[MyAppleMenu] Nov 18, 2009

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Apple's iPhone App Vetting Is Here To Stay—For ... <http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2356027,00.asp>
Brian Heater, PC Magazine

Developers can protest all they want, but Apple is likely to maintain its tight control over the App Store for as long as it can.

**** Mac Laptops' Reliability Doesn't Match Their Price <http://www.infoworld.com/d/mac/mac-laptops-reliability-doesnt-match-their-price-819?source=rss_infoworld_news>
Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

But Apple's MacBook line beats the corporate laptop standards of Dell, Lenovo, and HP.

**** Apple Store Goes On Hiatus As Microsoft Store Opens <http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Fseattletimes.nwsource.com%2Fhtml%2Fmicrosoftpri0%2F2010286220_apple_store_shutters_for_remodel_as_microsoft_stor.html&usg=AFQjCNE5qTyJUU89BE3DMSbva2YLFZjChA>
Sharon Chan, Seattle Times

The Apple store shut its doors for a remodeling in The Shops at Mission Viejo, just as Microsoft announced plans to open a store in the same mall in Orange County, Calif.

**** Online Petition Demands Apple Approve iPhone Apps <http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/online_petition_demands_apple_approve_iphone_apps.php>
Sarah Perez, ReadWriteWeb

Three iPhone application developers are cited in an online petition which asks Apple to approve their apps, all of which have been sitting in limbo for months on end.

**** Calling Phony On Apple's Latest Ads <http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,575431,00.html>
Guy R. Briggs, FOXNews

**** Apple's App Approval Revolt: Will It Matter? Maybe <http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=27423>
Sam Diaz, ZDNet Blogs

As many of you know, I’m a big fan of Apple products. But, by the time Apple unleashes the iPhone from AT&T and gets its act together over the app approval process, I may be so happy with Android - and its apps - that I won’t be willing to trade it in for an iPhone.

**** Pic Of The Day: WiFi Passwords For Mac And PC <http://www.cultofmac.com/pic-of-the-day-wifi-passwords-for-mac-and-pc/21437>
Leander Kahney, Cult Of Mac

**** Get Your iTunes Library In Shape <http://smokingapples.com/software/reviews/itunes-library-organisers-mac/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Smoking-Apples+%28Smoking+Apples%29>
Milind Alvares, Smoking Apples

**** Thanks, iPhone: 2000 Percent Increase In Bay Area Data Traffic Since 2008, Says AT&T <http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20091117/thanks-iphone-2000-percent-increase-in-bay-area-data-traffic-since-2008-says-att/?reflink=ATD_yahoo_ticker>
John Paczkowski, Wall Street Journal

**** Apple's iPhone App Store Takes Off In China <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/11/17/apples_iphone_app_store_takes_off_in_china.html>
AppleInsider

Despite a slow start in official handset sales, the iPhone has found success in China with customers flocking to the App Store, even with the device's lack of Wi-Fi.

**** Notes From Mac Programming Class Guest Lecture <http://inessential.com/2009/11/17/notes_from_mac_programming_class_guest_l>
Brent Simmons, Inessential

The idea behind the lecture was to talk about what makes a great Mac app. I took that as an excuse to talk about everything from work habits to UI to marketing.

**** This Just In: MacBooks Are More Reliable Than Netbooks <http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/17/this-just-in-macbooks-are-more-reliable-than-netbooks/>
Aron Trimble, TUAW

The results may not surprise you; for instance, netbooks fail 40% more often than premium laptops and Apple's MacBook line has above-average reliability.

**** Zuma's Revenge <http://www.maclife.com/article/reviews/zumas_revenge>
Susie Ochs, Mac Life

Zuma's Revenge is crammed with content, even without a multiplayer mode or a way to make your own levels. And it's got the "just one more level!" addictiveness that you'd expect from a PopCap game.

**** The Argument For Free Classes Via iTunes <http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/the-argument-for-free-classes-via-itunes/?partner=rss&emc=rss>
Brad Stone, New York Times

The music, videos and mobile applications available through Apple’s iTunes Store get all the attention, but it might be time to acknowledge the increasingly varied and popular offerings of iTunes U, Apple’s catalog of lectures from colleges and universities around the world.

**** China Mobile: Still In Talks With Apple On China iPhone Launch <http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091117-718235.html>
Wall Street Journal

**** Copy Music Off Your iPod <http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=5f2181ce2792c027d9d67d3eb470c9bd>
Kirk McElhearn, Macworld

There's nothing worse than losing your iTunes library to a hard drive crash. If you have music on your iPod, you can at least get it back with the right tools.

**** Barking Enough To Join The Big Boys <http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/leo_lewis/article6920756.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=2270657>
Leo Lewis, The Times

Singapore’s newspaper stories about dogs must have puzzled world leaders.

**** Apple Rejected Another Political Caricature App In 2008, Costing Developers $15000 <http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.geek.com%2Farticles%2Fmobile%2Fapple-rejected-another-political-caricature-app-in-2008-costing-developers-15000-20091118%2F&usg=AFQjCNGp8tJYiM3V6ycoYtDQYRzSpEJ6dQ>
John Brownlee, Geek.com

**** iPhone Cleared For Sale By South Korean Regulator <http://www.macworld.co.uk/ipod-itunes/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=27775>
Owen Fletcher, Macworld UK

South Korean regulators gave Apple a business license on Wednesday that would allow it to launch the iPhone in the country at any time.

**** Review: SyncMate Expert 2.4 <http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=31eef89d144a4afffd95add72e8b48cc>
John Rizzo, Macworld

Sync your Mac to multiple devices, including Windows Mobile.



The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Bendable Magnetic Interface <http://feeds.technologyreview.com/click.phdo?i=bf3da58f918b69a5c03fef4ffef7260e>
Duncan Graham-Rowe, MIT Technology Review

Computer users have been typing on keyboards and clicking on mice for more than 20 years. An experimental new interface under development at Microsoft could give them a completely new way to use their system.

Multi-touch and motion-sensing devices have recently emerged from research labs, offering new ways to operate computers. Microsoft's experimental tactile interface takes things further still, letting users interact by squashing, stretching, rolling, or rubbing.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Flag Football <http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=8c516323640bff8e56995341b6a857fc>
Michael Oriard, Slate Magazine

How the NFL became the American war game.

**** And The (Antisocial) Word Of The Year Is ... <http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2009/11/17/oxford_word_of_2009/index.html>
Mary Elizabeth Williams, Salon

I've done it lots of times. You've probably done it as well. Maybe you've even done it to me. People rarely own up to it, but it happens all time. That's why it's the New Oxford American Dictionary word of the year: "unfriend."

**** Why Economists Love To Study Cellphone Pricing <http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=3c00110f340aa98bd34ec2ca2d249b2d>
Saul Hansell, New York Times

Have I tragically underestimated the ability of foreign cellphone companies to come up with devilishly complex pricing plans and the skill of economists to convert those schemes into pat theories that can be illustrated with neat charts and graphs?



SingaporeSurf
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**** Service Standards Have Gone Up: SRA Mystery Shopping Survey <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1018910/1/.html>
Neo Chai Chin, Channel NewsAsia

Brickbats fly at frontline service staff - especially foreigners - whenever customer satisfaction levels for the retail sector see a dip. That's when Singapore Retailers Association (SRA) executive director Lau Chuen Wei finds herself speaking up for service workers.

**** Why I Did Not Accept My PSC Scholarship Offer <http://www.darkmirage.com/2009/11/17/why-i-did-not-accept-my-psc-scholarship-offer/>
Ramblings Of A DarkMirage

**** Magazine To Pay Six-figure Damages To Singapore Leaders <http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i3xyHU4JtKhEgWJohrVEhZbkxxNQ>
AFP

The High Court ordered the Review Publishing Company, publisher of the Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER), and editor Hugo Restall to pay 200,000 dollars in damages and 30,000 dollars in legal costs to Premier Lee Hsien Loong.

**** A Few Good Men <http://feedmetothefish.blogspot.com/2009/11/few-good-men.html>
Feed Me To The Fish

It is men like Lim Hock Siew, Said Zahari, JB Jeyaratnam, Francis Seow and many more including women like Teo Soh Lung who shows us, and put on record, the hidden Singapore story.

**** How Schools Kill Creativity <http://geraldgiam.sg/2009/11/how-schools-kill-creativity/>
Gerald Giam

**** Singapore 3rd Least Corrupt, Transparency Explains... <http://www.pressrun.net/weblog/2009/11/singapore-3rd-least-corrupt-transparency-sheds-light.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rana+%28Blowin%27+In+The+Wind%29>
Blowin' In The Wind

The Corruptions Perceptions Index (CPI) does not indicate the level of corruption but  "the perceived level of public sector corruption in a country or territory", according to Transparency International. The distinction is important.

**** The Vicious Cycle Of High Rental Costs Of Foodstalls <http://kelvinteowrites.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/the-vicious-cycle-of-high-rental-costs-for-foodstalls/>
Kelvin Teo Writes

For those who continue to dine at such outlets (affected by high rental costs) because they cannot really afford to dine at more healthy but expensive outlets, they are at risk of being sucked into this vicious cycle initially created by the high rental costs which go into the government’s coffers initially, only to be expended when the consumption results in future health problems.

**** Transparency Plea To Sovereign Wealth Funds <http://www.pressrun.net/weblog/2009/11/transparency-plea-to-sovereign-wealth-funds.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rana+%28Blowin%27+In+The+Wind%29>
Blowin' In The Wind

**** Insistence On Bilingualism In Early Years Of Education Policy Was Wrong: MM Lee <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1018826/1/.html>
Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said his insistence on bilingualism in the early years of education policy was "wrong". Instead it caused generations of students to be put off by the Chinese language.

**** Stiffer Rules For Buildings <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_455608.html>
Straits Times

The building industry has been set more stringent standards for indoor air quality and ventilation which will hopefully reduce health problems among occupants and also increase energy efficiency.

**** S'pore Must Be Host And Home <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_455724.html>
Rachel Chang, Straits Times

As one of the first multinational companies to set up shop in Singapore celebrated its 40th anniversary on Tuesday night, senior minister Goh Chok Tong emphasised the need for Singapore to become not just a host for foreign businesses, but also a home.

**** SingPost Staff Did Not Unlock Letter-box Latch <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_455607.html>
Patsie Tan, Singapore Post Limited, Straits Times

We have investigated the matter and wish to assure Mr Nagpal that our staff did not unlock the letter-box latch. There is also no necessity for our postmen to unlock the latch for mail delivery as they have access to the letter box. We are unable to establish the cause of his letter-box latch being unlocked.

**** Revamp Company-owned Cab System <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_455599.html>
Murali Sharma, Straits Times

Taxis should be run by drivers who own them, then we will get better service. We should do away with giants, like Comfort, which own and lease vehicles to taxi drivers. This sort of organisation comes with a lot of costs. This does not promote pride in the job or good service. Commuters will not get value for money.

**** Impose A Quota On Wholesome Media Content <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_455603.html>
Ng Liang Wei, Straits Times

Perhaps we can mandate that operators import a certain percentage of wholesome content. This should apply to national television and the press. Channels 5 and 8 could become well known internationally for strongly promoting wholesome content suitable for families with young children, while other channels could take a more relaxed stand, subject to the prevailing climate as determined by the censorship authorities.

Firstly, the key to getting more of one kind of stuff is to create more stuff, not to ban other stuff. Secondly, we will never agree what is and what isn't wholesome content. For example, I personally think that a lot of the local Chinese drama are not wholesome at all, even though they are all rated G.

**** 'IRs Not A Threat' <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC091118-0000070/IRs-not-a-threat>
Neo Chai Chin, Today

Whether or not the integrated resorts will pose a serious threat to them, Orchard Road retailers are not "awfully worried". So said Ms Lau Chuen Wei, executive director of the Singapore Retailers Association.

**** NKF In The Red & Sustainable Charities: Good People Need Fair Salaries <http://mathialee.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/nkf-in-the-red-sustainable-charities-good-people-need-fair-salaries/>
Mathia Lee

**** 圣淘沙环球影城 票价比美日便宜 <http://www.zaobao.com/sp/sp091118_016.shtml>
李静仪, 联合早报

æ ¹æ®æ—…è¡Œç¤¾ä¸šè€…æä¾›ç»™æœ¬æŠ¥çš„å¯é æ¶ˆæ¯ï¼Œè®¾äºŽåœ£æ·˜æ²™åèƒœä¸–ç•Œçš„æ–°åŠ å¡çŽ¯çƒå½±åŸŽçš„æˆäººå…¥é—¨è´¹å¹³æ—¥å”®ä»·66元，孩童门票48å…ƒï¼Œå‘¨æœ«çš„æˆäººé—¨ç¥¨æ¯å¼ åˆ™å–72元，孩童52元。

The prices are confirmed [http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_455993.html].

**** Was Our Phenomenal GDP Growth Worth Selling Our Soul For? <http://geraldgiam.sg/2009/11/was-our-phenomenal-gdp-growth-worth-selling-our-soul-for/>
Gerald Giam

It’s easy to glaze over the sufferings of these political detainees and get lulled into believing the rhetoric of the PAP which goes something like: “The key issue is are we better off now than we were 40 years ago?” Better off economically, yes. Morally? I don’t think so.

**** Interview With Mr Ng Chun Kiat, Son Of KKH Medication Error Victim Madam Ng On What Really Happened <http://www.temasekreview.com/2009/11/18/interview-with-mr-ng-chun-kiat-son-of-kkh-medication-error-victim-madam-ng-on-what-really-happened/>
The Temasek Review

**** Why I Think MM Lee Is Wrong About The Learning Of The Chinese Language <http://urbanrant.blogspot.com/2009/11/why-i-think-mm-lee-is-wrong-about.html>
Urban Rant

**** Magazine Pays Damages To Singapore Leaders: Lawyer <http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fhostednews%2Fafp%2Farticle%2FALeqM5iV_tffIE-6e17Dq0-b8T3qZIBEKA&usg=AFQjCNFyh3tbswoM45vhq5sIKXIYYzH5SA>
AFP

The Far Eastern Economic Review and its editor have paid over 400,000 Singapore dollars (290,000 US) to settle a defamation suit filed by prime minister Lee Hsien Loong and his father, the magazine's lawyer said Wednesday.

Dow Jones and Co., which owns the magazine, said in a statement that it disagreed with the verdict and denied any wrongdoing, but would settle the damages instead of prolonging the process.

**** Sun, Wind To Power Ubin <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_456038.html>
Straits Times

Pulau Ubin could be powered by the sun, wind and even waste in the next one to two years, as Singapore moves to test a combination of clean energy technologies for adoption on the mainland.

**** IRAS To Raise Annual Values Of HDB Flats <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1018987/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia

The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) will raise the Annual Values (AVs) of HDB flats with effect from 1 January 2010. To help HDB homeowners adjust to the AV increase, the government will grant a one-off property tax rebate to all HDB owner-occupiers for the property tax payable in 2010.

**** Long Way To Go As Asia's Arts Hub <http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44723>
Prime Sarmiento, Inter Press Service

More than a venue to encourage arts appreciation and expression, Singapore’s hosting of the Biennale also reflects the government’s ambition to transform Singapore -generally perceived as wealthy, staid, and an efficient place to do business in but not much else - into a bustling haven for the arts.