[MyAppleMenu] Feb 21, 2012

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Search iTunes Radio Stations Using Playlists ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/165485/2012/02/search_itunes_radio_stations_using_playlists.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Kirk McElhearn, Macworld


> If you use iTunes radio stations, you may have noticed that you can’t search in the Radio list; the search field is dimmed. But OS X Hints reader osxpounder pointed out that you can search if you put the radio stations in a playlist.



**** The Best Global Hotkey Manager For OS X ****
<http://lifehacker.com/5886553/the-best-global-hotkey-manager-for-os-x>
Adam Dachis, Lifehacker


> You probably know Quicksilver the excellent application launcher for OS X, but it's capable of far more than that. One of its excellent additional features is called Triggers, which allows you to assign keyboard shortcuts to any action Quicksilver can perform.



**** Sandboxing And Clipstart ****
<http://www.manton.org/2012/02/sandboxing_and_clipstart.html>
Marton Reece


> For the next release of my app Clipstart, I will be removing it from the Mac App Store and only selling directly from my web site. With Gatekeeper I hope to have some confidence that my customers will still be able to run the app on future versions of the OS.



**** Review: Mail Archiver X ****
<http://apple.it-enquirer.com/2012/02/20/review-mail-archiver-x/>
Erik Vlietinck, IT.Enquirer



**** Archiving Uncluttered Web Pages ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/165482/2012/02/archiving_uncluttered_web_pages.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Christopher Breen, Macworld


> While using Safari to view an article that you’d like to archive, click on the Reader button that appears in the Address field. The article, complete with its links, will appear in a pane all its own—free of elements unrelated to the article.

> At this point you could select all the text in this pane, copy it, and then paste it into a Word document. But why bother when there’s Automator? Just launch Automator and from the sheet that appears, choose Service and click Choose.

Here's a way that allows one to archive a web page, without all the clutters.


**** iTunes Match And Duplicates: Beware Of Missing Tracks ****
<http://www.mcelhearn.com/2012/02/20/itunes-match-and-duplicates-beware-of-missing-tracks/>
Kirk McElhearn, Kirkville


> This is a bit disturbing. I can understand wanting to save space by not having duplicate tracks, but this means that if you have, say, some albums by a popular performer, along with a “best of” album, then you won’t find many or all of the tracks on the latter in your iTunes library after matching.

For those who want to listen to an entire album from first song to last song, iTunes Match doesn't work well enough.


**** Top 10 Downloads That Enhance Mac OS X’s Built-In Tools ****
<http://lifehacker.com/5885881/top-10-downloads-that-enhance-mac-os-xs-built+in-tools?utm_source=loopinsight.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+loopinsight%2FKqJb+%28The+Loop%29>
Adam Dachis, Lifehacker


> Mac OS X has a ton of great features, but there's always room for improvement. Many developers have felt the same and created a bunch of great apps to enhance OS X's capabilities. Here are our top 10 apps that can power up your Mac to the next level.



**** VLC 2.0 Breaks DVD Decryption In Handbrake ****
<http://www.macgasm.net/2012/02/20/vlc-2-0-breaks-dvd-decryption-in-handbrake/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+macgasm%2Fmain+%28Macgasm%29>
Grant Brünner, Macgasm


> The good news is that there is a solution to this problem, and it’s really not that hard. If you run this installer from the VLC website, it will install a copy of the DVD decryption engine in a place where Handbrake can see it and use it. Once you run it once, you’re set.



**** Quickly Send Files Between Mac And iPhone With Messages ****
<http://lifehacker.com/5886532/quickly-send-files-between-mac-and-iphone-with-messages>
Thorin Klosowski, Lifehacker


> In Messages on the Mac, you can drag any file to the message window and send it directly to iMessages on your iPhone.



**** Interview: The Omni Group’s Ken Case ****
<http://www.macstories.net/stories/interview-the-omni-groups-ken-case/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+macstoriesnet+%28MacStories%29>
Don Southard, MacStories



**** That’s A Blank, All Right ****
<http://daringfireball.net/linked/2012/02/20/schofield>
John Gruber, Daring Fireball


> It may not “change the fact that Apple is playing favorites”, but it does change the entire premise of Schofield’s column — that Apple “excommunicated” The New York Times because of its reporting on Apple’s use of Chinese manufacturing.






The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Future Chrome Version May Choose Your Passwords, And Change Them When You've Been Hacked ****
<http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2012/02/future-chrome-version-may-choose-your-passwords-and-change-them-when-youve-been-hacked.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss>
Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica


> Google's Chrome development team is working on a system to automatically generate passwords, which would help users secure their online identities with passwords that would be diversified across different sites, and are randomized and thus harder to guess. Detailed in developer documentation on the Chromium Project site, the system would detect account sign-up pages and "add a small UI element to the password field" giving the user the option of letting Chrome manage the password for them.






MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Before The Food Arrives On Your Plate, So Much Goes On Behind The Scenes ****
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/21/books/tracie-mcmillan-writes-the-american-way-of-eating.html?hpw>
Dwight Garner, New York Times


> One of the first things to like about Tracie McMillan, the author of “The American Way of Eating,” is her forthrightness. She’s a blue-collar girl who grew up eating a lot of Tuna Helper and Ortega Taco Dinners because her mother was gravely ill for a decade, and her father, who sold lawn equipment, had little time to cook. About these box meals, she says, “I liked them.”



**** The Forgetting Pill Erases Painful Memories Forever ****
<http://www.wired.com/magazine/2012/02/ff_forgettingpill/all/1>
Jonah Lehrer, Wired


> In the past decade, scientists have come to realize that our memories are not inert packets of data and they don’t remain constant. Even though every memory feels like an honest representation, that sense of authenticity is the biggest lie of all.






SingaporeSurf
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**** Sengkang River Creature Is "Monitor Lizard" ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1184316/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia



**** Singapore Ranked 'Unhealthiest Country' In Eco2 Index ****
<http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/02/21/269496-Singapore-ranked-unhealthiest-country-in-Eco2-Index-.html>
ANI


> Singapore - a country that looks good economically - has been listed as the unhealthiest nation in a new economic and environmental index that includes 152 countries around the world.

> Singapore ranked last out of the 152 countries sampled. Despite recording a surplus of 28 per cent of GDP in 2007, "its ecological deficits are the worst in the world," said [Rashid Sumaila, director of the UBC Fisheries Centre].



**** WP Chief Replies PAP MP Ho Kah Leong’s Forum Letter ****
<http://news.insing.com/tabloid/wp-chief-replies-pap-mp-ho-kah-leong-s-forum-letter/id-a4313f00>
Satish Cheney, InSing


> Financial services manager Eric Hon pondered the implications of holding Low responsible for Yaw's actions. He commented, "Should the Home Affairs minister be responsible for the behaviour of all his subordinates or everyone who works under him? What about the recent CPIB and CNB cases?"



**** Free Bus Service During MRT Disruption ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1184273/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia


> Both operators have agreed to offer commuters free use of all bus services at designated bus stops and interchanges near the stations.

> This means affected commuters can quickly continue their journey on available bus services at the affected stations, instead of waiting for free bus bridging service to the next MRT stations to be activated.



**** The (In)significance Of Sex Scandals In Singapore ****
<http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2012/02/21/the-insignificance-of-sex-scandals-in-singapore/>
Elvin Ong, New Mandala


> That the average Singaporean chooses to ignore them does not mean that they do not exist.



**** In Singapore, Sewage Makes Up 30% Water Supply ****
<http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/RestOfAsia/In-Singapore-sewage-makes-up-30-water-supply/Article1-814432.aspx>
Aloke Tikku, Hindustan Times


> Treated sewage water accounts for 30% of Singapore's water supply and has come to symbolise the city-state's freedom from dependence on neighbouring Malaysia for raw water.



**** TOC Dismayed By Apparent Reversal Of ‘Light Touch’ Approach To Internet Regulation ****
<http://theonlinecitizen.com/2012/02/toc-dismayed-by-apparent-reversal-of-light-touch-approach-to-internet-regulation/>
The Online Citizen


> Defamation lawsuits by political figures are likely to have a chilling effect on speech by legitimate actors who try their best to stay within the law, while being ineffectual in stopping others (frequently anonymous) who are not so concerned from spreading the allegedly defamatory statements. While it is not possible to ascertain if the former has materialised, the latter is certainly already happening.

> A better way to respond to defamation in today’s world, is to directly rebut the claims. While this can be difficult if one is seeking to prove a negative, it is still much more effective than lawsuits and legal letters. Tell your own story, openly, frankly and candidly. An authentic and honest response will always ring true, and people will be able to tell your sincerity for what it is.

Were there evidence that the "light touch" policy were ever implemented?


**** Singapore Representative Replaced Due To Improper Conduct: Reports ****
<http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/foreign-affairs/2012/02/21/332278/Singapore-representative.htm>
The China Post


> Chang's comments came after a Chinese-language United Evening News (UEN) report yesterday, which stated that Shih was replaced because the Singaporean government has voiced its dissatisfaction concerning “improper conduct” during her tenure.

> During a Republic of China (R.O.C.) National Day celebration event last year in the city-state, Shih reportedly sang the R.O.C. national anthem, a move that angered the Singaporean government as it adheres to the “one China” policy, the report said.

> Shih also reportedly contacted the opposition party in Singapore, further angering the government of the city-state, the report stated.



**** Singapore Seeks Gold Hub Status ****
<http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/2/21/business/10772745&sec=business>
Reuters


> Singapore is seeking to lure bullion refiners by scrapping taxes on gold, a move which could also attract trading houses to open storage facilities and transform the country into a key Asian pricing hub, industry sources said.

> “I think this is really going to change the landscape in Singapore. A lot of companies will find the incentive to start operations in Singapore,” a gold dealer said.



**** WP 'Had Absolutely No Idea Of Yaw Shin Leong's Alleged Affairs' ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_768926.html>
Andrea Ong & Kor Kian Beng, Straits Times


> 'Even though I was familiar with Yaw Shin Leong's background and I have met his family and attended his two wedding ceremonies, I have no way and no authority to inspect his private matters and personal life.

> 'I am a Member of Parliament, not a private investigator!' Mr Low said in a letter to Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao on Monday.



**** Kranji Interchange Suggestion ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_768788.html>
K.H.K. Rangan, Straits Times


> Wouldn't it prudent to extend the Downtown Line currently under construction to Kranji which can be turned into an interchange with the North-South line?

The decision to terminate the Downtown Line at Bukit Panjang, and having commuters transfer to the North-South Line using the low-capacity Bukit Panjang LRT may turn out to be yet another major mistake by Raymond Lim.
I agree with the letter-writer that the Downtown Line should be extended further north along Woodlands Road to link up with the North-South Line at Kranji station.
(The government rejected earlier suggestions of linking the Downtown Line to the closer Choa Chu Kang MRT due to a lack of space.)


**** Budget 2012 Should Have More Economic Stimulus, Direct Cash Assistance For Needy ****
<http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=7358>
Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net


> As Singapore is expected to be caught in the maelstrom, it is puzzling why the government has chosen not to provide more targeted assistance to lower income workers and families. Is this a sign of complacency at the darkening economic clouds that are looming over the horizon?

> As stagflation, which is low economic growth coupled with inflation, is expected to hit Singapore, the government should enhance the financial assistance given to low income families and families that care for disabled or terminally ill members by creating a special financial package pegged to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

> Furthermore, the GST voucher scheme should have a larger cash component so that families and individuals can have ready cash to spend in the event of a rainy day.



**** The Evolution Of The PAP’s Strategy To The New Media ****
<http://atans1.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/the-evolution-of-the-paps-strategy-to-the-new-media/>
Thoughts Of A Cynical Investor


> What’s next? Who knows? The PAP could feel so threatened that it resorts to bankrupting bloggers that defame ministers, or it could organise a counter-insurgency campaign to try to retake lost territory.

Honesty. That's a strategy that I hope PAP will adopt. Not holding my breath though -- after all, we're talking about politicians.


**** Is Our CPF Broke? ****
<http://feedmetothefish.blogspot.com/2012/02/is-our-cpf-broke.html>
Feed Me To The Fish


> I am concerned. So should all Singaporeans. Is Our CPF Broke? If there is enough money to pay out to CPF members, why are there so many fanciful schemes to delay payment and disgraceful ways to add on to the Fund?



**** Ban On Glue Board Urged After Cat Death ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1184136/1/.html>
Wendy Wong, Channel NewsAsia


> The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has called for an "immediate ban" on glue board traps used by pest control companies. This comes after it found a cat stuck on such a trap.

The cat was put down.