[MyAppleMenu] Feb 17, 2012

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** After Beta, Messages Will Be Exclusive To OS X Mountain Lion ****
<http://www.macrumors.com/2012/02/17/after-beta-messages-will-be-exclusive-to-os-x-mountain-lion/>
Arnold Kim, MacRumors


> Based on the text strings found in the App's resources, it has been revealed that Messages will no longer be available for Lion users once the beta expires.



**** Google's iPhone Tracking ****
<http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052970204880404577225380456599176-lMyQjAxMTAyMDEwNjExNDYyWj.html>
Julia Angwin and Jennifer Valentino-Devries, Wall Street Journal


> Google Inc. and other advertising companies have been bypassing the privacy settings of millions of people using Apple Inc.'s Web browser on their iPhones and computers—tracking the Web-browsing habits of people who intended for that kind of monitoring to be blocked.

> The companies used special computer code that tricks Apple's Safari Web-browsing software into letting them monitor many users. Safari, the most widely used browser on mobile devices, is designed to block such tracking by default.



**** The Slow Rise Of The SoMoClo OS ****
<http://gigaom.com/2012/02/16/the-slow-rise-of-the-somoclo-os/>
Om Malik, GigaOM


> From my perspective, the desktop OS of today needs to be built with that reality in mind, let’s call this the SoMoClo operating system, where SoMoClo stands for Social+Mobile+Cloud.



**** Five Exciting App Changes In Mountain Lion ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/165442/2012/02/five_exciting_app_changes_in_mountain_lion.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Serenity Caldwell, Macworld



**** Apple And The New York Times Not Meshing ****
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/post/apple-and-the-new-york-times-not-meshing/2012/02/16/gIQAzmXPIR_blog.html>
Erik Wemple, Washington Post


> An exclusive, of course, cuts two ways. Payoff for the recipient and pain for the shunned. Heading up the latter camp is the New York Times, arguably the most aggressive pursuer of Apple-related news on the planet.



**** Between A Rock And A Hard Place – Our Decision To Abandon The Mac App Store ****
<http://blogs.atlassian.com/2012/02/between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place-our-decision-to-abandon-the-mac-app-store/>
Atlassian Blogs


> Fundamentally, sandboxing is a good idea. Asking applications to be specific about what they need to do, and exposing that to the system and users for validation is a good idea for security.

> The trouble is, the sandboxing implementation currently in place on Mac OS X Lion doesn’t allow for all the behaviours that real Mac applications do right now, behaviours which are not at all contentious, are approved in the Mac App Store already, and indeed are very much appreciated by users.

Looks like Gatekeeper is more or less the right kind of solution, balancing the different requirement between security and functionality.


**** Apple Ignored Warning On Address-Book Access ****
<http://www.technologyreview.com/communications/39746/?ref=rss>
Tom Simonite, Technology Review


> Apple was warned as long ago as 2010 that the popular Gowalla location-sharing iPhone app was uploading users' address books without alerting them, <i>Technology Review</i> has learned.

> This raises questions about why Apple didn't do then what it announced it would do yesterday. In a statement, the company said software upgrades for iPhones would be issued to protect users from the practice, which is forbidden.

I will be surprise if the address-book privacy issue hasn't been discussed within Apple before the Path incident.


**** About Gatekeeper ****
<http://www.panic.com/blog/2012/02/about-gatekeeper/>
Panic Blog


> o it seemed feasible that we’d wake up one day and Apple would decree that all Mac apps must be sold through the App Store. But instead, Apple went to considerable effort and expense to find a middle ground.

One can employ a "slippery-slope" arguments about the future of apps outside of Mac App Store. But a slipper-slope argument is just that: an alert for us to be prepared, but not something that should prompt us to abandon ship.


**** Mountain Lion Drops Support For Several Older Mac Models ****
<http://www.tuaw.com/2012/02/16/mountain-lion-drops-support-for-several-older-mac-models/>
Chris Rawson, TUAW


> An anonymous developer clued us into the minimum requirements for OS X 10.8, and there's bad news for some older Mac owners.



**** Gatekeeper Already Present In OS X 10.7.3, Available For Developer Testing ****
<http://www.macrumors.com/2012/02/16/gatekeeper-already-present-in-os-x-10-7-3-available-for-developer-testing/>
Eric Slivka, MacRumors


> Apple has revealed that the functionality is already baked into OS X 10.7.3 but hidden by default. Apple has instructed developers that they can enable Gatekeeper on OS X 10.7.3 from the command line in order to test the functionality.



**** Solving iCloud-Related Slowdowns In Lion ****
<http://tidbits.com/article/12796?rss>
Adam C. Engst, TidBITS


> The problem, therefore, was a somewhat corrupted Bookmarks.plist file in Safari that was causing iCloud bookmark syncing to choke in such a way as to use a vast amount of processing power, and, in the process, battery power.



**** OS X Mountain Lion Will Be Mac Store Only, Apple Tells Us USB Key Will Not Be Available ****
<http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/44422/mountain-lion-mac-app-store-only>
Stuart Miles, Pocket-lint


> Apple has confirmed that the next version of its desktop operating system, OS X Mountain Lion, will be available to customers only via the Mac App Store when it comes out this summer.






MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Zoning Out ****
<http://www.thesmartset.com/article/article02161201.aspx>
Stefany Anne Golberg, The Smart Set


> The uneasy truth is that we can shift time around all we like, if we like, and countries have been playing with the malleability of time zones since their inception. But the way we mark time is as metaphysical as it is economic.



**** The Ship Of Fools ****
<http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2012/02/going_down_with_the_ship.html>
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times


> Cameron has justly been praised for being one of the few directors to use 3D usefully, in "Avatar." But "Titanic" was not shot for 3D, and just as you cannot gild a pig, you cannot make 2D into 3D.






SingaporeSurf
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**** Good Faith Calls For Early By-election ****
<http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/good-faith-calls-for-early-by-election/>
Alex Au, Yawning Bread


> Like many Singaporeans, our gut feel is that Lee is considering dragging his feet until his party stands the best chance of success in the by-election. This is wrong and would be an abuse of the discretion vested in him. It would be partisan and self-serving.



**** Budget: Economy, Skills Upgrade Key Priority ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1183605/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia


> Delivering this year's Budget Speech, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam said it is a budget for the future.

> A key priority is upgrading Singapore's economy and developing deeper skills, so as to sustain growth and create better jobs for citizens.

> There'll also be measures to help children from lower-income families, help the elderly live well and more support for Singaporeans with disabilities.



**** Traffic-easing Plans In North Under Way ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1183602/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia


> Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will be upgrading the interchange connecting the Central Expressway, the Tampines Expressway and the Seletar Expressway. These projects will be progressively completed within a decade.



**** Singapore Commuters Face 3 MRT Train Delays In Last 7 Days ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_767594.html>
Christopher Tan, Straits Times


> Train commuters faced no fewer than three incidents of delays in the last seven days, according to Twitter notes posted by rail operator SMRT Corp.



**** Not Known Whether Yaw Shin Leong Appealing Against WP's Expulsion, Says Speaker Of Parliament ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120217-0000139/Not-known-whether-Yaw-Shin-Leong-appealing-against-WPs-expulsion,-says-Speaker-of-Parliament>
Today


> The Clerk of Parliament has written a letter to Hougang Member of Parliament (MP) Yaw Shin Leong on Friday morning asking him if he intends to appeal against or challenge his expulsion from the Workers' Party, said Speaker of Parliament Michael Palmer. This was the practice adopted by Parliament in 1993 in the case involving former Potong Pasir MP Chiam See Tong when he was expelled from the Singapore Democratic Party.



**** No By-election = Hougang Singaporeans Not Important? ****
<http://nofearsingapore.blogspot.com/2012/02/no-by-election-hougang-singaporeans-not.html>
NoFearSingapore



**** Are Singapore's Poor Better Off? ****
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16920951>
Rebecca Lim, BBC


> Based on data at least, the poor in Singapore does come across as being better off than those in other countries. However, the realities on the ground paint a different picture.

> ''Singapore has an extensive social safety net,'' said a ministry spokesman. ''Singaporeans enjoy subsidised housing, healthcare and education.'' The challenge, though, lies in getting the help to those who need it the most.

> Apart from the ministry, there are a host of non-profit, civil and religious organisations, as well as charitable individuals offering services and donations. But one group that can fall through the cracks, though, are the low-wage-earners who are not eligible for public assistance.



**** Will Mangroves And Shores Be Impacted By Planned Expansion Of Downtown East? ****
<http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2012/02/will-mangroves-and-shores-be-impacted.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+WildShoresOfSingapore+%28wild+shores+of+singapore%29>
Wild Shores Of Singapore


> Hopefully, the master plan will take into account the unique values of Pasir Ris mangroves. Here, special plants and animals can be easily observed for free by anyone at all times of the day and night. These include delightful otters, nesting birds, and other fascinating wildlife like watersnakes, mudskippers and monitor lizards.



**** Virtually No Growth In Productivity In 2011 ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_767542.html>
Melissa Tan, Straits Times


> Productivity gains virtually ground to a halt last year, undermining government efforts to improve efficiency in the economy.



**** Singapore Growth To Dwell In Slow-paced Limbo? ****
<http://sbr.com.sg/economy/news/singapore-growth-dwell-in-slow-paced-limbo>
Singapore Business Review



**** Merchant Not Taking Coins Or Notes? Let MAS Know ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_767411.html>
Angelina Fernandez, Monetary Authority Of Singapore, Straits Times


> A merchant who is not able to accept a particular denomination of notes or coins is required to put up written notices on his premises to state so. Anyone who encounters difficulty using any particular denomination of notes or coins can contact MAS with details of the merchant to enable us to advise the merchant of his obligations.



**** Objective Of Property Tax Hikes Still Not Clear ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120217-0000061/Objective-of-property-tax-hikes-still-not-clear>
Dave Yap, Today


> The tax amendments should apply to only those who rent out their property, as they would benefit from the rental increase. Is that not the objective of most taxes?