** Misleading Ad: Case Gives Warning To IT Retailer Challenger <http://boo-n-bouquet.blogspot.com/2011/06/misleading-ad-case-gives-warning-to-it.html>
Boo-n-Bouquet

**** A Ringing Endorsement <http://singaporedesk.blogspot.com/2011/06/ringing-endorsement.html>
Singapore Notes

Strict eligibility requirements for the presidential slot, such as past experience in heading a statutory board or a company with a paid-up capital of at least S$100 million, restrict the number of eligible candidates, who skeptics say, will be eminently suitable for the honorifics of cronyism and nepotism.

**** Singapore: A Final Trip To Tanjong Pagar <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/singapore/8594683/Singapore-a-final-trip-to-Tanjong-Pagar.html>
Clarissa Tan, The Telegraph

As the time nears for the last train to Tanjong Pagar, a feeling of loss is being felt both sides of the border, and among international travellers. There's genuine affection for the colonial-style station. "It's a scruffy old place but I like it," said David Cottle, a Londoner and former Singapore expatriate.

**** KTM Railway Lands: What Next? <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/06/ktm-railway-lands-what-next/>
The Online Citizen

**** Media Release On SFD Trio Investigations <http://rachelzeng.wordpress.com/2011/06/25/media-release-on-sfd-trio-investigations/>
James Gomez, Singaporeans For Democracy

Although SFD members have been released from the investigations, it still does not resolve the lack of clarity over the classification of the said book.

Unless the Media Development Authority take steps to officially ban the Once A Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock, the absence of classification continues to put members of the public at legal risk.