[MyAppleMenu] Jul 8, 2010

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Review: Apple's Aluminum Mac Mini And Mac Mini Server (2010) <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/07/07/review_apples_aluminum_mac_mini_and_mac_mini_server_2010.html>
Daniel Eran Dilger, AppleInsider

**** Apple Store Openings <http://www.tuaw.com/2010/07/07/apple-store-openings/>
Dave Caolo, TUAW

Several new Apple Stores either opened or are set to open this weekend. Here's a look at what's going on.

**** Deleting A Previous System Folder <http://www.macworld.com/article/152544/2010/07/delete_previous_system.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Christopher Breen, Macworld

If you’ve run your Mac for a good amount of time—a month or more—and everything seems hunky dory, you’re safe to toss out this Previous System folder.

**** AT&T Says Slow iPhone 4 Upload Speeds Due To Software Defect <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/07/07/atts_slow_iphone_4_upload_speeds_due_to_software_defect.html>
AppleInsider

AT&T on Wednesday made an official statement on an issue causing slow upload speeds for some iPhone 4 users, blaming the problem on a software defect that will soon be fixed.

"AT&T and Alcatel-Lucent jointly identified a software defect -- triggered under certain conditions - that impacted uplink performance for Laptop Connect and smartphone customers using 3G HSUPA-capable wireless devices in markets with Alcatel-Lucent equipment," the company said in a statement.

**** Apple's New Shanghai Store Looks Amazing <http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-china-store-2010-7#-1>
Business Insider

**** SoftBank: You Can Have My iPhone Exclusivity Agreement When You Pry It From My Cold, Dead Hands <http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20100707/softbank-iphone/>
John Paczkowski	, Wall Street Journal

SoftBank gained more than a quarter of a million new subscribers in June–largely because of Apple’s iPhone. The company–the iPhone’s exclusive carrier in Japan–said today that it added a net 229,500 subscribers for the month, far more than the country’s biggest provider, NTT DoCoMo, which reported a gain of 164,000.

**** Apple Changes Stance On LED Flashlight Apps <http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/apple-changes-stance-on-led-flashlight-apps/7475?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+zdnet%2FApple+%28ZDNet+The+Apple+Core%29>
Jason D. O'Grady, ZDNet

Apple finally relented allowing apps to use it with one proviso: developers must include a disclaimer that continued use of the iPhone’s LED may dramatically decrease battery life. Well, duh.

**** iPhone 4 Vs iPhone 3GS Battery Test: Almost 40 Per Cent Better <http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/0,39029453,49306101,00.htm?s_cid=96>
Flora Graham, CNET

Like most smart phones, the iPhone 4 will still need to be charged every day if you're using it extensively -- but at least it's noticeably better than previous iPhones. And if you turn off some of the good stuff, it can be even better than Apple claims.

**** iPhone Makes Great Snitch For Savvy Cops <http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/2010/07/07/20100707iphones-used-by-cops-for-crimes.html>
Amber Hunt , Detroit Free Press

Got an iPhone in your pocket? Then you might be storing even more personal information than you realize. And some of it could be used against you if you're ever charged with a crime.

**** Apple's Culture Needs A Change <http://www.marketwatch.com/story/apples-culture-needs-a-change-2010-07-08?reflink=MW_news_stmp>
Therese Poletti, MarketWatch

Apple's growth from a niche PC maker to a giant in consumer electronics means it now has to deal with expectations from the dreaded status quo, in addition to its die-hard fans.

**** Apple’s Best-Case Scenario: The iPad Is The New iPod <http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20100707/apples-best-case-scenario-the-ipad-is-the-new-ipod/?mod=ATD_rss>
Peter Kafka, Wall Street Journal

This one is pretty telling: Barclays’ estimate of how the PC market shakes out if you throw iPads into the mix. Steve Jobs and company aren’t knocking on Hewlett-Packard’s door anytime soon, but they are getting close to Dell’s.

**** Nintendo: No Plans To Develop Games For iPhone/iPad <http://www.e-channelnews.com/ec_storydetail.php?ref=421188>
eChannelNews

**** Apple Confirms iPhone 4 Reception Not A Software Problem <http://technologizer.com/2010/07/07/apple-confirms-iphone-4-reception-not-a-software-problem/>
Ed Oswald , Technologizer

It’s been like pulling teeth, and it took journalists mailing AppleCare rather than Apple’s notoriously tight-lipped and selectively-responding public relations department, but we have our answer. That iPhone 4 software update will do nothing to fix the reception problems–it is a hardware issue.

**** iPad In Japanese Busienss <http://whatjapanthinks.com/2010/07/07/ipad-in-japanese-business/>
世論 What Japan Thinks

**** Google Makes The iPhone YouTube App Obsolete <http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/07/google-makes-the-iphone-youtube-app-obsolete/>
Nick Bilton, New York Times

What’s the difference between the new version of YouTube’s mobile Web site and the Apple-created YouTube application that is installed on every iPhone? The Web site is a lot better. At least that’s the subtext of a video that YouTube released as it announced the overhaul of the mobile site on Wednesday.

**** Preview: Inside Shanghai's First Apple Store <http://shanghaiist.com/2010/07/08/preview_shanghais_first_apple_store.php>
Edna Zhou, Shanghalist

It's nearly here, Apple fans: Shanghai's first Apple Store is opening this Saturday, July 10! Shanghaiist got a look inside today to see exactly what Apple has in store for its Chinese consumers.



The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Bands Deliver New Material Via Collectible Flash Drives <http://news.cnet.com/8301-13526_3-20009877-27.html?part=rss&amp;subj=news&amp;tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
Matt Rosoff, CNET

A recent trend among live performers is to record a concert, immediately transfer the recording to flash drives, and sell them as fans walk past the merchandise table on their way out.

**** Scalable Quantum Computer Chip Technique Revealed <http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/25419/?ref=rss>
Technology Review

A technique that implants nitrogen vacancies into diamond at a rate of thousands per second could be the scalable technology that quantum computer scientists have been looking for.



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

**** Mirror, Mask, Labyrinth <http://www.thenation.com/article/36867/mirror-mask-labyrinth>
Susan Stewart, The Nation

They can cure cabin fever in the antipodes, and no doubt have some summer powers in store as well.

**** Mark Twain Eats America <http://www.villagevoice.com/2010-07-06/restaurants/mark-twain-eats-america/>
Sarah DiGregorio, Village Voice

This catalog of dishes—the daydream of a homesick man—is significant in more ways than one. In writer Andrew Beahrs's hands, the fantasy menu becomes a biography of Twain, a historical record, an elegy for what we have lost from our table, and a spur to preserve what we still have.

**** Last Words <http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2010/jul/07/last-words/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nybooks+%28The+New+York+Review+of+Books%29>
Charles Simic, The New York Review of Books

Why this enormous interest in the final thoughts of men and women who were often guilty of committing horrific crimes? It must be the same morbid curiosity that brought huge crowds of Americans to public executions in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries.

**** A Question Of Timing <http://www.thesmartset.com/article/article07071002.aspx>
Kristen Hoggatt, The Smart Set

It’s always tricky when poetry, current events, and politics intersect, but it happens all the time. Lawrence Ferlinghetti wrote “An Elegy to Dispel Gloom” after the assassinations of Harvey Milk and George Moscone. “New York American Spell” is Thomas Sleigh’s reaction to 9/11. I believe these poems achieve a sense of timelessness, but more on how to do that in a moment.

**** "In Rough Country": Joyce Carol Oates Tackles The Great Writers <http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2010/07/07/in_rough_country_joyce_carol_oates/index.html>
Karen Holt, Salon

With the unexpected death of her husband, Raymond Smith, in February 2008, Joyce Carol Oates lost not only her companion of 48 years, but also, for a time, an entire register of her authorial voice. She couldn't write novels. The author whose prodigious output of fiction is the stuff of literary legend had barely the energy to compose a short story. She took solace in writing about literature, filling the sleepless hours with reading and taking notes.

Thus the double meaning of her collection of previously published literary essays and reviews, "In Rough Country."



SingaporeSurf
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**** Carrefour Says Not Closing Any Stores In Singapore, Malaysia <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/1068089/1/.html>
Ephraim Seow, Channel NewsAsia

Carrefour said it is not closing any of its stores in Singapore and Malaysia. In a statement, the company said it is "business as usual" for every store in the two countries.

**** Coping With Public Transportation <http://flaneurose.blogspot.com/2010/07/coping-with-public-transportation.html>
flaneurose

**** Death Row Case: S’pore’s Media Buries Its Head <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/07/death-row-case-spores-media-buries-its-head/>
Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen

Neither of the two reports mentions Mr Ravi, nor his reasons for his trip to KL. Neither carries any pictures of the day’s event. There is also no mention of the Singapore Law Minister, Mr K Shanmugam, nor the Attorney General, Mr Walter Woon, and their earlier remarks which are the basis for Mr Ravi’s appeal to the Malaysian government.

In other words, the Straits Times and Today’s reports have avoided reporting on the reasons for this latest turn of events in the case of Yong Vui Kong.

**** Sub-letting Lets Owners Unlock Value In Times Of Need <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC100708-0000041/Sub-letting-lets-owners-unlock-value-in-times-of-need>
Foo-Ho Yoke Ming, Housing and Development Board, Today

At the same time, we recognise that a HDB flat is the single largest asset for most Singaporeans. Sub-letting allows owners to unlock some of the flat's value in times of need. The policy is applied consistently in an equitable manner - all flat owners who fulfilled their MOP and obtained an approval from HDB can sub-let their entire flat.

**** No Exceptions When It Comes To Transport Safety <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_550698.html>
Tan Chui Hua, Straits Times

If we are really that concerned with safety, it should be safety for everyone, not just those who can afford it.

**** Foreigners Are Not Why We Don't Do Well <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_550880.html>
Eric J. Brooks, Straits Times

When humble work is seen as humiliation rather than dignity, foreigners who are brought up to be self-reliant with their own hands will enjoy a massive advantage.

At the end of the day, there is no 'us' or 'them'. There is only 'you' - and your willingness to take responsibility for your own life.

**** Obsessed With Food <http://www.youth.sg/content/view/8143/61/>
Cassandra Eng, Youth.sg

**** Vigilance To Be Stepped Up: DPM Teo <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC100708-0000118/Vigilance-to-be-stepped-up--DPM-Teo>
Zul Othman, Today

Deputy prime minister Teo Chee Hean has said that the Defence Ministry and the island's security agencies will work together to step up vigilance against possible security threats in the wake of the detention of full-time National Serviceman Muhammad Fadil Abdul Hamid, 20, under the Internal Security Act.

"Mindef will be working together with the security agencies. We'll make sure that we step up vigilance to identify any such security threats. But we continue to proceed with training. Life goes on as normal in our units, and we don't expect any difference there," said Mr Teo.

**** Read recently: Air-Conditioned Nation <http://www.davegottlieb.com/blog/?p=743>
Dave Gottlieb, Grobstein

Coming from a more liberal society, though, there are many things to admire about Singapore, perhaps including the PAP’s political management regime. It’s hard to feel sympathy for heavy-handed repression like political censorship and imprisoning dissidents. But the PAP is able to implement a lot of pragmatic and sensible policies that are impossible in a competitive political environment like the United States.

**** 'History Lost Us Batu Puteh' <http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/news/general/7717-history-lost-us-batu-puteh>
Stephanie Sta Maria, Free Malaysia Today

Kadir began his narration by attributing the root of the dispute to “Singapore's arrogance in the conduct of its relations with Malaysia and the insensitivity towards the feelings of Malaysians”.

**** Forbes Loves Singapore <http://rot.blogsome.com/2010/07/07/forbes-loves-singapore/>
The Rot Within

**** 新车资是涨了还是跌了？ <http://www.zaobao.com/yl/yl100708_001.shtml>
å¼ å»ºæ–°, 联合早报

从我周围的人的第一天车资费用中，我们看不到业者所说的，在新车资实施的前期业者会减少收入，这似乎没有理由。

**** 国民团结党要同环境局商谈 各党沿街售党报合法途径 <http://www.zaobao.com/sp/sp100708_019.shtml>
郭丽娟, 联合早报

å›½æ°‘å›¢ç»“å…šè¡¨ç¤ºå¸Œæœ›èƒ½åŒå›½å®¶çŽ¯å¢ƒå±€å®˜å‘˜ä¸¾è¡Œä¼šè°ˆï¼Œä»¥æ‰¾å‡ºè®©å„æ”¿å…šèƒ½åˆæ³•åœ°æ²¿è¡—å”®å–å…šæŠ¥çš„é€”å¾„ã€‚å®ƒè¡¨æ˜ŽåŒæ–¹å¦‚æ— æ³•å¯¹æ­¤äº‹æ‰¾åˆ°åœ†æ»¡çš„è§£å†³æ–¹æ³•ï¼Œå…šå‰¯ä¸»å¸­æ¢å»·çŽ®å°†ä¸ä¼šç¼´ä»˜ä¸Šæ˜ŸæœŸå¤©æŽ¥èŽ·çš„éžæ³•å”®å–å…šæŠ¥çš„ä¼ ç¥¨ä¸Šæ‰€è§„å®šçš„ç½šæ¬¾ï¼Œè€Œä¼šé€‰æ‹©ä¸Šåº­æŠ—è¾©ã€‚

**** 热卖会旧书数量比往年少 <http://www.zaobao.com/sp/sp100708_018.shtml>
胡莉珊, 联合早报

国家图书馆管理局今年第11次举办旧书热卖会，供读者选购的旧书籍和杂志比去年和前年的40万本少了将近7.5%ï¼Œä½†ä»·æ ¼ä¸å˜ï¼Œä¾ç„¶ç»´æŒåœ¨1至5元左右。

**** 徐顺全等对非法游行受罚 要求延长上诉申请期限 <http://www.zaobao.com/sp/sp100708_009.shtml>
韩宝镇, 联合早报

五名民主党中委、党员和支持者在初庭受审后，今年2月被裁定试图参与非法游行的罪名成立，各被判罚款1000å…ƒã€‚ä»–ä»¬æœªåœ¨é™æœŸå†…æå‡ºä¸Šè¯‰ç”³è¯·ï¼Œå› æ­¤åœ¨æ˜¨å¤©å‘é«˜åº­æå‡ºåˆ‘äº‹åŠ¨è®®ï¼Œè¦æ±‚å»¶é•¿æå‡ºä¸Šè¯‰ç”³è¯·çš„æœŸé™ã€‚ä»–ä»¬çš„ç†ç”±ä¸»è¦æ˜¯å¯¹ä¸Šè¯‰ç¨‹åºä¸ç†Ÿæ‚‰ï¼ŒåŠåœ¨é™æœŸæˆªæ­¢å‰è¢«å¤ªå¤šæ¡ˆä»¶ç¼ èº«ï¼Œä»¥è‡³å¿½ç•¥ä¸Šè¯‰ç”³è¯·ã€‚

**** BP Investigating Resignation Of Oil Traders In Singapore <http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100707-714414.html>
Gaurav Raghuvanshi, Dow Jones

BP PLC is investigating the reasons behind the resignation of some of its traders in Singapore in the "last few weeks," a company spokeswoman said Thursday.

**** Ong: Johor Govt Needs To Explain Illegal Sand Mining Allegations <http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/7/8/nation/6627681&sec=nation>
Nelson Benjamin and Mohd Farhan Shah, The Star

A state assemblyman urged the state government to provide answers to the claims of illegal sand mining in the state.

**** æ–°åŠ å¡æŽ¨è¿›ç¤¾ä¼šå»ºè®¾çš„ç»éªŒ <http://intl.ce.cn/gjzx/yz/201007/08/t20100708_21592675.shtml>
王继雨, 人民网

æ–°åŠ å¡çŽ°ä»£åŒ–å‘å±•æ¨¡å¼çš„æˆåŠŸä¹‹å¤„ï¼Œä¸ä»…ä»…åœ¨äºŽå…¶ç»æµŽä¸Šå…¨é¢æŽ¨è¿›å¯¹å¤–å¼€æ”¾å’Œäº§ä¸šè½¬åž‹ï¼Œæ›´åœ¨äºŽå…¶ä»¥ç»æµŽå‘å±•å¸¦åŠ¨æ”¿åºœç®¡ç†å’Œç¤¾ä¼šæ²»ç†æ°´å¹³çš„å…¨é¢æå‡ï¼Œåœ¨ä¸œè¥¿æ–‡åŒ–æœ‰æœºæ•´åˆçš„åŸºç¡€ä¸Šé‡å¡‘å›½å®¶ä¸»å¯¼ä»·å€¼è§‚ï¼Œä»¥ç»æµŽç¤¾ä¼šçš„åè°ƒå‘å±•æŽ¨åŠ¨ç¤¾ä¼šçš„æ•´ä½“è¿›æ­¥ã€‚ç‰¹åˆ«æ˜¯åœ¨å¤„ç†å¥½ç»æµŽå‘å±•ä¸Žæ–‡åŒ–ä¼ æ‰¿ã€å®—æ•™ä¿¡ä»°ä¸Žæ—ç¾¤å’Œç¦ã€è¨€è®ºè‡ªç”±ä¸Žåª’ä½“è´£ä»»ç­‰å¹³è¡¡ä¸ŠæŽ¢ç´¢å‡ºä¸€æ¡ä¸åŒäºŽè¥¿æ–¹å‘å±•çš„ä¸œæ–¹æ¨¡å¼ã€‚

**** Death Penalty Book Banned By MDA <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/07/breaking-news-death-penalty-book-banned-by-mda/>
The Online Citizen

“Once A Jolly Hangman – Singapore Justice In The Dock” has been “banned” in Singapore, The Online Citizen has learned.

The book by renowned investigative journalist, Alan Shadrake, delves into and exposes the lesser-known aspects of Singapore’s criminal justice system. The book focuses on death penalty cases in Singapore – and it gives readers a more intimate look into some of the high profile cases, especially those of recent years.

**** GIC RE Considers $2 Bln Singapore IPO For China,Korea,Japan Assets - Sources <http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100708-703312.html>
P.R. Venkat, Costas Paris and Sam Holmes, Dow Jones

Government of Singapore Investment Corp.'s giant real estate arm, GIC Real Estate, is leaning towards an initial public offering of its overseas assets, two people with knowledge of the deal said Thursday.

GIC Real Estate invests globally in real estate and real estate-related assets outside Singapore. It manages a multi-billion dollar portfolio of direct and indirect property investments with close to 300 investments in more than 30 countries.

**** Temasek Profit Drops <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703636404575354130674535578.html>
Peter Stein, Costas Paris and P.R. Venkat, Wall Street Journal

Singapore's state-owned investment firm Temasek Holdings Pte. Ltd. said Thursday it posted a 26% drop in net profit for the year ended March 31 on the back of weaker contributions from its portfolio companies, even as its portfolio rose 43% in value.

The divergence between profit and portfolio performance shows that the share price of many companies owned by Temasek did well as global capital chased returns in emerging markets, yet many had trouble making money in a tougher business environment that included higher fuel costs and weaker international trade.

**** World University Rankings And Their Differences <http://www.pressrun.net/weblog/2010/07/world-university-rankings-and-their-differences.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rana+%28Blowin%27+In+The+Wind%29>
Blowin' In The Wind

**** New Study Critiques Singapore's Cross-Carriage Rules <http://www.worldscreen.com/articles/display/26186>
Mansha Daswani, WorldScreen.com

A report from Media Partners Asia (MPA) and Charles River Associates (CRA) has identified "potential flaws" in the new cross-carriage rules for Singapore's pay-TV sector.

The analysis take issue with cross-carriage itself as a remedy, citing customer confusion and rising costs as potential consequences of the new rules. Other concerns include reduced investment in pay-TV content and limited product innovation and differentiation, the report continues. MPA and CRA also list the temptation for deeper intervention in order to remove the hurdles to full implementation of the cross-carriage rules—bundling and existing exclusivity deals.

**** Singapore Temasek Says CEO Ho To Stay, Portfolio Up 43% <http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSSGE66708P20100708>
Raju Gopalakrishnan, Reuters

Executive Director Simon Israel emphatically told reporters the chief executive of Temasek Holdings, the world's eighth-largest sovereign wealth fund, was staying.

"Ho Ching is our CEO, she is continuing as our CEO," he said. "There is no, underline no, active, immediate search for a CEO."

**** Multispeak: Why SMRT Has Yet To Push People Into Trains <http://mollymeek.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/multispeak-why-smrt-has-yet-to-push-people-into-trains/>
Molitics

**** Liquidated - Parallels Between Wall Street And The Singapore Civil Service <http://flaneurose.blogspot.com/2010/07/liquidated-parallels-between-wall.html>
flaneurose

Like the red herring of shareholder value that bankers put forth, we have ministers and CEOs and other high priests telling us that such and such KPIs have been met or even surpassed. That everything is going according to plan. Yet that fails to assuage the disquietude in so many of us, that there are things happening here which are viscerally wrong.