[MyAppleMenu] Jul 29, 2009

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** How Exactly Is The Rumored Apple Tablet Computer Going To Revive Music Sales <http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Flatimesblogs.latimes.com%2Fmusic_blog%2F2009%2F07%2Fapple-tablet.html&usg=AFQjCNGBrmv1TCvFnKy8JGNDYbWyKGMpfA>
by Mark Milian, Los Angeles Times

While an army of tech and music reporters hurl rumors about what the rumored Apple Inc. touch-screen computer will look like and do, we can't help but wonder why the entertainment industry is reportedly betting on it to spur a revolution.

**** iPhone & Mac Programming Books In Demand <http://theappleblog.com/2009/07/28/iphone-mac-programming-books-in-demand/>
by Liam Cassidy, The Apple Blog

Tech specialist publisher O’Reilly is reporting encouraging growth in iPhone and Mac programming book sales, despite an overall drop in computer book sales.

**** Apple TV As A Gaming Platform - Why It Doesn’t Make Sense. <http://www.edibleapple.com/apple-tv-as-a-gaming-platform-why-it-doesnt-make-sense/>
by Edible Apple

**** Bikinis And The App Store Approval Process <http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=a3fc780ddbf019027bbd550a09a6f130>
by Ted Landau, The Mac Observer

I was intrigued at the possibility of getting an insider's look at the iPhone App approval process, especially for an app as "on-the-edge" as Bikini Babes. So I asked if I could interview him for this column. He agreed.

**** Apple/AT&T/iPhone - Everything That's Wrong With The Cellphone Industry Wrapped Up In A Single Package <http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/zdnet/hardware/~3/vdQlhzM5n9Q/>
by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, ZDNet

Given the premium status of the device, it just doesn’t make sense that users are happy with the current situation.

**** WhoPaste 3.0 Adds SMS E-mail Options <http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=e60c0f7b1d9765f4ef802e5eed6a7fdc>
by Dan Moren, Macworld

With all the social networking and electronic gadgetry that abounds today, our contact lists proliferate faster than bunnies released in the Australian outback. Mac-Chi’s WhoPaste aims to help make it a snap to add new contact information. The latest version, WhoPaste 3.0, even brings with it some features that can help certain users save money.

**** Bad Apple: An Argument Against Buying An iPhone <http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/c1nU5W3g9f4/bad-apple-an-argument-against-buying-an-iphone>
by Adam Pash, Lifehacker

At the end of the day, this isn't simply a Google Voice/iPhone problem—it's a concern for everyone, iPhone owner or not, with an interest in the latest and greatest crop of smartphones.

**** iPhone Jailbreaking Could Crash Cellphone Towers, Apple Claims <http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/07/jailbreak/>
by David Kravets, Wired

The nation’s cellphone networks could suffer “potentially catastrophic” cyberattacks by iPhone-wielding hackers at home and abroad if iPhone owners are permitted to legally jailbreak their shiny wireless devices — that’s what Apple claims.

**** Apple Is Successful. But A Monopoly? Not Yet. <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/techchron/detail?&entry_id=44446&FORM=ZZNR2>
by Ryan Kim, San Francisco Chronicle

And while this doesn't sit well with Apple critics and even some of its fans, it's still a far cry from proving an antitrust case, said Robert Lande co-founder of the American Antitrust Institute and a professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law.

**** Even Google Is Blocked With Apps For iPhone <http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2009%2F07%2F29%2Ftechnology%2Fcompanies%2F29apps.html&usg=AFQjCNFWOsKG0PgGhCclJEEKRcaWBj8T2g>
by Jenna Wortham, New York Times

Google might power the world’s most popular search engine, but its clout goes only so far. When it comes to getting one of its applications onto the iPhone, it seems Google has to wait in line for Apple’s approval like everyone else — and face the risk of rejection.

**** iPhone Piracy - The Cold Hard Figures <http://ps3computing.blogspot.com/2009/07/iphone-piracy-cold-hard-figures.html>
by Bram In Canada

**** Dear Mr. Jobs, I Have Some Ideas About How To Improve Your Phone <http://www.cooper.com/journal/2009/07/dear_mr_jobs.html>
by Dave Cronin, Cooper

**** Microsoft And Apple To Battle It Out In Same Mission Viejo Mall <http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Flatimesblogs.latimes.com%2Ftechnology%2F2009%2F07%2Fmicrosoft-store-apple.html&usg=AFQjCNHtByBEiOxq6wsDHO0Y0V7999zdYg>
by David Colker, Los Angeles Times

**** Review: ColorMunki 1.1 <http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=13ebec78788cc62e0d974daccbd7f7df>
by Flip Phillips, Macworld

Suite of color management tools targets designers and photographers.

**** Apple Wins Right To Say Its Apps Are 'Only On The iPhone' <http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fwp-dyn%2Fcontent%2Farticle%2F2009%2F07%2F29%2FAR2009072900685.html&usg=AFQjCNFwHEauQmr2-IvVAtHmpUJkT89vlw>
by Patrick Smith, MocoNews.net

Apple has won the right to say that its apps are available "only on the iPhone" in the UK despite complaints that other handsets such as Google's G1 phone also offer similar ranges of software.

**** Prince Of Persia: The Two Thrones <http://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=1021>
by Richard Hallas, Inside Mac Games

Minor niggles and a particularly frustrating boss-level aside, I have to say that Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones is an absolutely fantastic game.

**** In-Depth Review: Storyist 2 Brings Out The Story Teller <http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=fde5ee906b91ff78f56f84dbbd8da8ff>
by John Martellaro, The Mac Observer

Because of that intangible feeling of using a thoughtful, finely crafted tool, the scope of the features, and the (available) printed manual, I'm rating Storyist one notch above all the rest. If I were to write a novel, Storyist has supplanted Scrivener as my tool of choice.



The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** One Fan Gets His Big Break With Rock Band's Expansion <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/24/AR2009072404225.html>
by Mike Musgrove, Washington Post

Fans of the music video game Rock Band were abuzz this month when its creators announced that they will throw open the doors to the online store where it sells downloadable tracks for the game. But where most players will be logging on to the service to spend their money, at least one local software programmer sees a business opportunity.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** The Explainer Gets Hit By A Bus <http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/slate/~3/vZw9_77DFRM/>
by Juliet Lapidos, Slate

The origins of the catastrophic cliché.

**** Justify My Love <http://nymag.com/arts/popmusic/features/58080/>
by Emily Nussbaum, New York

Madonna has returned to New York. This makes a strange kind of sense.

**** At A Border Crossing, Security Trumps Openness <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/arts/design/27border.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1>
by Nicolai Ouroussoff, New York Times

It has been nearly eight years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but the fears and anxieties they gave rise to continue to take a toll on the design of public buildings. Even the words “United States,” it seems — when spelled out in the wrong size and color — can be an unacceptable security risk.

**** Crap Detection 101 <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/rheingold/detail?entry_id=42805>
by Howard Rheingold, San Francisco Chronicle

The answer to almost any question is available within seconds, courtesy of the invention that has altered how we discover knowledge - the search engine. Materializing answers from the air turns out to be the easy part - the part a machine can do. The real difficulty kicks in when you click down into your search results. At that point, it's up to you to sort the accurate bits from the misinfo, disinfo, spam, scams, urban legends, and hoaxes. "Crap detection," as Hemingway called it half a century ago, is more important than ever before, now that the automation of crapcasting has generated its own word: "spamming."

**** When Novelists Sober Up <http://moreintelligentlife.com/content/tom-shone/when-novelists-sober>
by Tom Shone, More Intelligent Life

It may seem a little impertinent to gauge the literary merits of sobriety—you cannot write books of any discernible quality if you are dead—but clearly, sobering up is one of the more devastating acts of literary criticism an author can face.



SingaporeSurf
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**** Proposed Property Tax Change In Singapore Criticised As It Could Harm Recovery <http://www.propertywire.com/news/asia/property-tax-singapore-200907283372.html>
by Property Wire

The proposals have panicked some property investors, many of whom returned to the market only recently.

**** Singapore On Track To Increase Expenditure On R&D <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/445248/1/.html>
by Lynda Hong, Channel NewsAsia

Singapore is on track to increase its expenditure on research and development (R&D) to hit its target of three per cent of GDP by 2010, according to R&D funding body, the National Research Foundation (NRF).

**** Reconsider CCTVs At Hong Lim Park <http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC090728-0000254/Online-Only---Reconsider-CCTVs-at-Hong-Lim-Park>
by Leong Sze Hian, Today

I think some Singaporeans may be intimitated by the CCTVs from speaking, or even going to listen.This may be a step backwards in Singapore's opening up to get more citizen involvement and debate on policies and issues.

**** New Boon Lay Bus Interchange <http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/Singapore/Story/STIStory_409331.html>
by Yeo Ghim Lay, Straits Times

Work on the new air-conditioned Boon Lay bus interchange has been completed and it is expected to open during the year-end school holidays.

**** Government Not Involved In Succession Plan <http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Story/STIStory_409402.html>
by Chin Sau Ho, Ministry of Finance, Straits Times

The government is a shareholder of Temasek. It does not manage succession planning for Temasek staff, including the CEO. That is, and has been, the responsibility of Temasek and its board.

**** Grossly Inadequate Protection For Credit Card Users <http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=3460>
by Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net

This is yet another sorry example of how the government proudly sells the image of Singapore as a world-class financial hub, yet fails to offer consumers even the most basic protection against theft and fraud.

**** Why Are Public Sector Appointments Shrouded In Secrecy? <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/07/why-are-public-sector-appointments-shrouded-in-secrecy/>
by Rajiv Chaudhry, The Online Citizen

As Singapore moves forward, it is imperative that a Code of Practice should be properly laid down and strictly upheld in public sector appointments, so that citizens can be assured that democratic principles of openness, fairness and transparency are maintained.

**** 瓶装水的祸害 <http://bernhan.wordpress.com/2009/07/28/瓶装水的祸害/>
by Jia Han’s Site

我并不认为这种禁售是行不通，问题只是出于民意。

**** Boediono Asks Singapore Court For Fair Verdict In David’s Case <http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/07/28/boediono-asks-singapore-court-fair-verdict-david’s-case.html>
by Erwida Maulia, The Jakarta Post

Indonesian vice-president-elect Boediono has asked the Singaporean coroner court trying the case of the death of Indonesian student David Hartanto Widjaya to settle it fairly.

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by 吴汉钧, 联合早报

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**** State Coroner Records A Verdict Of Suicide In David Widjaja's Case <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/445423/1/.html>
by Channel NewsAsia

**** Temasek Exploring Joint Investment Scheme With Public <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/445372/1/.html>
by May Wong, Channel NewsAsia

Temasek Holdings is looking to invite the public to jointly invest with the investment company in a venture. This was disclosed by Temasek's executive director and chief executive officer Ho Ching at a luncheon talk on Wednesday, organised by the Institute of Policy Studies.

**** Temasek Portfolio Lost $58 Billion <http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB124884829105889367.html&usg=AFQjCNGsASEEkzxpQnLW7T2CZ4LoO_1m4g>
by P.R. Venkat and Se Young Lee, Wall Street Journal

Singapore state-owned investment company Temasek Holdings Pte. Ltd.'s total portfolio value as of end-March fell more than 40 billion Singapore dollars (US$27.75 billion) from a year earlier, Chief Executive Ho Ching said Wednesday.

**** CCTVs In Hong Lim – Police Replies To TOC’s Queries <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/07/cctvs-in-hong-lim-%e2%80%93-police-replies-to-toc%e2%80%99s-queries/>
by The Online Citizen

**** Gifts For The Dead Could Be Dying Out In Singapore <http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ioWNQ4BIXPB0z4kwVV43tOSWDCMw>
by Philip Lim, AFP

**** Prosperity Vs. Democracy <http://www.myownanalysis.com/?p=1760>
by My Own Analysis

Asia seems to be a case study confirming that capitalism and democracy don’t need each other. Post-World War II Japan was democratic on paper, but a one-party state in reality. South Korea and Singapore followed appropriately. All three developed into wealthy countries.

**** Singapore Government Says Ready To Stop Any Property Bubble <http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSSIN29508520090729?FORM=ZZNR2>
by Nopporn Wong-Anan, Reuters

The Singapore government stands ready to step in to prevent a property bubble after signs of speculation in the real estate market, state media quoted a cabinet minister as saying on Wednesday.

National development minister Mah Bow Tan told reporters it was not clear if the buying momentum of new private homes in the past few months could be sustained and the government was keeping a negative growth projection for such demand this year.

**** Temasek To Hang On To ‘Family Jewels,’ Allow Public To Invest  <http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601208&sid=a8_G_WMQbyhA&FORM=ZZNR8>
by Shamim Adam, Bloomberg

Temasek Holdings Pte, reeling from the aborted appointment of Charles “Chip” Goodyear, said it lost more than S$40 billion ($27.7 billion) in asset value and that the sovereign fund may allow public investment for the first time.

The Singapore investment company will seek “sophisticated investors” and won’t sell the “family jewels” for short-term gains, chief executive officer Ho Ching, the wife of Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, said in a speech today in Singapore. Goodyear’s departure was “unfortunate” and Temasek will continue to review its succession plans, she added.

**** Singapore’s Unique Escalator Rules <http://www.angryangmo.com/2009/07/29/singapore-unique-escalator-rules/>
by Angry Angmo Never Mind...

There are three groups of major failing people, that do not have understood the rules of escalator etiquette in Singapore yet.

**** Motivations For An Agency Of The Future (AoF) <http://www.motochan.com/2009/07/29/motivations-for-an-agency-of-the-future-aof/>
by Master Of The Obvious

As our political leadership enters its third generation (post-LKY and GCT), left unchecked, our risk-averse bureaucracy can potentially become the proverbial conservatives within an ailing but 4.48-million large patriarchal family business that is preventing visionaries within the family from effecting change quick enough.  

**** Early Explorer Relics Find Home In Singapore Museum <http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Fin.reuters.com%2Farticle%2FlifestyleMolt%2FidINTRE56S1ZZ20090729&usg=AFQjCNFxDUt1c9APLOc7uFH_ArynQuApFQ>
by Reuters

They came, they hunted and they collected. About a century after their travels in Southeast Asia, an exhibition at Singapore's Asian Civilisations Museum traces the exciting journeys and adventures of six mostly European explorers through a treasure chest of cultural relics.

**** Singapore Court Rules Indonesian Student's Death Was Suicide <http://thejakartaglobe.com/home/singapore-court-rules-indonesian-students-death-was-suicide/320817>
by Jakarta Globe

The father of Indonesian student David Hartanto Widjaja said he was “very sad and disappointed” by the Singapore Coroners’ Court ruling on Wednesday that his son’s death was suicide, adding that he felt the Indonesian government had not done enough to help.

**** When Is An SWF Not An SWF? <http://ftalphaville.ft.com/blog/2009/07/29/64376/when-is-an-swf-not-an-swf/>
by Gwen Robinson, Financial Times

Are things that bad, or is Temasek - or rather, Ho - a visionary that is completely revolutionising the sovereign wealth fund model?