[MyAppleMenu] Oct 31, 2011

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Ambitious iOS Apps <http://speirs.org/blog/2011/10/30/ambitious-ios-apps.html>
Fraser Speirs

When iOS first appeared, it was a smartphone OS. Today, with the iPad, it's much more than that. To be an "ambitious" iOS app, I think you need to be doing one or more of the following things.

**** Apple Launches Three New iPhone 4S Ads <http://www.tuaw.com/2011/10/30/apple-launches-three-new-iphone-4s-ads/>
Chris Rawson, TUAW

Apple has kicked its iPhone 4S ad campaign into high gear with three new commercials featuring Siri, the new 8 megapixel camera, and integration with iCloud.

**** The Seed Of Something Great: Acorn 3.1 Reviewed <http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2011/10/the-seed-of-something-great-ars-reviews-acorn-31.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss>
Dave Girard, Ars Technica

It's not a Photoshop clone, it's not dumbed down, it has vector tools, good (if buggy) type handling, and it's laid out in an uncluttered way that means a lot to those for whom this program is intended. Nice touches make this an easy app to recommend for image editing on the cheap, but what it lacks, even within this context, makes it just shy of great.

**** Printing From iPad Shouldn't Cost Extra $80-$400 <http://azstarnet.com/business/national-and-international/printing-from-ipad-shouldn-t-cost-extra/article_efe5d8be-f047-5d14-b38f-16970208e4a2.html>
Steve Alexandra, Arizona Daily Star

The larger point is that consumers who just paid several hundred dollars for a tablet computer shouldn't also have to buy new USB connectors or wireless printers - they should be able to use the technology they already own.

**** IT's Guide To Managing Macs In The OS X Lion Era <http://www.infoworld.com/t/mac-os-x/its-guide-managing-macs-in-the-os-x-lion-era-177361>
Ryan Faas, InfoWorld

This Mac management guide will help you extend your existing support strategies to Mac workstations, and provide tips and techniques for embracing Macs as they become more prevalent in your business environment.

**** RunKeeper Gets A Major Upgrade <http://www.tuaw.com/2011/10/31/runkeeper-gets-a-major-upgrade/>
Steven Sande, TUAW

Auto Pause pauses tracking when you stop moving, then starts up the timer again when you begin running again.

**** ScreenFlow 3.0 Rises Above Ordinary Screen Capture Utilities <http://www.macworld.com/article/163151/2011/10/screenflow_3_0_rises_above_ordinary_screen_capture_utilities.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Chris McVeigh, Macworld

This amazing app helps you create computer-based tutorial videos by recording your screen activity (along with narration), which you can then share online with friends and fans.

**** Using Siri And MailShot Pro To Send Email To Groups <http://www.tuaw.com/2011/10/31/using-siri-and-mailshot-pro-to-send-email-to-groups/>
Steven Sande, TUAW

**** Apple's In-store Pickup Option Expands To New York City Stores <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/10/31/apples_in_store_pickup_option_expands_to_new_york_city_stores.html>
AppleInsider

**** WriteRoom 3.0 Adds Full Lion Support, Word Count Tracking <http://www.macworld.com/article/163322/2011/10/writeroom_adds_full_lion_support_word_count_tracking_and_more.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Alexandra Chang, Macworld

The latest version adds full support for OS X Lion features, along with the ability to share themes with others, track your writing progress, and more.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** How Cognitive Illusions Blind Us To Reason <http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/oct/30/daniel-kahneman-cognitive-illusion-extract>
Daniel Kahneman, The Guardian

Why do Wall Street traders have such faith in their powers of prediction, when their success is largely down to chance?

**** Race Across Time To Stop Assassin And Fall In Love <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/31/books/stephen-kings-11-23-63-review.html?partner=rss&emc=rss>
Janet Maslin, New York Times

On the 849 pages between those covers, Mr. King pulls off a sustained high-wire act of storytelling trickery. He makes alternative history work — but how? It’s at least as interesting to examine Mr. King’s narrative tactics as to discover his opinions about conspiracy theories.

**** Twitterology: A New Science? <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/opinion/sunday/twitterology-a-new-science.html?_r=1>
Ben Zimmer, New York Times

Denizens of the Twitter-verse, please be advised: Whether you are a Libyan celebrating the demise of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, a New Zealand office worker sleepily starting your day or a California teenager trying out the latest slang, your words are being analyzed.



SingaporeSurf
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**** Stripping Of KTM Railway Track Completed <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1162591/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia

**** Japan Versus Singapore: Why Our Economic Direction Is Unsustainable <http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=7196>
Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net

The problem with this model is that over time, the foreigners that settle down in Singapore will eventually grow old. leave the workforce, and depend of the next generation of taxpayers to support their needs. Our model, which is one of growth by population expansion, will reach its limit and break down when successive generations of foreigners retire but do not leave behind enough offspring to take their place in the workforce.

Eventually, we will be needing an exponentially larger population to support the existing one. This certainly cannot continue. The house of cards will come tumbling down.

**** The Poor And The Elderly In Singapore: Roving Task-Force A Viable Band-Aid? <http://guanyinmiao.wordpress.com/2011/10/31/the-poor-and-the-elderly-in-singapore-roving-task-force-a-viable-band-aid/>
Guanyinmiao's Musings

“A world of contradictions”: this was how United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon described present world circumstances – with the imminent birth of the seven-billionth baby – with widely-different lifestyles, standards of living and expectations. We in Singapore can definitely do our part to bridge these disparities fairly and justly, one noticeable step at a time.

**** Progress Made, But Singapore Government Still Micromanaging <http://sgentrepreneurs.com/commentary/2011/10/28/progress-made-but-singapore-government-still-micromanaging/>
Patrick Turner, SGEntrepreneurs

One constant complaint I keep hearing about government funding schemes is that they are a bureaucratic hassle. Many people have told me over the years that they don’t even consider these schemes precisely because of the hassle element.

**** Woodlands Move A Drain On KTMB <http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/11woody/Article>
Sim Bak Heng, New Straits Times

Checks showed the company has incurred an average monthly loss of RM1.8 million since July as a result of a decline of between 20 and 30 per cent of passengers using train services to the republic. KTMB president Dr Aminuddin Adnan told the New Sunday Times that there are no plans to stop all seven trips to Woodlands despite the losses.

**** At The Commonwealth Summit, The Human Rights Proselytisers No Longer Hold Sway <http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/30/commonwealth-human-rights-proselytisers>
John Kampfner, The Guardian

In search of a lowest-common-denominator consensus, the summit accepted some less controversial ideas, such as a charter. The idea of a human rights commissioner, however, proved too much. "There have been a few blips like in any part of the world but I don't think it demanded a commissioner," noted Suruj Rambachan, the foreign minister of Trinidad. Under pressure from South Africa and other states, the summit even refused to publish the EPG's report.

The former prime minister of Malaysia, who chaired the EPG, said the summit would be remembered as a failure. Malcolm Rifkind, the former UK foreign secretary, described the unwillingness to publish the report as a disgrace. This is hardly surprising, as the Commonwealth comprises a veritable who's who of governments with dubious human rights records – from Nigeria, Cameroon and Rwanda to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Singapore.

**** 518万人口已经够多 <http://www.zaobao.com.sg/yl/yl111031_006.shtml>
陈启良, 联合早报

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**** Selecting Good People <http://singaporedesk.blogspot.com/2011/10/selecting-good-people.html>
Singapore Notes

Observing the recent parliament in session, one notes some of the performances by the MPs, those who bothered to show up at all, are downright surreal. Said PM Lee: "This is not just a show, it's not just theatre." Prove it.

**** S'pore Considering Importing Electricity <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1162627/1/.html>
Evelyn Choo, Channel NewsAsia

By the end of this year, the Energy Market Authority will commence a public consultation exercise on the regulatory framework to govern such imports to Singapore.  Announcing this at the Singapore International Energy Week, second minister for trade and industry, Mr S Iswaran said that Singapore is a small country in a volatile energy environment.

**** K Shanmugam Now Permanent Member Of Presidential Council For Minority Rights <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1162658/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia

**** The SEP 2011 IPS Population Report In The Larger Context <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/10/the-sep-2011-ips-population-report-in-the-larger-context/>
Chua Suntong, The Online Citizen

**** 70-year-old Summoned To Court For Owing SP Services $230 <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/10/70-year-old-summoned-to-court-for-owing-sp-services-230/>
Amanda Lee, The Online Citizen

**** Singapore, The Crane City <http://goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.com/2011/10/singapore-crane-city.html>
Lam Chun See, Good Morning Yesterday

**** Alas! Singaporeans’ Unemployment Rate! <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/10/alas-singaporeans-unemployment-rate/>
Leong Sze Hian, The Online Citizen


>From the overall unemployment rate of 1.7 per cent given over the total employment level of 3,191,200, I believe it may be assumed that there is no unemployment amongst foreign workers. This may be on the basis that every foreign worker is either on a work permit or employment pass and thus must be employed.


However, surely, foreigners lose their jobs too, and will compete with Singaporeans to get another job?

**** S'pore Consumer Confidence Lowest In Two Years <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1162701/1/.html>
Wayne Chan, Channel NewsAsia

For the survey, Singaporeans were asked to rank their top concerns. The top three were the economy (27 per cent), job security (20 per cent) and increasing food prices (10 per cent).

One interesting change in the recent survey is the shift in priorities among Singaporeans. While 17 per cent listed a good work-life balance as their top concern in last quarter's index, a striking 27 per cent now say the economy has become their biggest concern.