[MyAppleMenu] Jan 28, 2012

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
====================================
**** My Experience With The New iTunes U Course Manager ****
<http://www.sunsetlakesoftware.com/2012/01/26/my-experience-new-itunes-u-course-manager>
Sunset Lake Software


> As you can tell, I think this is an extremely powerful tool for educators who want to provide their courses to the world, or even improve the experience of their local students. iTunes U has allowed me to take a class I taught for only two semesters and put it in front of tens of thousands of people worldwide, with more discovering it every day. All of this is provided for free (assuming you have an iOS device or something capable of running iTunes). While the new iBooks textbooks received most of the attention from last week's Apple event, the improvements to iTunes U should also have a significant impact on education.



**** Why Apple Is Held Accountable For Supply Chain Mistreatment ****
<http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/why-apple-is-held-accountable-for-supply-chain-mistreatment/17855>
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, ZDNet


> Supply chain issues aren’t an Apple issue, they’re an industry-wide problem, and part of the blame has to rest with us, the consumer - we constantly demand more for less, and our insatiable demand for gadgets and devices has created a culture where a blind eye has been turned to abuses in the past. That now, thanks to the efforts of companies like Apple, is changing.



**** Closing Thoughts On Apple's Greedy, "Crazy Evil" iBooks License ****
<http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/closing-thoughts-on-apples-greedy-crazy-evil-ibooks-license/4414>
Ed Bott, ZDNet



**** A Dummies Guide To Macworld ****
<http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_19837771>
Patrick May, San Jose Mercury News


> The annual pilgrimage by Apple fans shows no sign of letting up, even though Apple pulled out three years ago. After all, says Kelly Trent with Wiley Publishing, which puts out the Dummies guides, "Macworld has always been a fan event for people who live and breathe Apple. That hasn't changed just because Apple's not here. Their love remains so strong.''



**** Macworld | iWorld 2012 Highlights For Developers ****
<http://gigaom.com/apple/macworld-iworld-2012-highlights-for-developers/?utm_source=newteevee&utm_medium=specialtopics>
Weldon Dodd, GigaOM


> While the target audience for Macworld | iWorld is your typical consumer, there are a few vendors in attendance focused on reaching developers. If you’re a developer yourself, or maybe work with developers in your company, you might want to stop by the following vendors during the show, or check out their sites if you aren’t able to attend.



**** Innovation High, Attendance Dips At Macworld 2012 ****
<http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Apple/Innovation-High-Attendance-Dips-at-Macworld-2012-299045/>
Chris Preimesberger, eWeek


> Attendance is down noticeably over 2010 and previous years, and there are fewer vendors showing their wares. There is more room to roam in the main expo hall, parking is easier to find, and that's certainly good for attendees. 

> Although this still ranks as one of the most interesting and innovative of all the IT-related shows each year, the intensity has ratcheted down. Apple reported a high of 45,572 attendees in 2007; this year's numbers aren't yet available, but early estimates are that about 22,000 people will attend the show this week, IDG World Expo told eWEEK.



**** Siri Isn’t A Bandwidth Hog & Users Aren’t The Problem ****
<http://gigaom.com/2012/01/27/siri-is-not-a-bandwidth-hog-and-users-are-not-the-problem/>
Stacey Higinbotham, GigaOM


> When we’re talking over the air, there’s not one single highway to get us from Point A to Point B; there are multiple spectrum bands, technologies and costs associated with them. In this age, using wireless is like engaging in multimodal commuting. You use cellular to drive to the train station and the high-speed rails of Wi-Fi fly downtown. Meanwhile, you’re sharing those rails and highways with thousands of other commuters in neighboring airwaves that are the equivalent of bikers, skateboarders etc.

> That’s where Farhi missed a big opportunity to tell D.C. that instead of focusing on cars and the single highway, it should look around at all the other technologies out there. Stop listening to the carriers, who actually do have spectrum they can deploy if they want to work a little harder and spend a little more, and start thinking about how Wi-Fi or white spaces broadband (Super Wi-Fi) can play a role in taking congestion off over the air data networks.



**** How Siri Is Ruining Your Cellphone Service ****
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/apples-siri-threatens-to-damage-cellphone-service-for-all/2012/01/23/gIQAZ1O5TQ_story.html>
Paul Farhi, Washington Post


> Under most circumstances, this would seem to be someone else’s problem. Cellphone contracts are “tiered” so that those who use a network more than others pay more for the privilege. You want to ask Siri silly questions? Go to town — but you (or, in this case, I) will get the bill at the end of the month. By the same logic, a customer who wants better service on an airline can pay for it by buying a first-class ticket. The marketplace provides.

> Except on the data skyway, it’s not that simple. Cell and data networks are like any common resource; they have limits. And once they hit their limit, regardless of which group is using its share and then some, there’s no more to go around.



**** Dear Apple: Do Something About Chinese Working Conditions ****
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-31322_3-57367594-256/dear-apple-do-something-about-chinese-working-conditions/?utm_source=loopinsight.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+loopinsight%2FKqJb+%28The+Loop%29>
Molly Wood, CNET


> Personally, I believe Apple has never been in a better position to do the right thing. Tim Cook has already responded--even if just internally--to employee and media concerns over Foxconn and other plants. He promises the company will "dig deeper," and he notes:

> "We know of no one in our industry doing as much as we are, in as many places, touching as many people."

> That's exactly right--and yet, it hasn't been enough, for reasons of priority and profit. It's time to do more. We'll be watching.



**** The State Of iCloud-enabled Apps ****
<http://www.macstories.net/stories/the-state-of-icloud-enabled-apps/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+macstoriesnet+%28MacStories%29>
Federico Viticci, MacStories


> It turns out, iCloud itself is a fantastic addition to iOS 5 for the end user, but between concerns on Apple’s long term plans and de-facto technical limitations, we might have to wait a little longer to have all our apps iCloud-ready, fine-tuned for an optimal experience.



**** Cook 'Outraged' At Reports Of Worker Mistreatment ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/165045/2012/01/cook_outraged_at_reports_of_worker_mistreatment.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Joel Mathis, Macworld


> “We are focused on educating workers about their rights, so they are empowered to speak up when they see unsafe conditions or unfair treatment,” wrote Cook, who served as Apple’s chief operating officer and oversaw its supply chain prior to becoming the company’s CEO. “We will continue to dig deeper, and we will undoubtedly find more issues. What we will not do — and never have done — is stand still or turn a blind eye to problems in our supply chain.”



**** Dig Deep Into Lion: The Best Overlooked, Underrated Features ****
<http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9223523/Dig_deep_into_Lion_The_best_overlooked_underrated_features?source=rss_operatingsystems&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+computerworld%2Fs%2Ffeed%2Ftopic%2F123+%28Computerworld+Mac+OS+News%29>
Ryan Faas, Computerworld


> After spending several months really getting to know Lion, I've uncovered a plethora of little-talked-about functions that are well worth knowing about. Here are more than 15 new and useful features in Lion for you to explore.



**** Bugs & Fixes: Short URLs Render Safari’s History Useless ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/165034/2012/01/url_safari_history.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Ted Landau, Macworld


> The primary function of shorteners is to allow tweets to contain URLs without the links eating up too much of Twitter’s 140 character limit. That’s fine. However, an unintended consequence is that, when these URLs show up in Safari’s History, they all have a title of “(no title)” and an indecipherable “http//t.co/” address.



**** Snapseed Brings Its iOS Photo-editing Tools To The Mac ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/164993/2012/01/snapseed_brings_its_ios_photo_editing_tools_to_the_mac.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Alexandra Chang, Macworld


> What I discovered was a Mac app with features that are almost identical to those of its iOS counterpart, but with quite a few advantages thanks to the Mac platform.






The Tomorrow Weblog
====================================
**** Movement In Space ****
<http://www.thedaily.com/page/2012/01/27/012712-tech-kinect-laptop/>
Matt Hickey, The Daily


> A few weeks ago at CES, the company announced a desktop version of the Kinect, but it also seems the boys and girls in Redmond, Wash., are hard at work integrating the motion-sensing technology into portables.






MyAppleMenu Reader
====================================
**** My Life ****
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jan/27/saturday-poem-my-life-roy-fuller?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Roy Fuller, The Guardian



**** ‘A Wrinkle In Time’ And Its Sci-Fi Heroine ****
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/books/review/a-wrinkle-in-time-and-its-sci-fi-heroine.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all>
Pamela Paul, New York Times


> It was under L’Engle’s influence that we willed ourselves to be like Meg Murry, the awkward girl who suffered through flyaway hair, braces and glasses but who was also and to a much greater degree concerned with the extent of her own intelligence, the whereabouts of her missing scientist father, the looming threat of conformity and, ultimately, the fate of the universe.






SingaporeSurf
====================================
**** PM Lee On Solving Inequality In Singapore ****
<http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20120128-324476.html>
AsiaOne


> When questioned how Singapore is dealing with the rising inequality in the world, PM Lee pointed out several approaches that the government is employing, which includes making education, healthcare, and public housing more accessible to Singaporeans.

> He said that while it is unpleasant to be poor in Singapore, it is still better off than to be poor in any other country, including the US, the English daily quoted him as saying.



**** Govt Likely To Have Tighter Control Over Public Transport Operators After Review ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1179582/1/.html>
Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid, Channel NewsAsia


> The government will have a tighter control over public transport operators, once the ongoing comprehensive review on buses is completed.

> Observers also believe operators will receive more support from the government to help them boost their fleet size, and introduce capacity in a timely fashion.



**** Temasek Review Report On SAF Serviceman's Death A Hoax: Mindef ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_760334.html>
Jessica Lim, Straits Times


> The report first surfaced on tech online forum Hardwarezone at about 8am on Saturday and was subsequently published on blog Temasek Revealed and on its Facebook page. It had gone viral on forums and social networking sites like Facebook by 12pm.



**** Can Only The Top 1000 Earners In The Private Sector Take Up Political Office? ****
<http://theonlinecitizen.com/2012/01/can-only-top-1000-take-up-political-office/>
Adrian Ng, The Online Citizen



**** Calcifying And Crumbling ****
<http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2012/01/28/calcifying-and-crumbling/>
Alex Au, Yawning Bread


> The great irony of trying hard to maintain control well past its use-by date, is that the end comes in a totally uncontrolled way.



**** Push To Promote Mother Tongue ****
<http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=insightdownsouth&file=/2012/1/28/columnists/insightdownsouth/10548146&sec=Insight%20Down%20South>
Seah Chiang Nee, The Star



**** Singapore Lighthouses ****
<http://kaypachatravels.com/2012/01/singapore-lighthouse/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=singapore-lighthouse>
KayPachaTravels.com



**** 第13个月花红判例的解读 ****
<http://www.zaobao.com.sg/yl/yl120128_010.shtml>
周殊钦, 联合早报


> 据报道，新航认为，第13ä¸ªæœˆèŠ±çº¢åŒä½£é‡‘å’Œå…¶ä»–ç§ç±»çš„èŠ±çº¢ä¸€æ ·ï¼Œæ€§è´¨ä¸Šå±žäºŽâ€œå¯å˜åŠ¨æŠ¥é…¬â€ã€‚ä¸è¿‡ï¼Œè‹±å›½æ³•å®˜åˆ™è®¤ä¸ºï¼Œå½“æ–°èˆªå‘˜å·¥å°†è¿‘40年来，每年都可领到这笔花红时，第13个月花红已算是基本薪金的一部分，而非“可变动报酬”。对于第13个月花红的解读，比起新航这家本地企业，远在千里之外的英国法官的观点会恐怕更贴近我国工人的看法。



**** Lawyers' Association Wrong About A-G's Discretion ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_760122.html>
M. Ravi, Straits Times


> Why is it misplaced to seek an explanation of this? Actually, the Court of Appeal does not appear to share Mr Anandan's view that the Attorney-General does not need to explain how he exercises his discretion. The court expressly stated that 'once the offender shows, on the evidence before the court, that there is a prima facie breach of a fundamental liberty (that is, that the prosecution has a case to answer), the prosecution will indeed be required to justify its prosecutorial discretion to the court'.



**** Hougang MP Yaw Shin Leong Drops Out Of Sight ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_760301.html>
Andrea Ong, Straits Times


> Hougang MP Yaw Shin Leong has disappeared from the public eye this week amid growing speculation about his personal life.



**** 人民党再闹内讧　七名中委有意脱党 ****
<http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp120128_005.shtml>
游润恬, 联合早报


> æ–°åŠ å¡äººæ°‘å…šåœ¨å…šå¤§ä¼šå‰å¤•å†æ¬¡é—¹å†…è®§ï¼Œå¤šè¾¾ä¸ƒåä¸­å¤®æ‰§è¡Œå§”å‘˜ä¼šçš„æ ¸å¿ƒæˆå‘˜æœ‰æ„è„±å…šã€‚

> å‡ºèµ°çš„éƒ½ä¸æ˜¯ç­‰é—²ä¹‹è¾ˆï¼Œè€Œæ˜¯æ›¾éšäººæ°‘å…šç§˜ä¹¦é•¿è©¹æ—¶ä¸­æ‰“æ±Ÿå±±çš„äººï¼ŒåŒ…æ‹¬è·Ÿè©¹æœ‰æ•°åå¹´äº¤æƒ…çš„è€æœ‹å‹ã€å¿ å®žè·Ÿéšä»–åå¤šå¹´çš„å…šéª¨å¹²åˆ†å­ï¼Œä»¥åŠä»–åœ¨ç¢§å±±â€”å¤§å·´çª‘é›†é€‰åŒºå›¢é˜Ÿçš„å‡ ä¹Žæ‰€æœ‰æˆ˜å‹ã€‚



**** 本地职位空缺减少 ****
<http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp120128_004.shtml>
林妙娜, 联合早报


> 去年9月，本地总职位空缺高达5万4000个，和去年6月相比，职位空缺率下滑了3.4%。经季度调整（seasonally adjusted）后，空缺率则降了13%，只有4万8100个空缺。



**** Why Most Homes Should Be Excluded From AV Amendments ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120128-0000007/Why-most-homes-should-be-excluded-from-AV-amendments>
Paul Chan Poh Hoi, Today


> For most, it takes years of hard work to buy a home, and owner-occupied households deserve to pay a reasonable property tax based on the AV on the date of occupation, as long as they live there, instead of tax based on unearned income.



**** Opposition – Much Higher Standards Expected ****
<http://www.publichouse.sg/categories/politics/item/424-opposition-–-much-higher-standards-expected>
Publichouse.sg


> The opposition parties need a wake-up call and Singaporeans should let them know that much higher standards of behaviour are expected of them.

> Anything less would be doing the opposition movement itself a disfavour. The honeymoon's over.



**** Fighting False Assertion With False Assertion ****
<http://kirstenhan.me/fighting-false-assertion-with-false-assertion/>
Kirsten Han, Funny Little World


> It is ironic that in rebutting Human Rights Watch’s “false assertion”, the Ministry of Law makes use of more false assertions, namely that capital punishment is the reason for low crime rates in Singapore and that it is overwhelmingly supported by Singaporeans. As far as we know, both these statements have no concrete evidence to support them.



**** National Solidarity Party’s Statement Regarding Parliamentary Debate And The Freedom Of Information Act ****
<http://nsp.sg/2012/01/28/national-solidarity-party’s-statement-regarding-parliamentary-debate-and-the-freedom-of-information-act/>
Hazel Poa, National Solidarity Party


> If withholding proposals from the Review Committee is considered a political manoeuvre, then the denial of a Freedom of Information Act is a political manoeuvre on a much grander scale.