[MyAppleMenu] Jul 23, 2008

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** What's Behind Apple's MobileMe Meltdown <http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/07/whats_behind_ap.html>
by Alexander Wolfe, InformationWeek
Apple should have staged the conversion from .mac to .me. It not only make technical sense, but it fits in with the Apple ethos.

**** Review: Acrobat 9 Pro <http://www.macworld.com/article/134585/2008/07/acrobat9.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Pariah S. Burke, Macworld
Narrowly focused update features moderate enhancements.

**** Scribbles 1.2.1 <http://www.macworld.com/article/134161/2008/07/scribbles1.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Heather Kelly, Macworld
Sometimes you just need to doodle, to be creative and make a little art without the complications of Illustrator or the mess of Crayolas.

**** A Shopping Trip To The App Store For Your iPhone <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121676167934474867.html?mod=googlenews_wsj>
by Walter S. Mossberg and Katherine Boehret, Wall Street Journal
There are way too many interesting apps to review here, but these are some we liked.

**** Talk Of Chief's Health Weighs On Apple's Share Price <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/technology/23apple.html>
by John Markoff, New York Times
In recent weeks, Mr Jobs has reassured several people that he is doing well and that four years after a successful operation to treat a rare form of pancreatic cancer, he is cancer free.
People who are close to Mr. Jobs say that he had a surgical procedure this year to address a problem that was contributing to a loss of weight. These people declined to be identified because Mr. Jobs had not authorized them to speak about his health.

**** Staying Power: The Case For Two Resilient Tech Stocks <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121677286750975587.html?mod=googlenews_wsj>
by James B. Stewart, Wall Street Journal
Attention, bargain hunters: Two technology darlings are on sale at steep summer discounts, Apple and Google.

**** Sometimes The Customer Is Wrong <http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20080720/1654101736.shtml>
by Timothy Lee, TechDirt
Refusing to serve iced espressos may be a good business strategy.
/As Guy Kawasaki once wrote, if Apple had listened to its customers, the Macintosh will simply be a faster MS-DOS machine./

**** More About Deleting Features <http://inessential.com/?comments=1&postid=3512>
by Brent Smmons, Inessential.com
The problem is 100 times worse when it comes to /deleting/ features.

**** Apple Step Up China Retail Push <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121675308921074333.html?mod=googlenews_wsj>
by Loretta Chao, Wall Street Journal
Apple's approach seems to be working, with sales growing apace even as the company on Saturday opened its first full-service Apple store in China, in Beijing. Over the past two years, more Apple reseller have begun popping up in China's sprawling computer malls.

**** After A Four Hour Wait, I Got An iPhone <http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/etan_on_tech/2008/07/after-a-four-ho.html>
by Etan Horowitz, Orlando Sentinel
Don't believe the Apple availability page.

**** On Keyboards <http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2008/07/22/On-Keyboards>
by Tim Bray, ongoing
There's a design flaw in Apple's current lineup of Mac keyboards; easily fixed though.

**** The Real Issue About Steve's Health <http://www.businessweek.com/technology/ByteOfTheApple/blog/archives/2008/07/the_real_issue.html>
by Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek
Idle, speculative and uninformed talk is feeding fear uncertainty and doubt, that is not worth serious consideration. Even so, given what's publicly known about Jobs' medical hidostry, questions about the condition of his health are certainly fair to ask, and the ones who should be doing the asking are Apple's outside directors.

**** Open Tech Offers A Different Twist On The Apple Clone <http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/07/22/open-tech-offers-a-different-twist-on-the-apple-clone>
by Jeff SMykil, Ars Technica
While the company will preinstall Ubuntu 8.0.4 or Windows XP, the computer the company claims to be Apple-compatible won't actually be able to do so with Mac OS X.

**** Why Q3FY08 iPhone Revenues Won't Be Up Very Much <http://macjournals.com/news/iPhonerevenues.html>
by MacJournals
Isn't accounting /fun/?

**** Apple Device Security: Big Temptation To Dumb-Down <http://www.43folders.com/2008/07/22/iphone-security>
by Merlin Mann, 43 Folders
Is four digits (or a trivial password) enough to protect your irreplaceable private data? Are you willing to assume that risk? It's unbelievable that the question even needs to be asked.

**** Apple Updates iLife Apps <http://www.macworld.com/article/134629/2008/07/ilife.html>
by Peter Cohen, Macworld

**** Traveling WIth The iPhone 3G <http://www.macworld.com/article/134631/2008/07/iphone3g_travels.html>
by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld
The addition of GPS made the iPhone much more effective for traveling and MobileMe is a godsend.

**** Microsoft Offers First Hints At Anti-Apple Marketing Blitz For Vista <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/07/22/microsoft_offers_first_hints_at_anti_apple_marketing_blitz_for_vista.html>
by Slash Lane, AppleInsider
Microsoft this week offered a window into the first phase of a mega million dollar advertising campaign designed to clear up 'misconception' about the quality of its Windows Vista operationg system exacerbated by in-your-face marketing efforts on the part of longtime rival Apple.

**** If You Don't Like AAPL's "Steve's Health Is A Private Matter" Statement, Then Sell <http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=2275>
by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, ZDNet.com
The bottom line is that if you're an Apple investor and you don't like the "Steve's health is a private matter" statement made by CFO Peter Oppenheimer then there's only one thing you should do - sell your Apple stock and invest in a company that you trust more.

**** Third Quarter Earnings: The Analysts Speak <http://www.businessweek.com/technology/ByteOfTheApple/blog/archives/2008/07/third_quarter_e.html?campaign_id=rss_blog_byteoftheapple>
by Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek
The main concern will be the warning over gross margin in Apple's fourth fiscal quarter ending in September and into fiscal 2009.

**** Securing Your iPhone 2.0 <http://www.macworld.com/article/134601/2008/07/iphone_security.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Glenn Fleishman, Macworld
Software update offers dramatic security improvements, though gaps remain.

**** Finale 2009 Music Notation Software Ships <http://www.macworld.com/article/134620/2008/07/finale.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Peter Cohen, Macworld
New in Finale 2009 is streamlined workflow interface that makes it easier to create and enter music, move and edit what you've written.

**** Now That We Have The App Store... <http://www.macworld.com/article/134619/2008/07/ilifestore.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Christopher Breen, Macworld
... isn't it about time that Apple put those iLife "Shop For" commands to good use?

**** Stop Telling Me What I Already Know
by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu
On Windows, MobileMe will always pop up a dialog telling it cannot do any sync whenever I do not have internet access. Which is a real irritation, if you ask me.
<p class="permlink">Permanent Link to This Post <http://www.myapplemenu.com/2008/07/23/id0004/>

**** Copy-And-Paste: Now More Than Ever <http://www.macworld.com/article/134614/2008/07/copypaste_iphone.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Dan Moren, Macworld
With the addition of the App Store and third-party applications, the problem of how to move data around the phone has increased exponentially.

**** Default Folder Update Improves Word 2008 Compatibility <http://www.macworld.com/article/134612/2008/07/defaultfolder.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld
Among the changes specific to Word are a fix for Spotlight keyword saving so that it works in Word 2008 Save As dialogs. The update also fixed a problem that caused Default Folder X to not include folders in its Recent Folders list when saving in Microsoft Word 2008.

The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Tech Trends: Simplicity Wins <http://postcards.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2008/07/22/tech-trends-simplicity-wins/>
by Patricia Sellers, Fortune
"Simplicity is essential if our society is to reap the full potential of technology."

MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** A Dish That Gets Fuzzy Reception <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/22/AR2008072200513.html?nav=rss_artsandliving/foodanddining>
by Jane Black, Washington Post
Chef Stefano Frigerio braces himself when he puts rabbit on the menu at Mio. It's only a matter of time before someone complains.

**** George W. Bush: "Awesome!" <http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/07/23/shock_and_awesome/index.html>
by ANdrea Higbie, Salon
The president has used "awesome" to describe everything from dead soldiers to the pope. How did a slang word trickle up to the highest office in the land?

**** Paul Bocuse Could Make French Fast Food The Next /Nouvelle Cuisine/ <http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-fastbocuse23-2008jul23,0,7490799.story?track=rss>
by David Appell, Los Angeles Times
How do you say 'to go' in French? Superstar chef Bocuse says he 'saw the opportunity to feed thousands of people going to the cinema' &mdash; and others in France are following his lead.

**** March Of The Tourists <http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2008/07/march-of-the-tourists.html>
by Julia Whitty, Mother Jones
Polar Earth is thawing. Does it matter if the visiting hordes don't understand?

SingaporeSurf
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**** Johoreans Describe Singapore Maritime Claim As An Act Of Provocation <http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/state_news/news.php?id=347941&cat=st>
by Bernama
Johoreans Wednesday protested the statement by Singapore claiming a territorial sea and an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around Batu Puteh and described it as an act of provocation.
Puteri Wangsa State Assemblyman Datuk Abdul Halim Suleiman said Malaysia should be trapped by the provocation, a tactic the republic used regularly. "Signapore is using this dirty tactic to provoke Malaysia and make us lose focus to find documents and evidence to reclaim Batu Puteh," he told Bernama here Wednesday.

**** Singapore Pushes Back Pushy Press At ASEAN Meeting: Don't Trample The Kids! <http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/23/asia/AS-ODD-ASEAN-Raucous-Media.php>
by Associated Press
The rule-obsessed government of Singapore on Wednesday issued a stern advisory to the media: Behave!

**** Rewarding Capture <http://chemgen.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/rewarding-capture/>
by Chemical Generation Singapore
Despite the government's refusal to admit that the fugitive must have escaped Singapore by now, the reward is actually meant for Mas Selamat's support network in Indonesia.

**** Transcript Part VII - M. Ravi Vs. LKY <http://singaporerebel.blogspot.com/2008/07/transcript-part-vll-m-ravi-vs-lky.html>
by Martyn See, No Political Films Please, We're Singaporeans

**** Human Rights And The Government Baby Incentives - Part 1 <http://mrwangsaysso.blogspot.com/2008/07/human-rights-and-government-baby.html>
by Mr Wang Says So
If you choose to view babies merely as future economic units, and women merely as economic-unit-producing machines, then the questions becomes - do  you, as a government, really dare to bite the bullet? And put yourmoney into this very long-term, risky investment?

**** Singapore Inflation Holds At 26-Year High Of 7.5% For 3Rd Month <http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=alSEzLX7VLrY&refer=home>
by Shamim Adam, Bloomberg
Singapore's inflation held at a 26-year high for a third straight month in June, increasing pressure on the central bank to allow further gains in the currency at a time when exports are slowing.

**** No Change To Section 377A Enforcement <http://www.todayonline.com/articles/266572.asp>
by Today
The police do not actively enforce against consensual gay sex and this "basic approach" has not changed, said home affairs minister Wong Kan Seng, despite a man being charged recently under Section 377A.

**** Primary One School Registration - Citizens Vs Permanent Residents <http://urbanrant.blogspot.com/2008/07/primary-one-school-registration.html>
by Urbanrant
40 to 80 hours of volunteer service takes precedence over 2.5 years of active service plus 13 years of reserved services, does it make sense?

**** Keep Foreign Visitors Abreast Of Policy Changes <http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/7/23/focus/21890031&sec=focus>
by P. George, The Star
Such a move on the part of the Immigration Department will only reinforce the perceptions that Malaysian government agencies are prone to policy flip-flops.

**** 'Talk To Us First On Batu Puteh' <http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/7/23/nation/21895273&sec=nation>
by Mazwin Nik Anis, The Star
The city-state should not make unilateral decisions when it comes to Batu Puteh although the rocky outcrop officially belongs to the republic. Foreign minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said it was only proper for Singapore to inform a joint technical committee, set up by the republic and Malaysia, on any decision made.

**** A Charitable Cause <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/07/a-charitable-cause/>
by Tan Kin Lian, The Online Citizen
I hope that these suggestions can help towards a charitable cause.
/I agree with most of the writer's points; but I also believe that government should not be involved./

**** $1 Million Bounty For Capture Of Mas Selamat - Why The U-Turn? <http://singaporekopitok.blogspot.com/2008/07/1-million-bounty-for-capture-of-mas.html>
by Singapore Kopi Tok

**** Full-Day Bus Lanes To Be Extended To Three Locations <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/362052/1/.html>
by Patwant Singh, Channel NewsAsia
THe locations are Orchard Road, between Orange Grove Road and Anguilia Park; Orchard Boulevard, between Grange Road and Paterson Road; and Serangoon Road, between Buffalo Road and Balestier Road.