[MyAppleMenu] Oct 29, 2009

applesurf at myapplemenu.com applesurf at myapplemenu.com
Thu Oct 29 18:59:00 EDT 2009

MyAppleMenu
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**** Apple Stores Upgrading From Windows-based EasyPay To iPod Touch <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/10/28/apple_retail_stores_upgrading_easypay_from_windows_to_ipod_touch.html>
AppleInsider

Multiple sources have noted that Apple will be transitioning its retail store EasyPay handheld checkout systems from Windows-based PDA devices to iPod touch hardware for the 2009 holiday season.

**** Apple Sued Over Infringement Of Camera Tech Patents <http://feeds.macnn.com/click.phdo?i=f3c86a3385779115d3e334ac90dbb23a>
MacNN

**** Track Your Tweets With iPhone App Tweetie <http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-10385014-233.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
Lance Whitney, CNET News

Tweetie is the app I've stuck with the longest, and the one I heartily recommend.

**** Apple's 2009 Ad Budget: Half A Billion <http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/10/28/apples-2009-ad-budget-half-a-billion/>
Philip Elmer-DeWitt, Fortune

Half a billion doesn't seem like so much when it's compared with the $1.4 billion Microsoft spent in fiscal 2009, or the $811 million Dell spent on ads I can't remember ever seeing. In fact, as a percentage of revenue, Apple has actually been decreasing its ad spending every year for the past eight, from nearly 5% in 2001 to 1.37% today (1.17% if you use non-GAAP revenue).

**** Apple iMac 27-inch (Core 2 Duo) <http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2354663,00.asp>
Joel Santo Domingo, PC Magazine

The Apple iMac 27-inch (Core 2 Duo) is certainly a class-defining product. It's got a huge screen, looks beautiful, and has some serious power under the hood.

**** iWeb Not Enough? Build Your Web Site With Sandvox <http://mac360.com/index.php/mac360/comments/iweb_not_enough_build_your_web_site_with_sandvox/>
Natalia Nowak, Mac 360

**** Paris Apple Store At The Louvre Set For Nov 7th Opening <http://feeds.macnn.com/click.phdo?i=bab1bf28d714ac06a7d290b94cbd4053>
MacNN

**** Apple Updated Improves Bluetooth With Windows On Boot Camp <http://feeds.macnn.com/click.phdo?i=96748741f15741482aac186e268f1b17>
MacNN

**** Google Says Its Navigation Will Come To iPhone, If Apple Approves <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/10/28/google_says_its_navigation_will_come_to_iphone_if_apple_approves.html>
AppleInsider

Google on Wednesday revealed a free online navigation service that will be a part of its forthcoming Android 2.0 mobile operating system. It could also come to the iPhone, the company said, if given the green light by Apple.

**** How Apple's Magic Mouse Works <http://www.techradar.com/news/computing-components/peripherals/how-apple-s-magic-mouse-works-645396>
Matthew Bolton, Techradar.com

And why there's no pinch-to-zoom.



The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Using A Cellphone Number To Pay For Virtual Goods <http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=c9180c47dfad27b26d42a97b08faa533>
Claire Cain Miller, New York Times

Eventually, online shoppers might simply need to enter their cellphone number to pay for a purchase. Two online payment start-ups, Zong and Obopay, have taken a step closer to making that a reality.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** The First Marriage <http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=2c82124d488198113d7a87e004b367f9>
Jodi Kantor, New York Times

The centrality of the Obama marriage to the president’s political brand opens a new chapter in the debate that has run through, even helped define, their union.

**** Gumshoes, Sleuths And Cops, Squealed On By Scribblers <http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=2f00a91ee3064b65171e872c83924784>
Janet Maslin, New York Times

It began as a marketing strategy. Otto Penzler, the renowned proprietor of the Mysterious Bookshop in New York City, wanted to keep his customers happy. And he wanted to keep them out of chain stores. So he began commissioning annual Christmas stories from popular crime writers and giving out free copies of these stories as thank-you gifts to the shop’s customers.

**** Movie Director David Lynch On Artist Ed Ruscha <http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article6884153.ece>
Christopher Goodwin, The Times

To understand Ed Ruscha, ask David Lynch. He explains how the artist’s glorification of the banal became the last word in Californian cool and inspired so many.

**** Living On $500,000 A Year <http://www.theamericanscholar.org/living-on-500000-a-year/>
William J. Quirk, The American Scholar

What F. Scott Fitzgerald’s tax returns reveal about his life and times.



SingaporeSurf
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**** Faulty Ez-link Cards - Give Complimentary Card <http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Online%2BStory/STIStory_447582.html>
Wilson Choo, Straits Times

Most ez-link card users are average citizens who requires the card to travel daily. It is not their fault if their cards are defective.

**** Let Civil Servants Execute Govt Schemes Rather Than Advisers <http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Story/STIStory_447687.html>
Matthias Chew, Straits Times

While I can accept that opposition MPs cannot, and should not, be placed in a position where they are held accountable for government policy, surely the unelected grassroots advisers, who are not members of the government but merely of the ruling party of the day, may only be held accountable to the party, and not the government.

Civil servants already competently execute most national programmes, under the direction of their elected political masters, so it makes little sense to task specific aspects of implementation to unelected political appointees.

**** Gender Gap Index: More Equality In Singapore But ... <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC091029-0000075/Gender-gap-index--More-equality-in-Singapore-but-,,,>
Today

It has improved on its overall score on equality between the sexes, but Singapore has slipped again in the world gender gap index by the World Economic Forum.

**** Missing From Straits Times CEO Pay Report... <http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rana/~3/ur1IHZISP4E/missing-from-straits-times-ceo-pay-report.html>
Blowin' In The Wind

**** 2010: Pay Hikes Are Going To Be A Pittance <http://us.asiancorrespondent.com/secret-blog/singaporeans-predicted-to-earn-2.6-.htm>
Liau Chuan Yi and Norvin Chan, Asian Correspondent

**** Singapore’s Opposition Parties – Time For Some Backward Integration? <http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/ZobK/~3/vYO9j9A_FtY/singapores-opposition-parties-time-for.html>
Imran Ahmed, The Grand Moofti Speaks

Singapore's opposition parties face many obstacles in their drive to win public support. One can sympathize with their plight. However, it is not apparent to the public that the opposition parties are serious in their efforts to create a viable alternative to the PAP.

**** 吴资政：她非新加坡公民 张元元报效祖国没有错 <http://www.zaobao.com/sp/sp091029_004.shtml>
杨永欣, 联合早报

吴资政认为，张元元的选择没有错，身为一名中国年轻人，能够参加祖国60周年国庆的检阅礼是极为光荣的事。更何况，张元元只是新加坡永久居民，还不是新加坡公民。吴资政说，更应该关注的是，如何吸引这些永久居民成为新加坡公民。当然，如果一个人成为了新加坡公民，他自然就不应该参加其他国家的国庆检阅礼。

**** Thoughts On PRs Usurping Jobs Meant For Singaporeans <http://www.temasekreview.com/2009/10/29/thoughts-on-prs-usurping-jobs-meant-for-singaporeans/>
Jay Tan, The Temasek Review

**** Reporters Without Borders Replies To Temasek Review <http://www.temasekreview.com/2009/10/29/reporters-without-borders-replies-to-temasek-review/>
Vincent Brossel, Reporters Without Borders, The Temasek Review

About the “improvement” (in Singapore’s ranking to 133th), it is mainly due to the fact that the previous year was worst with several trials.

**** Paradox Of Singapore Economic Growth: Economy Has Grown Fast, Labour Income Share Remains Dismally Low <http://www.temasekreview.com/2009/10/29/paradox-of-singapore-economic-growth-economy-has-grown-fast-labour-income-share-remains-dismally-low/>
Abdul Gafoor, The Temasek Review

**** Gradual Economic Pickup Expected For Singapore <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1014430/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia

The Singapore economy is likely to settle at a more gradual pace of expansion, with GDP growth in 2010 expected to be lower than in previous post-recession periods. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said in its Macroeconomics Review released on Thursday that compared to six months ago, the outlook for the second half of 2009 and for 2010 is "markedly more optimistic".

**** Singapore's Central Bank Sees 'Slower, Steadier' Growth In 2010 <http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bloomberg.com%2Fapps%2Fnews%3Fpid%3D20601087%26sid%3Da8nJjEZ6uKkM&usg=AFQjCNFzZmhWCPZY8yDzeg2l6MNFPa1Mpw>
Bloomberg

Singapore will grow at a “slower and steadier” pace in the coming quarters as the construction industry contributes less to the city-state’s expansion and external demand remains “challenging,” the central bank said.

Singapore is dependent upon a rebound in exports to sustain its recovery from the global slump. The central bank, which said earlier this month it will maintain a zero appreciation stance in its currency policy, said today it “intervenes” to reduce pressure for the Singapore dollar to strengthen as investments in Asian assets rise with the region’s economic revival.

**** Shanmugam: Singapore ISA Subjected To “checks And Balances” <http://www.temasekreview.com/2009/10/29/shanmugam-singapore-isa-subjected-to-checks-and-balances/>
The Temasek Review

Unless Mr Shanmugam can release classified information about Operation Spectrum to lend support to his words and to debunk the allegations directed at the ISA by the ex-detainees, it will be an uphill task for him to convince Singaporeans as well as foreigners that “ISA is subjected to checks and balance”.

**** Law Minister Defeats “Reporters Without Borders’” Straw Man <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/10/law-minister-defeats-%e2%80%9creporters-without-borders%e2%80%99%e2%80%9d-straw-man/>
Pitram Singh, The Online Citizen

In shrewdly seeking to conflate Singapore’s economic success against the irrelevance of international press freedom rankings, Law minister K Shanmugam sought to justify the importance of maintaining the government’s indirect control over the press in Singapore.

In reality, Singapore’s economic success since the 1960s is of little relevance to RwB, as is the economic performance of any other country it ranks. Correspondingly, the Law minister ought to have respected the objective ranking standards of RwB, in step with his triumphant references to reports from the World Economic Forum, IMD, Moody’s, Mercer and Mori, which rank Singapore favourably in economic, legal and quality of life indices.

**** 4th University Named As Singapore University Of Technology And Design <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1014477/1/.html>
Hetty Musfirah, Channel NewsAsia

Singapore's fourth public-funded university, which is scheduled to open its doors in 2011, has been named the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SU).

**** Town Council Act (CAP 329A) States Clearly That Govt Must Work With Town Councils (Run By MPs) To Implement LUP <http://www.temasekreview.com/2009/10/29/town-council-act-cap-329a-states-clearly-that-govt-must-work-with-town-councils-run-by-mps-to-implement-lup/>
The Temasek Review

If a precedent is set which allows for laws as outlined in the Singapore Statutes to be ignored and disobeyed, what will our country become?

**** Crackdown On Errant Cyclists <http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/Singapore/Story/STIStory_447921.html>
Straits Times

Between Oct 12 and 23, officers from the Traffic Police and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) conducted a joint operation and issued a total of 310 summonses to errant cyclists, particularly those found using unapproved motorised bicycles or not wearing suitable protective bicycle helmets.

**** The Minister Doth Protest Too Much <http://yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/2983-the-minister-doth-potest-too-much>
Singapore Democrats

And so while Mr Shanmugam tells America that there is no repression in Singapore, his audience politely nod and smirk that 'yeah-right' smirk.

Think about it. Which governments need to repeatedly declare that they don't repress their citizens? The ones that repress their citizens, of course.

**** Our Approach To Law Has Resulted In Lower Crime Rates <http://app2.mlaw.gov.sg/News/tabid/204/Default.aspx?ItemId=444>
Singapore Government

**** Art Wars: Hong Kong Vs. Singapore <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125678376301415081.html>
Alexandra A. Seno, Wall Street Journal

Longtime rivals in trade and finance, Hong Kong and Singapore are vying to become Asia's regional arts hub, part of a strategy to be crowned Asia's top city.

**** Educators From Singapore Learn At Newport Mill <http://www.gazette.net/stories/10282009/chevnew212642_32535.shtml>
Jen Beasley, Gazette.net

Respect is something internationally understood. It is also the October trait at Newport Mill Middle School, which is appropriate, because the school received a lot of it last week when educators from the Ministry of Education in Singapore visited to learn about the school's character education program.

**** S'pore Rejects Emission Cuts <http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/Singapore/Story/STIStory_448079.html>
Amresh Gunasingham, Straits Times

Speaking to The Straits Times on the sidelines of the 11th Asean Ministerial Meeting on the Environment on Thursday, minister for the environment & water resources Yaacob Ibrahim said: 'We are not obligated to set targets or reduce emissions, but...we will do our part.'

'Whatever we do, we cannot compromise our ability to grow. So how we find a balance will be a continuous process.'

**** Traffic Smooth Along AYE - So Why The Spike In ERP Charges? <http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Online%2BStory/STIStory_448040.html>
Sally Kong, Straits Times

I travel the AYE every day during this period at speeds of 80kmh to 90kmh, keeping within the speed limit. Traffic is smooth-flowing. From Buona Vista exit to Lower Delta Road, it takes me about eight minutes.




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