[MyAppleMenu] Apr 6, 2009

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Micro-Billing, Byte By Byte, Suits The World Of Cellphones <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/technology/06cell.html?partner=rss&emc=rss>
by Matt Richtel and Bob Tedeschi, New York Times

Apple’s payment model strongly resembles that of the phone industry. A consumer enters his credit card data once, and all subsequent downloads are automatically charged to that account.

By making the process convenient, Apple has been able to sell software applications that, accessed through a computer, would be free. LiveStrong’s calorie-counter app, for example, is free online but a version of it costs $2.99 in the iPhone App store.

**** ColorSplash For iPhone <http://www.macworld.com/article/139753/2009/04/colorsplash.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Aayush Arya, Macworld

Image-editing tool brings selective desaturation to the iPhone.

**** iStat Menus <http://cultofmac.com/cult-of-mac-favorite-istat-menus/9957>
by Craig Grannell, Cult Of Mac

**** ImageBuddy 4 Adds Raw File Format Support <http://www.macworld.com/article/139844/2009/04/imagebuddy.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Peter Cohen, Macworld

ImageBuddy helps users rotate, size, crop, mask and layout digital photos for printing. ImageBuddy supports drag and drop printing and layout from iPhone and Aperture.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Got Poetry? <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/books/review/Holt-t.html?_r=1&em>
by Jim Holt, New York Times

The grandest claim for memorizing poetry is made by Clive James, himself a formidable repository of memorized verse. In his book “Cultural Amnesia,” James declares that “the future of the humanities as a common possession depends on the restoration of a simple, single ideal: getting poetry by heart.” A noble sentiment. I just wish that James had given us some reason for thinking it was true.

**** The Color Of Shadows <http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/features/2009/04/13/090413fi_fiction_toibin>
by Colm Tóibín, The New Yorker

**** Siblings And Half Siblings <http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/poetry/2009/04/13/090413po_poem_prikryl>
by Jana Prikryl, The New Yorker

**** The Long-Term Marriage <http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/poetry/2009/04/13/090413po_poem_reece>
by Spencer Reece, The New Yorker



SingaporeSurf
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**** Construction Faces Crunch <http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/Singapore/Story/STIStory_359955.html>
by Jessica Cheam, Straits Times

Construction firms that rely heavily on private-sector projects face tough times ahead as more property developers delay building works.

**** A Good And Competent Government Is No Longer Enough For Singaporeans <http://wayangparty.com/?p=7417>
by Fang Zhi Yuan, The Wayang Party Club

The PAP has failed to meet the needs and aspirations of the population so far. Without the GRC system, a weak opposition and a compliant media under its thumb, it would have been booted out of office a long time ago.

**** The Ruling Party Has Not Learnt The Lessons From AIG <http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=2640>
by Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net

Mr Lim Boon Heng has gotten his case wrong. The outcry over the mega bonuses paid by AIG was not simply due to the fact that AIG had been bailed out by American taxpayers’ money, but also due to the fact that managers and executives at AIG had, for the past several years, indulged in highly speculative and risky activity that brought down the whole company and threatened the entire financial system when the US housing market collapsed.

**** å€Ÿé‰´æ–°åŠ å¡æ˜¯ä¼Ÿäººèƒ¸è¥Ÿ <http://www.zaobao.com/yl/yl090406_503.shtml>
by 王永炳, 联合早报

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**** 新马依士干达部长会议同意 来往新马巴士 服务次数将倍增 <http://www.zaobao.com/sp/sp090406_501.shtml>
by 联合早报

æ–°é©¬ä¾å£«å¹²è¾¾éƒ¨é•¿è”åˆå§”å‘˜ä¼šæ˜¨å¤©ä¸¾è¡Œç¬¬å››æ¬¡ä¼šè®®ï¼Œå°±å››æ–¹é¢çš„åˆä½œè¿›å±•è¿›è¡Œæ£€è®¨ï¼Œå¹¶åŽŸåˆ™ä¸ŠåŒæ„æŠŠæ¥å¾€ä¸¤åœ°çš„å·´å£«æœåŠ¡æ¬¡æ•°å¢žåŠ ä¸€å€ã€‚

**** Bus Operators Fined <http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/Singapore/Story/STIStory_360053.html>
by Felicia Wong, Straits Times

SBS Transit, the larger operator, was fined $4,500 for its failure to ensure that 85 per cent of feeder bus services were operating at headways of not more than 10 minutes. While SMRT met this requirement immediately since it was introduced August 2008, it was fined $100 for exceeding the 95 per cent loading during peak hours.

**** Engaging Netizens - Time To Come Out Of Comfort Zones, oliticians <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/04/engaging-netizens-–-time-to-come-out-of-comfort-zones-politicians/>
by Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen

Internet engagement by politicians is a new phenomena in Singapore – and parties on both sides of the fence are adopting tentative stances towards it. The politicians do not want to get into something they are not familiar with; while netizens are wary of politicians usurping Net space for their political agenda.

But if discussions on issues of importance are to progress, both parties have to accept that perhaps it is time to stop staying on their respective sides of the fence.

**** The Panda That Trampled On The True Orchids <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/04/the-panda-that-trampled-on-the-true-orchids/>
by Ravi Philemon, The Online Citizen

Organisations like WWF Singapore are in best position to exercise their corporate citizenry, to pressure SBG over the orchid naming issue.  Having said that, should every organisation which professes to support human rights and green issues, now avoid using SBG since Dendrobium Thein Sein in all probability may not be removed from the SBG’s VIP Orchid Gardens?  It is a decision best left to the organisations themselves. But such decisions should be done only after careful consideration of all options.

**** Singapore Vows To Change Tax Laws To Remove Havens <http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gvwF1GWaIRpK8ATpnlZF5tUhmcfQ>
by AFP

Singapore has vowed to amend its tax laws within the year after being named in a list of countries that have not yet fully implemented global standards aimed at eliminating tax havens.