[MyAppleMenu] May 6, 2010

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Typing On The iPad <http://www.macworld.com/article/151030/2010/05/ipad_typing.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Dan Moren, Macworld

After a month of living with the iPad—and an intensive weekend spent reviewing the 3G models—I’ve had a chance to to type more than a few words on it and figure out whether or not it lives up to expectations. The verdict? It’s better than you might think—but not as good as you might hope.

**** Apple.com's Downloads Page Being Updated Again <http://www.tuaw.com/2010/05/05/apple-coms-downloads-page-being-updated-again/>
TJ Luoma, TUAW

So what happened during the hiatus?

**** Can The Cloud Replace The Finder? <http://www.tuaw.com/2010/05/05/can-the-cloud-replace-the-finder/>
TJ Luoma, TUAW

The cloud will not save us.

**** iPad Keyboard: Pricey And Awkward, But A Must-Have For Productivity <http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/05/ipad-keyboard>
Brian X. Chen, Wired

Although the keyboard will enhance your productivity on the iPad, it won’t completely solve the tablet’s shortcomings as a work device.

**** For The iPad, Accessories Arrive On The Market <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/technology/personaltech/06basics.html?partner=rss&emc=rss>
Stephen Williams, New York Times

Because the iPad was designed with an exposed screen and without a camera, separate keyboard, memory card slots or U.S.B. ports, you could say it was built for accessories. Many owners will have an inclination to modify it in some way, whether for mere decoration or hard-core protection.

**** The Upside To Apple's Control Freakishness <http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-20004168-16.html?part=rss&amp;subj=news&amp;tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
Matt Asay, CNET News

To beat Google, Apple needs more robust cloud services. To beat Apple, Google (and the Linux crowd, generally) needs a simpler consumer interface with a more consistent developer message.

Game on.

**** Data Defenders <http://www.apple.com/iphone/business/profiles/unisys/?sr=hotnews.rss>
Apple

For the top-tier IT professionals at Unisys, iPhone makes security simple.

**** Ellen: "The People At Apple Didn't Think It Was So Funny" <http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/050510-ellen-apple-iphone.html>
Network World

Talk show host/comic Ellen Degeneres has apologized to Apple after the company let it be known it wasn't laughing at an iPhone spoof she ran on her program this week.

**** Apple: Will iAds Be The Company's Next Billion-Dollar Business? <http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2010/05/05/apple-will-iads-be-the-companys-next-billion-dollar-business/>
Eric Savitz, Barron's

Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi this morning took a close look at the economics of iAds, and concludes that this could turn out to be a substantial business for Apple - and soon. “iAd’s unique value proposition is that it can serve interactive, multimedia advertisements within apps; moreover, these ads are likely to be highly targeted based on location, intent and demographics,” he writes in a research note.

**** Developers Question Apple's Advertising Ambitions <http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE6444HR20100505>
Gabriel Madway, Reuters

Software developers expect a windfall in ad revenue from games and other applications they are designing for the iPad, but Apple Inc's push into mobile advertising is raising some industry hackles.

**** News Anchor Reads RSS Feeds Aloud <http://www.macworld.com/article/151080/2010/05/newsanchor.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Ramu Nagappan, Macworld

If you’re a multitasker who wants to catch up on the latest news while doing half a dozen other things, Basil Salad Software may have a Mac app for you. The company has just released News Anchor, an RSS/Atom feed manager that reads the stories aloud. 

**** Apple And The Fruits Of Hardware Superiority <http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10643083>
Mark Webster, New Zealand Herald

So, it looks like Apple has a strategy.

**** Apple ViP Program To Tie Quattro Ads To iTunes App Downloads <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/05/05/apple_vip_program_to_tie_quattro_ads_to_itunes_app_downloads.html>
AppleInsider

Apple subsidiary Quattro Wireless is promoting a new "Verification of iTunes Purchase" feature as a competitive advantage enabling iPhone app developers to link to iTunes to obtain data on download conversion rates.

**** AT&T Extends iPhone Exclusive In Quid Pro Quo, Says Analyst <http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobilize/att-extends-iphone-exclusive-in-quid-pro-quo-says-analyst-847>
Gregg Keizer, Computerworld

AT&T and Apple probably have a quid pro quo in place that has extended the mobile carrier's exclusive deal with the iPhone in exchange for heavily discounted data plan pricing for the iPad, an analyst said today. "AT&T had to do something dramatic to get the iPad," said Brian Marshall, a Wall Street analyst at BroadPoint AmTech. AT&T's move was to discount its normal wireless data plans by 50 percent to iPad customers.

**** What's Behind Apple's Buying Spree? <http://www.pcworld.com/article/195673/whats_behind_apples_buying_spree.html>
Jonny Evans, Computerworld

**** Good News, The Apple iPhone Is Not Exempt From Warranty Rules <http://www.pcauthority.com.au/News/173928,good-news-the-apple-iphone-is-not-exempt-from-warranty-rules.aspx>
Rosalyn Page, PC Authority

The ACCC tells us that mobile phone retailers cannot escape an obligation to deal with a consumer's faulty handset - including iPhones - when provided as part of a 24-month contract.

**** Seven More Dictionary Tips <http://www.macworld.com/article/151074/2010/05/dictionarytips.html?lsrc=rss_main>
Sharon Zardetto, Macworld

**** Mac Gems: Typinator 4.0 <http://www.macworld.com/reviews/product/504577/review/typinator_40.html?expand=true&lsrc=rss_main>
Rob Griffiths, Macworld

Typinator is a solid text expander with some features not found in its competition. However, it’s also lacking in a few key areas, namely the capability to easily create abbreviations based on the Clipboard or selected text, as well as support for some variables. If you don’t need either of those features, Typinator is worth considering.

**** Mac Gems: Spell Catcher X 10.3.4 <http://www.macworld.com/reviews/product/504298/review/spell_catcher_x_103.html?expand=true&lsrc=rss_main>
Rob Griffiths, Macworld

To get the most out of Spell Catcher X, you really need to dive into its thorough in-app help, and spend some time with the PDF user manual. Even then, there’s a steep learning curve to get through before you’ll feel comfortable with the program. But if you’re willing to put in the effort, Spell Catcher X has much to offer.



The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Microsoft's Lili Cheng On FUSE, Spindex, And More <http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-20004211-75.html?part=rss&amp;subj=news&amp;tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
Ina Fried, CNET News

It's always fun to catch up with Microsoft's Lili Cheng. In addition to being a bundle of energy, she's always working on some interesting project.

In her years, she has worked in Microsoft's research labs and on the Windows team. Since last year, she has been heading a social software project known as Future Social Experiences, or FUSE Labs. The effort, under chief software architect Ray Ozzie, looks at how to merge the social computing world with traditional software.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** A Hymn For Modern Times <http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/may/05/religion-atheism?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Roz Kaveney, The Guardian

**** The Moral Life Of Babies <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/magazine/09babies-t.html?partner=rss&emc=rss>
Paul Bloom, New York Times

Why would anyone even entertain the thought of babies as moral beings?

A growing body of evidence, though, suggests that humans do have a rudimentary moral sense from the very start of life. With the help of well-designed experiments, you can see glimmers of moral thought, moral judgment and moral feeling even in the first year of life. Some sense of good and evil seems to be bred in the bone.

**** Dogma & Diaghilev <http://www.newcriterion.com/articles.cfm/Dogma---Diaghilev-5296>
Laura Jacobs, New Criterion

How did we get here? How did we get to the point where just about every new classical dance is meaningless?

**** <i>Newsweek</i> Has Fallen Down And Can't Get Up. <http://www.slate.com/id/2253075/?from=rss>
Jack Shafer, Slate Magazine

The institutional forces behind the demise of a magazine.

**** What's Happened To Political Fiction? <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2010/may/06/what-happened-political-fiction?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Stuart Evers, The Guardian

Ideological fiction of the kind that Orwell wrote doesn't seem to fit our times. But two powerful new novels are closely tuned to politics of the apolitical.

**** Unmothered, On Mother's Day <http://www.slate.com/id/2253115/?from=rss>
Meghan O'Rourke, Slate Magazine

Remembering my mother on the holiday she hated.



SingaporeSurf
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**** On Election Deposits <http://gssq.blogspot.com/2010/05/on-election-deposits.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+gssq+%28Balderdash%29>
Balderdash

**** On Euthanasia <http://rachelzeng.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/on-euthanasia/>
Rachel Zeng

No one should deny patient who is terminally ill the option to end the pain and suffering. No one should expect the patient to accept hospice care and painkillers.

**** Illegal Assembly: SDP 12 Charged <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_522976.html>
Kor Kian Beng, Straits Times

A dozen leaders and supporters of the opposition Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) were charged in court on Wednesday with taking part in an illegal assembly in 2008.

**** Singapore Wishes Indonesian Investigation Into Corruption Wasn't Happening <http://www.smh.com.au/business/singapore-wishes-indonesian-investigation-into-corruption-wasnt-happening-20100505-uaqb.html>
Eric Ellis, Sydney Morning Herald

Singapore could lose if dodgy deposits were pursued by Indonesian legal authorities, forcing account holders to send their cash elsewhere - say to Hong Kong, Singapore's competitor. And there are influential Indonesians, such as too many of its parliamentarians, who would not welcome an intrusion into their affairs in their weekend bolthole. So the extradition treaty deal does not get done.

But the Gayus case has changed that dynamic.

**** Reform Party Seeking Alliance With SDA <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/05/breaking-news-reform-party-seeking-alliance-with-sda/>
Andrew Loh, The Online Citizen

**** Las Vegas Sands Adds $50 Million Public Art To Singapore Casino <http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aeeSzoM7_jQ0>
Adam Majendie, Bloomberg

**** Public Assembly, UK Elections And Your Rice Bowl <http://yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/3686-public-assembly-uk-elections-and-your-rice-bowl>
Singapore Democrat Party

Are Singaporeans somehow less civilised than our British counterparts when it comes to gathering in public to hear opposition politicians' views? Are we more predisposed to behaving in a disorderly manner than the Brits in a public gathering?  

The truth is not that the PAP fears public disorder. It knows that the only way that it can continue to "win" elections is to keep Singaporeans ill-informed about the opposition by preventing the SDP from directly reaching out to the public.

**** ä¸‰å¾·å£«å…¬å¸åœ¨é‡‘æ²™æ”¶é™„åŠ è´¹ <http://www.zaobao.com/sp/sp100506_002.shtml>
胡莉珊 胡洁梅, 联合早报

康福德高（Comfort Delgro）、得运德士（Trans-Cab）以及百胜德士（Prime Taxiï¼‰ï¼Œåœ¨è¿‡åŽ»ä¸¤ä¸ªæ˜ŸæœŸå¯†åˆ‡ç•™æ„é‡‘æ²™å¾·å£«ç«™çš„æƒ…å†µå¹¶åŠ ä»¥æ£€è®¨åŽå†³å®šï¼Œå‡¡æ˜¯å‘¨ä¸€è‡³å‘¨å…­ï¼Œå‚æ™š5时到凌晨12时的时段，都会向乘客征收3å…ƒçš„å¸‚åŒºé™„åŠ è´¹ã€‚

**** NAC Cuts Funds To Company <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_522928.html>
Straits Times

The National Arts Council (NAC) has cut the annual grant given to local theatre company Wild Rice. It will get $170,000 this year, down from $190,000 the year before. It is the lowest annual grant that the company has received from the council. Artistic director Ivan Heng says the council told him funding was cut because its productions promoted alternative lifestyles, were critical of government policies and satirised political leaders.

**** LKY’s Former Nightmare <http://givemesometruth.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/lkys-former-nightmare/>
Alastair Su, Gimme Some Truth!

**** MND Proposes New Stat Board To Regulate Real Estate Agency Industry <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1054815/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia

The Ministry of National Development (MND) plans to set up a new statutory board to raise the professionalism of the real estate agency industry and to better safeguard consumer interest. The proposed statutory board - the Council for Estate Agencies or CEA - will implement a new framework to regulate the industry.

**** Homeless In Singapore <http://stupid-genius.blogspot.com/2010/05/homeless-in-singapore.html>
Stupid Genius

There might be people who'll take advantage of your kindness, but should we stop helping people who are really in trouble just because of that?

**** è¿‘ä¸‡ä¸­å›½å®˜å‘˜â€œå—è®­â€æ–°åŠ å¡ 七成为县处级干部 <http://news.cjn.cn/gn/201005/t1122121.htm>
武汉综合新闻网

**** Early Glitches For Singapore's Casinos <http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2446&Itemid=195>
Ben Bland and Yeoh Siew Hoon, Asia Sentinel

analysts believe the local players are mostly gambling relatively small amounts. The casinos need to attract the likes of the big-betting Chinese officials and businessmen who flock to Macau, even if strict Singapore regulations have made it difficult for them to bring in these high rollers.

It also points to a possible increase in social problems down the line. The government vision for the casinos was that they would service mostly foreign players in order to limit the damage on Singaporean society - hence the rather high entry levies for locals.