[MyAppleMenu] Feb 15, 2012

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Apple Slashes iAd Pricing Again As Mobile Ad Share Declines ****
<http://adage.com/article/digital/apple-slashes-iad-pricing-mobile-ad-share-declines/232741/>
Kunur Patel, Advertising Age


> Apple is once again slashing the minimum amount it charges advertisers to run a campaign on its iAd mobile ad system and boosting the amount it pays mobile app developers, Ad Age has learned.

> In the meantime, Apple has been losing share in the mobile-ad market, threatening the business and app developers' ability to make money from advertising.



**** An Answer To Apple: Inkling Creates First Industrial-Grade Publishing Platform For Interactive eBooks ****
<http://techcrunch.com/2012/02/14/an-answer-to-apple-inkling-creates-first-industrial-publishing-platform-for-interactive-ebooks/>
Rip Empson, TechCrunch


> MacInnis tells us that the team set out to build a publishing platform that would redefine digital media, starting with reinventing the textbook. But in doing so, they’ve discovered that to reinvent books, they’ve had to go back to ground zero and re-imagine the entire printing process itself. Desktop publishing has been around for decades, but to do it right, MacInnis said that they quickly became acutely aware that this required them to reset the type, so to speak.



**** Review: How A Simple List App Called Clear May Change How We Use Our Devices Forever ****
<http://thenextweb.com/apps/2012/02/15/review-how-a-simple-list-app-called-clear-may-change-how-we-use-our-devices-forever/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheNextWeb+%28The+Next+Web+All+Stories%29>
Matthew Panzarino, The Next Web



**** Walter Isaacson’s ‘Steve Jobs’ ****
<http://daringfireball.net/2012/02/walter_isaacson_steve_jobs>
John Gruber, Daring Fireball


> The design process, the resulting products, the centrality of software — Isaacson simply misses the boat.



**** iOS Apps And The Address Book: Who Has Your Data, And How They're Getting It ****
<http://www.theverge.com/2012/2/14/2798008/ios-apps-and-the-address-book-what-you-need-to-know>
Dieter Bohn, The Verge


> Over the course of the past day, we have been using the method explained by Arun Thampi (who discovered Path's privacy violation) to investigate several dozen popular iOS apps. Our findings should bring both comfort and concern to any iPhone user — and to be frank the work of doing a similar investigation on Android and other platforms remains to be done.

> Presented below are our findings so far, but we consider this to be an ongoing project. It's nearly impossible to prove a negative, so instead we simply need to test as many apps as possible to determine which apps are uploading your data. Without further ado, here's what we've discovered so far.

Foursquare -- at least until the latest update -- and Hipster are "egregious offenders".
Tons of other apps -- including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, Gowalla, Foodspotting, Angry Birds, and Cut-The-Rope -- requires an action from the user, but they don't clearly tell users that the entire contact list will be uploaded to their servers.


**** Cook: iCloud Has 100 Million Users, 3 Million Apple TVs Sold Last Year ****
<http://www.tuaw.com/2012/02/14/cook-icloud-has-100-million-users-3-million-apple-tvs-sold-las/>
Mike Schramm, TUAW

See Also:
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/165380/2012/02/cook_apple_will_lead_the_way_in_improving_working_conditions.html#lsrc.rss_main">Cook: Apple Will Lead The Way In Improving Working Conditions</a></b> (Philip Michaels, Macworld).</li>
<li><a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/165379/2012/02/this_is_tim_apple_ceo_talks_at_investment_conference.html#lsrc.rss_main">This Is Tim: Apple CEO Talks At Investment Conference</a> (Macworld)</li>
</ul>


**** Oceanhouse Media Talks Dr. Seuss, Book-apps And Mobile Edutainment ****
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/appsblog/2012/feb/14/oceanhouse-media-dr-seuss-apps?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Stuart Dredge, The Guardian


> "Some developers are taking advantage of the situation to turn children into click-mules. Do this, now do that, now spend some money. They're turning the child into a click-zombie trying to do whatever it takes to feed their virtual fish, or whatever. We're interested in exploring in-app purchasing, but we won't ever be predatory."

> He comes back to Oceanhouse's educational ambitions, filing misguided use of freemium billing alongside unnecessary multimedia and interactivity on the company's Not-To-Do list.



**** Two Contradictory Thoughts About Apple And Path ****
<http://tracks.ranea.org/post/17612437174/two-contradictory-thoughts-about-apple-and-path>
Watts Martin, Coyote Tracks


> If iOS was, in fact, designed to pop up a dialog box saying “SomeApp is trying to access your address book. Allow or Deny?” like it does for the GPS, that might be a minor improvement—but it doesn’t tell you what the application in question is doing with the address book data.

See also: <a href="http://scripting.com/stories/2012/02/14/whatInfoCanIosAppsAccess.html">What Info Can iOS Apps Access?</a> (Dave Winer, Scripting News): Which of the apps on my iPhone is transmitting everything I think is private and to whom are they transmitting it?


**** China May Widen Investigation Of Apple iPad Trademark Dispute ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/165365/2012/02/china_may_widen_investigation_of_apple_ipad_trademark_dispute.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Michael Kan, IDG News Service






The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** App Battles Driver Distraction But Spares Passengers ****
<http://www.technologyreview.com/communications/39724/?ref=rss>
David Talbot, Technology Review


> Smart phones are a growing source of driver distraction, but researchers hope to use their capabilities to make the devices' use less dangerous. New sensing technology can determine whether a phone is being used by the driver, or merely a passenger, and is providing a building block for a new generation of distraction-thwarting apps.






MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Sips Of Home, Bites Of Memory ****
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/15/dining/in-a-war-zone-finding-solace-in-food.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all>
Alissa J. Rubin, New York Times


> There was so much I did not understand that first winter about how important it is to carry reminders of home when you go to hostile places. The hardest part was never the bombs, it was the lack of the familiar, a sense of the predictable, of even the most mundane pleasure. War zones are stripped down. Usually there are no choices — about what to eat, or much else. The food is mostly cold and functional. The kind you can shove into a pocket or throw under a car seat: protein bars, raisins, a box of potato chips. These are calories, not cuisine.



**** Groupthink: The Brainstorming Myth ****
<http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/01/30/120130fa_fact_lehrer?currentPage=all>
Jonah Lehrer, New Yorker


> Typically, participants leave a brainstorming session proud of their contribution. The whiteboard has been filled with free associations. Brainstorming seems like an ideal technique, a feel-good way to boost productivity. But there is a problem with brainstorming. It doesn’t work.






SingaporeSurf
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**** No Fixed Time For Hougang By-election: PM Lee ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120215-0000169/No-fixed-time-for-Hougang-by-election--PM-Lee>
Today


> Responding to media queries over the Workers' Party's expulsion of its MP for Hougang, Yaw Shin Leong, Mr Lee said an election is a very serious matter and noted that Singapore just had a General Election less than a year ago.

> He added that "there are many other issues on the national agenda right now".



**** Why The 'Sudden U-turn', WP?: PAP's Khaw ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120215-0000168/Why-the-sudden-u-turn,-WP?--PAPs-Khaw>
Today


> Speaking to the media this evening, Mr Khaw noted that the WP leadership had last Saturday just "stood shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with Mr Yaw". The WP held its Chinese New Year dinner last Saturday.

> He said: "It is a sad development that an elected Member of Parliament has been found by his party to be deficient in character and integrity and has to be expelled from the party." 



**** Mixed Reactions To Yaw Shin Leong's Expulsion ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1183201/1/.html>
Vimita Mohandas/Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia


> The expulsion of Yaw Shin Leong from the Workers' Party (WP) has sparked mixed reactions among Hougang residents.



**** Bishan Bus Stop Vandal Unhappy Over Foreigners ****
<http://news.insing.com/tabloid/bishan-bus-stop-vandal-unhappy-over-foreigners/id-e92f3f00>
Lina Chan, InSing



**** ‘Brave Move For Workers’ Party To Sack Yaw’ ****
<http://sg.news.yahoo.com/‘workers’-party-did-well-to-sack-yaw--brave-move’.html>
Deborah Choo, Yahoo!


> Hougang residents welcomed the Workers’ Party’s (WP) shock decision to expel its Member of Parliament (MP) for Hougang, Yaw Shin Leong.



**** Yaw Has Been Expelled, What Now? ****
<http://searchingforenlightenment.blogspot.com/2012/02/yaw-has-been-expelled-what-now.html>
Random Thoughts Of A Free Thinker


> In the end, whoever the WP eventually choose to send to contest in Hougang, he or she is most likely to not be as familiar with the ground or has a very strong grassroots presence in Hougang, compared to Mr. Low Thia Kiang and Mr. Yaw (both of whom supposedly have a strong grassroots presence in Hougang based on the effort and time they spent working the Hougang ground; not to mention their Teochew-speaking background).

> Although I may be wrong about this but I will think that the WP is most likely to lose some ground in the Hougang by-election.



**** Clever, Clever WP ****
<http://thotspeak.blogspot.com/2012/02/clever-clever-wp.html>
The Art Of Dumbspeak


> Hougang is a pro-WP ward but it was largely LTK that they have allegiance to and YSK was his proxy during the GE 2011. LTK's staunch supporters will see this sacking as a decisive move on LTK's part to remove the rot, and likely have even more "respect" for this bold move. In a possible by-election they would simply vote whomever WP pushes forth as the replacement.



**** Hougang By-Election: Yaw Shin Leong Expelled From WP (& My Thoughts About Affairs) ****
<http://singaporeactually.com/2012/02/15/hougang-with-have-a-by-election-yaw-shin-leong-expelled-from-wp/>
Singapore Actually


> I know politicians’ indiscretions logically should not be a measure of how they perform their job, but I can’t help feeling that they lose credibility with this lack of ethics.



**** Construction Productivity Must Be Raised: Khaw Boon Wan ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_766840.html>
Daryl Chin, Straits Times



**** Expulsion Of Yaw Shin Leong From Party Membership ****
<http://wp.sg/2012/02/expulsion-of-yaw-shin-leong-from-party-membership/>
Sylvia Lim, Workers' Party


> Shin Leong has been accused of several indiscretions in his private life. By continuing not to account to the Party and the people, especially the residents of Hougang, he has broken the faith, trust and expectations of the Party and People.

> We also believe it is only fair to the Hougang residents that they have another opportunity to elect their Member of Parliament.



**** Accusations False And Baseless : Foo Mee Har ****
<http://www.publichouse.sg/categories/politics/item/480-accusations-false-and-baseless-foo-mee-har>
Publichouse.sg


> People’s Action Party (PAP) Member of Parliament, Ms Foo Mee Har, says she does not think it is “necessary to take any further action at this point” with regards to a comment which well-known blogger and social commentator, Alex Au, had made on his blogsite.



**** How I Looked For Love In The 90s, In A Decade B.I. (Before Internet). ****
<http://ottofong.blogspot.com/2012/02/this-article-is-based-on-my-speech-at.html>
Otto Fong In RI


> The only true way to stop you from loving someone is that you chose to stop loving.



**** Singapore Presses Its Advantage In Myanmar ****
<http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2012/02/15/singapore-presses-its-advantage-in-myanmar/>
Shibani Mahtani, Wall Street Journal


> When Western leaders deemed Myanmar a secretive pariah state and slapped on tough economic sanctions, many Southeast Asian investors and governments maintained good relations with the country – a policy that drew harsh criticism from human rights advocates across the world.

> Now, with expectations rising that Western leaders could ease sanctions later this year, politicians and businessmen in one key Southeast Asian economy – Singapore – are celebrating.



**** Playing Gay And The New Normal ****
<http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/playing-gay-and-the-new-normal/>
Alex Au, Yawning Bread


> There’s no running away from it: The school over-reacted. And you can guess the most likely reason why: Homosexual panic.



**** Singapore Land Authority "Asked" Blogger To Amend Post As "Warning" Is Not "Threatening" ****
<http://socialpr.blogspot.com/2012/02/singapore-land-authority-asked-blogger.html?m=1>
Small Steps For Social PR



**** Highest Tier Of Foreign Work Pass Holders Grew 23.9% Last Year ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/Parliament/Story/STIStory_766785.html>
Andrea Ong, Straits Times


> While the number of foreign workers in each of the three work pass categories went up last year, the pool of S Pass holders rose at a slower rate than the previous year, said Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Tuesday.



**** Taxi Ridership Up For Second Year In A Row ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_766794.html>
Christpher Tan, Straits Times


> Taxi ridership has risen for the second year in a row, but the fare increase that took effect in December is expected to pull patronage down this year.



**** Singaporean Leaders Ill-equipped For Global Challenges ****
<http://sbr.com.sg/economy/news/singaporean-leaders-ill-equipped-global-challenges>
Singapore Business Review


> New study deems the current crop of leaders as lacking in expansionist drive and innovative risk-taking.

> Singapore leaders also fail to inspire the rank-and-file and have some ways to go in being proactive in customer service, according to Development Dimensions International which conducted the assessment study. It surveyed 400 leader respondents in Singapore.



**** 梁莉莉：12个孩子的两个家庭　住同一短期租赁组屋是否公平？ ****
<http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp120215_018.shtml>
林慧慧　蔡永伟　杨萌　杨丹旭　黎远漪　谢婷婷, 联合早报


> 孟理齐表示，短期租赁组屋的租户不希望和别的家庭合租，这可以理解。不过若租户能宽容、体谅和尊重，合租同一短期租赁组屋还是可行的。



**** å¼ å¿—è´¤ï¼šè¿‡åŽ»5年有59èµ·ä¸¾æŠ¥æ¡ˆä»¶ã€€ä¸¾æŠ¥å…¬åŠ¡å‘˜æœ‰æ¸ é“ ****
<http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp120215_015.shtml>
林慧慧　蔡永伟　杨萌　杨丹旭　黎远漪　谢婷婷, 联合早报


> 公共服务部门内有专门的举报机制，供制服团体人员举报部门内的失检行为。过去五年，内政部共接到59起内部举报，其中44起是匿名的；在15起具名举报的案件中，针对上司的举报有8起。

> å¼ å¿—è´¤å¼ºè°ƒï¼Œåªè¦ç¬¦åˆè‰¯å¥½æ„å›¾çš„åŽŸåˆ™ï¼Œå³ä½¿è°ƒæŸ¥æ˜¾ç¤ºè¢«ä¸¾æŠ¥è€…å¹¶æ²¡æœ‰å¤±æ£€è¡Œä¸ºï¼Œä¸¾æŠ¥è€…ä¹Ÿä¸ä¼šè¢«å¤„ç½šã€‚ä¸è¿‡è¦æ˜¯ä¸¾æŠ¥è€…å¿ƒå­˜æ¶æ„ã€ä¼ªé€ äº‹å®žï¼Œåˆ™ä¼šé¢ä¸´çºªå¾‹å¤„åˆ†ã€‚



**** Assault Case – Police Conducting Internal Inquiry ****
<http://www.publichouse.sg/categories/topstory/item/476-assault-case-–-police-conducting-internal-inquiry>
Andrew Loh, Publichouse.sg



**** Rule Of Law Must Be Adapted To Fit Society's Needs: Shanmugam ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120215-0000059/Rule-of-law-must-be-adapted-to-fit-societys-needs--Shanmugam>
Sharon See, Today


> Mr Shanmugam said that Singapore adopts a different system that has fewer checks and balances than the US. In the US, there are various structures set up to check one another because of a "deep distrust" in the power of government.

> In comparison, Singapore's decision-making process is more streamlined and the ultimate check and balance includes free and fair elections as well as a highly educated electorate which is able to decide for itself on the policies, he said.



**** NMPs Appointed On Their Merits, No Matter Who Nominated Them ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120215-0000007/NMPs-appointed-on-their-merits,-no-matter-who-nominated-them>
Michael Palmer, Parliament of Singapore, Today


> Functional groups representing these fields therefore remain relevant in the NMP process by ensuring that there are good quality candidates from a cross-section of society. But the candidates do not solely represent these groups in their appointment.

> They are appointed to Parliament to provide independent and non-partisan views on a wide range of issues, some of which go beyond the scope of the functional group that had put their names forward.



**** A Civil Servant Is Not A Public Figure ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120215-0000011/A-civil-servant-is-not-a-public-figure>
Danny G Tan, Today


> A civil servant is not a public figure, since his "power" is not derived from public support. Therefore, his life outside of work should not be the public's concern.

> I understand that a person's job performance is commonly judged along with his "moral integrity", but evaluating the latter is subjective and may be abused by conservative employers.



**** Comment About K Shanmugam Withdrawn ****
<http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/comment-about-k-shanmugam-withdrawn/>
Alex Au, Yawning Bread

See also: <a href="http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_766755.html">Blogger Erases Comment After Minister Sends Lawyer's Letter</a> (Tessa Wong, Straits Times): Mr Au did so by last night, saying he took the Foreign Affairs and Law Minister at his word.


**** Toh Yi Residents Propose Alternative Site ****
<http://sg.news.yahoo.com/toh-yi-residents-propose-alternative-site.html>
Deborah Choo, Yahoo!


> Fong suggested a site nearer the main road which is the entrance to the estate area that is in closer proximity to basic amenities such as clinics, MRT, bus stops, post office, community club and the wet market, and on more even terrain to get to such places. The previous site the government identified was located at the open space at the junction of Toh Yi Drive and Toh Yi Road, which is the highest slope point in the estate area.