[MyAppleMenu] Jul 14, 2006

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

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

[Opinion]

*** iPod Forever? Not In Its Current Form
<http://news.com.com/iPod+forever+Not+in+its+current+form/2010-1071_3-6094180.html?tag=newsmap>
Charles Cooper, CNET News.com

Up until now, who could argue Steve Jobs' decision? The iPod/iTunes combo is the "wow" product of the decade but, increasingly Apple will be pressed to bring down the walls it has erected.

[Review]

*** Disney/Pixar Cars: Radiator Springs Adventures
<http://www.macworld.com/2006/07/reviews/carsrsa/index.php?lsrc=mwrss>
Peter Cohen, Macworld

Radiation Springs Adventures is a fun romp in the world of Disney/Pixar's Cars, at least for younger players.

*** FontLab Studio 5.0: Font Editing And Production Tool For Pros Includes OpenType Support
<http://www.macworld.com/2006/07/reviews/fontstudio5/index.php?lsrc=mwrss>
Bill Troop, Macworld

[Sidetrack]

*** Warning Apple: Sleeping May Be Banned
Heng-Cheong Leong

According to The Times <http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,19509-2266159,00.html>, the U.K. government is to "outlaw standby switches on televisions and videos and DVD players to cut the amount of electricity wasted in the home."

What's next? The sleep mode in your Macintosh, that's what. Apple, better start prepare true hibernation mode for Mac OS X, which is the same as sleep, but without using electricity. (All data in the memory is written into the hard disk, and the computer turns off.)

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

[News]

*** Microsoft Research Automates Hunt For Search Engine Spam
<http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1988674,00.asp>
Ryan Naraine, eWeek

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

[World]

*** Three Feet Higher And Rising
<http://www.citypaper.com/news/story.asp?id=12022>
Ralph Brave, Baltimore City Paper

Facing global warming in Maryland.

[Life]

*** In Alaska, Strange Light And Ancient Ice
<http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/07/14/travel/escapes/14alaska.html>
Bonnie Tsui, New York Times

Alaska in summer is the Land of Everything Midnight Sun, from microbrews to marathons. Most uses of the phrase are lighthearted marketing gimmicks dreamed up to draw visitors to the state during the long daylight season. But the midnight sun glacier hikes like the one I experienced actually take hikers out into the wild during the late-night light.

*** On A Wink And A Prayer
<http://education.guardian.co.uk/faithschools/story/0,,1820138,00.html>
Natasha Walter, The Guardian

They don't believe. And vicars often know they don't Yet more and more middle-class parents are going to church in order to get their children into church schools, where they think they will get a better education. The result is divided communities -- so why is the church allowing it to happen?

*** Some Dark Thoughts On Happiness
<http://newyorkmetro.com/news/features/17573/>
Jennifer Senior, New York

More annd more psychologists and researchers believe they know what makes people happy. But the question is, does a New Yorker want to be happy?

*** Why We're Fatter
<http://www.slate.com/id/2145689/>
Sydney Spiesel, Slate

Five reasons you haven't thought of.

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

[Ramblings]

*** Our Money Not As Good As Tiger Beer's Money
Heng-Cheong Leong

When Tiger Beer pay one whole bunch of money to MediaCorp to pay for the production or acquisition of a specific television programme, MediaCorp will announce at the beginning and at the end of the television programme that, in case you didn't know, Tiger Beer is sponsoring your viewing entertainment pleasure, and It's Time for Tiger Beer.

But when Singaporeans pay MDA (Media Development Authority) which pay MediaCorp for the production or acquisition of television programmes -- through the television licensing scheme -- MediaCorp does not acknowledge anything on-air. Not even a single line of credits at the end of the programme. (Instead, we get to see which hair salon is doing the actresses' hair. And It's Time for Tiger Beer.)

Isn't that some sort of discrepancy? I sure feel shortchanged. So I asked MediaCorp's feedback unit <http://www.myapplemenu.com/singapore/2006/07/10/#20060710bg000001> about this.

And MediaCorp played "tai-chi", and pushed the issue to MDA: "To your point about on-air acknowledgement of MDA in the genres that it subsidizes, you may want to broach this with MDA. From our understanding, the MDA is not so much interested in branding itself -- unlike commercial entities -- but in ensuring that the "Public Service" programmes are broadcast for social cohesiveness/nation building purposes."

My take on MediaCorp's reply? We don't need to acknowledge, because MDA never forced us to. Tiger Beer can choose not to advertise and be a sponsor, so we better give them some advertisement time. You TV viewers are forced to pay your licensing fee, so we need not give you any "advertisement" time.

I just hope that someone out there within MediaCorp and MDA is keeping track on where all these TV licensing money is going, and whether all these money is effective.

[News]

*** Setting The Record Straight For Malaysians: Why Crooked Bridge Project Was Aborted
<http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Friday/National/20060714082109/Article/local1_html>
New Straits Times

The government has declassified several confidential documents and extracts to allow Malaysians to understand why the bridge project to Singapore was aborted.

*** 'I Have No Interest In Sand'
<http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/7/14/nation/14833066&sec=nation>
The Star

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar has denied having interest in companies selling sand that could benefit from the offer to sell sand to Singapore.

*** Survey: Public Trust In Charities Hit By NKF Scandal
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/portal/site/STI/menuitem.c2aef3d65baca16abb31f610a06310a0/?vgnextoid=6fadbe120b93a010VgnVCM1000000a35010aRCRD&vgnextfmt=vgnartid:8f262a03b586c010VgnVCM100000430a0a0aRCRD>
Yap Su-Yin and Theresa Tan, Straits Times

The porportion of people who donated money for cuases last year fell to 89 per cent, from 97 per cent in the same survey in 2004, said the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre.

[Opinion]

*** Singapore's Finest
<http://anonymousxwrites.blogspot.com/2006/07/singapores-finest_14.html>
Anonymous_X

Singapore Police Force. Yup, I've dealt with them and I've been always impressed. Not only do they handle Big cases, but also they treat Small cases seriously.

*** The Singaporean Flag
<http://www.saltwetfish.net/journal/posts/217>
Kelvin Wong, Salt * Wet * Fish

It's sad that people like me could not identify myself with our national flag.

[Entertainment]

*** 'I Not Stupid Too' Disappointing Sequel To Biting Social Commentary
<http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200607140324.htm>
Associated Press

"I Not Stupid Too" is as boring and stale as the topdown culture Jack Neo so craftily ridiculed in the first installment.

The Shuffle by MyAppleMenu
==================================================
<http://www.myapplemenu.com/podcast/>
Life is random. More tunes, less talk.

[Tunes]

*** Just One Thing
<http://incus.net/>
Incus
<http://www.forestdancefestival.org/incus/img/mp3/incus-justonething.mp3>