[MyAppleMenu] Dec 2, 2009

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Charlie Wolf: How The Mac Roared Back <http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/12/01/charlie-wolf-how-the-mac-roared-back/>
Philip Elmer-DeWitt, Fortune

Needham & Co.'s senior analyst explains how Apple outgrew the PC market seven fold.

**** The iPhone In China One Month On <http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2009/12/01/the-iphone-in-china-one-month-on/>
Juliet Ye, Wall Street Journal

A month after the iPhone’s somewhat tepid official launch in China, the iPhone made its debut in South Korea over the weekend, with 65,000 pre-orders taken. By way of comparison, carrier China Unicom said a few days after its launch that 5,000 iPhones had been sold. The company has not released updated figures since.

**** Mac Pro Owners Having Problems With Magic Mouse Bluetooth Connectivity <http://www.cultofmac.com/mac-pro-owners-having-problems-with-magic-mouse-bluetooth-connectivity/22338?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+cultofmac%2FbFow+%28Cult+of+Mac%29>
John Brownlee, Cult of Mac

The issue seems to be widespread amongst Mac Pro owners, who simply can’t get the Magic Mouse to play nice with their machines. Pair a Magic Mouse with a Mac Pro and your experience will be rife with stuttering cursors and suddenly lost connections… a situation made even more frustrating because the device works without a problem when connected to other computers.

**** Airlock Uses Your iPhone To Secure Your Mac <http://www.macworld.com/article/144650/2009/12/airlock.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Lex Friedman, Macworld

Airlock unlocks your Mac when you approach it, and locks it again when you walk away, using the magic of Bluetooth to detect your proximity by looking for your iPhone (or later-gen iPod touch). Always assuming you don't forget your phone at your desk, of course.

**** Steve Jobs Intervenes, Approves Knocking Streaming Video App <http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/12/steve-jobs-intervenes-approves-knocking-streaming-video-app.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss>
Chris Foresman, Ars Technica

The impassioned pleas of one developer e-mailed to Steve Jobs resulted in a quick reversal of his app's rejection. The launch of the app today is the first known approved app that can stream live video directly from one iPhone to another, and the first approval for an app with known use of private APIs. Apple's change of heart came "directly from the top," and is a sign that real change in the App Store approval process is in the works.

**** Mail.app Rules! <http://www.tuaw.com/2009/12/01/mail-app-rules/>
Sang Tang, TUAW

One of the neat things about Mail.app is rules. Rules will perform a specified action if a certain condition is met. These actions include moving, copying, and setting the color of a message, as well as automatically replying, forwarding, and redirecting a message.

**** Ten Quick Calculator Tricks <http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=403c6ce6c077f794ed997890630c2db1>
Sharon Zardetto, Macworld

Here's how to get the most out of Apple's built-in tool.

**** Leaving MobileMe Behind <http://lowendmac.com/musings/09mm/goodbye-mobileme.html>
Dan Knight, Low End Mac

After nearly 10 years with a mac.com email address, it's time I stopped renewing my $99/year MobileMe subscription.

**** Square Gives iPhones, Notebooks On-the-spot Payment <http://feeds.macnn.com/click.phdo?i=dbdbf8b72deb036a89ab114cd4fae07c>
MacNN

Created by early Twitter pioneer Jack Dorsey, the self-titled service currently uses a scanning dongle that attaches to an iPhone, iPod touch or notebook through the 3.5mm headphone jack. The add-on scans a credit card and processes the payment through an online system without having to use a relatively expensive commercial card reader and service.

**** Exporting All Of Your Playlist Names To A Text File <http://www.tuaw.com/2009/12/01/exporting-all-of-your-playlist-names-to-a-text-file/>
Sang Tang, TUAW

**** Third-Party SDKs: The Future Of iPhone Apps <http://db.tidbits.com/article/10796?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tidbits_main+%28TidBITS%3A+Mac+News+for+the+Rest+of+Us%29>
Robyn Weisman, TidBITS

Given the lack of inter-app communication in the current iPhone OS, the capability to use TextExpander touch seamlessly via its SDK within at least some apps makes obvious sense from a SmileOnMyMac perspective.

**** Lessons From The Apple-Psystar Battle <http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2009/tc2009121_009697.htm>
Peter Burrows, BusinessWeek

Apple has long been one of the staunchest defenders of intellectual property. Psystar would have done well to brush up on its Steve Jobs history.

**** Psystar To Apple: Would You Consider $50,000 Cash And $2.65 Million In Unsold Hackintoshes? <http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20091201/psystar-to-pay-apple-2-65-million-more-than-its-worth/>
John Paczkowski, Wall Street Journal



The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** How Thin Is Thin In Clients? <http://news.cnet.com/8301-13556_3-10407055-61.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
Gordon Haff, CNET News

**** No Shocker: Google Prefers HTML5 To Gears <http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-10407061-264.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
CNET News



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** At The Corner Of Hip And Red Tape <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/01/AR2009120100847.html>
Jane Black, Washington Post

As street food rolls in new ways, jurisdictions are hard-pressed to keep up with trends and demands.

**** Do Typewriters Hold The Keys To Fine Writing? <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2009/dec/01/typewriters-fine-writing?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Sam Jones, The Guardian

In the age of the PC, a surprising number of authors remain wedded to rather older technology.

**** Boxed In <http://www.slate.com/id/2234519/>
Grady Hendrix, Slate

Giving someone a TV series on DVD is like giving them a life sentence.



SingaporeSurf
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**** “Cheaper, Better, Faster” May Just Break The Camel’s Back <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/12/cheaper-better-faster-may-just-break-the-camels-back/>
Leong Sze Hian, The Online Citizen

The MOM’s latest report, without the media spin, is worrying. The race to the bottom, in terms of lowering wages, is disconcerting and could be the last straw that breaks the backs of working Singaporeans.

**** Final Court Appeal For Yong Vui Kong <http://rachelzeng.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/final-court-appeal-for-yong-vui-kong/>
Rachel Zeng

**** Truth Hurts... <http://pngapore.blogspot.com/2009/11/truth-hurts.html>
Times They Are A-Changin'


>From this insight by Dr Lee, we can only infer that Mr. Lim Kim San was rather misguided on the Bilingual policy; an ill-advised education policy that has inflicted a lot pain on generations of Singaporeans in the process.


**** Fixing A Problem That Doesn’t Exist <http://geraldgiam.sg/2009/12/fixing-a-problem-that-doesn%e2%80%99t-exist/>
Gerald Giam

Why does this government have so much time on their hands to solve non-existent problems? When was the last time we had anything close to a riot on Polling Day? Not that I know of in the last 50 years. But perhaps our far-sighted government is preparing for a “freak event”.

**** 'PAP Will Have Unfair Edge' <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_461488.html>
Kor Kian Beng, Straits Times

Ruling party could disguise election pitch as news items, they claim.

**** Holiday Trip Spoilt By GST Shock At Airport <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_461188.html>
Patrick Lim, Straits Times

We were told that the maximum limit for gifts purchased overseas is $300 - anything exceeding that is taxable. I checked with many friends and relatives and none of them knew that this rule exists, not even the tour agency.

**** Why Not Limit A Taxi's Speed? <http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC091202-0000055/Why-not-limit-a-taxis-speed?>
Alex Yard, Today

Why can't taxis be fitted with speed limiters? The public should not be put at risk by them breaking the law and trying to make an extra buck or two.

**** PAP Already Has An Unfair Edge. <http://singaporeanskeptic.blogspot.com/2009/12/pap-already-has-unfair-edge.html>
Singaporean Skeptic

This cooling off period is pretty insignificant compared to what the PAP has already done. It is a big joke that I don't intend to observe.

**** Singapore Press Holdings To Halve Pay Cuts <http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hKHkj-n4-5I4-ptQjwHnotqJ4dBQ>
AFP

Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), one of Asia's largest media companies, said Tuesday it would halve staff pay cuts introduced earlier this year as it was hit by the economic slump.

**** Own Victim Of The GRC Success <http://kelvinteowrites.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/own-victim-of-the-grc-success/>
Kelvin Teo Writes

The question that remains is whether these ministerial candidates has undergone the ultimate test – to be elected by voters. Walkovers are technically not considered election by the voters. The simple answer is not all have undergone such a test.

**** As Street Food Dies, One Remains <http://food.theatlantic.com/abroad/as-street-food-dies-one-remains.php>
Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, The Atlantic

In the sweltering sun, a portly man slowly wheels a wooden cart along a grid of narrow, concrete pathways in Singapore's Tiong Bahru neighborhood, stopping only to bellow, "Sataaay! Sataaay!"

**** Singapore Gets Google Street View, Finally <http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/internet/0,39044908,62059737,00.htm>
Damian Koh, ZDNet Asia

It's been a long wait, but Google's ground-level imagery feature Street View of Singapore is at last a go.

**** Why Not Woo Singapore To Iskandar? <http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/12/2/business/5220336&sec=business>
Risen Jayaseelan, The Star


>From day one, the stark absence of Singaporean involvement in the Iskandar Malaysia project had seemed odd.


**** “Cooling-off” Day For Voters To Reflect “Calmly” On Their Decisions Or For The PAP To Do Last Minute Campaigning? <http://www.temasekreview.com/2009/12/02/cooling-off-day-for-voters-to-reflect-calmly-on-their-decisions-or-for-the-pap-to-do-last-minute-campaigning/>
The Temasek Review

**** Singapore Announces Climate Change Target <http://app.mfa.gov.sg/2006/press/view_press_email.asp?post_id=5653>
Singapore Government

**** Singapore General Elections In 2010 <http://thinkingbetterthinkingmeta.blogspot.com/2009/12/singapore-general-elections-in-2010.html>
Sam Ho, Sam's Thoughts

**** Singapore Now Among 10 Most Expensive Asian Cities <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1021996/1/.html>
Yasmine Yahya, 938Live

Singapore is now one of the top 10 most expensive Asian cities for expatriates to live in due to the strengthening of the Singdollar.

**** 大选可能在明年上半年举行？ <http://www.zaobao.com/sp/sp091202_008.shtml>
蔡添成 游润恬, 联合早报

政府所做的系列选举制度改革，包括定下“冷静日”，都将纳入相关的修正法案，并趁财政部长向国会发表新财政年度政府预算案之前，在明年一二月间提交国会一读，按程序可在明年三月间完成二读辩论和三读通过。这是否意味着政府可能会在明年上半年举行大选？

**** “Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don’t” <http://p65.sg/newp65/2009/12/02/%e2%80%9cdamned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don%e2%80%99t%e2%80%9d/>
Fredric Fanthome, The P65 Blog

I don’t see how the move is particularly advantageous to the PAP (or any single party). One argument being touted is that the fact that political broadcasts and news reports are allowed is unfair as the media is “in the hands of the government”. Well, if we assume that is the case, then by the same measure, the population will disregard anything the media puts out in that period, and moreover, it would actually be incensed by any blatant misuse of the media – and hence vote against the PAP rather than for it. Hardly a disadvantage. If I was an opposition candidate I would rubbing my hands in glee at the prospect of being able to ride the crest of such an anti-government wave.

**** My Son's Crocs Are In Google Street View Singapore <http://asia.cnet.com/blogs/rehashplus/post.htm?id=63015183&scid=hm_bl>
CNET Asia

Singapore has incredible density, and Street View did capture the rich tapestry of this multi-racial country. Not to mention almost every house in the island state with their Ferraris, Lambos and Porsches, people going in and out of Geylang houses, etc.

**** You Mean No One Said Anything To Mr Lee? <http://yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/3139-you-mean-no-one-said-anything-to-mr-lee>
Chee Soon Juan, Singapore Democrats

This is the tragedy of Singapore. Mr Lee's personal experiences and ramblings often become diktat, and pass for policy-making processes. And when policy is made, no one dares to question it. 

Are ministers paid so highly and intimidated so thoroughly that no one thinks of saying anything to Mr Lee when policies don't work? Is groupthink so prevalent within the cabinet?