[MyAppleMenu] Apr 21, 2008

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

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

**** From Win32 To Cocoa: A Window User's Conversion To Mac OS X <http://arstechnica.com/articles/culture/what-microsoft-could-learn-from-apple.ars>
by Peter Bright, Ars Technica
Writing software for Windows is a pain. Much of the platform is clunky and badly put together, and it makes development much less enjoyable than it should be.

**** I Have Made The Switch To Mac <http://www.lockergnome.com/digged/2008/04/20/i-have-made-the-switch-to-mac/>
by :Digged:

**** A Mac Pro Is A Force To Be Reckoned With <http://www.davidalison.com/2008/04/mac-pro-is-force-to-be-reckoned-with.html>
by David Alison

**** Eating My Words On The MacBook Air <http://blogs.computerworld.com/eating_my_words_on_the_macbook_air>
by Scot Finnie, Computerworld
It hasn't even been a full week since my MBA arrived, and I'm having a change of heart. While I continue to believe that Apple may have misfired on one or two important aspects, it's clear that I misjudged the appeal of the MacBook's finer points. In other words, the "undeniably sexy form factor" I described in my earlier blog post as not being enough to offset the loss of utility... well, let's just say it /is/ enough.
/A lot of fine products need to be hold, handled, used, owned before they can be appreciated./

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

**** I.M. Generation Is Changing The Way Business Talks <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/05/technology/techspecial4/05message.html?_r=1&ex=1366516800&en=adf20ad3c5ee974a&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin>
by David Strom, New York Times
Instant messaging has come of age. No longer the province of chatty teenagers, it is now part and parcel of advanced communications networks at many corporations. And as instant messaging takes hold, companies are benefiting from new productivity gains and improvements in customer response time.

MyAppleMenu Reader
====================================

**** 'The Soloist' By Steve Lopez <http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la-et-book21apr21,0,6362781.story?track=rss>
by Edward Humes, Los Angeles Times
Hidden in plain sight just down the street from City Hall and mere steps from the offices of this newspaper, skid row is a reeking repository of disease, drugs and desperation that most of us avoid when possible or hurriedly step past when necessary,a verting our stares from hollow cheeks and hollow eyes, as if they were invisible.
"The Soloist" is Lopez's compelling and gruffly tender account of what can happen when you don't step past.

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

**** SIngapore Not Imposing Price Controls Despite Rising Food Prices <http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/newstex/AFX-0013-24642411.htm>
by Thomson Financial
The Singapore government said on Monday that it does not plan to impose price controls amid soaring food prices and would focus on ensuring ample supply in the domestic market.

**** High Court Dismisses Virtual Map's Leave Of Apeal <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/342745/1/.html>
by Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia
In a private hearing on Monday morning, justice Tan Lee Meng said he found there were insufficient grounds to grant leave to appeal.

**** Mas Seamat COI Report Is Out <http://www.mrbrown.com/blog/2008/04/mas-selamat-coi.html>
by mrbrown
As our sergeants usd to scream at us in national service: "You think, I thought, who confirm?"

**** Minister Releases Details Of Mas Selamat's Escape <http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_229567.html>
by Straits Times
Because of the sensitivity of the details, including the identity of the Internal Security Department and other security personnel and the precise work they do, home affairs minister Wong Kan Seng said the cabinet has agreed that it is not possible to release the entire report 'without harming national interest and endangering the men and women who serve the nation'.
"We had also considered releasing the COI's report with the sensitive parts blacked out, but that was not feasible as the details are extensive. It would not only make understanding the report difficult, but also fuel the distraction of baseless speculation," said the minister.
See Also:
Ministerial Statement By The Minister For Home Affairs Made In Parliament On Monday 21 April 2008 <http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/pdf/20080421/Ministerial%20Statement1.pdf>. (Note: PDF document.)
Executive Summary <http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/pdf/20080421/ExecutiveSummary1.pdf>. (Note: PDF document.)

**** Three Critical Factors Led To Mas Selamat's Escape <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/342715/1/.html>
by Channel NewsAsia
A confluence of three critical factors led to security lapses, resulting in Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) detainee Mas Selamat Kastari's escape from detention.
First, there was a physical security breach as the ventilation window in the toilet - from which Mas Selamat made his escape - did not have grills. Second, the guards watching Mas Selamat allowed him to close the door of the urinal cubicle when they should not have done so.
And third, there was a physical weakness in the perimeter fencing outside the family vistation block, where the toilet was located, which made it easier for Mas Selamat to get out of the detention centre's premises.

**** Feeder Buses To Run More Frequently During Peak Hours <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/342693/1/.html>
by Channel NewsAsia
The Public Transport Council (PTC) has set a new service standard for buses running feeder services, stating that 85% of such bus services should run at intervals of no more than 10 minutes during weekday peak hours.
See Also:
PTC Sets New Headway Standard For Feeder Buses <http://www.ptc.gov.sg/news22.pdf>, by Public Transport Council, Singapore Government. (Note: PDF document.)
/According to PTC's annual report, peak hours mean 7 am to 9 am, and 5 pm to 7 pm during weekday. I don't know how the 85% is going to be measured, but it seems to be 85% of services, rather than 85% of bus trips./

**** Singapore's GIC Says Global Recession, Crisis Likely <http://www.guardian.co.uk/feedarticle?id=7475455>
by Reuters
A Singaproe sovereign wealth fund that bought multi-billion stakes in beleaguered banks Citigroup and UBS said a global financial crisis and recession was increasingly likely but that its investments in western banks were long-term in nature.

**** Neighbourhood Branding <http://coolinsights.blogspot.com/2008/04/neighbourhood-branding.html>
by Walter Lim, Cooler Insights
What if we brand each and every one of our estates in Singapore? In other words, give them a greater individual identity, uniqueness, colour and point of differentiation.

**** Proposals For Internet Freedom In Singapore <http://theonlinecitizen.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/bloggers-submission.pdf>
by Choo Zheng Xi, Alex Au Waipang, Gerald Giam, Roderick Chia, Bernard Leong, Ng E-Jay, Mohan Gopalan, Scott Teng Kie Zin, Cherian Geroge, See Tong Ming, Benjamin Cheah, Ho Choon Hiong, Justin Zhuang, theonlinecitizen
As a group of active participants in internet expression with a concern for media regulation, we submit for your kind consideration the enclosed proposals. They include both a general review of process rules, as well as content regulation, with special regard to (a) political expression, (b) hate speech and (c) sex and violence.
(Note: PDF document.)

**** Singapore Business Is To Creativity What Jeffrey Dahmer Was To Healthy Eating <http://robcampbell.wordpress.com/2008/04/21/singapore-business-is-to-creativity-what-jeffrey-dahmer-was-to-healthy-eating/>
by The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod

**** Property Agents Make A Lot Of Money <http://www.salary.sg/2008/property-agents-make-a-lot-of-money/>
by Salary.sg
So the agents listed are all in the top 25%, with 6 of them hugely successful by most standards.
Or, if these agents are the "averae", there may be a discrepancy between the MOM numbers and reality.

**** Wrong Answer From SIA For Critical Question <http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Online%2BStory/STIStory_229344.html>
by Dudley Au, Straits Times
There is a redolence, in this context, of a sexual orientation or tendentiousness under the bushel of brand.

**** Singapore Third Biggest Trade Partner Of RI: Envoy <http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2008/4/20/singapore-third-biggest-trade-partner-of-ri-envoy/>
by Antara News
Singapore is Indonesia's third biggest trade partner after Japan and the United States, Indonesian ambassador to Singapore Wardana, said on Saturday.

**** The Internet And Beyond <http://www.todayonline.com/articles/249479.asp>
by Howard Lee, Today

**** Banning Is Hard <http://tnp.sg/columnists/story/0,4136,162625,00.html?>
by SM Ong, New Paper
The irony is that even when a ban is in effect, it isn't always all that effective.
/Now, let's apply this to freedom of expression, and freedom of assembly./

**** Community Moderation As An Alternative To Internet Regulation In Singapore <http://bleongcw.typepad.com/simple_is_the_reason_of_m/2008/04/community-moder.html>
by Bernard Leong, Simple Is The Reason Of My Heart
Community moderation is an alternative solution to internet regulation as compared to the heavy hand approach adopted by the authorities (particularly in clamping down matters with law enforcement too quickly).

**** The Material Rich <http://aidilomar.com/2008/04/21/the-material-rich/>
by Aidil Omar, Sheep City
Nothing else mattered except money. You must know this by now.

**** Is JBJ A Serial Opposer Or A Die-hard Romantic? <http://urbanrant.blogspot.com/2008/04/is-jbj-serial-opposer-or-die-hard.html>
by Urbanrant
One cannot help but be fascinated and also kind of respect his passion for his political vocation.