[MyAppleMenu] Feb 19, 2009

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Apple Buying Up Available Flash RAM Supplies For Next iPhone <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/02/18/apple_buying_up_available_flash_ram_supplies_for_next_iphone.html>
by Prince McLean, AppleInsider

A report issued on the flash RAM market indicates that Apple is inhaling supplies of memory components in preparation for the next generation iPhone, causing part shortages and raising the spot price for memory.

**** Apple Slows Down Mac Upgrades, In Sync With Economy <http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/02/mac-upgrades-sl.html>
by Brian X. Chen, Wired

Apple isn't going to roll out a revamped Mac desktop anytime soon, because you wouldn't buy one anyway, analysts say. Tough economic times, a shrinking desktop market and strong notebook sales make the idea of a sexy, aluminum Mac Mini an unwise investment for Apple, said Trip Chowdhry, a Global Equities Research analyst.

**** The Apple Mafia <http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/18/apple-silicon-valley-technology-enterprise-tech_apple.html>
by Brian Caulfield, Forbes

In Silicon Valley, Apple's quirky culture goes far beyond its walls.

**** ScreenFlow 1.5 Adds Audio Effects, WMV Export <http://www.macworld.com/article/138897/2009/02/screenflow.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

New in ScreenFlow 1.5 is the ability to add text objects to the timeline, allowing users to add titles to videos. The new version also adds more than 10 audio effects that can be applied to the narration.

**** Hulu And Boxee Disconnect <http://www.macworld.com/article/138899/2009/02/huluboxeedisconnect.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Christopher Breen, Macworld

**** A Little More On Q2 Sales Projections <http://www.businessweek.com/technology/ByteOfTheApple/blog/archives/2009/02/lies_damned_lie.html?campaign_id=rss_blog_byteoftheapple>
by Arik Hesseldahl, BusinessWeek

**** Review Of Papers For iPhone <http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2009/02/ars-exclusive-review-papers-for-iphone.ars>
by Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica

One of the best things I can say about Papers for iPhone is that it works exactly how you think it should work, and makes catching up on your reading that much easier. It's perfect for long commutes on public transport, boring seminars or lab meetings, or any other occasion where whipping out a Macbook might be considered inappropriate.

**** Why Apple Should Implement A 24 Hour Return Policy For All iPhone Apps <http://www.edibleapple.com/why-apple-should-implement-a-24-hour-return-policy-for-all-iphone-apps/>
by Edible Apple

If Apple needs any evidence that a 24 hour return policy would be useful, they need look no further than the current pricing problems currently plaguing the app store.

**** Apple Adds Italy, France, German Stores To Retail Map <http://cultofmac.com/apple-adds-italy-france-german-stores-to-retail-map/8511>
by Ed Sutherland, Cult Of Mac

Although the economy has caused it to curtail opening more retail locations in 2009, Apple Wednesday officially added France and Germany to its list of European stores.

**** Black Hat: Macs Under Attack? <http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3804176/Black+Hat+Macs+Under+Attack.htm>
by Sean Michael Kerner, Internet News

A security researcher says a new vulnerability could pose danger to Macs and iPhones. But we're still waiting for the proof.

**** In Dismal Economy, MacBook Outlook Slightly Brighter <http://apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/02/18/in-dismal-economy-macbook-outlook-slightly-brighter/>
by Philip Elmer-DeWitt, Fortune

**** The World Of The Mac <http://media.www.timesdelphic.com/media/storage/paper1086/news/2009/02/19/SpecialSection/The-World.Of.The.Mac-3636923.shtml>
by AJ Harrison, The Times-Delphic

Widgets rule my life.

**** CES: No Replacement For Macworld Expo <http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/ces_vs_macworld_expo/>
by Shawn King, The Mac Observer

By any objective measure, CES is a much bigger show. But is it a more effective one?

**** Pixelmator 1.4 Adds New Painting Engine <http://www.macworld.com/article/138906/2009/02/pixelmator.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

According to the developers, Pixelmator 1.4 adds a new painting engine delivers performance improvements, smoothness, as well as adding new brush settings for the painting tools.

**** LightSpeed Retail System Offers Web Store 2.0 <http://www.macworld.com/article/138907/2009/02/lightspeedweb.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Peter Cohen, Macworld

LightSpeed features an iTunes-like browser and a “floating” point of sale interface. It can manage multi-store inventory lookups and transfers, and can work in a multi-user environment.

**** Adobe Changes Its Tune Slightly On iPhone Flash <http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/02/adobe-changes-its-tune-slightly-on-iphone-flash.ars>
by Justin Berka, Ars Technica

Adobe's CEO said a few weeks ago that Apple and Adobe were working together to develop Flash on the iPhone, but a recent inquiry into the collaboration has Adobe simply reaffirming the difficulty of the task and how much it wants to work with Apple.



The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Google Wins Street view Privacy Suit <http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10166532-93.html>
by Steven Musil, CNET

A couple in Pittsburgh whose lawsuit claimed that Street View on Google Maps is a reckless invasion of their privacy lost their case.

**** Not All Information Wants To Be Free <http://www.slate.com/id/2211486/?from=rss>
by Jack Shafer, Slate

Inventing and refining the rich content that wants to be sold.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Judging Autism <http://www.salon.com/env/vital_signs/2009/02/19/autism_and_vaccines/index.html>
by Rahul K. Parikh, Salon

Science has failed to convince many people that vaccines do not cause autism. Will last week's court ruling finally change their minds?

**** How I Became A Soft Touch <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/fashion/19spy.html?ref=todayspaper>
by Michelle Slatalla, New York Times

Our new family eats Gummi bears by the bagful. She wears flip-flops to school even in winter. She stays up as late as she wants, sleeps as late as she likes and does not need a fever to prove she’s too sick for school.

I have become, in other words, the mother I wanted when I was a child.

**** The Promised Land <http://www.newstatesman.com/arts-and-culture/2009/02/landscape-human-art-savannahs>
by Denis Dutton, New Statesman

Art theory assumes that our aesthetic tastes are conditioned by the culture in which we live. But does genetic programming have more to do with it than we think?



SingaporeSurf
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**** Electoral Boundaries Redrawn <http://www.yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/1941-breaking-news-electoral-boundaries-redrawn>
by Singapore Democrats

Calling for early elections would signal one thing that should worry Singaporeans a lot. It shows a Government on an unsure footing and needing to resort to opportunistic holding of elections to continue its grip on power instead of one confidently going to the people to ask for a genuine mandate to tackle the country's problems head-on.

**** Iran Welcomes Expanded Ties With Singapore: Speaker <http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=189601>
by Tehran Times

Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani stated on Wednesday that Iran welcomes expansion of ties with regional states.  "It is better for the regional countries to resolve their problems and stop the interference of foreigners."

**** Haze Heading For Singapore <http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_340316.html>
by Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Straits Times / Associated Press / Reuters

Haze from forest fires in Indonesia's Riau islands is blowing towards Singapore, and the number of hot spots is rising although the situation is still far from the worst days of 2006.

**** Contrasting Views Of Madrassas In Multi-Ethnic Singapore <http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hfFMMIjkQA1f0nuXrnQgQMtbv4aQ>
by AFP

Madrassas are Islamic religious schools that in Pakistan, Indonesia and other Muslim states have sometimes been associated with militancy. But in multi-ethnic Singapore, madrassas &mdash; funded mainly by the minority Muslim community &mdash; stick strictly to the basics, focusing not only on religion but on academic studies as well.

**** Ironing Out Issues <http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2009/2/19/southneast/3286075&sec=southneast>
by Nelson Benjamin and Suan Ong, The Star

"We expected some problems, but many of the complaints were in relation to the structures. We were not involved in designing the complex. The Immigration Department only gave input on the designs of work stations, how many lanes were needed and the facilities needed to get the job done. We were put in charge of the complex only in October last year. Nevertheless, I am doing my best to rectify as many problems as possible via the CIQ management committee."

**** 小店卖面包取名“大地震” 市民感觉难下咽 <http://news.cctv.com/society/20090219/100480.shtml>
by 周圆, 重庆晚报

市民赵小姐去面包店买早餐，却惊讶地发其中一款面包有个非常震撼的名字——“大地震”!æ˜¨å¤©ï¼Œèµµå°å§æ°”æ„¤åœ°å‘æœ¬æŠ¥åæ˜ ï¼Œè§£æ”¾ç¢‘ä¸€é¢åŒ…åº—å‡ºå”®ä»¥æ­¤å‘½åçš„é¢åŒ…è®©å¥¹å¿ƒé‡Œå¾ˆä¸èˆ’æœã€‚

**** The PAP Does Not Pander To Business <http://ringisei.wordpress.com/2009/02/19/the-pap-does-not-pander-to-business/>
by Ringisei

If you’re unhappy about corporate top hats getting taxpayers money, then how about corporatist fat cats like the PAP-controlled Singapore Press Holdings, ComfortDelGro/SMRT, NTUC ‘Fairprice’?

**** Does Temasek Still Has &quot;Great Confidence&quot; In Ex-Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain? <http://wayangparty.com/?p=5333>
by Cheng Siew Peng and Eugene Yeo, The Wayang Party Club

Temasek waited less than a year to have their “great confidence” in John Thain burst right in their face. We certainly hope that GIC doesn’t have to wait for too long for the truth.

**** Reserves Not Lost... <http://eternal-hap.blogspot.com/2009/02/reserves-not-lost.html>
by Making History Relevant

He turns the 31 percent net loss into a 100 percent net loss, and asumes we have to build up our reserves from 0, without considering share prices will increase - again - and so the value of Temasek's investment portfolio will increase too.

**** The Malaysian Conumdrum <http://almostinfamous.blogspot.com/2009/02/malaysian-conumdrum.html>
by Almost Infamous

**** 4.6% Reduction In Bus &amp; Train Fares From 1 April 2009: Lower Fares For Commuters - 2 To 14-Cent Reduction <http://www.ptc.gov.sg/news28.pdf>
by SBS Transit, SMRT, Public Transport Council, Ministry Of Transport

The 4.6% fare reduction package comprises both a fare rebate and an increase in transfer rebate. This more than offsets the fare increases of the past three years combined.

If you read the press release carefully, you'll notice that this 2 cents fare rebates is only from 1 April 2009 to 30 June 2010. It is not a reduction of fares, but merely a fare rebate.

What this means, if I understand correctly, is that for the next round of fare adjustments, the formula will be calculated based on the higher 2008 fares, thus allowing for higher maximum allowable fares in 2010, as opposed to calculation based on the lowered 2009 fares.

**** Temasek's Ride With Osim <http://todayinsingapore.wordpress.com/2009/02/19/30/>
by Today In Singapore

**** Serangoon Gardens Dorm May Begin Operations In August <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/410057/1/.html>
by 938 Live

In a letter addressed to the Serangoon Gardens residents, MP of the ward Lim Hwee Hua said that the dorm could begin operations in August. However, the dorm operator will have to first fulfill the 14 conditions laid out by the residents.

**** Asia Theatre Faces Slowing Funding, Free Tickets <http://in.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idINIndia-38096920090219>
by Laurence Tan, Reuters

Deteriorating economies and the threat of job losses are putting many Asians off the arts, forcing actors to work longer hours and theatre companies to get more creative for the show to go on.

**** We Want A No-Frills Government, Not A No-Frills HDB Housing <http://www.mrbiao.com/blog/we-want-a-no-frills-government-not-a-no-frills-hdb-housing.html>
by This Lush Garden Within

**** Singapore's Strategy To Free Up Banking Sector Has Served Economy Well <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/410149/1/.html>
by Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia

Pirme minister Lee Hsien Loong has said Singapore's approach to free up thebanking sector has proven to be a wise move in the current global crisis. But he warned that while banks in Singapore are in good shape, there is still substantial risk in the global environment.

**** Mainstream Media Preparing For GE2009? <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/02/toc-breaking-news-mainstream-media-preparing-for-ge2009/>
by The Online Citizen

This is really no big deal. All 'mainstream media' with an ounce of brain will have something like this prepared in advance, just in case. I'm pretty sure Lee Hisen Loong does not alert MediaCorp and SPH in advance.

In fact, I'll bet you too that there are obituaries written for Lee Kuan Yew, Goh Chok Tong, and Lee Hsein Loong already written and updated regularly, and ready to be pushed out when the inevitable happens.