[MyAppleMenu] Aug 5, 2010

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Can The Apple iPad Get Any Workplace Respect? <http://washingtontechnology.com/articles/2010/08/09/feat-ipad-workplace.aspx>
John Moore, Washington Technology

No one is suggesting that people will put their old desktop PCs in permanent storage and replace them with shiny new iPads anytime soon. The real issue comes down to gaining share in that market otherwise known as personal preference and habit. Could the tablet computer become the platform of choice for more everyday tasks, such as checking e-mail, sharing documents and accessing the Web, thereby further cutting into the time we used to spend slavishly glued to our desktop computers?

**** Germany: Apple May Have Security Problem <http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/08/04/tech/main6742166.shtml>
Associated Press

Several versions of Apple's iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch have potentially serious security problems, a German government agency said in an official warning Wednesday. Apple's iOS operating system has "two critical weak points for which no patch exists," the Federal Office for Information Security said.

**** Freeware Coolness Crushes ICal Shortcoming <http://db.tidbits.com/article/11491?rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+tidbits_main+%28TidBITS%3A+Mac+News+for+the+Rest+of+Us%29>
Matt Neuburg, TidBITS

So we live in a great time - an age of cool freeware tools. And thanks to these two, my switch to iCal has been made a lot less painful than it otherwise might have been.

**** Safari Extends Its Options <http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/safari-extends-its-options/?partner=rss&emc=rss>
Stephen Williams, New York Times



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Hard Science, Softened With Stories <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/05/books/05book.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss>
Janet Maslin, New York Times

On the one hand, as Sam Kean points out at the start of “The Disappearing Spoon,” the periodic table of the elements is a clear, accessible-looking chart that ought to make sense to anyone who ever set foot in a chemistry classroom. On the other, many a would-be chemist has found it as impenetrable as it is alluring.



SingaporeSurf
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**** MOM Policy Change Creating Problems For Employers <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/08/mom-policy-change-creating-problems-for-employers/>
Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen

**** Farrer Station Confusion <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_561991.html>
Stella Kon, Straits Times

Since the Circle Line was proposed, I have been complaining about the confusion that will arise with the two MRT stations: Farrer Park and Farrer Road.

**** Disadvantaged By Competition: MDA Replies <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_562151.html>
Eileen Ang, Media Development Authority, Straits Times

It is not the platform choice, but the retailers' content exclusivity-centric strategy that resulted in a high degree of content fragmentation in the pay-TV market. This has led to inconveniences for consumers who need to switch pay-TV retailers each time their favourite channel or programme changes hands.

Take note: cost of programming is not addressed.

**** REACH’s New (Media) Panel – Will It Work? <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/08/reachs-new-media-panel-will-it-work/>
Howard Lee, The Online Citizen

By its very nature, REACH is not generating the level and volume of honest feedback that is already prevalent on other online platforms. Add to that the annoying attitude, intentional or otherwise, of not closing the loop on issues raised as important by its users, and you begin to understand why netizens have such an adverse attitude towards REACH.

**** The Sand Smugglers <http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/08/04/the_sand_smugglers>
Chris Milton, Foreign Policy

Singapore's economy quite literally rests upon maintaining a huge and continuous supply of sand -- and smuggling has become a multibillion-dollar trade, driving a huge web of corruption and theft in a country renowned for honest business practices and corporal punishment.

"The documentation that sand suppliers are required to show include licenses to dredge or extract sand at specific sand locations in the source countries, draft survey reports, and bill of loadings," K. Senbagavalli, a spokeswoman at the Singaporean Ministry of National Development, said in an interview. But this oversight depends on reliable paperwork -- and reliable officials -- throughout the supply chain. If corruption is as rife as it appears to be within Malaysia, the documents are not worth the paper they're printed on.

Singapore is poised for a bright future: It is booming economically and has positioned itself as a world leader in urban sustainability. But to fulfill that promise, however, it must first swallow an unpalatable truth -- that its prosperity has come at the cost of it neighbors' corruption and environmental destruction. Size isn't everything; the country's sterling reputation is now at stake.

**** Shadrake Case Highlights S'pore Censorship Battle <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-10849942>
Rachel Harvey, BBC

The charges could possibly be dropped if Alan Shadrake acceded to the prosecution's request for an apology. But there seems little chance of that. "I didn't do this to chicken out and say sorry and grovel to them like most Singaporeans have to do, to live a normal life," he told me as he left the High Court.

And somehow it no longer feels like this is just Alan Shadrake's fight. He has become a proxy for Singapore's own internal battles.

**** Isn’t There A Better Way To Wish Residents A Happy National Day? <http://blog.dk.sg/2010/08/05/isnt-there-a-better-way-to-wish-residents-a-happy-national-day/>
Dee Kay Dot As Gee

**** The Groundbreaking Action Against 'Hangman' Author Alan Shadrake <http://journalism.sg/2010/08/05/the-groundbreaking-action-against-hangman-author-alan-shadrake/>
Jeremy Lim, journalism.sg

**** Family Business <http://hardhitting-nobs.blogspot.com/2010/08/family-business.html>
Musings From the Lion City

**** YOG 自导自演 (A Business Jet Was Chartered For The Flame) <http://singapore-lighthouse.blogspot.com/2010/08/yog-business-jet-was-chartered-for.html>
Singapore Social and Political Thoughts

**** Temasek Holdings To Set Up Two Non-profit Philanthropic Foundations <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1073609/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia

The Temasek Education Foundation and the Temasek International Foundation will oversee five endowments, named after five Singapore pioneers to honour and recognise their contributions in nurturing talent and promoting international fellowship.

**** Train Services Could Be Affected At Several Stations Near Jurong East Next Month <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1073610/1/.html>
Ng Lian Cheong, Channel NewsAsia