[MyAppleMenu] Jan 20, 2006

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

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

[News]

*** Apple Reduces G5 Desktop, PB G4 Prices
<http://www.macnn.com/articles/06/01/20/apple.refurbs.available/>
MacNN

*** Apple's Rainy Season
<http://www.thestreet.com/_tsclsii/tech/hardware/10262560.html>
Troy Wolverton, TheStreet.com

A number of factors contributed to the lowered near-term outlook, CFO Peter Oppenheimer said. The new Intel-based notebook computer won't ship until next month, and that the current second quarter will have one fewer week than the holiday period.

*** Deal Could Offer New Disney Role For Apple Chief
<http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/20/business/media/20pixar.html?hp&ex=1137819600&en=69ac7889899face1&ei=5094&partner=homepage>
Laura M. Holson and John Markoff, New York Times

*** Apple: Expect Intel Laptop Shortages
<http://www.crn.com/sections/breakingnews/dailyarchives.jhtml?articleId=177101978>
Gregg Keizer, TechWeb

Apple will likely run into shortages of its first Intel-based laptop when the machine debuts next month, company exectives said as they laid out the Mac contribution to its most profitable quarter ever.

*** Apple: Good Things Come In Small Packages
<http://news.com.com/2061-10793_3-6028732.html?part=rss&tag=6028732&subj=news>
Ina Fried, CNET News.com

Continuing the small box trend it started with the iPod, Apple has started packaging its software in containers barely wider than a CD.

*** Any Place Steve Jobs Call Home Becomes Historic
<http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/13663139.htm>
Patty Fisher, San Jose Mercury News

Steve Jobs might as well give up on building his dream home in Woodside... And the longer the house sits there empty, gathering dust and mold, the more historic it becomes.

*** Apple: Design And Software, Not Hardware, Distinguish Macs From Intel-Based PCs
<http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/01/18/software_not_hardware_distinguishes_macs/>
Scott M. Fulton, III, TG Daily

"We build the whole widget. We don't take off-the-shelf parts, [and add to them] huge, major components from other companies, then throw our operating system on it... We start with the industrial design, we do all the electrical engineering, every single aspect about a Mac has been designed by Apple."

[Opinion]

*** Why Most Customers Shrug Off DRM
<http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/index.php?p=2444>
Marc Wagner, ZDNet

Apple -- the biggest DRM player out ther e-- has the luxury of a loyal customer base who trust them. As long as Apple keeps that trust, their customers will accept DRM, no questions asked.

*** Apple In Secret Deal With Microsoft To Hide Macintosh From World?
<http://www.macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments_opinion/8273/>
Steve Jack, MacDailyNews

The headline must be true because it's inconceivable to me that a company as talented as Apple can be so bad at selling what is obviously a vastly superior solution to than the one that most people use.

[Review]

*** Apple iMac (Intel Core Duo)
<http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1913219,00.asp>
Joel Santo Domingo, PC Magazine

*** Replacing Entourage: Apple's Address Book More Powerful Than You Might Think
<http://lowendmac.com/eubanks/06/0119.html>
Ed Eubanks Jr, Low End Mac

*** iPhoto 6 First Impressions
<http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/9062?CMP=OTC-13IV03560550&ATT=iPhoto+6+First+Impressions>
Derrick Story, O'Reilly Network

My first impression of iPhoto 6 could be summed up in one word: "Wow!" My second and third impresions aren't bad either.

[Sidetrack]

*** The Best Kind Of Evangelism...
Heng-Cheong Leong

... is the kind <http://www.geeknewscentral.com/archives/005648.html> where your customer willing do it for you, for free.

[Wintel]

*** The Futility Of Boycotts
<http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/0604/geov-parrish.php>
Geov Parrish, Seattle Weekly

Planning to boycott Microsoft? Get in line.

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

[News]

*** Is Google Out Of Steam?
<http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/jan2006/pi20060119_9734_pi044.htm>
BusinessWeek

Downgrading its stock to sell, S&P's Scott Kessler explains why the search giant is vulnerable on several fronts. Key among them: click fraud.

*** Bush Administration Demands Search Data; Google Says No; AOL, MSN & Yahoo Said Yes
<http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/060119-060352>
SearchEngineWatch

*** Google Refuses Demand For Search Information
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/19/AR2006011903331.html>
Arshad Mohammed, Washington Post

*** Faster Wi-Fi Standard Gets Draft Approval
<http://news.com.com/Faster+Wi-Fi+standard+gets+draft+approval/2100-7351_3-6029029.html?part=rss&tag=6029029&subj=news>
Tm Krazit, CNET News.com

A faster Wi-Fi standard appears to be about a year aaway, after a task group unanimously approved a proposal for an update to the 802.11g standard.

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

[Life]

*** Dinner With Porn Stars -- And My Wife
<http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/movies/mmx-0512090148dec09,0,6599180.story?coll=mmx-movies_heds>
Peter Sagal, Chicago Tribune

If you have a dinner date with three beautiful stars of adult films, it's a no-brainer that you bring your wife.

*** I'm Pro-Choice And I Fuck
<http://www.villagevoice.com/people/0603,bussel,71740,24.html>
Rachel Kramer Bussel, Village Voice

True choice means more than just the option not to become a mom.

*** Uncle Sam-I-Am
<http://www.opinionjournal.com/la/?id=110007816>
Tunku Varadarajan, Wall Street Journal

Dr. Seuss celebrates the American virtues of slaesmanship and open-mindedness.

*** In Winter, It's Scallops
<http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/18/dining/18mini.html?partner=rssyahoo>
Mark Bittman, New York Times

Fans of seasonal, regional foods have little to celebrate in the depths of winter, especially those of us in the Northeast. Among the notable exceptions is the bay scallop.

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

[Ramblings]

*** Battle Of The Terminals
Heng-Cheong Leong

It seems that the new Budget Terminal over at Changi Airport has attracted only one customer so far: Tiger Airways. This can imply two things: either the "main" terminals are already offering extremely competitive pricing, or the Budget Terminal is too expensive.

Oh, and you know what, I kinda like the naming of the Budget Terminal. It sets more accurate expectations than "fancy" names such as Lee Kuan Yew Terminal or Terminal B. You don't want visitors getting the idea that this represents what Changi Airport has to offer. "It's budget terminal, guys."

[News]

*** Singapore Organization To Take Over Thai Telecom Giant
<http://english.people.com.cn/200601/20/eng20060120_236970.html>
Xinhua

The chief executive of Singapore's Temasek Holdings, Ho Ching, is to appear at a news conference next Monday to announce the takeover of Shin Corp Plc, the telecom giant founded by Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, according to a telecom industry source.

*** Singapore's Kidney Patients Should Consider Kidney Transplant If Possible: Health Experts
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/189093/1/.html>
Lee U-Wen, Today

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan's signal on Tuesday for a rethink of Singapore's default dialysis prescription for patients with kidney failure made a nation used to a proliferation of dialysis centres sit up and wonder: Why did it take so long?

*** Singapore Figures May Lead To Trade Probe
<http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailbusiness.asp?fileid=20060120.L01&irec=0>
Jarkarta Post

The government should investigate the possible under-invoicing and smuggling of goods from Singapore, as that country's latest trade statistics reveal a large discrepancy in its exports to Indonesia compared to the Indonesian data, an association official says.

*** Is Singapore Quake-Proof?
<http://www.todayonline.com/articles/96256.asp>
Lin Yanqin, Today

Experts call for study to assess how the island will cope in event of an earthquake.

[Opinion]

*** What If Drugs Are Hidden On Singapore Cars?
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/story/0,5562,366051,00.html?>
Tay Xiong Sheng, Straits Times

*** Why VIPs To Tekong Get 'Special Treatment'
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/story/0,5562,366052,00.html?>
Benedict Lim, Ministry of Defence, Straits Times

BMTC does normally facilitate the entry and exit from Tekong of persons holding national office to ensure their security and also as a basic courtesy and respect for their appointment.

*** Managing Political Dissent
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/free/story/0,6418,366061,00.html?>
Catherine Lim, Straits Times

What the Singapore government has been doing quietly is to develop a strategy by which it can simultaneously achieve two objectives that appear to contradict each other: on the one hand, reassuring the electorate through a generous slew of opening-up measures; and on the other, making sure that nothing has changed.