[MyAppleMenu] Oct 14, 2009

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
====================================

**** Apple's iPhone Will Be Available From Every UK Mobile Operator <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/6316115/Apples-iPhone-will-be-available-from-every-UK-mobile-operator.html>
Rupert Neate, The Telegraph

3 and T-Mobile are scouring Europe for contract-free Apple iPhones they can offer to British customers threatening to leave for rival networks which hold official rights to the iPhone. The radical plans risk invoking the wrath of Apple, which tightly controls the sale of the iPhone in the UK.

**** 10 Ways For Apple's Mac OS X To Capitalize On Windows 7 <http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eweek.com%2Fc%2Fa%2FIT-Infrastructure%2F10-ways-for-Apples-Mac-OS-X-to-Capitalize-on-Windows-7-155892%2F&usg=AFQjCNFBN5T3ohVk9P28e01bN47gWFzTmA>
Don Reisinger, eWeek

There are at least 10 good reasons why Apple shouldn't fear the release of Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system. In fact, the release of Windows 7 on Oct. 22 could well prove to be a golden opportunity for Apple to win more converts to Mac computers and Mac OS X, if the recent history of Windows releases is any guide. Factors such as more imaginative marketing and superior security could help Apple make deeper inroads against Microsoft's desktop dominance.

**** Trillian IM: Apple's Sitting On Our iPhone App <http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Freviews.cnet.com%2F8301-19512_7-10374413-233.html&usg=AFQjCNEun2BpvfcLT8cpqcNhmjW_UFAssg>
Jessica Dolcourt, CNET News

According to Trillian maker Cerulean Studios, Apple has been sitting on Trillian's submission for the last two months without a peep to indicate a problem with the app's content or the quality.

**** The Best Free Open Source Software For Mac OS X <http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.infoworld.com%2Fd%2Fopen-source%2Fbest-free-open-source-software-mac-os-x-723&usg=AFQjCNHLvTGyy604MtUrV2AQVbTkXIra6w>
Peter Wayner, InfoWorld

There are thousands of open source tools available for the Mac, some built for the Mac alone and others that are translations of software created for other operating systems. Some are aimed at a niche of programmers or scientists, but a good number are supremely useful tools for everyone.

**** Inside Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server: Apple's Server Strategy <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/10/14/inside_mac_os_x_snow_leopard_server_apples_server_strategy.html>
AppleInsider

Apple's ability to successfully tame Unix, something it largely inherited from Steve Jobs' NeXT and the years and tens of millions that went into creating what would eventually become Mac OS X at Apple, seemingly should have resulted in tremendous success for Mac OS X Server as well. But that never really happened.

**** IM+ Updated With Speech Recognition And Controversial New Icon <http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AppAdvice/~3/XG0iZX34dp8/>
Tyler Tschida, App Advice

The long-awaited update contains a handful of new and interesting features, including speech recognition, but surprisingly it’s the new icon that’s causing a bit of a stir.

**** China Eager To Hack Apple's iPhone To Restore Wifi Function <http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.examiner.com%2Fx-15615-Asia-Headlines-Examiner~y2009m10d14-China-eager-to-hack-iPhone-to-restore-WiFi-function&usg=AFQjCNHZVS-PpWqyGwy993WUlR_3O2XpKw>
Glen Loveland, Examiner.com

Despite the Chinese version of the iPhone not coming equipped with WiFi access, many residents said they were confident that they could restore the service on the phones by performing their own “repairs.”

**** Adobe Fixes 29 Flaws In Acrobat, Reader <http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsearchsecurity.techtarget.com%2Fnews%2Farticle%2F0%2C289142%2Csid14_gci1371303%2C00.html&usg=AFQjCNF2X6eAo674WPgywNNCAMuR8w8CtQ>
SearchSecurity.com

Adobe Systems Inc. issued an update Tuesday, repairing nearly 30 flaws identified as critical, as part of its quarterly update. Adobe warned that one flaw is being actively targeted by attackers.



The Tomorrow Weblog
====================================

**** Bringing Tech Jobs To Third World Refugees <http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10374607-52.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
Daniel Terdiman, CNET News

Workers stuck in the world's largest refugee camp are being given a chance to wield a mouse and keyboard as tools for digging their way out of poverty, and in the process, are helping out a series of small American companies looking to be more profitable.



MyAppleMenu Reader
====================================

**** The Lost Pleasure Of Browsing <http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nybooks/~3/QebI6i327SY/212201723>
Charles Rosen, The New York Review of Books

I realize that mail order shopping has been going on for a long time, but have always thought that this destroys one of the pleasures of civilized life.

**** "Goose Flesh" <http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=ccf487b8f9920c93b4ae2a8facb2bc09>
Tim Liardet, Slate Magazine

**** When The Icing On The Cake Spells Disaster <http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=90970c4ada492db97e0c90e41ede4e3a>
David Hochman, New York Times

Someone who decorates cakes for a living should possess certain skills. Spelling is an important one. For example, success is not quite as sweet when the inscription reads, “Contralulation’s Ronan.” An eye for color helps, too. Piped dark brown swirls are never a good idea on a cake dotted with plastic farm animals. Finally, a few words about customer service: When someone requests that nothing be written on the cake, “NOTHING” should not be written on the cake.

**** So You Think You Know Pasta <http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=6b222c2ded270ce67a958cba85da8252>
Rachel Donadio, New York Times

In its 300-odd pages, the “Encyclopedia of Pasta” ranges from abbotta pezziende, a short pasta that means “feed the beggar” in Abruzzo dialect, to the zumari of Puglia, a long pasta traditionally added to vegetable soups. In between there are the corzetti of Liguria and Piedmont, the little stamped-out coins; pi fasacc of Lombardy, which look like little babies in a papoose; avemarie, which cook for as long as it takes to say a Hail Mary; and several dozen variations on macaroni and ravioli.

**** Are We Now Post Sci-Fi? <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2009/oct/13/sci-fi-future>
Damien G Walter, Guardian

With sci-fi filling up every corner of cinema and TV and mainstream literature borrowing its ideas freely, where next for the literary tradition that started the cultural phenomenon?

**** Wall Street Smarts <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/opinion/14trillin.html?ref=opinion>
Calvin Trillin, New York Times

“If you really want to know why the financial system nearly collapsed in the fall of 2008, I can tell you in one simple sentence.”



SingaporeSurf
====================================

**** Mah To Low: Stay Within Your Sandbox <http://geraldgiam.sg/2009/10/mah-to-low-stay-within-your-sandbox/>
Gerald Giam, geraldgiam.sg

If town councils are expected to fork out 5% of the LUP costs, don’t they deserve a say in the upgrading? This is taxation without representation. It is nothing short of political gymnastics to say LUP is only possible because of budget surpluses. Why don’t they say road maintenance, MRT lines or government polyclinics in Hougang are possible only because of budget surpluses?

**** Getting A Reply Is Not As EZ As Suggested <http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Online%2BStory/STIStory_441782.html>
How Peng Soon, Straits Times


>From its customer database records, EZ-Link must have known the number of old ez-link cards that were linked for the auto Giro top-up (EZ-Reload). It could have worked out the necessary lead time needed to seamlessly handle the card replacement exercise.


**** Smart Cards Not Used <http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/Singapore/Story/STIStory_441995.html>
Tan Weizhen & Tessa Wong, Straits Times

Millions of contactless cards have been sold in Singapore but retailers are slow to offer consumers the option of paying for goods with them.

**** HDB: 5 X $2 = $10, After All <http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC091014-0000051/HDB--5-x-$2-=-$10,-after-all>
Thong Keng Wai, HDB, Today

Our parking enforcement service provider incorrectly issued a summons to him. We have reminded our service providers to adhere strictly to our guidelines. 

**** Not A Free For All <http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC091014-0000050/Not-a-free-for-all>
Cheng Shoong Tat, Today

It is the duty of the regulator, in this case the Housing and Development Board, to assign permitted land uses and plot ratios to plots of land, in the overall interests of estate and community development. Within those parameters, market forces work to allot plots to those who can make the most productive use of them.

**** It Wasn’t Just Chee Soon Juan <http://enquirer.sg/2009/10/14/it-wasnt-just-chee-soon-juan/>
Lin Junjie, The Enquirer

As dramatic as the censorship of Chee’s visit was, it was definitely not the first time an article had to be edited or played down to avoid offending the powers that be, or in extremely rare cases such as the Chee saga, removed entirely. Chee’s visit was however the only time in recent history that the president of the university—and the publisher of the paper by virtue of its funding—had intervened to order a removal of an article.

**** We Must Fight The PAP On All Fronts <http://yoursdp.org/index.php/perspective/vantage/2889-we-must-fight-the-pap-on-all-fronts>
Chee Soon Juan, Singapore Democrats

Fighting elections on the PAP's terms without doing anything else is to launch a direct frontal assault – and only a direct frontal assault. The PAP simply lays all the booby traps and landmines, fortifies its position and then signals for the opposition to charge.

**** Singapore’s Doctors As Big Brother: Electronic Health Records <http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/ZobK/~3/xKQP5uP9bAc/singapores-doctors-as-big-brother.html>
Imran Ahmed, The Grand Moofti Speaks

Are the existing methods sufficient for a constantly evolving online environment? It may be time to review personal privacy laws to ensure that the penalties associated with the unauthorized distribution and use of personal data is severely punished.

**** Banking Resignations Shows Confidence Returning <http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.recruiter.co.uk%2Fbanking-resignations-shows-confidence-returning%2F1002995.article&usg=AFQjCNE88h48MvsVBuOQn6sYrM6W3Xa4yw>
Recruiter

**** Singapore Sticky-Tack Arrests Could Result In Deportation, Torture <http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theepochtimes.com%2Fn2%2Fcontent%2Fview%2F23806%2F&usg=AFQjCNFsPJVXzpEOTtinlsQHE3NF7CJZQA>
Charlotte Cuthbertson & Matthew Robertso, The Epoch Times

Facing deportation to China and possible torture, Falun Gong practitioners in Singapore are calling for international support in a case which has seen five arrested for putting up posters with Sticky Tack in a park.

**** An Apartment Complex Teeters <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125547827547583747.html>
Lingling Wei and Craig Karmin, Wall Street Journal

**** S'pore Playing To Win And Next 2 Years Will Not Be Any Less Challenging: NTUC <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1011249/1/.html>
S.Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia

Singapore's labour movement is playing to win and the next two years will not be any less challenging. That's the view of the labour movement's chief Lim Swee Say who has called on workers and employers to play their part in making the economy and workforce cheaper, better and faster.

**** Worksite Deaths Up <http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/Singapore/Story/STIStory_442083.html>
Jermyn Chow, Straits Times

More workers died or were disabled on their jobs in the first six months of this year, despite efforts by government safety officials and companies to make worksites less dangerous.

**** Singapore Sept Container Traffic Falls 5.8 Pct From Aug <http://www.bing.com:80/news/rssclick.aspx?redir=http%253a%252f%252fwww.reuters.com%252farticle%252frbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews%252fidUSSP8350320091014>
Neil Chatterjee, Reuters

Singapore port terminals handled 5.8 percent fewer containers in September than in August, a downturn after two months of rises, and traffic was 16 percent lower than a year earlier, government data showed.

**** 英杂志评全球最佳机场 é¦–éƒ½æœºåœºåŠ›åŽ‹æ–°åŠ å¡å±…é¦– <http://finance.ifeng.com/roll/20091013/1328424.shtml>
中国新闻网

è¿™æ¬¡åŒ—äº¬é¦–éƒ½å›½é™…æœºåœºåŠ›åŽ‹ç¾¤é›„èŽ·å¾—ç¬¬ä¸€å¾ˆä¸å®¹æ˜“ã€‚å› ä¸ºè¿™å‡ ä¸ªæœºåœºå®žåŠ›éƒ½å¾ˆå¼ºï¼Œå…¶ä¸­ï¼Œå¤šæ•°äººå¯¹æ–°åŠ å¡çš„æ¨Ÿå®œæœºåœºéƒ½æ¯”è¾ƒç†Ÿæ‚‰ï¼Œå®ƒ1981年启用以来，就以优质服务享誉航空界，在1987年至2007年间共赢取超过280个奖项。

**** What Makes Singapore's Changi Airport So Charming? <http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Ftravel%2Fcolumnist%2Fbaskas%2F2009-10-14-changi-airport_N.htm&usg=AFQjCNHbcu54-wQTP5nQU7Q-5-wEM7zmXA>
Harriet Baskas, USA Today

On a visit to Singapore earlier this month, I asked most everyone I met to tell me what they liked most about their island city-state. Locals sang the praises of the Lion City's food, its culture, its cleanliness and its safety. And more often than not, they told me how much they loved their airport.

Yes, their airport. Not something you're likely to hear from anyone living in Chicago, Detroit or New York City. But it seems most citizens of Singapore are sweet on Changi Airport. Given how often Changi lands on top of (or near the top of) surveys ranking airport shopping, dining, cleanliness and leisure activities, so too is the rest of the world. So I decided to set aside an afternoon to find out what makes Changi so charming.

**** HDB Flats In Hot Demand <http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/Singapore/Story/STIStory_442109.html>
Jessica Cheam, Straits Times

As an indication of the red hot demand for public flats, the Housing Board (HDB) was swamped with 20,691 applications for its biggest sales exercise - 2,132 flats - in recent times on its closing day.

**** A Rebuttal To MND: Why Mah Bow Tan Is Wrong On Upgrading <http://www.temasekreview.com/2009/10/14/a-rebuttal-to-mnd-why-mah-bow-tan-is-wrong-on-upgrading/>
The Temasek Review

**** Ban On Ex-detainee Film Stays <http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/Singapore/Story/STIStory_442215.html>
Zakir Hussain, Straits Times

The ban stays because the film gives a 'distorted and misleading portrayal' of his arrest and detention under the Internal Security Act, said the press secretary of Mica's acting minister Lui Tuck Yew.

**** 75-year-old Grandma Is Singapore's Oldest Living Organ Donor <http://www.bing.com:80/news/rssclick.aspx?redir=http%253a%252f%252fwww.channelnewsasia.com%252fstories%252fsingaporelocalnews%252fview%252f1011339%252f1%252f.html>
Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid, Channel NewsAsia

A 75-year-old grandmother has become Singapore's oldest living organ donor. Madam Chee Leng Yin donated one of her kidneys to save her seriously-ill daughter.

**** In Singapore, Shopping For A Hospital <http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.csmonitor.com%2F2009%2F1014%2Fp25s02-usgn.html&usg=AFQjCNG8BjMaUxI_RxKMLZVLUCx6fr37Cg>
Simon Kearney, Christian Science Monitor

Shopping is a national pastime in this wealthy city-state and a bit of the retail culture is helping the government hold down hospital costs – at a time when much of the world is searching for an antidote to rampant healthcare spending.

One of Singapore's secrets: compulsory publication of the cost of hospital procedures. It has turned having a hip replacement into something similar to buying a pair of shoes.