[MyAppleMenu] Nov 9, 2006

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

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

[News]

*** Apple Ditches 'Mac Guy' In New Ads
<http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2006/11/apple-ditches-mac-guy-in-new-ads.php>
Radar Online

*** Adobe Ships Creative Suite 2.3
<http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/11/08/creativesuite/index.php?lsrc=mwrss>
Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

Adobe is now shipping Creative Suite 2.3, an enhanced version of the application bundle that now includes Dreamweaver 8 and Acrobat Professional 8.

*** Apple Says Huge Interest In New iPod
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/08/AR2006110800640.html>
Duncan Martell, Reuters

*** Liberating iPods In Cambridge
<http://business.newsforge.com/business/06/10/31/2146245.shtml?tid=35&tid=132&tid=114>
Benjamin Mako Hill, NewsForge

iPods have become a symbol of everything that free and open source software and free culture advocates oppose.

*** PocketMac Add-On Secures Data On Macs
<http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2053919,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594>
Patrick Hoffman, eWeek

*** New And Improved
Heng-Cheong Leong

Email Backup Pro <http://homepage.mac.com/minge/emailbackuppro/index.html>: Automated email backup solution.

AppelJack <http://sourceforge.net/projects/applejack>: Troubleshoot a computer even if you can't load the GUI, or don't have a startup CD handy.

[Opinion]

*** Whither The iPod?
<http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15550835/>
Michael Rogers, MSNBC

Yes, the ubiquitous music player is a powerful force. But what comes next?

*** And Then There Were Two: Fox Inking Deal To Sell Movies On iTunes?
<http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2006/11/8/5902>
Jeff Smykil, Ars Technica

[Review]

*** Apple MacBook Pro 15-Inch (Core 2 Duo)
<http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2051320,00.asp>
Cisco Cheng, PC Magazine

The Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (Core 2 Duo) offers the performance and features of the best laptops on the market.

[Sidetrack]

*** Congrats, Microsoft
Heng-Cheong Leong

Congradulations to Microsoft, who has just finished writing Vista. I think all software developers know how difficult to finish a product, and I think nobody outside of Microsoft will really know how difficult it is to finish Vista.

With Apple coming back strong in the OS department, and with Linux continuing to be on the trail, I hope that in, say, 10 years' time, I may be able to say that I am proud to be developing on Windows, just like I can already say that I am proud to be developing on Mac OS X.

(Yes, I do develop for Windows. If you will go over to my employer's web site <http://www.popularelearning.com/>, you may take a glimpse of one of the product that is my baby. I won't tell you which one, though, so you'll have to guess. :-) )

*** Zune Is Here
Heng-Cheong Leong

Where, o where, dear Apple, is the Zune-trashing, thunder-stealing iPod that I have been waiting?

:-)

[Wintel]

*** Trying Out The Zune: iPod It's Not
<http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/09/technology/09pogue.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=technology&adxnnlx=1163050622-HSpYZ5yeFL4h7x9XeWzEJw>
David Pogue, New York Times

Competition is good and all. But what, exactly, is the point of the Zune? It seems like an awful lot of duplication -- in a bigger, heavier form with fewer features -- just to indulge Microsoft's "we want some o'that" envy.

*** Microsoft's Zune Challenges iPod
<http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116302848393917854-wNNFl42I1SSNBP6dH5xF08kTRlQ_20071108.html?mod=rss_free>
Walter S. Mossberg, Wall Street Journal

The iPod and iTunes are still the champs. Still, I expect the Zune to attract some converts and to get better with time. And this kind of competition from a big company with deep pockets and lots of talent is good for consumers in the long run.

*** Microsoft: Vista RTM A 'Significant Milestone'
<http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2054415,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594>
Peter Galli, eWeek

The code for Windows Vista has finally been released to manufacturing, Jim Allchin, co-president of Microsoft's platforms and services division, announced in a media teleconference on Nov 8.

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

[News]

*** AOL Says Portals Are Passe
<http://news.com.com/2100-1038_3-6133887.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&subj=news>
Elinor Mills, CNET News.com

Now that AOL has moved to a free, ad-supported model, it wants to evolve its portal into something more useful to web surfers, Jonathan Miller, chairman and chief executive of AOL, said Wednesday.

*** Google Wants Data In The Cloud, Not On The Desktop
<http://news.com.com/2100-1012_3-6133462.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&subj=news>
Elinor Mills, CNET News.com

Google is targeting the neo-network computer, not Microsoft, with all the web-based applications it is releasing, Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said at the Web 2.0 Summit Tuesday.

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

[Tech & Science]

*** McDonald's Monopoly Contest Dangels Big Prize With Long Odds
<http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116299781963017225-yyM_vPCPGzqFxrbpsve8kbc9dWM_20071108.html?mod=rss_free>
Carl Bialik, Wall Street Journal

Want to win the first-ever $5 million grand prize in the heavily promoted McDonald's Monopoly contest? Good luck. You're almost 300 times more likely to win the top prize in the multi-state Powerball lottery, according to published odds.

[Life]

*** Yellow Fever
<http://villagevoice.com/news/0646,chang,74988,2.html>
Vickie Chang, Village Voice

They got it bad, and that ain't good.

[Expressions]

*** Twins
<http://www.slate.com/id/2152062/>
Debra Nystrom, Slate

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

[Ramblings]

*** Do You Want LTA To Run Your Land Transport System?
Heng-Cheong Leong

Let's see what are some of LTA's achievement lately:

A failed system to inform commuters of arrival times at bus stops -- when commuters typically have no similar and competitive choices but to wait for that bus whether it is on time or 10 or 20 or 30 minutes late...

An aborted plan to build an expensive headquarters, where there are plenty of alternatives...

A conversion of fare payment system on buses that is riddled with usability and operational problems yet to be solved even after a few years...

An expressway traffic situation informational system that have serious usability problem that has yet to be solved even after a few years...

A failed policy of having indirect competition between public transport operators that have yield not a single evidence of benefit, let alone all that grand talk of integration between trains and buses even at regions that are operated by the same operator...

Knocking down preserved historical buildings so as to built subways...

ERP.

Yes sir. World class <http://www.todayonline.com/articles/153536.asp> indeed.

[News]

*** Singapore Takes On Crows; One Down, 34,999 To Go
<http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/world/asia/08singapore.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1163033831-/IIWoBTDBmsrizq8VML5Og>
Seth Mydans, New York Times

Dennis Lim is on the front lines of a battle for his country's territorial integrity, a member of the Singapore Gun Club who has been enlisted to help reduce an infestation that at one point climbed to 150,000.

*** Singapore: Why Haze Issue Was Raised At UN
<http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/11/9/asia/15955940&sec=asia>
Straits Times

Singapore has defended its raising of the haze issue at the United Nations after an Indonesian leader tok offence at its statement. It explained that it had highlighted the issue at the UN to canvass international support for a problem that went beyond the capabilities of both Indonesia and Asean.

*** Battle Of The Bloggers Hints At Social Divide
<http://www.todayonline.com/articles/153541.asp>
Derrick A Paulo, Today

*** Tell It Like It Is - On Your Blog
<http://www.asianewsnet.net/stech.php?aid=5893>
Serene Luo, Straits Times

*** Senior WP Member Quits Over Net Fracas
<http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=57246>
Straits Times

Senior Workers' Party member Goh Meng Seng takes responsibility for tarnishing the party's reputation by making critical remarks against online forum participant.

[Opinion]

*** Public Transport - Maximise Profit Or Maximise Use
<http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/2006/11/public-transport-maximise-profit-or.html>
My Singapore News

*** Learning From Singapore's Free Internet Programme In Theory
<http://www.gulfnews.com/business/Comment_and_Analysis/10080938.html>
Mohammad Al Assoomi, Gulf News

The cost of such an ambitious programme seems little in comparison to the benefits gained from a society converted to a digital economy.

*** My Resignation From Workers' Party
<http://singaporealternatives.blogspot.com/2006/11/my-resignation-from-workers-party.html>
Goh Meng Seng, Singapore Alternatives

*** MHA Is Disappointing
<http://commentarysingapore.blogspot.com/2006/11/mha-is-disappointing.html>
Mr Wang Bakes Good Karma

These are some of the stupidities in the Penal Code which the government still permits to exist.

*** Pseudo Repeal Under Cover Of Smoke?
<http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_2006/yax-676.htm>
Yawningbread.org

This could only be described as a highly discriminatory change.

*** Private Bus Operators Welcome On Niche Routes
<http://straitstimes.asiaone.com/portal/site/STI/menuitem.c2aef3d65baca16abb31f610a06310a0/?vgnextoid=7532758920e39010VgnVCM1000000a35010aRCRD&vgnextfmt=vgnartid:4d91e6e56c8ce010VgnVCM100000430a0a0aRCRD>
Look Teik Soon, Public Transport Council, Straits Times

*** Refitted SMRT Trains Should Have More Seats
<http://straitstimes.asiaone.com/portal/site/STI/menuitem.c2aef3d65baca16abb31f610a06310a0/?vgnextoid=7532758920e39010VgnVCM1000000a35010aRCRD&vgnextfmt=vgnartid:b962e6e56c8ce010VgnVCM100000430a0a0aRCRD>
Edmund Chua Yew Teck, Straits Times

With train fares going up in recent years and the promise of upgrading in services, the reduction in the number of seats is not what I am looking forward to.

[Entertainment]

*** Amazing Race Asia: Racing Across Asian Cities
<http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Thursday/Features/20061108145820/Article/index_html>
Francis Dass, New Straits Times

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

[Tunes]

*** Heart Machine
<http://www.electropolis-net.com/music.html>
Electropolis
<http://www.electropolis-net.com/audio/Heart%20Machine.mp3>