[MyAppleMenu] Dec 21, 2009

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** The App Store Is Apple's Most Important Invention Ever <http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodget-the-app-store-is-apples-most-important-invention-ever-debate-2009-12>
Henry Blodget, The Business Insider

I think the App Store has the chance to make the iPhone the dominant mobile development platform, which could create awesome Microsoft-like value over the next decade.  So in terms of the potential, I agree.

**** Store Set To Be Apple Of Master’s Eye <http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8bbd4b80-ed8b-11de-ba12-00144feab49a.html>
Joseph Menn, Financial Times

More than 2bn downloads later, the app phenomenon that has fuelled and fed off the iPhone’s success not only appears more significant than that blockbuster product, it might prove to be the most important thing Apple has ever created.

**** Surf The Subways With These Apple iPhone Apps For Straphangers <http://www.nydailynews.com/tech_guide/2009/12/20/2009-12-20_apps_for_straphangers.html>
Matt Marrone, New York Daily News

New Yorkers with iPhones and iPod Touches are a common sight on the subways. You won't, however, see them check the MTA map or ask a conductor for directions - at least not if they've downloaded some of our favorite iPhone apps for straphangers.

**** Where Old-fashioned Customer Service Meets Edgy Technology <http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2009/12/20/where_old_fashioned_customer_service_meets_edgy_technology/?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed4>
D.C. Denison, Boston Globe

Apple Stores, first launched in 2001 to considerable skep ticism in the retail industry, have turned out to be one of the company’s biggest success stories. In less than nine years, Apple’s retail operations have grown to 280 stores in 10 countries. For the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, the stores brought in $6.6 billion in revenue, adding $1.4 billion to Apple Inc.’s 2009 profit. During that time more than 170 million customers strolled through the stores, boosting the average single-store annual revenue to $26 million.

And the primary component of Apple’s winning formula, according to retail analysts: customer service.

**** iPod Touch Users Slow To Upgrade Mobile OS - Study <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/12/18/ipod_touch_users_slow_to_upgrade_mobile_os_study.html>
AppleInsider

While nearly 95 percent of iPhone users have upgraded to iPhone 3.0 or greater, only 55 percent of iPod touch users have done the same.

**** Small iPhone Developer Tapulous Sees Big Success <http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BJ06020091220?type=technologyNews>
Gabriel Madway, Reuters

iPhone app developer Tapulous says its sales have approached $1 million a month, providing fresh evidence of the growing success of start-ups designing programs for Apple Inc's mobile device.

**** iPhone Hints: Speak And Ye Shall Be Heard <http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=0f17fc1d7f51d94264e6af1f7701a9b9>
Dan Moren, Macworld

It’s altogether possible that you haven’t yet taken advantage of the 3GS’s Voice Control features, and while it may not allow you to command your iPhone to produce a cup of “tea, Earl Grey, hot,” there are still plenty of tricks up its sleeve.



The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** New Programs Aim To Lure Young Into Digital Jobs <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/21/technology/21nerds.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss>
Steve Lohr, New York Times

The country needs more cool nerds — people who can use computing in ways that haven’t even been thought of yet. High schools are starting to do their part.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** My Half-Baked Bubble <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/20/opinion/20bearman.html>
Joshuah Bearman, New York Times

The bigger the bubble, the harder the fall. I was an outsider before, but now I was a pariah. The old snack economy quietly rebuilt itself, and I was back to knocking my sardine can against the monkey bars out in the playground.

**** Poem Of The Week: The Autumn Outings By Maurice Rutherford <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2009/dec/21/poem-of-the-week-maurice-rutherford?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Carol Rumens, The Guardian



SingaporeSurf
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**** China Blocks Singapore Site <http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/singaporesite-12152009153914.html>
Radio Free Asia

The web site of an influential Singapore news organization has been blocked in China since late Monday for unknown reasons, according to Chinese netizens and staff at the newspaper.

Lianhe Zaobao is a Chinese-language newspaper whose Web site, zaobao.com, could previously be accessed in China without using any firewall-scaling software.

**** Sorry, No Water Activities On One's Own <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_468945.html>
Tan Nguan Sen, PUB, Straits Times

For safety reasons, we do not permit individuals to carry out water activities on their own.

**** å“¥æœ¬å“ˆæ ¹åè®®æ— çº¦æŸåŠ›æ–°åŠ å¡å®£å¸ƒæ’¤é”€å‡æŽ’ç›®æ ‡ <http://news.sina.com.cn/o/2009-12-21/023216804622s.shtml>
杨宗, 扬子晚报

è”åˆå›½æ°”å€™å˜è¿ä¼šè®®æœªèƒ½è¾¾æˆå…·æœ‰æ³•å¾‹çº¦æŸåŠ›çš„åè®®åŽï¼Œæ–°åŠ å¡æ’¤é”€åœ¨ä¼šè®®å‰å®£å¸ƒè¦å‡å°‘ç¢³æŽ’æ”¾é‡è¾¾16%çš„ç›®æ ‡ï¼Œå°†å›žå¤åˆ°ä»Šå¹´ç¨æ—©å®£å¸ƒçš„å‡æŽ’ç›®æ ‡7%到11%。

**** Singapore-registered Vehicles Not Exempted <http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/12/21/nation/5343795&sec=nation>
Farik Zolkepli, Malaysia Star

Singapore-registered vehicles are not exempted from the 20-litre restriction on the purchase of petrol within 50km of the border. Johor domestic trade, co-operatives and con sumerism department director Che Halim Abd Rahman said he was given a directive by the ministry that the ruling was in effect, a day after confirming Singaporeans were exempted.

**** That Lie <http://singaporelifetimes.blogspot.com/2009/12/that-lie.html>
Singapore Life and Times

When push comes to shove, and it is time for payback. the only most immediately profitable business that must be opened first is the casino.

I think no one -- not even the PAP government -- is denying the fact that the casino is the most important of the equation, profit-wise. But that doesn't imply, in my opinion, that all the other stuff are only to be rendered as side-shows only.

**** Be Grateful For Small Mercies <http://todayinsingapore.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/be-grateful-for-small-mercies/>
Today In Singapore

**** In Defense Of The PAP: How Fair Is It To Blame Everything On Them? <http://asiancorrespondent.com/secret-blog/in-defense-of-the-pap-how-fair-is-it-to-blame-everything-on-them>
Liau Chuan Yi and Norvin Chan, Asian Correspondent

Blaming the PAP for every aspect of our lives will thus have the effect of acknowledging that we want the PAP to play a role in every aspect of our lives, and manage it flawlessly. And that… will not be a desirable outcome.

**** Las Vegas Sands' Singapore Casino On Track For March Open <http://www.cnbc.com/id/34505860>
CNBC

Singapore casino resort is on track to open end of March, but may face delays depending on the weather, said its chairman, Sheldon Adelson. In an exclusive interview with CNBC, Adelson said delays to the launch of the $5.5 billion casino complex were due to rain.

**** 教育部新措施反应 <http://www.zaobao.com/sp/sp091221_016.shtml>
陈能端, 联合早报

é’ˆå¯¹æ•™è‚²éƒ¨å®£å¸ƒæ˜Žå¹´èµ·ï¼Œæ–°åŠ å¡å…¬æ°‘å°†åœ¨å°ä¸€æŠ¥åæŠ½ç­¾é˜¶æ®µæ¯”æ°¸ä¹…å±…æ°‘äº«æœ‰å¤šä¸€å€çš„æœºä¼šï¼Œå—è®¿çš„æœ¬åœ°å®¶é•¿ç»å¤§å¤šæ•°æ„Ÿåˆ°æ¬£æ…°ï¼Œä½†ä»æœ‰ä¸€äº›è§‰å¾—æ–°æŽªæ–½ä¸èƒ½åœ¨æ ¹æœ¬ä¸Šè§£å†³çƒ­é—¨å­¦æ ¡å­¦é¢ä¾›ä¸åº”æ±‚çš„é—®é¢˜ã€‚

**** NS Deaths: Confidential Operational Matter Or Issue Of Public Interest <http://thinkingbetterthinkingmeta.blogspot.com/2009/12/ns-deaths-confidential-operational.html>
Sam Ho, Sam's thoughts

Most training and operational matters deserve their confidentiality, but I hope the rules are not abused just to silence people who are deemed to be potential threat to the establishment. We are today definitely beyond such political strategies, because such strategies remove the agents of debate and lead to the avoidance of debate itself.

**** Healthcare 2010: Expanding Capacity, Raising Capabilities <http://mohsingapore.blogspot.com/2009/12/healthcare-2010-expanding-capacity.html>
Khaw Boon Wan, Ministry of Health

Good ideas are not difficult to get; turning a good idea into reality is the tough part. Sound implementation is what makes a healthcare system better than others.

**** MediaCorp Wins Suit <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_469174.html>
Chua Hian Hou, Straits Times

Mediacorp has successfully sued an Internet start-up which had been offering a service for consumers to watch the national broadcasters' programmes online. The High Court on Monday ruled that while RecordTV itself had not infringed MediaCorp's copyright, the company helped end-users do so and ordered it to terminate the service.

Cloud-based video recording service not allowed? This verdict doesn't make sense to me.