[MyAppleMenu] Dec 14, 2007

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
====================================

**** Java Release 6 For Mac <http://www.macworld.co.uk/macsoftware/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=19952>
by Jonny Evans, Macworld UK

**** All Those Mac Commercials Were Right <http://www.dgrigg.com/post.cfm/12/13/2007/All-those-Mac-commercials-were-right>
by Derrick Grigg
The Mac OS X is simplymind blowing and the ese with which things can be done on a Mac is insane.

**** Leopard Is Up To Scratch <http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b6e699fe-a9e7-11dc-aa8b-0000779fd2ac.html>
by Paul Taylor, Financial Times
I found Leopard a worthwhile if not revolutionary upgrade to OS X, but one which arguably consolidates Apple's operating system as the best-designed consumer option at present available.

**** Apple Jingles In With Holiday Get A Mac Ad <http://www.macobserver.com/article/2007/12/13.14.shtml>
by Jeff Gamet, Mac Observer

**** Entourage 2008 And Time Machine Don't Get Along <http://www.tuaw.com/2007/12/13/entourage-2008-and-time-machine-dont-get-along/>
by Scott McNulty, The Unofficial Apple Weblog
Entourage 2008 stores most everything it uses in one big database file.

**** Q: What's The Worst Thing You Can Do With An iPhone? <http://www.longtail.com/the_long_tail/2007/12/q-whats-the-wor.html>
by Chris Anderson, The Long Tail
How can AT&amp;T be smart enough to offer a revolutiionary device like the iPhone, which is all about delightful user experience, and yet let their own customer communications be a chilling reminder how little phone companies care about their users?

**** Is Apple TV A Success? Compared To Tivo, It Certainly Is <http://chuqui.typepad.com/chuqui_30/2007/12/technovia-is-ap.html>
by Chuqui
It's a classic example of the echo chamber in action; the Apple TV is a consumer device, and the geeks go off and build their own alternatives; if you listen to them, those are the real successes.
/But aren't a lot of bloggers 'consumers' too? We can't just all be geeks in every technological area?/

**** Apple Fixes QuickTime Vulnerability With 7.3.1 Update <http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2007/12/13/apple-fixes-quicktime-vulnerability-with-7-3-1-update>
by Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

**** Forrester: iPhone Not Ready For Enterprise Use Yet <http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=7348>
by Larry Dignan, ZDNet.com
Technology executives are asking Forrester Research for advice on whether to add iPhone support to their enterprise lineup. The answer: Not yet.

The Tomorrow Weblog
====================================

**** A Child's View Of The $100 Laptop <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7140443.stm>
by Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC News
What will a child in the UK make of a laptop designed to help children in the developing world?

**** Mobile Ads: Not So Fast <http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2007/tc20071212_903658.htm>
by Olga Kharif, BusinessWeek
Mobile advertising revenues aren't growing as fast as expected, and that could spell trouble for a bunch of venture-funded startups.

**** Left-Hand-Turn Elimination <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/magazine/09left-handturn.html?_r=1&oref=slogin>
by Joel Lovell, New York Times

**** Apple's 'Podfather' Now Aims To Revive A Wilting Palm <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119750940823225431.html>
by Pui-Wing Tam, Wall Street Journal

**** Needed: Regulation To Prevent Journalists-Turned-Professors From Embarrassing Themselves <http://citmedia.org/blog/2007/12/13/needed-regulation-to-prevent-journalists-turned-professors-from-embarrassing-themselves/>
by Dan Gillmor, Center For Citizen Media
For journalists, citizen or otherwise, it is about principles, and ultimately honor. For the audiences, it is about skepticism and other useful techniques. That's not regulation, but creating a genuine marketplace of ideas where the best will prevail.

**** Forrester: 2008 To Be A Slow Year For IT Spending <http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/12/13/Forrester-2008-to-be-a-slow-year-for-IT-spending_1.html?source=rss&url=http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/12/13/Forrester-2008-to-be-a-slow-year-for-IT-spending_1.html>
by Elizabeth Montalbano, IDG News Service

SingaporeSurf
====================================

**** Climate Of Fear Hurts Singapore: Author <http://news.theage.com.au/climate-of-fear-hurts-singapore-author/20071214-1h5t.html>
by Reuters
A climate of fear that stops citizens from speaking out against the government could eventually lead to the decline of Singapore, novelist Catherine Lim says.

**** Lying Testimonies: (Dis)belief In The Age Of Curious Politics <http://mollymeek.livejournal.com/177419.html>
by Mollymeek

**** Is The Singaporean Population Shrinking? - Part 1 <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2007/12/14/is-the-singaporean-population-shrinking-part-one/>
by Leong Sze Hian, theonlinecitizen

**** Few Singaporeans Dream Of Retiring Young <http://www.mr-endoh.com/singapore/few-singaporeans-dream-of-retiring-young/>
by Endoh Pure Ranting Room
So are Singaporeans giving up the dream of retiring early because of surrounding circumstances or because they seriously enjoy walking into offices from 8 am to 6 pm?
/Personally, I'm lucky that I do like my work. Sometime, when I stop going into an office from 8 to 6, I'll probably still be working on the same kind of things at home./

**** The Violence Of Selective Ambiguity <http://mollymeek.livejournal.com/177293.html>
by Mollymeek
In a way, this uniquely Singaproe (or perhaps not?) situation cripples people more than they would be in countries where gays are outrightly persecuted.

**** Criticism Over Sydney-US Air Route <http://www.news.com.au/business/story/0,23636,22923016-31037,00.html?from=mostpop>
by Ron Corben, AAP
Singapore Airlines president Chew Choon Seng said Australia had been protectionist about rights for the Australia-US air route, which was benefiting Australia's largest carrier Qantas.

**** Singapore's Broadband Plan <http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Singapores-broadband-plan-9V3RM?OpenDocument>
by Stephen Bartholomeusz, Business Spectator
The plan unveiled by the IDA is quite radical because it is proposing multi-layered structural separation. In effect, Singapore is planning a new completely open-access wholesale platform, where the builders/owners of the platform are essentially infrastructure owners and operators rather than telecommunications service providers.

**** SMRT To Raise Taxi Fares From Dec 21 <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/317369/1/.html>
by Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia
The changes are in line with the adjustments made by market leader ComfortDelGro which will be increasing fares from December 17.
See Also:
New Fares Will Help Taxi Partners Manage Rising Overhead Costs <http://www.smrt.com.sg/news/2007/SMRT%20Revised%20Taxi%20Fares%20release(14Dec07).pdf>, by SMRT Corporation Ltd.

**** Singapore's Jobless Rate Falls To Pre-Asian Crisis Level <http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_186732.html>
by Straits Times
Wages continued to rise between July and September and at a more moderate pace, said the Ministry of Manpower in a statement on Friday.
See Also:
MOM Statement On Labour Market 3rd Quarter <http://app.sprinter.gov.sg/data/pr/20071214998.pdf>, by Singapore Government.

**** Singaporeans Must Change <http://sovietmole.com/2007/12/13/singaporeans-must-change/>
by The Moley Prophet
One of the few things I like about Buffalo, among the many dislikes I have for America, is the courtesy built into people.

**** My Thoughts On Ministerial Pay Hike <http://singaporesundry.blogspot.com/2007/12/my-thoughts-on-ministerial-pay-hike.html>
by All And Sundry Singapore
Why is the government unable to attract and retain talents? I think the main reason is not because good people are put off by the "low ministerial salaries." Neither is it because good people dislike PAP. It is a problem with Singaporeans who are generally politically apathetic, unpatriotic and greedy.
/Whatever the reasons are, it is a problem if the government have to resort to materialistic rewards in order to attract "good" people./

**** Cab Firms Must Do More Than Up Fares <http://www.todayonline.com/articles/227498.asp>
by Kog Yue Choong, Today
Hiking fares is not the only way to tackle even economic questions.
/It is the easiest action to take though &mdash; espcially when you have monopolistic power./

**** Nuclear Power Not For Singapore <http://www.todayonline.com/articles/227489.asp>
by Loh Chee Kong, Today
Speaking to the Singapore media yesterday as he wrapped up his visit to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, prime minister Lee Hsien Loong ruled out the construction of nuclear reactors in Singapore &mdash; which requires a safety radius of 30km &mdash; and cited solar power as a possible additional energy source, provided the cost continues to decline.

**** Offering Quality Content And Service Best Way To Give Value To Cable TV Customers: StarHub <http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Online%2BStory/STIStory_186398.html>
by Caitlin Fua, StarHub, Straits Times
While it may take an extra pull, in the form of giveaways, to encourage a new customer to join us, we believe that offering quality content and service is the best way we can give value to our cable TV customers, and motivate them to continue their subscription packages with us.
/What is StarHub really saying? That its products are not good enough to entice new customers, so StarHub have to use free LCD TV as bait? If the product are not good enough to entice new customers, what makes existing customers stay? Lock-in?/