[MyAppleMenu] Jul 21, 2008

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Review: Internet Cleanup 5.0 <http://www.macworld.com/article/134566/2008/07/internetcleanup.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Joe Kissell, Macworld
Internet utility suite produces mixed results.

**** Converting From PC To Mac <http://www.theage.com.au/news/how-tos/converting-from-pc-to-mac/2008/07/19/1216163201504.html>
by Dan Kaufman, The Age
I began setting it up, moving all my documents, music and photos over from my PC using a flash drive, before the horrible realisation dawned; Apple Mail doesn't import Outlook email files.

**** Apple May Say iPod, Mac Boosted Profit; iPhone Sales Deferred <http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601204&sid=aU1MQIhbaPVI&refer=technology>
by Connie Guglielmo, Bloomberg
Apple decided not to include last quarter's iPhone sales in its report because older models sold during the period lacked updated software.

**** Ten Free Mac OS X Programs That Make The PC To Mac Switch A Breeze <http://ultimatetechbase.blogspot.com/2008/07/ten-free-mac-os-x-programs-that-make-pc.html>
by Ultimate Technology Base
Having recently made the switch to a Mac myself, I've put together a list of the top ten free Mac OS X programs that made switching from a PC to a Mac a breeze.

**** iPhone 3G Availability Plummets <http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9110358>
by Gregg Keizer, Computerworld
Apple Inc.'s iPhone 3G supply dropped dramatically over the weekend, as the company's own inventory tool showed fewer than 9% of its stores had any phones to sell on Sunday.

**** iPhone 2.0 Performance Issues: Contacts <http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=2017>
by Jason D. O'Grady, ZDNet.com
Apple's buggy Contacts application has effectively hobbled an integral feature of the iPhone and it's also brought down Mail and SMS with it.

**** Remembering When Hell Once Froze Over
by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu
If I remember my history correctly, Apple's iPod used to support MusicMatch software on Windows. Pretty soon, it was dropped when iTunes for Windows was unveiled.
So.... guess how long Apple's MobileMe will support Internet Explorer? Notice that Safari is already on Windows...
<p class="permlink">Permanent Link to This Post <http://www.myapplemenu.com/2008/07/21/id0011/>

**** My Son, The Blogger: An M.D. Trades Medicine For Apple Rumor <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/technology/21blogger.html?_r=1&oref=slogin>
by Brian Stelter, New York Times
For eight years, Arnold Kim has been trading gossip, rumor and facts about Apple, the notoriously secretive computer company, on his web site, MacRumors.com.
It had been a hobby &mdash; albeit a time-consuming one &mdash; while Dr. Kim earned his medical degree.

**** AppleTV: Not Mainstream, But Then Again Neither Are DVRs (Yet) <http://tvbythenumbers.com/2008/07/20/appletv-not-mainstream-but-then-again-neither-are-dvrs-yet/4485>
by Robert Seidman, TV By The Numbers
If Apple announces a DVR in Apple TV it will upset a few people. If it announces Slingbox functionality it also will rub some folks the wrong way. It's too bad that is the way it is, but because it is, it's not easy for Apple and I believe that's why it has played Apple TV down so much.

The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Twitter's Growing Pains <http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/21103/?a=f>
by John Borland, MIT Technology Review
Plauged by service outages, the microblogging site rebuilds its infrastructure.

**** Smaller PCs Cause Worry For Industry <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/technology/21pc.html?ref=business>
by Matt Richtel, New York Times
The personal comuter industry is poised to sell tens of millions of small, energy-efficient internet-centric devices. Curiously, some of the biggest companies in the business consider this bad news.

MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Last Year I Killed A Man <http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/wellbeing/story/0,,2291212,00.html>
by Vaughan Thomas, The Guardian
The impact was only a matter of seconds in coming, but those seconds felt like minutes. This wasn't how it was meant to be. It wasn't how I had imagined it during my years as a Central line train driver.

**** A Child With A Problem, A Family With An Excuse <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/books/21masl.html>
by Janet Maslin, New York Times
Jennifer Haigh has a great gift for telling interwoven family stories and doing justice to all the different perspectives they present.

**** The Teacher <http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/features/2008/07/28/080728fi_fiction_jhabvala>
by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, New Yorker

**** Never Mind <http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/poetry/2008/07/28/080728po_poem_tanning>
by Dorothea Tanning, New Yorker

**** Why I Hate Summer <http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/07/21/summertime_blues/index.html>
by Rachel Shukert, Salon
Sweaty thighs sticking to plastic chairs? Miserable barbecues and forced merriment? Thanks, but I'll pass.

SingaporeSurf
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**** Choose To Pay ERP
by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu
Raymond Lim, minister for transport said <http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_259887.html>: "Only 24 per cent of drivers incur ERP charges daily, and the majority who do not pay ERP would be better off as a result of the 15 per cent road tax deduction."
Okay, first a nit-pick: Notice his said 24 percent incur charges daily. That simply means that there are other drivers who will incur ERP charges throughout the week, except maybe not daily. Also, I wonder if the use of the term "daily" means every single day, or just Monday to Friday.
Nevertheless, the essential point is valid. Someone who drives daily between Ang Mo Kio and Raffles Place should pay more than someone who drives daily between Yishun and Woodlands. It doesn't make sense to have the same ERP tax applied across all drivers.
<p class="permlink">Permanent Link to This Post <http://www.myapplemenu.com/singapore/2008/07/21/id0032/>

**** Singapore Not Facing Stagflation, But Inflation Will Remain High <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/361745/1/.html>
by Ng Baoying, Channel NewsAsia
The Singapore economy is not facing stagflation, according to the senior minister of state for trade and industry, S Iswaran. Speaking in parliament on Monday, he noted however that inflation will remain high and will not return to previous lower levels anytime soon.

**** Keeping Gridlock-Free Roads Vital To Vibrant Economy: Minister <http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_259887.html>
by Straits Times
Keeping Singapore's roads smooth-flowing is vital to a vibrant and productive economy, said transport minister Raymond Lim on Monday. That's why it would not be prudent to freeze the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges - even in thse times of escalating fuel prices and rising cost of living - as thie does not mean that the motorists will incur no costs.

**** Look At Security Lapses In Perspective: Shanmugam <http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_259913.html>
by Straits Times
'Perfection is the ideal to aim for. But imperfection is the reality we have to work with everyday.'

**** Our World-Class Public Bus Transport System <http://blog.alicecheong.com/?p=327>
by Alice Cheong In Wonderland

**** S$1m Reward For Information Leading To Capture Of Mas Selamat <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/361681/1/.html>
by Channel NewsAsia
The million dollar reward has been put up by two private individuals who approached the home affairs ministry.

**** PM Calls For Deeper Understanding Of Asean's Relevance <http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_259822.html>
by Straits Times
"The more our populations understand that Asean is relevant to their well-being, the deeper will be their sense of belonging and community, and the more we will be able to achieve in our integration efforts."

**** The Legalization Of Organ Trading - Government Going Down A Slippery Path <http://urbanrant.blogspot.com/2008/07/legalization-of-organ-trading.html>
by Urbanrant
By allowing organ trading, the Singaporean government seems to be saying that wealthy but otherwise unhealthy people can simply buy a replaceable part from a poorer person.
/This article, I think, is not making an "slippery slope" argument./

**** MOH Offers Ren Ci List Of Potential Chief Execs <http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Story/STIStory_259721.html>
by Lee Hui Chieh, Straits Times
The health ministry has suggested 'a couple of names' as potential candidates to head Ren Ci Hospital and Medicare Centre, health minister Khaw Boon Wan said yesterday.
/Yes, the MOH is that confident that Ming Yi will be proven guilty./

**** Raffles JC May Offer IB Diploma By 2010 <http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Story/STIStory_259659.html>
by Jane Ng, Straits Times
Raffles Junior College is looking at offering a broad-based two-year diploma covering everything from philosophy to science as an alternative to the A levels.

**** ASEAN Ministers Urge Burma To Release Suu Kyi <http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/200807/s2308990.htm?tab=latest>
by Radio Australia
ASEAN foreign ministers have expressed deep disappointment over the extension of the house arrest of Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

**** No Business At T3? Time For Better Viewing Galleries <http://www.todayonline.com/articles/266145.asp>
by Today
The unique feature of an airport is the sight of aeroplanes, but sadly the authorities of Changi Airport seem to be missing out on this point.
/My daughter was quite disappointed when we couldn't see a single plane the last time we went to T3. (It was at night.) Of course, she was even more disappointed when she discovered that daddy cannot just simply buy us some tickets to go Hong Kong Disneyland on the spot there and then. :-)/

**** Asean Must Move On Human Rights <http://www.bangkokpost.com/200708_Perspective/20Jul2008_pers001.php>
by Pokpong Lawansiri, Bangkok Post
THe Asean human right sbody now in its formative stages should not be merely a window dressing mechanism; it should be able to carry out significant monitoring, investigation, and protection work, and should be empowered to conduct fact-finding missions and access human rights victims.

**** Steamboat Meal Leaves Her Fuming <http://tnp.sg/news/story/0,4136,171220,00.html?>
by Hedy Khoo, New Paper
It was the hottest steamboat buffet she ever had - literally. That was because the air-conditioning and lights were switched off - while she and other customers were still eating.
/The restaurant is Bei Shan Chuan Spicy Seafood Restaurant at VicoCity./

**** Supperclub Coming To Substation <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/361604/1/.html>
by Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia
Crooners, stunt performers and daredeveil magicians - they are just some of the 20 acts hoping to perform at SupperClub, a restaurant, bar concept space started in Amsterdam with branches worldwide.

**** Khaw Says Key Problem To Legalising Organ Trade Is Exploitation Of Donors <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/361565/1/.html>
by Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia
"The key problem is exploitation. So if you can find a way to eliminate exploitation or minimise exploitation to a low level, isn't that a better outcome, than pretending that the problem doesn't exist but the exploitation continues?"