[MyAppleMenu] May 24, 2006

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

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

[News]

*** Creative Suite 2 Install Crashes Traced To QuickTime Update
<http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/05/24/cs2quicktime/index.php?lsrc=mwrss>
Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

*** iTunes To Indian Tunes
<http://infotech.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1552457.cms>
India Times

Indians can look forward to their own version of iTunes, Apple's online music store, soon.

*** Inquirer Cited In iPod Case
<http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=31910>
Nick Farrell, The Inquirier

Shanghaied by lawyers claim.

*** Apple Still In 'Early Stages' Of iPod Expansion
<http://www.forbes.com/markets/economy/2006/05/23/apple-computer-0523markets14.html#>
Peter Kang, Forbes

"We believe Apple is still in the early stages of its product expansion and that the company can grow its iPod units at least 20% for the forseeable future," wrote Credit Suisse analyst Robert Semple.

*** Laptop Batteries Can Catch Fire
<http://cbs11tv.com/watercooler/local_story_143165456.html>
Ginger Allen, CBS 11

The battery in the computer is not on Apple's recall list -- at least, not yet.

*** Making Money Selling Music Without DRM: The Rise Of eMusic
<http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/emusic.ars>
Nate Anderson, Ars Technica

Attempts at bypassing or emulating Apple's FairPlay have not been successful, and FairPlay is (famously) unavailable for licensing. So what's a music store to do? To eMusic, the answer was simple: you offer songs as high quality, variable bit rate MP3 files instead. DRM is removed, consumers are happy, and the vast white fields of the iPod are ready for harvest.

*** Apple Releases Xcode 2.3 To Developers
<http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/05/23/xcode/index.php?lsrc=mwrss>
Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

*** Grab Your iPod And Run
<http://emperor.tidbits.com/webx?13@55.c0agbcgLiHF@.3c4f5c5c>
Mark H. Anbinder, TidBITS

Apple and Nike today jointly announced the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, a two-piece wireless gadget that pairs Nike sneakers and an iPod nano to help runners track their performance.

*** Apple Staff Shower Room Gets A Warning Sign
<http://www.macuser.com/apple/apple_staff_shower_room_gets_a.php>
Cyrus Farivar, MacUser

*** The 2Tone MacBook Keyboard
<http://www.engadget.com/2006/05/23/the-2tone-macbook-keyboard/>
Ryan Block, Engadget

Mashing two MacBook keyboards together.

*** Quark: Intel-Native Xpress To Be 'Fast As Hell'
<http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/05/23/kurz/index.php?lsrc=mwrss>
Peter Cohen, Macworld

[Opinion]

*** How To Backup Your Mac Intelligently
<http://www.sitening.com/blog/2006/05/23/how-to-backup-your-mac-intelligently/>
Tyler Hall, Sitening Blog

*** Above All Else, Rivals Of Apple Mostly Need Some Design Mojo
<http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB114842992889661282-gLvw7o3EQ0GjOVTE05szK6Z_Gcs_20060622.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top>
Lee Gomes, Wall Street Journal

Apple has worked hard in recent years to adopt some of the business-process efficiencies that the Wintel companies have long taken for granted. Its rivals, then, ought to be able to make themselves a little more creative.

*** How Can A Mac Fanboy Write Microsoft Books?
<http://peterwright.blogspot.com/2006/05/how-can-mac-fanboy-write-microsoft.html>
Pete Wright, The Secret Life Of An MS Author

I can't find enough work doing Mac stuff to support my family, so Microsoft is the way to go.

*** Are Macs An Acquired Taste?
<http://www.applematters.com/index.php/section/comments/are-macs-an-acquired-taste/>
Chris Seibold, Apple Matters

Perhaps it is analogous to Dr. Glaser's studies on artificial sweetener, it takes a different breed to appreciate the taste of the Mac.

*** MacBook Pro: The Thermal Paste Question
<http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2006/05/23/thermal-paste-question.html>
James Duncan Davidson, O'Reilly Network

With all of that work, my MacBook Pro was transformed from a slightly too hot yet amazing workhorse of a machien to, unfortunately, an amazing workhorse of a machine that runs a bit too hot.

[Review]

*** American History Lux
<http://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=696>
Michael Scarpelli, Inside Mac Games

*** NetBarrier X4 10.4.1: Firewall Has Features, Flash, And Safety, Too
<http://www.macworld.com/2006/05/reviews/netbarrierx4/index.php?lsrc=mwrss>
Jeffery Battersby, Macworld

NetBarrier X 10.4.1 is a versatile, highly configurable firewall application that allows for superior protection of your Mac.

[Sidetrack]

*** Rumor Today: Another Power Product Gone From Apple
Heng-Cheong Leong

Think Secret <http://www.thinksecret.com/news/0605powerschool.html>: Apple will sell PowerSchool, its division that develops student information systems for K-12 school districts, to Pearson Assessments, sources have confirmed.

*** Genius 24/7
Heng-Cheong Leong

Anybody running a betting pool on when will a blog entry "I tried booking for a genius appointment at the NY Cube, and the only time available is between 3 to 4 am" will appear?

*** Doors Remain Murky
Heng-Cheong Leong

As far as I can tell, Audible is sitting on a goldmine. The company has one of the rarest asset in the technology world right now: an actual DRM that will work on the millions and millions of iPods out there.

So why isn't Audible beating on the doors of other music stores? And why isn't all the other music stores knocking on the door of Audible?

Could it be Audible signed one of those secret contracts with Apple?

*** There's Marketing, And Then There's Marketing
Heng-Cheong Leong

Dave Winer <http://www.scripting.com/2006/05/23.html#When:10:55:18PM>: [Apple says] in their TV ads that Macs work better with Japanese cameras. This is not ture... I wonder why Microsoft doesn't respond to Apple's ads. Apple is just regurgitating the (mistaken) conventional wisdom.

*** Heads I Win, Tails You Lose
Heng-Cheong Leong

Sometimes, you just can't win <http://www.netfunny.com/rhf/jokes/06/May/station.html>.

[Wintel]

*** Ballmer: Vista Consumer Launch Could Slip Further
<http://www.cio.com/blog_view.html?CID=21382>
CIO

The launch of the consumer version of Windows Vista could be pushed back past the stated January launch date, Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer said Wednesday.

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

[News]

*** Security Vs. Privacy: The Rematch
<http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,70971-0.html?tw=rss.index>
Jennifer Granick, Wired News

As a country we need to move beyond this false security vs. privacy meme and craft laws that improve both -- laws that take into account the changing privacy landscape, and the indisputable need to fight terrorism.

*** Company Asks U.S. To Provide Radio Space For Free Internet
<http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/23/technology/23wireless.html?ex=1306036800&en=e7e84c884c2464a4&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss>
Matt Richtel, New York Times

In an ambitious proposal, a Silicon Valley company has asked the government to give it a band of radio spectrum for a free high-speed wireless internet network that would cover most of the country and be supported by advertising.

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

[Life]

*** Life In The Fast-Food Lane
<http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/24/dining/24note.html?_r=1&oref=slogin>
Frank Bruni, New York Times

A few weks ago I embarked on a gluttonous odyssey, with a changing cast of co-conspirators, across this fast-food nation, from New York to California, sea to greasy sea. The goal was to size up and single out the best fast food from familiar national chains, relatively unfamiliar regional chains and tiny local chains I had never encountered.

*** Repeat After Me: Aaarrgghh!
<http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/?p=63>
Frank Bruni, New York Times

I ate almost all of my 42 fast-food meals in the car, and I got almost all of that food by using the restaurants' drive-through windows. Which means that I spoke my orders into those invisible microphones in the middle of big, glowing, illustrated menus. Or, rather, shouted my order. Or, in truth, screeched at the top of my lungs.

*** A Writer Is Born
<http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2006/05/24/keillor/>
Garrison Keillor, Salon

For a Midwestern 11-year-old, a drive to New York si the trip of all trips. Even better: Going home and telling about it.

[Expressions]

*** A Love Song
<http://www.monsoonmag.com/poetry/i3lkizilbash1.html>
Leena Kizilbash, Monsoon Magazine

*** The Missing Always Leave Something Behind
<http://cimarronreview.okstate.edu/currentissue_sample1.html>
Jen Town, Cimarron Review

*** Goldi-Lox And The Lost Souls
<http://www.poetryhifi.com/zonarosa/winter3.html>
Jonah Winter, Poetry Hi-Fi

*** Hidden Agenda
<http://www.biguglyreview.com/poetry/der-hovanessian.htm>
Diana Der-Hovanessian, BigUglyReview.com

*** Drake's Psalmistry
<http://www.slate.com/id/2137017/>
Jim Powell, Slate

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

[Ramblings]

*** Abolish TV Licensing
Heng-Cheong Leong

I do support public / government funding of minority, arts, public affairs, and children programming. What I want to see changed is that all Singaporeans should pay for the programming, regardless whether one owns any televisions or radios.

After all, with mass-market entertainment available on mobile phones, internet, DVDs and other alternate channels, the rich and the elite do not need to purchase a television or radio set in order to consume mass-market entertainment. Even MediaCorp programming is available on the internet and mobile phones.

Abolish television and radio licensing, and use money from the general taxation to fund public television and radio programming. It's simply more fair that way.

(The state is expected to get a boost in taxation income from gambling, which should easily cover the loss of income from the licensing scheme.)

[News]

*** Singapore Seeks To Capitalise On Interest In Asian Films
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainment/view/210063/1/.html>
Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia

Singapore is planning to produce 15 movies a year within the next three years, to match countries like Australia.

*** Singapore Polls Undemocratic, Says Opposition Candidate
<http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=Rest+of+the+World&month=May2006&file=World_News200605244257.xml>
Reuters

"During the time of polling, there were many threats and vote-buying tactics that are clearly unconsittutional."

*** Chee Siok Chin Wants Courts To Annul GE Results
<http://www.todayonline.com/articles/120205.asp>
Loh Chee Kong, Today

[Opinion]

*** The Vigorous Imagination
<http://these-fragments.blogspot.com/2006/05/vigorous-imagination.html>
Fragments

*** The Line Between Defamation And Debate
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/analysis/view/210025/1/.html>
Thomas Koshy, Today

Not everything can be proven in court. But that does not mean that they are not true or should not be discussed. Still, one cannot doubt that persons defamed have a right to clear their name in court.

*** So, Is This A Part Of Lee Kuan Yew's "Asian Values?"
<http://uselesstree.typepad.com/useless_tree/2006/05/so_is_this_a_pa.html>
The Useless Tree

Now, it seems, the Lees themselves have pretty much given up trying to distinguish a morally righteous Singapore from a hopelessly debauched America.

*** More WMDs From Dr Mahathir
<http://ktemoc.blogspot.com/2006/05/more-wmds-from-dr-mahathir.html>
Ktemoc Konsiders...

Dr Mahathir has revealed that it had been the Malaysian side who offered the sand and airspace to Singapore.

*** Singapore Politics, From An Economist's Viewpoint
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/story/0,5562,395055,00.html?>
Yan Yueling, Straits Times

The essence is that what is crucial for consumers' welfare is not whether an industry is actually a monopoly or competitive, but whether there is a real threat of competition.

*** Why Pattaya When Sentosa Can Do?
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/story/0,5562,395175,00.html?>
Ang Hak Heng, Straits Times

To understand the residents better, the grassroots leaders should walk into the estate and get closer to them. Perhaps they can discuss at a community club or school during the holidays in June.

*** Facing The Court, Lawyerless
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/free/story/0,6418,395200,00.html?>
Toh Han Li, Straits Times

[Entertainment]

*** Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao
<http://epicurative.blogspot.com/2006/05/crystal-jade-la-mian-xiao-long-bao.html>
Only Slightly Pretentious Food

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

[Tunes]

*** Blood And Oil
<http://www.theoldceremony.com/>
The Old Ceremony
<http://www.djangohaskins.com/toc/audio/BloodAndOil.mp3>