[MyAppleMenu] Dec 31, 2007

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** If Something Can Get Tangled Up, It Will
by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu
"Scientists think they may have found out how and why things find their way into knotty arrangements," reports Science News Online <http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20071222/bob11.asp>. Another of the iPod (headphone) mystery solved?
<p class="permlink">Permanent Link to This Post <http://www.myapplemenu.com/2007/12/31/id0008/>

**** Microsoft Or Apple? <http://mybroadband.co.za/news/Software/2379.html>
by Donovan Jackson, myadsl.co.za
Those who get over the initial surge of annoyance begin swearing by their Macs within weeks, if not days. 'It just works', they smugly trumpet (regurgitating Apple's somewhat annoying ad slogans).

**** Apple And Google Ruled A Year To Note In Your Facebook <http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/dec/30/apple.google?gusrc=rss&feed=media>
by John Naughton, The Guardian

The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Researchers Hope To Enable Crowdsourcing Of Virtual Worlds <http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071230-researchers-hope-to-enable-crowdsourcing-of-virtual-worlds.html>
by John Timmer, Ars Technica

**** Innovative Minds Don't Think Alike <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/business/30know.html?_r=1&oref=slogin>
by Janet Rae-Dupree, New York Times
It's a pickle of a paradox: As our knowledge and expertise increase, our creativity and ability to innovate tend to taper off. Why? Because the walls of the proverbial box in which we think are thickening alng with our experience.

MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** With Age Comes Wisdom, And Lessing's Nobel Prize <http://www.calendarlive.com/books/cl-et-lessing23oct23,0,2100452.story?coll=cl-books-features>
by Kim Murphy, Los Angeles Times
Doris Lessing sees the world change and gives it her spin. A Nobel Prize won't change that.

**** Dave Barry's Year In Review <http://www.miamiherald.com/tropical_life/story/359826.html>
by Dave Barry, Miami Herald
It was a year that strode boldly into the stall of human events and took a wide stance astride the porcelain bowl of history.

SingaporeSurf
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**** Twice Banned Filmmaker Submits Third Film <http://singaporerebel.blogspot.com/2007/12/twice-banned-filmmaker-submits-third.html>
by Martyn See, No Political Films Please, We're Singaporeans
I will attempt to shed my "Singapore Rebel" tag and make like a law-abiding Singaporean by submitting Speakers Cornered to the authorities for classification, as required by law.

**** Bus Fare Too Cheap? Is There Another Point Of View?
by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu
There have been a lot of comments lately on the web, decrying Public Transport Council's (PTC) initial rejection of SMRT's new bus route service as being "too cheap". Imagine that: SMRT wanted to charge cheaper fares, but the government says no! (Note: The fare SMRT wanted to charge , and end up charging, is still more expensive than the basic fare; it is 'cheaper' only when compared with 'premium' services, which is usually between $2.50 to $3.00.)
But there is a vey clear reason why this is so on PTC's part: this particular route service is not classified as a basic service.
ComfortDelgro and SMRT are given duopoly status in operating basic transport services in exchange for a set of rules <http://www.ptc.gov.sg/services_standard.asp> that govern the two transport companies. These rules are quite wide in scope, and range from train and bus fares <http://www.ptc.gov.sg/services_fare.asp>, frequency of services, hours of operation, and route coverage. The two companies will need to get PTC's approval for any changes in fares and routes.
To protect the duopoly status of the two companies, the government imposed many restrictions on non-basic transport services, including the fare <http://www.ptc.gov.sg/news18.pdf>: "Premium bus services are positioned as niche services distinct from basic bus services, and have to meet the following requirements... Fares are at least 1.5 times the equivalent fare of basic public transport services."
Perhaps there is an alternative view point on PTC's initial rejection. Perhaps, one can see PTC as saying to SMRT: either serve this route as a basic service and earn back the money you can get from having more customers for the MRT network, or take the business risk to serve this route as a premium serivce at 1.5 times the basic fare.
One point of the basic transport fare structure is that passengers on popular routes subsidise passengers on less popular routes. By compromising on this basic point by "caving in" to SMRT, the PTC may be weakening its fare regulation framework. There are now more ammunition for ComfortDelgro and SMRT to start charging higher prices for non-HDB estates and other so-called niche destinations not covered by the current service standards.
I believe PTC need not resort to price-differentiation for premium services in order to protect the basic services, but that's what we have, and that's what PTC get to use.
<p class="permlink">Permanent Link to This Post <http://www.myapplemenu.com/singapore/2007/12/31/id0010/>

**** Singapore's Economy Probably Grew For 15Th Quarter On Services <http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=aYqTH.e29FIo&refer=asia>
by Shamim Adam, Bloomberg
Singapore's economy probably expanded for a 15th quarter as a buoyant jobs market spurred demand for goods and services and construction companies increased building.

**** Singapore Wedding Couples Hit By Banquet Blues <http://tnp.sg/news/story/0,4136,152044,00.html?>
by Tay Shi'an, New Paper
Couples feeling the pinch as prices of hotel packages soar but honghao gifts remain the same.

**** Singapore's State-Linked Investments Circle The Globe <http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=160321>
by AFP

>From banks to telephones, an airline to shopping malls, and semiconductors to airports, the reach of two state-linked investment firms from the city-state of Singapore extends around the world.


**** End Of Free Access Won't See Big Dip In Net Usage <http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Story/STIStory_191382.html>
by Ng Sook Fun, Infocomm Development Authority Of Singapore, Straits Times
Given the rapid decline in dial-up subscription, this indicator is seldom considered in such ranking of countries, and has in fact not been included in major rankings over the past few years. Hence, the dial-up subscription rate is not a factor for Singapore being considered as a country with one of the highest levels of infocomm connectivity in the world.
/We do creative accountings only in places where it doesn't matter!/