[MyAppleMenu] Jun 5, 2008

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Apple Is Here And The Geeks Are Gobbling <http://www.straight.com/article-148280/yes-apple-here-and-geeks-are-gobbling>
by Blaine Kyllo, Straight.com
The opening of Apple's new retail outlet in Vancouver's Pacific Centre proves that the little company that could is still able to engender the rabid, fan-based response that brought it back from the brink in the late '90s.

**** Apple Takes Wraps Off Leopard Securkty Gide <http://www.macworld.co.uk/macsoftware/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=21550>
by Matthew Broersma, Techworld.com

**** WWDC Flashback: Why It's Taken 10 Years From Carbon To Snow Leopard <http://cultofmac.com/wwdc-flashback-why-its-taken-10-years-from-carbon-to-snow-leopard/2046>
by Pete Mortensen, Cult Of Mac
The transition to a legacy-free OS X over the past decade has been such an over-whelming success for one simple reason: Apple has masked the degree of change that it was implementing in each release. When Microsoft and Adobe finally created modern versions of their applications for OS X that were built using Apple's XCode tools instead of the more comfortable CodeWarrior environment, it was clear that Jobs had won the adoption race through slow and steady steps forward.
/Carbon was created probably because Microsoft and Adobe refused to port their code to Objective C. Today, if Apple said it is dropping Carbon, Microsoft and Adobe will probably not protest too much, I think, because Apple has something else up its sleeve: a souped up iWork, and a souped up Apeture./

**** OS X Scripting <http://www.sauria.com/blog/2008/06/04/os-x-scripting/>
by Ted Leung On The Air
The big problem is that developers don't really support scripting that well.

**** Mac OS X 10.6 Code Named Snow Leopard, May Be Pure Cocoa <http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/06/04/mac-os-x-10-6-code-named-snow-leopard-may-be-pure-cocoa>
by Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica
The next version of Mac OS X is code-named "Snow Leopard," and will indeed be Intel0only, we have learned. The release is heavily focused on eprformance and nailing down speed and stability.

**** The Problem Is Never The Language <http://www.bynkii.com/archives/2008/06/the_problem_is_never_the_langu.html>
by John C. Welch, Bynkii.com
If you calibrate your expectations of AppleScript correctly, and stop trying to dig a hole with a hammer, it's a damned decent tool, and that's all it has to be. Stop blaming the language for the shit IDE and vendor support.

**** iTunes Rentals Arrive In Canada, U.K. With 48-Hour Time Limit <http://www.macworld.com/article/133769/2008/06/48hours_itunesrentals.html>
by Dan Moren, Macworld
Apple's newly announced movie rental service for its iTunes offerings in Canada and the United Kingdom may come several months after the same service debuted in the United States. But the Canadian and British versions of movie rentals do carry one substantial difference&mdash;customers in those markets will have 48 hours to finish a movie once they start watching it. That's twice as long as U.S. customers have.

**** Data Rescue II, Drive Genius 2 Get Leopard Boot Discs <http://www.macworld.com/article/133765/2008/06/prosoft.html>
by Peter Cohen, Macworld

The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** The $100 Distraction Device <http://www.slate.com/id/2192798/?from=rss>
by Ray Fisman, Slate
Why giving poor kids laptops doesn't improve their scholarstic performance.

**** Why Yahoo's Yang Is Holding Out <http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2008/tc2008063_964763.htm>
by Robert Hof, BusinessWeek

MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Her Killer Meatballs Are The Stuff Of Fiction <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/04/dining/04vapnyar.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin>
by Julia Moskin, New York Times
In these stories, food has the power to define characters, propel plots, cause riots and even commit manslaughter.

**** Vinegar And Oil <http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200806/poem-vinegar>
by Jane Hirshfield, The Atlantic

SingaporeSurf
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**** Thais, Singaporeans Happy Over Lifting Of Ban On Fuel Sale To Foreign Vehicles <http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=337620>
by Bernama
While Malaysians are crying foul over the increase in fuel prices announced by the government Wednesday, their neighbors in Thailand and Singapore welcomed Malaysia's decision to lift the ban on the sale of fuel to foreign-registered vehicles up to 50km inside Malaysia from their common borders.

**** Mystery Shrouds Tamilian's Death In Singapore Prison <http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IET20080604022325&Page=T&Title=Southern+News+-+Tamil+Nadu&Topic=0>
by S Irshad Ahme, Newindpress.com
The hapless parents of Katturaja, 32, of Nemmeli North in Orathanadu taluk are crying foul over the "mysterious" death of their son in a Singapore prison.

**** Super Duper Logic! <http://mollymeek.livejournal.com/191609.html>
by Mollymeek
I suppose we cannot even question whether Singapore is democratic or not. It is when a minister says it is. It isn't when a minister says democracy is bad.

**** Singapore's Electricity Tariffs Cushioned By Competitive Market <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/352121/1/.html>
by Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia
Electricity tariffs in Singapore are unlikely to come down any time soon given the backdrop of soaring oil prices. The CEO of Senoko Power, Singapore's largest power generation and retail company, explained that about 80 per cent of the cost of producing electricity here is related to oil prices.

**** US Blogger Released On Bail In Singapore <http://news.theage.com.au/technology/us-blogger-released-on-bail-in-singapore-20080605-2m7a.html>
by AFP
A judge ordered Gopalan Nair, a former Singapore lawyer who is now a US citizen, to be released on 5,000 dollars bail after more than four days in custody.
Nair's lawyer told reporters outside court that he expects a fresh charge to be laid against his client, without elaborating.

**** 15% Cut In Road Tax From July <http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_244693.html>
by Straits Times
Road tax for vehicles and special tax for Euro-IV diesel cars are set to go down from July 1, said the Land Transport Authority on Thursday.

**** Two Images Of China <http://www.forbes.com/opinions/forbes/2008/0616/037.html>
by Lee Kuan Yew, Forbes

**** Can LTA Wake Up Their Idea? <http://cobaltpaladin.blogspot.com/2008/06/can-lta-wake-up-their-idea.html>
by A Long And Arduous Road Of An Entrepreneur
Can LTA wake up their idea? They have made taking a cab in Singaproe so difficult and troublesome.

**** Malaysian Couple Shocked By Prostitutes Outside Hotel <http://newpaper.asiaone.com/news/story/0,4136,166558,00.html?>
by Arul John, New Paper
"I did not know that our hotel was located in the red-light district of Singapore. I had heard that Singaore had red-light districts and some 'black' areas, but I did not expect the activities to be carried out so openly."

**** Mr Gopalan Nair Released On Bail <http://uncleyap-news.blogspot.com/2008/06/mr-gopalan-nair-released-on-bail.html>
by Kengho Yap, News Release By UncleYap
In court today, Mr Nair was /not/ charged any additional charges.

**** Follow The Money <http://shianux.jiyuuu.org/2008/06/05/follow-the-money/>
by The Legal Janitor

**** Libel And Defamation In Singapore <http://houganger.blogspot.com/2008/06/libel-and-defamation-in-singapore.html>
by Chee Wai Lee
What aspects of the law protects me from malicious attempts to claim that I had maliciously defamed them instead?

**** Of Sharks' Fins And Highrollers <http://www.todayonline.com/articles/257641.asp>
by Liang Dingzi, Today
RWS has taken what maybe viewed as the first step, which is not something to be pooh-poohed. I only wish it was just a one and only step, without exception.

**** Laughable Comments By Singapoer's Law Minister <http://jg69.blogspot.com/2008/06/laughable-comments-by-singapores-law.html>
by The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
When it comes to politically-loaded cases, I believe quite a sizeable number of Singaporeans hold the view the judiciary lacks independence and that a powerful few are more equal than others.

**** Call For Sedition Charge Against US Blogger To Be Dropped <http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=27324>
by Reporters San Frontieres
Reporters Without Borders today codemned a case brought by the authorities under the Sedition Act against blogger Gopalan Nair, a 58-year-old American lawyer, who criticised the Supreme Court's handling of a defamation case.
"We urged the authortieis to drop charges against Gopalan Nair, who has only exercised his right of free expression. This charge is improper and will add to the intimidation of blogers and internet users who express themselves about Singapore's political life", the worldwide press freedom organisation said.
(Note: This is a press release.)

**** Singapore, Dishonorable <http://www.newsintercom.org/index.php?itemid=601>
by Andrew PK Yap, New Sintercom.org
Forget about courtesy and graciousness campaigns.

**** Can Malaysia Walk The Talk? <http://www.mr-endoh.com/singapore/can-malaysia-walk-the-talk/>
by Endoh's Dungeon
Singapore had always been staged as the /"difficult"/ party in bilateral debates and I think this anticipated episode is also giving the world the best hint on who's the real delinquent.

**** No More Ban On Sale Of Fuel To Foreign-Registered Vehicles At Borders <http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=337415>
by Bernama
The government has decided to do away with the ban on the sale of fuel to foreign-registered vehicles up to 50 km inside the country from its broders with Thailand and Singapore.

**** Whose Misbehaviour Diminishes Us All? <http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_2008/yax-891.htm>
by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread
If anything, Lee Hsien Loong's attempts to make his government look moderate (and to "connect" with the people) are now in a thousand piecs with people reminded all over again how nasty and brutish this government can be towards its opponents.

**** The Childcare Teacher - Not Your High-Class Maid <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2008/06/the-childcare-teacher-not-your-high-class-maid/>
by Rachel Zeng, The Online Citizen

**** Bar None <http://singaporelifetimes.blogspot.com/2008/06/bar-none.html>
by Singapore Life And Times
Ultimately, it's all a business, not an egalitarian society.

**** Human Rights Are Not Human Rights, Are Not Right <http://mollymeek.livejournal.com/191432.html>
by Mollymeek
Maybe it's just that politics cannot be political. Or, to put it more simply, maybe the idea is that we cannot go against the ruling party just because it doesn't respect our rights.

**** Who Said No Cabs? Got! <http://www.mrbrown.com/blog/2008/06/who-said-no-cab.html>
by mrbrown
Sure we have cabs! Just that almost /all/ of them are On Call!