[MyAppleMenu] Sep 3, 2010

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** The Mystery Of The Disappearing Facebook-Ping Integration <http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20015447-260.html?part=rss&amp;subj=news&amp;tag=2547-1_3-0-20>
Erica Ogg, CNET

A Facebook spokeswoman wouldn't confirm whether the company had disallowed Apple's use of the Facebook API, but did say this: "We're working with Apple to resolve this issue. We've worked together successfully in the past, and we look forward to doing so in the future."

**** Steve Jobs On Why Facebook Is Not Part Of Apple’s New Ping Music Social Network: “Onerous Terms” <http://kara.allthingsd.com/20100902/steve-jobs-on-why-facebook-is-not-part-of-apples-new-ping-music-social-network-onerous-terms/>
Kara Swisher	, Wall Street Journal

Jobs did not elaborate on those troublesome terms and also would not say if Ping would incorporate connecting with Facebook or even using Facebook Connect–which would make it much easier to find friends to share music with.

**** Apple TV, New iPod Line A Nice Update, But Wow!-free <http://www.suntimes.com/technology/ihnatko/2666842,ihnatko-apple-ipod-nano-touch-090210.article>
Andy Ihnatko, Chicago Sun-Times

**** Apple TV: What You Need To Know <http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=e2bea9c553ff643772a98d7c64747013>
Macworld

Has Apple finally hit upon the magic formula for a living room companion? We won’t know for certain until the product actually ships. But we can answer a few common questions about the latest edition of the Apple TV.

**** What HDR Means For iPhone Photos <http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=3b093a94e8acaf5e2156e424cf115542>
Heather Kelly, Macworld

HDR photography isn't loved by everyone. The final products can be garish, and when everything in an image is perfectly exposed the scene can look fake. Apple's HDR appears to avoid this pitfall by dialing down the overall effect. It's so mild that some iPhone photographers might choose to leave the setting on all the time.

**** Review: Blogo 1.3 <http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=f80456f6f33fe33e68dd0ef6ac90970a>
Jeffery Battersby, Macworld

Blogo 1.3 is a great, versatile blog editing application that goes the extra mile by offering features you won’t find in other similar applications. But that advantage comes with caveats. Tools for adding and editing photos, and limitations on the number of posts you can edit at one time may render Blogo inadequate for some users.

**** First Look: iTunes 10 <http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=19bc5de2166547a9beda8999c90be64a>
Kirk McElhearn, Macworld

iTunes 10 features a number of interface changes, and many of them seem designed to save space. Since it’s hard to display all the information about music and other media in iTunes, a few pixels here and there gives users more room in the different views available.

**** Hands-on With iTunes Ping, Sans Facebook Connect <http://feeds.arstechnica.com/~r/arstechnica/apple/~3/bXiq2uFm_Ws/hands-on-with-itunes-ping-sans-facebook-connect.ars>
Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

The whole point of Ping is really to aid music discovery among a circles of friends (which you could already do on services like Last.fm, of course), but Apple also wants to keep users on iTunes and get them to buy more while there. Once you come to terms with this, the service makes more sense.

**** IOS 4.1 With HDR Built-in Comes As A Shock To HDR App Developers <http://www.tuaw.com/2010/09/02/ios-4-1-with-hdr-built-in-comes-as-a-shock-to-hdr-app-developers/>
Mel Martin, TUAW

No one ever knows when something will strike Apple's fancy and become a built-in feature. The HDR capability was a surprise to me, and something more than a surprise to the developers who brought HDR to the iPhone as independent apps.

**** iTunes TV Rentals Now Available On Mac And PC <http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=1ad7f0c291d8212916451a3c5d8df8cb>
Dan Moren, Macworld

While Apple CEO Steve Jobs spent much of Wednesday’s presentation talking about TV rentals on devices running iOS 4.1 (due next week) and the new Apple TV (due later this month), you can fire up a rental right now—as long as you don’t mind watching on your Mac or PC. While some shows are available in both HD and SD and others available only in SD, they all cost just $1 to rent.

**** Apple's Trouble With TV <http://feeds.arstechnica.com/~r/arstechnica/apple/~3/V2M319p9iB8/apples-trouble-with-tv.ars>
ohn Siracusa, Ars Technica

Apple needs to accept the things it cannot change and have the courage to change the things it can. Perhaps consumer reaction to this latest Apple TV device will finally give Steve Jobs the wisdom to tell the difference.

**** Could AirPlay Become The New TV-Out For Apps? <http://appadvice.com/appnn/2010/09/airplay-tvout-apps/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AppAdvice+%28AppAdvice%29>
Alexander Vaughn, App Advice

Basically, AirPlay allows iOS apps to stream almost anything over Wi-Fi to an Apple TV. And, if Apple does makes that feature available to developers, it will open endless possibilities to bring apps your TV, just as we wanted.

**** Bug Found With Automator And iTunes 10 <http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=8bf987043d90abd631d91cb1e214c557>
Christopher Breen, Macworld

An unexpected change is that iTunes Automator actions no longer load. This affects both existing workflows created for an earlier version of iTunes as well as any workflows you create with iTunes 10 installed.

**** Apple's TV Model Uses Cheaper Chip <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704206804575468263143840440.html>
Don Clark, Wall Street Journal

Lower pricing is one of the most noticeable features of Apple Inc.'s latest gadget for delivering Internet video to televisions. Some of the savings appear to come at the expense of Intel Corp.

**** Review: Quad-core And Eight-core Mac Pros (Mid 2010) <http://rss.macworld.com/click.phdo?i=078c86dc02bcba5904bf1f85dcebe2f0>
James Galbraith, Macworld

Based on performance alone, it seems like the Mac Pro addresses a smaller market each time a new iMac appears. But there remains a need for a highly configurable and fast performing Mac. The new Mac Pros may be little more than speed bumps from the systems they replace, but they do offer better performance at the same price, while offering even more options for customization.

**** A 90-Second Song Sample For Apple Could Be Pricey <http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3iea381ae4ffdbc7ae93b0e0f9035aa096>
Ed Christman, Billboard

In trying to move to a 90-second song sample, iTunes may have to pay for the privilege, which is not out of line with the way things have been going lately in the music industry.

**** Explaining The Cozy Relationship Between Apple And News Corp. <http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/media/explaining-the-cozy-relationship-between-apple-and-news-corp/19619399/>
Jeff Bercovici, DailyFinance

While Disney (DIS) also went along with the pricing scheme -- no surprise, since Steve Jobs sits on the Disney board -- CBS (CBS), Viacom (VIA) and NBC Universal all held out, worried that show rentals could undermine their economic model. Why, one wonders, would News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch -- who's made plenty of noise in the past year about the importance of getting paid in full for quality content -- come to a different conclusion?

**** Out With The Old: Apple Says No Software Updates For Original Apple TV <http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-20015510-263.html>
Joe Aimonetti, CNET

Apple has confirmed that it will not be releasing software updates for owners of the original models of the Apple TV which includes no support for streaming Netflix, as seen on the newly released version.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** The Last Days Of My Mother, The Control Freak <http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2010/09/01/my_mother_deathbed/index.html>
Judith Levine, Salon

Two weeks after my mother's final stroke, it occurred to me she might not know she was dying.

**** Simon Wiesenthal, The Man Who Refused To Forget <http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=f90ef21c31ece2058a32de7d17a6151e>
Dwight Garner, New York Times

Simon Wiesenthal, the legendary Nazi hunter, was in many ways a smaller-than-life character. Balding, mustached, the wearer of frumpy suits and neckties, possessed of an old-world Yiddish accent and a distracted air, he often seemed to be stooped, one observer said, “as if permanently looking for a mislaid piece of paper.”



SingaporeSurf
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**** Changes To Dual Ownership Leave Some Home Owners In A Bind <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1078756/1/.html>
Joanne Chan, Channel NewsAsia

For home owners who started the resale application process weeks ago, the changes to dual home ownership came as a shock. They could be penalised thousands of dollars should they back out of the deal now.

**** Elections Dept Appoints Logistics Contractors To Conduct Site Recce <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1078762/1/.html>
S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia

Singapore's next General Election is not due till February 2012. But the country's Elections Department has appointed its logistics contractors, ST Synthesis and SingTel, to carry out some site visits.

**** Is He Addressing The Issue – 12 Years On? <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2010/09/is-he-addressing-the-issue-12-years-on/>
The Online Citizen

It’s been 12 years since Mr Shanmugam’s speech in Parliament, highlighting the concerns of S’poreans.

Has the Government listened?

Or is it hell-bent on pushing ahead with its open-door policy in the name of economic growth even as those like Mr Shanmugam and many others continue to raise a myriad of issues of concerns – conerns which the government does not seem to be addressing – or indeed, as the PM has shown, sidestepped altogether?

**** National Day Rally: Why Opposition Ignored? <http://rogerpoh.wordpress.com/2010/09/03/national-day-rally-why-opposition-ignored/>
SpotlightOnSingapore

**** Stemming Floods: What PUB Plans To Do <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_574233.html>
Tan Nguan Sen, PUB, Straits Times

Wherever feasible, PUB will quicken the implementation and completion of these works. But, for some low-lying areas, effective flood alleviation projects can be undertaken only in conjunction with the area's redevelopment in the future when the entire area is raised. 

**** A Six-year Wait - For Shorter Waiting Times <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC100903-0000108/A-six-year-wait---for-shorter-waiting-times>
Leong Wee Keat, Today

The LTA reiterated that the upgrading of the signalling system - which will start next year after a public tender is called - is a complex exercise which involves the replacement of systems on trains; along tracks at stations as well as at depot and operations control centres.

LTA acting chief executive Lim Bok Ngam also noted that there is no signalling system that can be bought off the shelf. Said Mr Lim: "Everything has to be customised."

**** Singapore Reports Weak PMI <http://www.thestreet.com/story/10851250/1/singapore-reports-weak-pmi.html?cm_ven=GOOGLEFI>
Win Thin, TheStreet.com

Singapore's purchasing managers' index (PMI) came in weaker than expected in August at 49.4, vs. 52.2 in July, signaling contraction in the city-state's manufacturing sector. This will feed into worries that global growth is still slowing, even though the macroeconomic outlook for Asia remains the strongest among the emerging-market regions.

**** How Long More Does PAP Intend To Hide Boundaries? <http://yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/4095-how-long-more-does-pap-intend-to-hide-boundaries>
Singapore Democrat Party

This must be the only ruling party that touts its popularity at every opportunity but goes to absurd lengths to make sure that the process is as unfair as possible for the opposition.

**** Singapore: A City-State Fueled And Founded By Migrant Workers <http://laborsouth.blogspot.com/2010/09/singapore-city-state-fueled-and-founded.html>
Joseph B. Atkins, Labor South

**** NTU In Cash-for-electives Controversy <http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2010/09/03/ntu-in-cash-for-electives-controversy>
Angela Lim, Yahoo!

Some Nanyang Technology University (NTU) undergraduates are trading academic electives for cash, with course places being traded for as much as three-figure sums.

A quick scan on NTU’s online public messaging folder for students revealed a number of posts by students who wanted to sell their course places, and interested buyers who were willing to pay for them at the start of each semester this year in January and August.

**** Mm Lee Will Probably Disagree To An Election This Year Due To So Many Uncertainties <http://utopia8787.blogspot.com/2010/09/mm-lee-will-probably-disagree-to.html>
Utopia8787

The people do understand the rationale behind the policies, but the PM do not understand the rationale behind the unhappiness.

**** Singapore Dollar Retreats From Record On Intervention Concern <http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-09-02/singapore-dollar-retreats-from-record-on-intervention-concern.html>
Patricia Lui, Bloomberg

Singapore’s dollar retreated from a record high on speculation the central bank will intervene to slow the pace of the currency’s gains.

**** 地铁东北线每日乘客量 达40万人次比去年多21% <http://www.zaobao.com/sp/sp100903_010.shtml>
赵琬仪, 联合早报

地铁东北线今年7月的每日平均乘客量逼近40万人次，达39万5344äººæ¬¡ï¼Œæ¯”åŽ»å¹´å¢žåŠ äº†21.5%。目前，东北线从实龙岗至多美歌路段在早上和傍晚的繁忙时段车厢特别拥挤。

**** Singapore Property Curbs May Bite Banks' Growth <http://www.marketwatch.com/story/singapore-property-curbs-may-bite-banks-growth-2010-09-03?reflink=MW_news_stmp>
V. Phani Kumar, MarketWatch

The biting restrictions that Singapore introduced earlier this week to cool the city's property prices will likely affect credit growth at the city's lenders and restrict their share gains.

**** Switzerland Or Singapore? <http://www.adamsmith.org/blog/health/switzerland-or-singapore%3F/>
Tom Clougherty, Adamsmith.org

The biggest challenge for healthcare reformers now is controlling costs – and the most effective way to do that is to rely far less on insurance and far more on direct payment. That would have the added benefit of giving people an incentive to take better care of themselves, something else that is going to be crucial as the relative burden of ‘lifestyle diseases’ rises.