[MyAppleMenu] May 4, 2010

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Apple Releases Mac Pro Audio Update 1.1 <http://www.macworld.com/article/151009/2010/05/mac_pro_audio_update.html?lsrc=rss_main>
David Chartier, Macworld

Apple on Monday released Mac Pro Audio Update 1.1, which “addresses an audio anomaly that some customers may hear coming from inside their Mac Pro computer when using FireWire audio devices.”

**** Back In <http://speirs.org/blog/2010/5/3/back-in.html>
Fraser Speirs

Simply put, I believe, the choice is this: the iPhone OS train is leaving the station in a big way with the iPad; much more so than when it was just for smartphones. I have to ask myself if there's a train that I would rather be on. I don't see one right now, and I don't see one coming down the track.

**** Apple Accelerates Pace Of Deals In Race For Startups <http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-03/apple-steps-up-pace-of-deals-in-race-for-startups-update3-.html>
Connie Guglielmo, Bloomberg

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs is accelerating the rate of acquisitions as his company vies with Google Inc. for mobile technologies and talent.

With more than $23.1 billion in cash, Apple has plenty of money to keep purchasing small startups. To avoid publicity and possible rival bids, Apple in some cases has offered a target only a three-hour period in which to accept the terms of a sale, according to one executive with knowledge of the situation.      Patent filings may provide clues to potential targets, said Will Stofega, program manager at researcher IDC in Framingham, Massachusetts.

**** Apple Is The New China <http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-is-the-new-china-2010-5>
Tristan Louis, The Business Insider

If the thinking in Cupertino is that third party development tools are bad, then what about the Mac and non-Apple development tools on OSX? Where would those stand. And, while the introduction of new features are great, what happens if Apple decides to remove old ones? That is question left unanswered by this note and one that may leave the door open for more concerns.

On the Mac, there is only one development tool and one framework that make sense today: Xcode and Cocoa. If you think that other tools -- be it Qt, carbon, Mono, or (gasp!) AIR -- are viable, you are not reading history correctly.

**** An iPod For All At Doctors' Paperless Meeting <http://news.cnet.com/8301-27083_3-20004017-247.html?part=rss&amp;subj=news&amp;tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
Elizabeth Armstrong Moore, CNET News

After months of planning, May 3 marks the first day of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons first paperless annual meeting in Philadelphia this week. Each of the roughly 3,000 medical attendees will receive a free iPod Touch in place of what used to be a 165-page program book and briefcase-size bag.

**** Using The iPad With iPhoto And Aperture <http://www.loopinsight.com/2010/05/03/using-the-ipad-with-iphoto-and-aperture/>
Jim Dalrymple, The Loop

The iPad may be considered a mobile device, but Apple built-in a lot of intelligent features, like its ability to work seamlessly with iPhoto and Aperture on the Mac.

**** No Physical Home Address, No iPad 3G! <http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20004055-263.html?part=rss&amp;subj=news&amp;tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
Topher Kessler, CNET News

Apparently, in order to register your iPad 3G with AT&T you need a physical address, which puts a number of people at odds who use either PO boxes or businesses as billing addresses for their credit cards.

**** Why Everyone's Afraid Of Apple <http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-worm-may-be-turning-against-apple-2010-05-03>
Brett Arends, MarketWatch

**** Apple Tweaks Wi-Fi In iPhone To Use China Protocol <http://www.itworld.com/networking/106586/apple-tweaks-wi-fi-iphone-use-china-protocol>
Owen Fletcher, IDG News Service

Chinese regulators last month approved the frequency ranges used by a new Apple mobile phone with 3G and wireless LAN support, the Web site of China's State Radio Monitoring Center shows. The device appears to be an iPhone and uses GSM and the 3G standard WCDMA, just like iPhones currently offered in China by local carrier China Unicom.

Apple removed Wi-Fi on the iPhones now sold in China because regulators there began approving mobile phones with WLAN support only last year -- and only if they supported a homegrown Chinese security protocol called WAPI (WLAN Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure).

**** Mac Gems: RipIt 1.4.3 <http://www.macworld.com/reviews/product/484857/review/ripit_143.html?expand=true&lsrc=rss_main>
Christopher Breen, Macworld

RipIt’s strength remain its simplicity and ability to rip just about any disc you throw at it. The compression feature, once finalized and faster, will be welcome.

**** Mac Blog Editor MarsEdit 3 Finally Gains Rich Text Editor <http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/05/mac-blog-editor-marsedit-3-finally-gains-rich-text-editor.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss>
Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

Fans of Red Sweater Software's blog publishing tool MarsEdit got a surprise Tuesday morning with the release of MarsEdit 3. The most significant update to the software is the addition of a rich text editor, though those who fiddle with the HTML for their blog posts got an updated syntax highlighter. A new media manager rounds out this solid update, one that the company hopes will attract new users and get old ones writing again.

**** Apple Policy Said To Prompt US Allegation By Adobe <http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-05-04/apple-policy-said-to-prompt-u-s-allegation-by-adobe-update1-.html>
James Rowley and Arik Hesseldahl, Bloomberg

U.S. antitrust enforcers are considering an investigation of Apple Inc. following a complaint from Adobe Systems Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.

Adobe says Apple is stifling competition by barring developers from using Adobe’s products to create applications for iPhones and iPads, said the people who spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to discuss the case.



The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** For Diabetic Children, A New Kind Of Game <http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/for-diabetic-kids-a-new-kind-of-game/?partner=rss&emc=rss>
Stephen Williams, New York Times

For children, dealing with diabetes daily is anything but a game. But Bayer HealthCare, with its Didget, is aiming to take a little bit of the anxiety out of the arduous process of blood-sugar monitoring. The gimmick: video games.

**** Face.com Opens Its Face Recognition Tech To Devs <http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20003936-248.html?part=rss&amp;subj=news&amp;tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
Josh Lowensohn, CNET News

The facial recognition technology that powers Face.com is now available to third-party developers. Those who are interested in using it inside of their applications will be able to take advantage of an open API that the company is making public Monday morning.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** After The Fact <http://www.slate.com/id/2252762/?from=rss>
Mary Jo Bang, Slate Magazine

**** Colossus <http://nymag.com/arts/architecture/features/65749/>
Justin Davidson, New York

Jean Nouvel’s Tower Verre was going to be the biggest thing to hit the midtown skyline since the Empire State Building. Then the city told him to chop off 200 feet. Scoffs the French architect: Why is Manhattan, of all places, afraid of heights?



SingaporeSurf
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**** Farming Fish In Singapore Self-sufficiency Drive <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/10095333.stm>
Mariko Oi, BBC News

Singapore currently produces less than 5% of the food it consumes. And so the government wants to encourage entrepreneurs like Mr Cheng to venture into farming so that the country can be more self-sufficient.

Goals set out by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore include raising local production of fish to meet 15% of domestic demand from the current 4%.

**** Why Is Singapore Pro-Zionist? <http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2010/05/04/why-is-singapore-pro-zionist/>
Yawning Bread

Why does Israel brand all Palestinians alike, and subject them to decades of dehumanising treatment? Why by our media’s silence, are Singaporeans not informed of it? Why do we not hear our own government speak up?

**** Unchallenged Governments Can’t Deliver? The Democracy Versus Dictatorship Debate <http://digitallife.lk/oopadoopainfo/wordpress/?p=9554>
Ratathota.com

Democracy, socio-economic prosperity, and improved quality of life for the masses are complementary not contradictory. Countries that are making social progress are also pushing forward not backward on democratic rights. The socially underprivileged, minorities and women are the worst affected when democratic spaces are closed. Without democracy the police, law and order and the judiciary crumble in the face of arbitrary powers. Attempting to show democracy and social prosperity as contradictory is motivated by the intention to prop up attack dissent, deny accountability and thereby allow graft to multiply.

**** Media Should Observe Cooling-off Rules <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_522127.html>
Paul Chan, Straits Times

The real test of this new cooling-off day lies in how the ruling party observes the rules it has set. If the 24-hour window rules were really designed to disadvantage the opposition parties, it may boomerang back against the ruling party and voters may swing against it. Any abuse could cause it to cut both ways.

The question is: if the ruling party and its mainstream media abuse the Cooling Day, will the citizens know? (Hey, the MRT trains still run on time!)

**** UN Official's Remarks <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_522164.html>
Hussin Mutalib, Straits Times

After all, government pragmatism has seen meritocracy fine-tuned. The rule barring Malays from sensitive appointments in the Singapore Armed Forces and the adoption of group representation constituencies to prevent qualified Malay candidates from defeat are evidence of this.

That our brand of meritocracy can do with a bit more equitable tweaking is apparent if we reflect on this poser: Why, after 45 long years, have the socio-economic gap between Malays and non-Malays and the jarring absence of Malays in senior positions in the civil service still not been resolved adequately?

To claim that we are a purely meritocracy-based society is to shut one's eyes to the reality. To claim that simply pure meritocracy will work is to be dishonest.

**** Healthcare Burden Worsens Inequality In Singapore.... <http://singaporemind.blogspot.com/2010/05/healthcare-burden-worsens-inequality-in.html>
Diary of A Singaporean Mind

**** The Case For Minimum Wage <http://yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/3678-the-case-for-minimum-wage>
Singapore Democrat Party

**** Better Benchmark Needed For Ministers’ Salaries <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/05/better-benchmark-needed-for-ministers-salaries/>
Nilesh Sahita, The Online Citizen

**** Amateur Bloggers Spice Up Singapore's Food Scene <http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ja9VnWpUy4fVqtb7uLwlXHvrnKKQ>
Bernice Han, AFP

Bloggers like Tay have emerged as gurus on what's good and bad, what's in and out, as food-obsessed Singaporeans follow their illustrated reviews and head for the deepest corners of the island to find a particular stall.

**** Business At CityLink Mall Drops 40% After New Circle Line Stations Opened <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/1054379/1/.html>
Jessica Yeo, Channel NewsAsia