[MyAppleMenu] Feb 14, 2009

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** WTF Lawsuit Of The Year: iFart V. Pull My Finger <http://cultofmac.com/wtf-lawsuit-of-the-year-ifart-v-pull-my-finger/8340>
by Lonnie Lazar, Cult Of Mac

iFart Mobile, maker of a wildly popular app for iPhone and iPod Touch, asked a court on Friday to rule that it can use the term “pull my finger” without risking trademark infringement claims by another iPhone fart app named, …wait for it, Pull My Finger.

**** Is Los Angeles The Center Of The Apple Universe? <http://www.examiner.com/x-3701-LA-Apple-Gear-Examiner~y2009m2d13-Is-Los-Angeles-the-center-of-the-Apple-universe>
by Tyler Regas, LA Examiner



The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** The Micropayments Argument: Do We Want To Turn The Web Into Zimbabwe? <http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/feb/13/micropayments-zimbabwe-internet>
by Charles Arthur, The Guardian

For years, people have been wishing for a micropayment system for pages and images on the web. Is there any argument in favour of it?

**** Search Giants Join To Tidy Up Web Addresses <http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10163506-92.html>
by Stephen Shankland, CNET

All three on Thursday announced they'd support a technique by which a little extra code in a Web page can indicate the address of its "canonical" version--essentially, the original, primary URL. The move will make it easier to tell search engines what they should pay attention to and to avoid treating duplicative Web pages as different.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** 'The Way Through Doors' By Jesse Ball <http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la-et-book13-2009feb13,0,7582605.story?track=rss>
by Laurel Maury, Los Angeles Times

A challenging web of stories-within-stories leaves a reader fulfilled.

**** Some Well-Planned Wackiness <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/dining/18appe.html?_r=1>
by Melissa Clark, New York Times

On the rare night I’m cooking just for one, though, some of my old inclinations return. But they’re tempered with my newer, more organized habits. In other words, the wackier combinations persist, but I plan them.

And this is how I came to invent what’s been affectionately called my cheesy cauliflower chutney mess.

**** School Of Rock <http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200903/guitar-hero>
by James Parker, The Atlantic

What does Guitar Hero's popularity mean for the future of rock and roll?

**** Grand Theft Auto's Extreme Storytelling <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1879194,00.html>
by Lev Grossman, Time

It's one of the enduring paradoxes of the Grand Theft Auto games--or maybe the paradox lies in the culture around them?--that people who don't play them think of them as the epitome of mindless virtual violence, whereas in fact they are, with each installment, more and more radical and sophisticated experiments in storytelling.

**** The Maggots In Your Mushrooms <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/opinion/13levy.html?_r=1&ref=opinion>
by E. J. Levy, New York Times

You may be grossed out, but insects and mold in our food are not new. The F.D.A. actually condones a certain percentage of “natural contaminants” in our food supply -- meaning, among other things, bugs, mold, rodent hairs and maggots.

**** Death: Bad? <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/books/review/Holt-t.html>
by David Segal, New York Times

To be “philosophical” about something, in common parlance, is to face it calmly, without irrational anxiety. And the paradigm of a thing to be philosophical about is death.



SingaporeSurf
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**** More Than Half The Story <http://www.glass-castle.org/blog/2009/02/more-than-half-story.html>
by Glass Castle Blog

While self-identified critical voice in Singapore may talk the language of human rights where men are concerned, therefore, I have doubts about whether that language is meant to apply (in substance, not just in form) to women.

**** 366 Detained Without Trial In Last 5 Years <http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_2009/yax-984.htm>
by Au Waipang, Yawning Bread

So, when they say prosecution is not possible, how do we, the public, know whether it was because they were too lazy or incompetent to collect evidence?

Or even maybe, the prosecution don't have a real case, and the alleged person is indeed innocent?

**** A Summary Of My Critique Of The CPF Life Scheme <http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=2237>
by Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net

To suggest that people rely solely on each others’ pocketbooks and never on the government’s surpluses for their retirement needs is mean spirited and heartless, and reduces each person to an economic digit. A country that is being run as a mere corporation loses its soul and its identity, and becomes a hotel rather than a home, a mere stepping stone for those who are able to come and go.

**** Nervous Days For Singaporeans As Reserves Plunge <http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=insightdownsouth&file=/2009/2/14/columnists/insightdownsouth/3257648&sec=Insight%20Down%20South>
by Seah Chiang Nee, The Star

The government has been reluctant to reveal much about where its money was placed even in good times, but the dramatic downturn has increased public pressure for greater openness.

**** Temasek And Transparency <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123436899991073375.html>
by Wall Street Journal

The hiring of a foreign CEO is a notable change, and we hope it's a signal that Temasek and Singapore's leaders understand the need for more transparency in the company's operations. The world is demanding more openness and accountability from sovereign-wealth funds, and the shareholder-voters of Singapore deserve nothing less.

**** Voting Not A Mere Privilege <http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_338017.html>
by Jeremy Au Yong, Straits Times

Law minister Mr Shanmugam stated categorically that voting is a constitutional right and therefore enjoys the highest possible legal protection.

**** 裕廊东地铁站扩建下月动工 施工2年期间列车服务不受影响 <http://www.zaobao.com/sp/sp090214_511.shtml>
by 李静仪, 联合早报

在裕廊东地铁转换站增建轨道和月台的工程预料将在下月动工，当局将确保在施工期间乘客不会受到影响，列车照常运作。

**** Lim Boon Heng Says Government Schemes Are Safer Bets During Difficult Economic Times <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/409040/1/.html>
by S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia

Minister in the prime minister's office, Lim Boon Heng said on Saturday private insurers would be quite challenged to offer the same interest rates the CPF Life annuity scheme is offering.

Singaporeans were assured on Friday that the CPF interest paid by the government will not fall below the guaranteed floor rate of 3.5 per cent on the first S$60,000 of CPF balances and 2.5 per cent for amounts above that.

**** When The Chips Are Down, Singapore Singles Go Dating <http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE51D0WG20090214>
by Reuters

Singapore's economic downturn may prove to be Cupid's ally as dating agencies in the city state have reported a spike up in the number of singles signing up to find partners, the Straits Times said on Saturday.

**** If Only Singapore Had Knick-Knacks <http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2009/02/14/2003436073>
by Johnny Neihu, Taipei Times

Do you find it strange that this Utopian Singaporean future our politicians and officials envision for Taiwan just happens to resemble our dodgy past?

**** Singapore's Life Sciences Bet - Still On? <http://kentridgecommon.com/?p=692>
by Kelvin Teo, The Kent Ridge Common

**** Would Khaw Boon Wan Send His Mother To A Foreign Land? <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/02/would-khaw-boon-wan-send-his-mother-to-a-foreign-land/>
by Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen

The suggestion of such a simplistic solution is devoid of compassion. Of course, Khaw would argue that, on the contrary, it would provide Singaporeans with a piece of mind in their later years. This of course again misses the fact that life is more than just cheap healthcare and as a government which often says that it is a compassionate one, such a suggestion is akin to speaking through both sides of the mouth.