[MyAppleMenu] Mar 29, 2004

Mon Mar 29 13:15:01 EST 2004

MyAppleMenu Newsletter
Monday, March 29, 2004

MyAppleMenu
==================================================
<http://www.myapplemenu.com/index.html>
Mac News for Mac Users

[Top Stories]

*** Core Constituency?
<http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/03/26/13OPcurve_1.html>
by Tom Yager, InfoWorld
Apple is mastering the art of assuming the shape a particular customer prefers to see.

*** The iPod Is On A Steady March To Mainstream
<http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/166541_ipodoverview.html>
by Phil Kloer, Cox News Service

[News]

*** iTunes Music Store Brings Music(als) To Your Ears
<http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=747>
by BroadwayWorld.com
Now, there is the iTunes Music Store, where you can find hundreds of your favoite musical show albums, all of which can be easily downloaded legally to your computer with lightningg fast speed.

*** Laps For Class
<http://www.saljournal.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/1565/format/html/displaystory.html>
by Michael Strand, Salina Journal
Pilot program puts laptops in backpacks at Smoky Valley.

*** Corporate Giants Get Into Music Groove
<http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/03/28/1080412236362.html>
by garry Barker, The Age
Overkill marketing may ultimately kill the golden music goose, but in the meantime, some of the biggest names in marketing are steppin up the beat.

*** France: PowerBook 12" Combo, SuperDrive Price Cuts
<http://www.macminute.com/2004/03/29/pbpricecutsfrance>
by MacMinute

*** Apple Launches 'Brillant Savings' Promo
<http://www.macminute.com/2004/03/28/brilliantsavings>
by MacMinute
US$500 back when you purchase a Power Mac G5 and a 23-inch Cinema HD Display at the same time.

[Review]

*** Some Undocumented Tricks For Mac OS X
<http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/computing/personaltech/20040329-9999-news_mz1b29mac.html>
by Al Fasoldt, Union-Tribune Newhouse News Service
 Every operating system has hidden features. Here are some undocumented, hidden or unappreciated tips and tricks for Mac OS X computers.

[Sidetrack]

*** Fourth Job In Ten Years: Back To Square One? 
<http://www.myapplemenu.com/2004/03/29/#20040329bg000002>
by Heng-Cheong Leong
This week marks the final week of my career's third job. (If you consider me being having a career, i.e.)

I still have fond memories of my very first job, my very first project. My role is to port an in-house multimedia library onto System 7, so that Mac applications that we wrote can also play the same movie files as on Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS. (This was before QuickTime really worked great on Windows; Microsoft was still working on Video for Windows, Real is nowhere to be found. And Apple had not sued Microsoft.) It's man-verus-machine: how to make Macintosh understand Video for Windows format. (The other direction is relatively easier: after all, Apple has already ported QuickTime to Windows. We didn't try porting QuickTime to MS-DOS, as far as I remember.)

Next week, I'll be returning to a programming job, and I'll be working for someone who was there during my first project, when I was still green. It seems to me I'm back at my first love, after trying various job roles thorughout the past ten years.

But, I haven't been doing any serious programming for the past 2.5 years. (Well, nothing where my next meal is dependent on.) My boss believes in me, although I'm a bit shaky in the confidence department. Let's see next week whether I can still hack it.

Thanks for your support of MyAppleMenu. If the quality here degrade next week, you'd know I might just be struggling a little at my new job.

*** What Do You Do When One Of Your Bigger Developers On Your Platform Has A Problem? 
<http://www.myapplemenu.com/2004/03/29/#20040329bg000003>
by Heng-Cheong Leong
Dear Microsoft...

One of your bigger developers on your Windows XP platform -- you know the one who have ported software to your platform so that your platform can support the world's most popular portable music player -- is having some problems<http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93764> with one of the bigger selling point<http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/using/howto/customize/fastswitch.asp> of your latest and great operating system. Can you, like, spare a few headcounts to help Apple solve this problem? Thanks.

*** A Little Of The Permanent 
<http://www.myapplemenu.com/2004/03/29/#20040329bg000004>
by Heng-Cheong Leong
Michael Lydon<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/29/nyregion/29diary.html>: In this tumultuous city, we cling to whatever doesn't change. Then that changes, and we must start looking again.

*** A City Blogs 
<http://www.myapplemenu.com/2004/03/29/#20040329bg000005>
by Heng-Cheong Leong
Is the Dear Diary<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/29/nyregion/29diary.html> column in New York Times an example of a group blog -- where the entire city participates?

*** Ghost Town 
<http://www.myapplemenu.com/2004/03/29/#20040329bg000001>
by Heng-Cheong Leong
This is probably circulating around the Blog world right now: My Rides Through Chernobyl Area<http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/>.

18 years later, Chernobyl is still, naturally, emptied of living souls. This little photo essay invites the readers for a ride into this emptiness.

The Tomorrow Weblog
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<http://www.myapplemenu.com/tomorrow/index.html>
Emerging Technology. Innovative Applications. New Economy.

[Top Stories]

*** How E-Voting Threatens Democracy
<http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,62790,00.html?tw=rss.TOP>
by Kim Zetter, Wired News
Nobody wants another Florida election debacle. Eletronic voting is supposed to be the answer, but a growing body of evidence suggests the technology, at least in its current form, cannot be trusted.

[Linux]

*** Linux More Expensive Than Windows
<http://www.linuxworld.com.au/index.php/id;383869897;fp;2;fpid;1>
by Manek Dubash, TechWorld.com
You're entitled to feel more than a little sceptical when Microsoft commissions research that concludes WIndows is better than the open-source OS from a total cost of ownership perspective. This report was commissioned independently.

MyAppleMenu Reader
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<http://www.myapplemenu.com/reader/index.html>
The other things in life

[Life]

*** Abridged Too Far
<http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2004/03/29/willows/index_np.html>
by Hilary Flower, Salon
I went to the library to get my daughter "The Wind in the Willows." What I found was a happy-face, Disney-esque conspiracy to rob the classics of children's lit of their drama, their passion and their soul.

*** News Reports For Ultra-Short Attentions
<http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/28/fashion/28SHEP.html?ex=1395810000&en=e30bfae74d22d6c3&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND>
by Warren St. John, New York Times
Shepard Smith, the host of Fox News Channel's "Fox Report," regularly pulls in around 1.5 million viewers. Part of his technique is to edit out verbs.

SingaporeSurf
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<http://www.myapplemenu.com/singapore/index.html>
Life in the city

[News]

*** The Nudge That Matters
<http://www.todayonline.com/articles/16721.asp>
by Loh Chee Kong, Today
Chiam See Tong, arguably the unofficial leader of the opposition in Singapore, is far from ready to throw in the towel.

*** Tiger Wants Budget Terminal To Be Kept Basic
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/singapore/story/0,4386,242834,00.html?>
by Karamjit Kaur, Straits Times
'Functional and efficient' is how no-frills carrier Tiger Airways wants it.

[Technology]

*** Will Wi-Fi Still Fly When 3G Chugs In?
<http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/sub/bizit/story/0,4574,112192,00.html?>
by Raju Chellan, Business Times
They could co-exist. But then it is likely Singapore could initially be an island of 3G, surrounded by a sea of Wi-Fi.

[Entertainment]

*** Going Up Against The Walls
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/storyprintfriendly/0,1887,242769,00.html?>
by Tan Shzr Ee, Straits Times
A yuppie-oriented programme at The Arts House has been lined up for the rest of the year. But is the space, which seats 156 at most, too small to be financially viable?