[MyAppleMenu] Apr 29, 2010

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Hands-on With Bento For iPad <http://arstechnica.com/apple/reviews/2010/04/bento-for-ipad.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss>
Jeff Smykil, Ars Technica

If you are a user of general database apps, Bento for iPad fits the bill as a somewhat scaled-down version of the desktop app. The layout mode isn’t as robust and videos don’t play, but for basic info, the application works and is well worth the $4.99 price tag.

**** First Look: iPad Camera Connection Kit <http://www.macworld.com/article/150893/2010/04/ipad_camera_connection_kit.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Heather Kelly, Macworld

**** Dead Zone Doldrums Test Skills Of iPhone Customers <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/technology/personaltech/29basics.html?partner=rss&emc=rss>
Paul Boutin, New York Times

To offset inconsistent cellular service, users have resorted to making calls from different locations and investing in microcell hardware.

**** Apple Prepares 3G-enabled iPads For Shipment <http://www.macworld.com/article/150899/2010/04/ipad_3g_shipping.html?lsrc=rss_main>
David Chartier, Macworld

Customers in the U.S. who placed their pre-orders for 3G-enabled iPads early enough may commence refreshing Delivery Status and FedEx.com.

**** Browsing The Aisles Of Apple's iBookstore <http://www.macworld.com/article/150896/2010/04/ibookstore.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Kirk McElhearn, Macworld

E-book store has potential, but there are early missteps.

**** Developers Speak Up On The 2010 ADAs <http://www.tuaw.com/2010/04/28/developers-speak-up-on-the-2010-adas/>
Brett Terpstra, TUAW

Developers are talking, debating and speculating about the exclusion of Mac desktop apps from this year's Apple Design Awards.

**** Apple May Charge $1 Mln To Display Mobile Ads: Report <http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63S0IE20100429>
Sakthi Prasad, Reuters

Apple Inc may charge about $1 million for displaying advertisements on its mobile devices, the Wall Street Journal said, citing advertisement executives.

The rates may be even more to be among the first to advertise, the paper said.

**** Review: Pages 1.0 For iPad <http://www.macworld.com/appguide/app.html?id=458360>
Jeffery Battersby, Macworld

Apple’s iPad word processor offers amazing features but lacks basic and necessary printing and file sharing options.

**** Review: Numbers 1.0 For iPad <http://www.macworld.com/appguide/app.html?id=458361>
Rob Griffiths, Macworld

Taken for what it is (an incredibly feature-rich spreadsheet program running with a full touch interface on a 1.5 pound portable computing device) Numbers is a good start, and should meet the needs of most anyone looking to use their iPad to create and work with spreadsheets.

**** Review: Keynote 1.0 For iPad <http://www.macworld.com/appguide/app.html?id=458357>
Franklin N. Tessler, Macworld

Keynote for iPad is a good value as a standalone tool. But as a complement to the desktop version, Keynote for iPad is disappointing.

**** 4 Ways To Keep An iPad Secure And Private <http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/4-ways-to-keep-an-ipad-secure-and-private/?partner=rss&emc=rss>
Riva Richmond, New York Times

An iPad contains a wealth of personal information. Here are four ways you can keep that information private and secure.

**** Thoughts On Flash <http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughts-on-flash/>
Steve Jobs, Apple

Besides the fact that Flash is closed and proprietary, has major technical drawbacks, and doesn’t support touch based devices, there is an even more important reason we do not allow Flash on iPhones, iPods and iPads. We have discussed the downsides of using Flash to play video and interactive content from websites, but Adobe also wants developers to adopt Flash to create apps that run on our mobile devices.

We know from painful experience that letting a third party layer of software come between the platform and the developer ultimately results in sub-standard apps and hinders the enhancement and progress of the platform. If developers grow dependent on third party development libraries and tools, they can only take advantage of platform enhancements if and when the third party chooses to adopt the new features. We cannot be at the mercy of a third party deciding if and when they will make our enhancements available to our developers.

This becomes even worse if the third party is supplying a cross platform development tool. The third party may not adopt enhancements from one platform unless they are available on all of their supported platforms. Hence developers only have access to the lowest common denominator set of features. Again, we cannot accept an outcome where developers are blocked from using our innovations and enhancements because they are not available on our competitor’s platforms.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Attention Whole Foods Shoppers <http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/04/26/attention_whole_foods_shoppers?page=full>
Robert Paarlberg, Foreign Policy

Stop obsessing about arugula. Your "sustainable" mantra -- organic, local, and slow -- is no recipe for saving the world's hungry millions.



SingaporeSurf
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**** What's Lacking In New Fare System <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_520190.html>
Gregory Lou, Straits Times

This is not an issue about commuters who choose to take a longer journey and be cross-subsidised by commuters who make transfers, but one about commuters who have no choice but to take the only route at their disposal.

**** UN Official Urges Singapore To Ensure Human Rights For Migrants <http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/320958,un-official-urges-singapore-to-ensure-human-rights-for-migrants.html>
DPA

A high-ranking United Nations official on Wednesday urged Singapore to better protect the human rights of migrant workers, saying the introduction of a minimum wage and more legal safeguards could prevent their exploitation.

"I would strongly urge the government to act swiftly to ensure the protection of migrant workers' human rights, as this is one area where the situation is quite dire," UN Special Rapporteur on racism Githu Muigai told a news conference after a one-week visit to the city-state.

**** MFA Press Statement: MFA’s Response To The Press Statement Of Mr Githu Muigai, UN Special Rapporteur On Contemporary Forms Of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia And Related Intolerance <http://app.mfa.gov.sg/2006/press/view_press.asp?post_id=6002>
Singapore Government

We do not expect Mr Muigai to agree with all our approaches; nor do we agree with all that he had shared with us. Such differences of opinion are natural when dealing with a subject as complex as race. We will respond fully as appropriate when we see his final report. However, there are some comments in his press statement and from his press conference that require immediate clarification.

**** Certain Ethnic Groups Marginalised By Government Policies, UN Expert Says <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/04/certain-ethnic-groups-marginalised-by-government-policies-un-expert-says/>
Wong Chun Han, The Online Citizen

Singapore needs to better protect the human rights of low-skilled migrant workers and review policies that marginalise certain ethnic groups, a United Nations racism expert said Wednesday.

**** Indonesia Chafes At Graft 'Safe Haven' In Singapore <http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1240260>
Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, AFP

Singapore promotes itself as a model of financial integrity. But, officials in Jakarta say, the wealthy city-state is a haven for some of the most corrupt Indonesians and their ill-gotten gains.

Singapore denies thallegedly smuggled out of Indonesia to Singapore is hard to find due to the small republic's strict bank secrecy laws and the sensitivity of the subject. But a report by Indonesia's financial intelligence unit in late 2006 said around 200 fugitives from Indonesian state debt were residing there.

**** Al Jazeera Responds To Vivian Balakrishnan’s Accusations <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/04/al-jazeera-responds-to-vivian-balakrishnans-accusations/>
Marcus Cheek, Al Jazeera, The Online Citizen

Al Jazeera stands by the report which we feel is factually correct. The homeless couple featured in our report were locked out of the system of state support because of bureaucratic regulation.

The fact that they were previously successful and had owned and sold homes was mentioned in the report, but was not strictly relevant.

**** 邮箱涂鸦事件落幕 新邮政两职员接警方警告 <http://www.zaobao.com/sp/sp100429_022.shtml>
刘丽仪, 联合早报

警方已完成今年1æœˆå‘ç”Ÿçš„â€œè’™é¢ç”·æ¶‚é¸¦é‚®ç®±äº‹ä»¶â€ï¼Œç»™äºˆæ–°åŠ å¡é‚®æ”¿å…¬å¸ä¸¤åèŒå‘˜å£å¤´è­¦å‘Šï¼Œä½œä¸ºè¿™èµ·å¼•èµ·å…¬ä¼—æ‰¹è¯„äº‹ä»¶çš„è½å¹•ã€‚

**** If It's Convenient, It Must Be Right <http://callantham.org/blog/2010/4/29/if-its-convenient-it-must-be-right.html>
Callan Tham, Trapper's Swamp

The government cannot choose to swing between "religion must not intrude into secular society" and "doing XXX will offend mainstream society, dictated by religious sensibilities" and go with whatever is convenient for them at the time, and expect people to not call them out on it.

**** Asia's Couture Craving Feeds Singapore's Haute Hopes <http://in.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idINIndia-48090220100429>
Miral Fahmy, Reuters

Legions of status-seeking shoppers with deep pockets are turning Asia into the next big catwalk for international designers, boosting Singapore's aspirations to become the region's Milan or New York.

**** Government Not A Fan Of Al Jazeera – But Denies Censoring It <http://journalism.sg/2010/04/29/government-not-a-fan-of-al-jazeera-but-denies-censoring-it/>
Journalism.sg

**** A Poor Rebuttal <http://hardhitting-nobs.blogspot.com/2010/04/poor-rebuttal.html>
Musings From the Lion City

So when Mr. Balakrishnan use the fact that the woman co-own a flat as an example of Al Jazeera not getting its facts straight…that doesn’t really make sense. If she cannot sell, she cannot get money for a new flat. She also cannot get a rental flat due to the fact she co-own the flat which she cannot sell; thus she became homeless. She is almost the perfect example of what Al Jazeera is contending; that various government policies are forcing some Singaporeans to be homeless!

**** A Simple Majority Is Enough <http://callantham.org/blog/2010/4/29/a-simple-majority-is-enough.html>
Callan Tham, Trapper's Swamp

**** MFA Press Statement: Meeting Between MFA And Romanian Ambassador HE Aurelian Neagu <http://app.mfa.gov.sg/2006/press/view_press_email.asp?post_id=6005>
Singapore Government

Ambassador Neagu told MFA that the official Romanian inquiry into Dr Ionescu's actions in Singapore on 15 December 2009 was still on-going. It was not yet possible for Romania to officially conclude if Dr Ionescu's diplomatic immunity had ceased or not because the investigations by the Romanian authorities had yet to determine whether or not Dr Ionescu was acting in an official capacity on 15 December 2009.

**** TOC’s Response To Remarks By MCYS Minister – Part One <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/04/tocs-response-to-remarks-by-mcys-minister-part-one/>
The Online Citizen

Since January this year, TOC has spent many hours with the couple in question. We have approached various organisations, including MCYS, to try to help them find a home. We have done this in the belief that the government would be able to assist the couple.

We are thus shocked that the MCYS minister chose to castigate the couple in Parliament, without having ever spoken to them himself. What is also notable is that Channelnewsasia made no attempt whatsoever to contact the couple to seek their response to the minister’s statements. Perhaps CNA should have “ascertain[ed] the facts” before reporting on the case?

If they did, they would have realized that  “the man in the video” bought and sold his three flats over a period of 20 years.  The so-called “tidy profit” was derived by totaling up proceeds accumulated over two decades. “The man in the video” lost his third flat as a result of a divorce.  He is a single father struggling to support three children.  He is not sitting on a sudden windfall.

The woman in the video is technically co-owner of an HDB flat.  She is also a divorcee. Neither CNA nor the minister mentions this, but is it logical to expect a divorced couple to live under the same roof?

**** No Lack Of Sophistry From The Government Concerning The Homeless <http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=4010>
Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net

The stark reality is that much of the homelessness situation in Singapore is the doing of the PAP government, as its rigid and inflexible housing policies as well as overly bureaucratic machinery lead to many families falling through the cracks and finding themselves with nowhere to turn.

Exacerbating the plight of the homeless is the fact that the government continually turns public housing facilities that could be used to shelter them into profit making entities used to provide accommodation to foreign workers and foreign students instead.

And while all this chicanery is occurring, the government still unrepentantly pursues policies that continually lead to escalating HDB flat prices which are forcing average Singaporeans out of their own market and which are also resulting in higher incidences of foreclosures and more cases of homelessness.

**** UN Human Rights Official Raps Singapore <http://www.pressrun.net/weblog/2010/04/un-human-rights-official-raps-singapore.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rana+%28Blowin%27+In+The+Wind%29>
Blowin' In The Wind