[MyAppleMenu] Feb 10, 2009

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Review: The 25 Best Outdoor iPhone Apps <http://www.theadventurelife.org/archives/1957?sr=hotnews>
by Steve Casimiro, The Adventure Life

The iPhone itself is already on its way to becoming indispensable and will become even more so&mdash;these 25 outdoor apps are part of the reason why.

**** Apple's Flatland Aesthetic, Part 1: The Mac <http://www.asktog.com/columns/075AppleFlatlandPart1.html>
by Bruce Tognazzini, Ask Tog

How a simple idea is causing complexity.

**** A Quicker Search Of Almost Everything <http://blogs.oreilly.com/digitalmedia/2009/02/a-quicker-search-of-everything.html>
by Jochen Wolters, O'Reilly Digital Media

**** Can Apple Stop Mac Clones? <http://www.crn.com/retail/213401706>
by Steven Burke, ChannelWeb

The ability of PearC and Psystar to keep one step ahead of Apple's ever-vigilant legal eagles is likely to spark more companies to brave the Mac clone waters.

**** Apple iTunes' Genius: Is It Racist? <http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/blogspotting/archives/2009/02/apple_itunes_ge.html?campaign_id=rss_blog_blogspotting>
by Stephen Baker, BusinessWeek

I think Genius reflects the normal human way of dealing with complexity. It reaches for a simple rule in the beginning. These people are like this, those ones like that. And then, hopefully, it starts to learn.

**** Cocktail 4.3, Mac OS X Maintenance Tools Utility Updated <http://www.macworld.co.uk/digitallifestyle/news/index.cfm?newsid=24883&pagtype=allchandate>
by Nick Spence, Macworld UK

Maintain has updated its Mac OS X utility Cocktail, which adds the ability to clear potentially harmful files such as 'most common Trojans' or other files that may harm your system in any way.

**** MacHeist Opens Season 3 With Free Mac OS X Software <http://www.macworld.co.uk/macsoftware/news/index.cfm?newsid=24882&pagtype=allchandate>
by Nick Spence, Macworld UK

MacHeist has launched MacHeist 3, the redesigned software promotion site aimed at offering bargain Mac software bundles while raising money for charity.

**** The Incredible Shrinking Operating System <http://www.infoworld.com/article/09/02/09/06FE-shrinking-operating-system_1.html>
by Ephraim Schwartz, InfoWorld

Windows, Mac OS, and Linux are all getting smaller. What does that mean for you?

**** Drive Genius 2: Mac Hard Drive Toolbox <http://www.surfbits.com/?p=2017'>
by Surfbits.com

**** The iPhone Is Useless In New York City <http://www.applegazette.com/iphone/the-iphone-is-useless-in-new-york-city/>
by Apple Gazette

**** How To Reach 8 Hours Of Battery Life On The New MacBooks And MacBook Pros <http://macpcbattle.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-to-reach-8-hours-of-battery-life-on.html>
by Mac Versus PC: The Blog

You might already know that wireless connectivity and screen brightness are some of the major factors that limit battery life, but what else can you do to reach 8 hours of battery life?

**** Postbox Helps You Organize Your E-Mail <http://www.macworld.com/article/138727/2009/02/postbox.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Peter Cohen, Macworld

Postbox &mdash; based on technology developed by Mozilla &mdash; is aimed at users looking for new ways to organize, locate and use the data that’s sent to them by e-mail.

**** Life's Instant Gratifications <http://www.myapplemenu.com/2009/02/10/WM081516/>
by Heng-Cheong Leong, MyAppleMenu

Dear Apple,

I've bought iLife '09, all excited with the advertised new features like Faces in iPhoto '09, all ready to see all the face detecting and face recognizing that you've promised. After waiting for the installation and the rebooting to be done, I happily launch iPhoto '09, and discovered, sadly, that more waiting was in order. There were hundreds more minutes before I could start using Faces in iPhoto '09 as your software started scanning through my photos.

Where's my instant gratification?

You should have sneaked an update to iPhoto '08, and start doing all that scanning in the background a few weeks prior to the launch of the new version, little-by-little. Then, when your customers install and launch iPhoto '09, everything will be super-fast and super-magical, and every blogger out there can start to rain praises on you so-many-more minutes earlier.

Thank you. (With tongue somewhere in cheek.)

**** Review: Mac Call Recorder For Skype <http://cultofmac.com/review-mac-call-recorder-for-skype/8113>
by Lonnie Lazar, Cult Of Mac

**** Is Google Sync A Shot At MobileMe? <http://www.macworld.com/article/138725/2009/02/googlesync_iphone.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Dan Moren, Macworld

**** Nisus Writer Express Adds Editable Document Properties <http://www.macworld.com/article/138731/2009/02/nisus.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Peter Cohen, Macworld

New to the 3.2 release are new features like the ability to edit document properties, including author, company, copyright and other fields; new backup options; control over smart quotes on a per-language basis; and a preference to choose the default file format for new documents.

**** DVDs And A DRM-Free Future <http://www.macworld.com/article/138732/2009/02/drmfreedvd.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Christopher Breen, Macworld

It took the music industry the better part of a decade to figure this out. I’m hopeful the movie studios are a little quicker on the uptake.

**** Dock Bug Could Lead To Data Loss <http://db.tidbits.com/article/10062>
by Adam C. Engst, TidBITS

Consultant Scott Rose has isolated a potentially dangerous bug in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard that could cause data loss for people who rely on the Dock as a launcher for in-progress documents. The steps to reproduce the problem aren't likely to bite careful users, but it's easy enough to see someone accidentally stumbling into the situation, as did one of Scott's clients.

**** Five Reasons The iPhone Trumps The Kindle <http://www.macworld.com/article/138738/2009/02/kindlevsiphone.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Rick Broida, PC World

**** Scrabble Journey <http://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=1015>
by Charlie Fletcher, Inside Mac Games

Its shortcomings do not completely outweigh the basic fun of playing Scrabble through an obstacle course.



The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Amazon Unwraps Kindle 2.0 <http://www.technologyreview.com/business/22085/?a=f>
by Erica Naone, MIT Technology Review

The device betrays a plan to dominate the transition from printed books to electronic ones.

**** How Tweet It Is <http://nymag.com/news/media/54069/>
by Will Leitch, New York Magazine

Sure, the Twitter guys still have no idea how to make money off their fabulous invention. But for now they are living in a dreamworld of infinite possibilities, maybe the last one on Earth.

**** E-Book Expansion Stalled By Price <http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10159722-93.html?tag=mncol>
by Erica Ogg, CNET

In the story of e-book readers, we're still in the first chapter.

**** Why Small Payments Won't Save Publishers <http://www.shirky.com/weblog/2009/02/why-small-payments-wont-save-publishers/>
by Clay Shirky

**** You Can't Sell News By The Slice <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/opinion/10kinsley.html?ref=todayspaper>
by Michael Kinsley, New York Times



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Wilde Times <http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/54086/>
by David France, New York Magazine

The huge legacy of a small bookshop.

**** Praise Be To Dog <http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2009/02/10/havrilesky_dogs/index.html>
by Heather Havrilesky, Salon

An ode to loud, stinky, filthy canines and the pathologically needy people who love them.

**** Darwinism Must Die So That Evolution May Live <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/science/10essa.html?_r=1>
by Carl Safina, New York Times

Equating evolution with Charles Darwin ignores 150 years of discoveries, including most of what scientists understand about evolution.

**** It Takes Particular Clicks <http://www.slate.com/id/2210851/?from=rss>
by Christian Wiman, Slate

**** Is Food The New Sex? <http://www.hoover.org/publications/policyreview/38245724.html>
by Mary Eberstadt, Policy Review

A curious reversal in moralizing.



SingaporeSurf
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**** Five-Day Work Week = Poor Work-Life Balance? <http://tnp.sg/news/story/0,4136,192329,00.html>
by Lediati Tan, New Paper

**** Singapore Developer Says Office Demand Plunged <http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/02/09/business/AS-Singapore-Property.php>
by The Associated Press

CapitaLand Ltd, Southeast Asia's largest property developer, said demand for Singapore office space plummeted last year as the global financial crisis knocked the city-state into recession.

"There was a big surge in demand for offices 10 or 11 months ago ... but it suddenly stops and falls off a cliff," CapitaLand Chief Executive Liew Mun Leong said at a news conference. "We know the market is softening and volume has gone down, and prices will be softening."

**** Singapore's Official Foreign Reserves Decline In January <http://www.rttnews.com/Content/AsianEconomicNews.aspx?Node=B2&Id=848169>
by RTTNews

Monday, a report by the Monetary Authority of Singapore said the official foreign reserves decreased to US$ 167 billion in January from US$ 174.2 billion in December.

**** Singapore Detained 366 Without Trial In Last Five Years <http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/NewsBreak/20090209210405/Article/index_html>
by Bernama

Singapore authorities detained 366 people without trial under its criminal law in the past five years, its Parliament was told today.

Home affairs ministerWong Kang Seng said the act was only used as a last resort when a serious crime had been committed and a court prosecution was not possible because witnesses were not willing or afraid to testify in court.

In other words, I can't show any evidence that you are guilty, but trustme, you are factually guilty.

**** Mapping A Good Fence With Singapore <http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/02/09/mapping-a-good-fence-with-singapore.html>
by Made Andi Arsana, The Jakarta Post

The success of Indonesia and Singapore in establishing a maritime boundary through a series of negotiations is an example of a good bilateral relationship. This once again proves that countries in Southeast Asia can settle disputes peacefully.

**** Chairman Takes Over At DBS - Again <http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/08/business/spot09.1-425027.php>
by Saeed Azhar and Kevin Lim, Reuters

Investors did not panic late last month when the chief executive of DBS Group, the biggest bank in Southeast Asia, was found to have cancer. That is because its chairman, Koh Boon Hwee, one of the most powerful players in Singapore boardrooms, took the reins.

**** Why Singapore Should Keep GST <http://www.eternal-hap.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-spore-should-keep-gst.html>
by Making History Relevant

**** 3 Feasible Strategies The Government Should Adopt To Counter Rising Anti-Establishment Sentiment In Cyberspace <http://wayangparty.com/?p=5013>
by Lim Yii Tong, The Wayang Party Club

Given the rapid pace at which internet technologies are evolving, there need to be a fundamental shift in the government’s mindset and strategy to package and  communicate its intent and message in a more palatable and acceptable form to netizens who will be peeved from being talked down to as is the current mode of interaction with the officialdom.

**** MRTs &amp; LEDs <http://confuseddesi.wordpress.com/2009/02/10/mrts-leds/>
by Lost In Thoughts...

If only they had done this long ago rather than investing in stupid projects like announcements.

**** Singapore Fights Recession With Upbeat Acronyms <http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE5190X520090210>
by Gillian Murdoch, Reuters

Not content with a $13.7 billion financial stimulus package, Singapore has unveiled a raft of economic recovery schemes with titles so perky they are almost "comical," the Straits Times newspaper reported on Tuesday.

**** No To Human Cloning <http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_336466.html>
by Straits Times

Singapore is standing firm on its ban on human cloning. Declaring that it is illegal, health minister Khaw Boon Wan, however, said on Tuesday that science is evolving and the law must try to keep place.

**** CPF Rate For Ordinary Account To Be 2.5% From April To June <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/407992/1/.html>
by Channel NewsAsia

The Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board will continue to pay 2.5 per cent interest per annum for members' CPF savings in their ordinary accounts from April 1 to June 30.

**** Stiffer Penalties For Litterbugs <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/407802/1/.html>
by Channel NewsAsia

The National Environment Agency (NEA) will be increasing the penalties for littering. From April 1, first-time offenders will be fined S$300 for minor littering - up from the existing fine of S$200.

**** Singapore Confident Of GIC, Temasek Long-Term Returns <http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=ajhvHB_10DEM&refer=asia>
by Chen Shiyin, Bloomberg

Singapore is "confident" that state-owned investment companies Temasek Holdings Pte and the Government of Singapore Investment Corp. will deliver long-term returns even as stock markets tumble amid a global recession.

Lim Hwee Hua, senior minister of state with the finance ministry, also said that the government will assess whether a separate fund is needed to rescue local companies.

**** Where Is Fairness In Efficency? <http://actionslavehero.livejournal.com/30566.html>
by Actionslavehero

I cannot comprehend that the judicial system has failed so miserably as to be completely incapable of finding guilt where it exists and to deliver punishment where it is due.

**** Female Teacher Admits To Sex With Boy Aged 15 <http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_2009/yax-983.htm>
by Au Yaipang, Yawning Bread

We need to be acutely conscious of this potential bias in the justice system, and that is why the above-mentioned cases in Singapore are worth watching.

**** Deepavali To Fall On October 17 This Year <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/408037/1/.html>
by Channel NewsAsia

Deepavali is on October 17 this year, not on November 15 as announced earlier. The manpower ministry said that the Hindu Endowments Board has advised that between mid-October and mid-November, there is a rare occurrence of two "no moon" days (amavasai).

**** Temasek's Investment Portfolio Down 31% To S$127b As Of 30 Nov 2008 <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/408020/1/.html>
by Timothy Ouyang, Channel NewsAsia

Temasek Holdings' portfolio of investments fell 31 per cent to S$127 billion as of 30 November last year, according to latest data revealed in Parliament on Tuesday.

Senior minister of state for finance and transport, Lim Hwee Hwa, said: "This is less than the corresponding declines in the MSCI Singapore Index of 44 per cent and the MSCI Asia ex-Japan of 45 per cent both in Singapore dollar terms over the same period." 

**** Singapore Is No Tax Haven <http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_336521.html>
by Robin Chan, Straits Times

The republic has low but not no tax; strong rule of law; companies with substantive business activities, and is now considering adopting an internationally-recognised standard for the exchange of tax information, said senior minister of state for finance and transport Lim Hwee Hua in Parliament on Tuesday.

**** Finance Ministry To Introduce Public Sector Annual Report In 2010 <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/408057/1/.html>
by Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia

Singapore's finance ministry plans to introduce a public sector annual report in 2010. This will track how various agencies work towards their strategic goals and should help to better synergise their operations.

**** PSLE A Necessary Part Of Singapore's Education System, Says Education Minister <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/408064/1/.html>
by Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia

**** Looking Forward To (More) Goodyear <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/02/looking-forward-to-more-goodyear/>
by The Online Citizen

**** Johor Idea Draws Flak <http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_336540.html>
by Salma Khalik, Straits Times

A suggestion by health minister that Singaporeans might want to consider staying at a nursing home across the Causeway in Johor where it is much cheaper drew flak from two opposition MPs in Parliament on Tuesday.

**** The Road To Hell <http://kwayteowman.blogspot.com/2009/02/road-to-hell.html>
by The Kway Teow Man

Retrenchments are not limited to troubled companies.

**** Please Mr Khaw, Have A Heart <http://feedmetothefish.blogspot.com/2009/02/please-mr-khaw-have-heart.html>
by Feed Me To The Fish