[MyAppleMenu] Oct 26, 2005

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
==================================================
<http://www.myapplemenu.com/>
Mac news for Mac people

[News]

*** No Porn For You, Video iPod!
<http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,69351,00.html?tw=rss.TOP>
Larry Buhl, Wired News

With a couple of exceptions, porno producers are in no hurry to provide stag movies for the iPod, thanks to fears of a public outcry and a government crackdown.

*** iTunes Strengthens Chinese Ties
<http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=12985>
Jonny Evans, Macworld UK

A deluge of Chinese music debuted on iTunes US last night.

*** FrontRow And PhotoBooth On BitTorrent
<http://cultofmac.com/index.php/2005/10/25/frontrow_and_photobooth_on_bittorrent>
Cult Of Mac

Apple's FrontRow and PhotoBooth software are both available on BitTorrent, even though they're supposed to be restricted to the new iMac.

*** Apple StoneWalls Over iPod Nano Lawsuit
<http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2144627/apple-stomewalls-nano-lawsuit>
Iain THomson, vnunet.com

Apple is adamantly refusing to comment on the class action lawsuit launched against the company in the US concern allegations of design flaws in its iPod nano media players.

*** Battle For The Soul Of The MP3 Phone
<http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.11/phone.html>
Frank Rose, Wired

Consumers want an iPod phone that will play any song, anytime, anywhere. Just four little problems: the cell carriers, the record labels, the handset makers, and Apple itself. The inside story of why the ROKR went wrong. (And what it will take to make a truly rocking music phone.)

*** Apple Posts Final Cut Pro 5 Updates
<http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/10/25/fcp5/index.php>
Peter Cohen, Macworld

*** Apple Insiders' Happy Tunes
<http://www.thestreet.com/_tscrss/stocks/troywolverton/10249203.html>
Troy Wolverton, TheStreet.com

With shares of Apple trading near an all-time high,CFO Peter Oppenheimer decided it was time to cash in.

*** Apple: iTunes' Top Competitor Is P2P
<http://news.com.com/Apple+iTunes+top+competitor+is+P2P/2100-1027_3-5913461.html?part=rss&tag=5913461&subj=news>
Munir Kotadia, CNET News.com

Apple's biggest competitors in the digital music downloading market are illegal music file-sharing services such as Kazaa and BitTorrent, said iTunes Vice President Eddy Cue.

[Review]

*** Timbuktu Pro 8.5: Worthy Upgrade Stresses Security And Encryption, Brings Tiger Compatibility
<http://www.macworld.com/2005/10/reviews/timbuktupro85/index.php>
Andrew T. Laurence, Macworld

Timbuktu Pro remains the gold standard for Macintosh remote control.

*** Can I Put Eight 30-Inch Apple Cinema Displays On My New Power Mac G5?
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/webx?14@779.YECwaUfx8R5@.3c4f5c5c!discloc=.3c7124b3>
Glenn Fleishman, TidBITS

Our dream of a wall of 30-inch LCDs driven by one Mac hasn't been answered yet. In the meantime, about $28,000 will buy you the next best thing.

*** Power Mac G5 Benchmarks: Dual-Core's Strong Showing
<http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/10/25/dualcorebenchmarks/index.php>
James Galbraith, Macworld

There appears to be no performance penalty for using dual-core processors instead of two single-core processors with the same clock speed, Macworld Lab has concluded after preliminary testing of the dual-core Power Mac G5s released by Apple a week ago.

[Sidetrack]

*** Oct 31 Is Here
Heng-Cheong Leong

Have you gotten your costumes <http://boulderdirt.com/features/article.cfm/4725> for your iPod already?

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

[News]

*** Antoher Approach To The Search Engine
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/24/AR2005102401708.html>
David A. Vise, Washington Post

Challengers to Google and Yahoo hope to find success in specialization.

*** But, Does The Developer Get It?
<http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/8199?CMP=OTC-13IV03560550>
Andrew Anderson, O'Reilly Network

Developers need to write software that gets it. It doesn't matter if it's called "Web 2.0", "Web 999.0" or anything else that makes a nice sound bite. If you want people to use it and love it, the software needs to do something special.

*** To Beta Or Not To Beta
<http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/05/10/wo/wo_102605burke.asp?trk=top>
Jon Burke, MIT Technology Review

While many startups still operate in "stealth" mode, a growing number instead bring out public "beta" versions of their software.

*** Tech's Young Turks Are Back
<http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2005/tc20051025_114996.htm>
BusinessWeek

As internet companies and the economy in general rebound, so has the college-age entrepreneur -- but it's a tougher road today.

*** Consumers Ready To Ditch Landlines
<http://news.com.com/Consumers+ready+to+ditch+landlines/2100-1039_3-5913185.html?part=rss&tag=5913185&subj=news>
Dinesh C. Sharma, CNET News.com

More and more Americans are trading landline phones for wireless phones and internet telephony, new data shows.

*** Passports To Get RFID Chip Implants
<http://news.com.com/Passports+to+get+RFID+chip+implants/2100-7348_3-5913644.html?part=rss&tag=5913644&subj=news>
Declan McCullagh and Anne Broache, CNET News.com

All U.S. passports will be implanted with remotely readable computer chip starting in October 2006, the Bush administration has announced.

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

[Life]

*** Mirror, Mirror...
<http://www.time.com/time/asia/covers/501051031/story.html>
Ling Liu, Time

Women are supposed to be the fairer sex, but Asian men are spending a lot of time and money on their looks. Why? Because the girls like them that way.

[Expressions]

*** The Epidural
<http://www.thebluemoon.com/fiction/lstephens.shtml>
Lori Ann Stephens, The Blue Moon Review

*** Moon Of The Falling Leaves
<http://www.thebluemoon.com/fiction/lyates.shtml>
Lawrence G. Yates, The Blue Moon Review

*** To Opinion: An Assay
<http://www.slate.com/id/2120051/>
Jane Hirshfield, Slate

[EOF]

*** Coughing Cats May Be Allergic To People, Vets Say
<http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/10/1025_051025_cat_asthma.html>
Maryann Mott, National Geographic News

Humans can trigger asthma attacks in cats.

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

[News]

*** When The Credits Roll Out A Person Of Interest
<http://smh.com.au/news/world/when-the-credits-roll-out-a-person-of-interest/2005/10/25/1130239521950.html>
Connie Levett, Sydney Morning Herald

Getting political in Singapore can land a filmmaker in trouble.

*** Howard Government Abandons Australian Citizen Sentenced To Death In Singapore
<http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/oct2005/hang-o26.shtml>
Rick Kelly, World Socialist

Canberra has made no effort to do anything beyond again asking for clemency and notifying the Singapore government of Australia's official objection to the death penalty.

*** Decision On AdamAir Slammed
<http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/10/26/asia/12422652&sec=asia>
Straits Times

Tiger Airways' chief executive Tony Davis feels AdamAir should have been treated as a budget airline and barred in the same way that Singapore blocked AdamAir's low-cost rival Awair from flying here.

*** Make It Law To Give Maids Day Off, Say Agencies
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/free/story/0,6418,348983,00.html?>
Arlina Arshad, Straits Times

A new clause in employment contracts requiring employers to give maids time off will not be effective unless it is legally enforceable, maid agencies and support groups have warned.

*** Letters From Death Row
<http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/letters-from-death-row/2005/10/26/1130291436770.html>
Dewi Cooke, Sydney Morning Herald

An Australian condemned to death in Singapore says he has come to terms with his situation.

*** University Plays Down Fears About Singapore Offshoot
<http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/university-plays-down-fears-about-singapore-offshoot/2005/10/25/1130239521814.html>
Kelly Burke, Sydney Morning Herald

The University of NSW has moved to allay fears about academic freedom and human rights at its planned $200 million-plus Singapore campus. But university management has conceded it cannot guarantee protection of its academic staff in Singapore, given the city-state's harsh laws of governing public comment and defamation.

[Opinion]

*** It Won't Clear Woodlands Congestion
<http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Wednesday/Letters/20051026085931/Article/indexb_html>
S.S. Bhalla, New Straits Times

My observation is that the traffic jams are far more severe at the Woodlands checkpoint than at the Johor Baru Immigation complex. Malaysia building a new bridge and CIQ complex is not going to change anything. The problem is in Woodlands, not Johor Baru.

*** Why Give Out Awards On Eve Of Deepavali?
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/story/0,5562,349006,00.html?>
Chindy TanHui Cheng, Straits Times

We need to develop racial sensitivity.

*** Apathetic Commuters Put Driver In A Spot
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/story/0,5562,349024,00.html?>
Tania HengLi Yen, Straits Times

I was taken aback by how some commuters can remain indifferent when thrust into situations that call for assistance and, to aggravate matters, put their own interests before others.