[MyAppleMenu] Feb 7, 2010

applesurf at myapplemenu.com applesurf at myapplemenu.com
Sun Feb 7 18:59:01 EST 2010

MyAppleMenu
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**** iPad Event Shows Apple's Focus: Mobile Devices <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/06/BUMM1BTAMA.DTL>
Ryan Kim, San Francisco Chronicle

Perhaps the most obvious upshot of the latest unveiling was Apple's continued recognition that its future, unlike its origin, is tied to mobile devices.

**** FCC: iPad Use Could Further Strain 3G Network <http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10448679-37.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-Apple>
Jim Dalrymple, CNET News

Although Apple's iPad has yet to hit the market, the Federal Communications Commission has expressed concern over its potential impact on AT&T's 3G network.



The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Buy Now, Pay Later (Maybe With Your Allowance) <http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=5ee79e93662cc339631efee0ae2d5c22>
Randall Stross, New York Times

On FooPets and Puzzle Pirates, young players can buy virtual goods like pet food through Kwedit, with a promise to pay later.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Truth Or Dare <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/books/review/Brouwer-t.html?sudsredirect=true>
Joel Brouwer, New York Times

Asked why so many of his poems seemed animated by unhappiness, Philip Larkin once told an interviewer, “Deprivation is for me what daffodils were for Wordsworth.” A supremely cynical thing to say — but also backhandedly romantic, isn’t it? A dreadful muse is still a muse. Like Larkin, Tony Hoagland seems to draw inspiration and fluency as a poet from his disappointment and frustration as a human being. And like Larkin’s, Hoagland’s poems, though chock-full of grousing, are so fully alive to the rich, dark depths of their grumpiness that they constantly threaten, against their author’s gimlet-eyed better judgment, to become beautiful.

**** Composer’s Intent? Get Over It <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/arts/music/07modern.html?ref=todayspaper>
Allan Kozinn, New York Times

It was not until 1990, when the music historian Richard Taruskin published “The Spin Doctors of Early Music” in The New York Times, and argued that contemporary notions of period sound were actually modern fashion statements, that the myth of authenticity was exploded decisively. And at that, it took a few years for the stunned early-music world to adopt Mr. Taruskin’s view, banish “authentic” from its collective vocabulary and adopt the phrase “historically informed performance” instead.

**** Yeah, Right <http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/02/07/yeah_right/>
Erin McKean, Boston Globe

Do we need a new punctuation mark?



SingaporeSurf
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**** Lessons from Singapore <http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2010/02/06/lessons-from-singapore/>
LankaWeb

Poor Dr. Chee was caught for $20 taxi fare. Why cannot Sri Lanka catch and jail thieves who claimed much bigger taxi fares?

**** About Time To Rethink About Our Scholar Selection Mechanisms <http://kelvinteowrites.wordpress.com/2010/02/07/about-time-to-rethink-about-our-scholar-selection-mechanisms/>
Kelvin Teo Writes

It is indeed a worrying trend if fewer young scholars desire ground level postings and Eddie’s concern about this potentially leading to a divorce with ground realities resonates with that of the many observers who are interested in the topic. Yet, his concluding statement about the Public Service correcting the trend can be seen as a form of admission that reforms to the Scholarship system are long overdue.

**** 张保罗：人均居住空间越来越大 新加坡还可住更多人 <http://www.zaobao.com/special/face2face/pages1/face2face100207.shtml>
联合早报

新加坡近年大量引入外来人口，坊间不时听闻国人埋怨岛国越来越拥挤，造成生活素质下降。一些国人甚至认为外国人推高了物价和房价，叫苦连天。外国工人和新移民流入，真的导致新加坡人钱不够用，空间也不够用吗？

**** 大选年？ <http://www.zaobao.com/yl/yl100207_007.shtml>
李慧敏, 联合早报

**** 政府的“八宝盒” <http://www.zaobao.com.sg/yl/yl100206_002.shtml>
严孟达, 联合早报

新加坡在许多方面的成就证明了“事在人为”，如今说要致力成为“亚洲的城市典范”，这样的口气也许会叫许多亚洲邻国不爽，况且任何人要挑我们的毛病也是很容易的。作为一个小国，新加坡人要展示足为“亚洲典范”的人文素质不能光靠硬体实力，我们在国际上要有一个定位，这个定位是什么？

**** UK: A Tale Of Two City-States <http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2010/02/07/2003465380>
J. Michael Cole, Taipie Times

At first glance, Hong Kong and Singapore could be twins, but the manner in which the authorities handled political dissent led to very different results. What happened?

**** Universal Language Of The Golden Arches <http://lmcintheworld.blogspot.com/2010/02/universal-language-of-golden-arches.html>
LMC In The World

**** Public Housing Flats – Singaporeans Come First Or Foreigners? <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/02/public-rental-flats-singaporeans-come-first/>
Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen

The truth is that there is no shortage of rental flats available. TOC has shown that the HDB has converted and reserved two blocks of flats in Toa Payoh, at least one block in Havelock Road, five blocks in Bedok and five more blocks in Tiong Bahru as rental flats for foreigners.

The problem is that the HDB is not only the sole provider of public housing flats in Singapore, it is also a player in the rental market. As we have shown, the HDB acquires old flats through the SERS programme, and through its subsidiary, EM Services (the HDB owns 75 per cent of the company), refurbishes or upgrades the flats, and lets them out for rent. Perhaps this is one way the HDB circumvents its own rules which say foreigners are ineligible for rental flats offered by the HDB.

Now, the question of conflict of interest arises – would the HDB rent out these flats to those such as the homeless at rents of between S$26 and S$120 and play its role as public housing provider, or operate as a private company (via EM Services) and rents out the flats to foreigners for profit, fetching anywhere from S$450 per tenant (as in the Havelock Road hostel) to S$5,000 (as in the Global Residence case)?

**** RWS Ready To Roll By CNY <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_487702.html>
Lim Wei Chean & Jessica Lim and Tessa Wong, Straits Times

Tenants and staff at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) told The Straits Times that they have been gearing up for the big opening at the end of this week. When asked to confirm the dates, RWS spokesman Robin Goh only said: 'We will announce when it's time. We are still on track for the soft opening in the first quarter of 2010.''

**** The Sedition Act Needs Revision <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/02/the-sedition-act-needs-revision/>
Edwin S Anthony, The Online Citizen

The Sedition Act can be a dangerous stumbling block in the progression towards egalitarian harmony. It can keep people quiet whilst one culture and associated ‘race’ is allowed to gain prominence and dominance over all others.

**** Do Upgrading Skills And Workfare Help Low-wage Workers? <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/02/do-upgrading-skills-and-workfare-help-low-wage-workers/>
Leong Sze Hian, The Online Citizen




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