[MyAppleMenu] Aug 4, 2011

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Apple Updates QuickTime Security For Leopard, Windows <http://www.macworld.com/article/161542/2011/08/quicktime.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Philip Michaels, Macworld

QuickTime 7.7 for Leopard is solely a security update. Apple provides few details about specific issues addressed by the 68.85MB download in its release notes, but it promises information “on the security content of this update” for users who want to dig into this support document.

**** Does The Mac Have An Edge Against State-sponsored Hacking? <http://www.macworld.com/article/161531/2011/08/mac_windows7_apt_security.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Robert McMillan, IDG News Service

Their conclusion: Macs provide good protection against the initial phases of the attack, but once the bad guys are on the network, it’s a whole different story. “They’re pretty good for [protecting from] remote exploitation,” Stamos said. “[But] once you install OS X server you’re toast.”

The problem is that many of Apple’s server protocols—mDNS, Apple Remote Desktop, the Mac Kerberos authentication, for example—use weak authentication models that give the attackers ways of getting access to parts of the network that should be blocked. “Every password-based authentication mechanism in OS X has problems,” Stamos said.

**** The Power Of Plist <http://www.red-sweater.com/blog/2083/the-power-of-plist>
Daniel Jalkut, Red Sweater

**** Why I Develop For iOS <http://chriseidhof.tumblr.com/post/8467033275/why-i-develop-for-ios>
Chris Eidhof

On Mac and iOS, there has always been a culture of quality. Applications are very polished, and you can see that developers really put effort into building their products. This is a lot of fun and very inspiring for a developer. It pushes you to raise the bar and have higher standards. The defaults provided by Apple are very high quality too, which means it’s easy to build something that works and looks good.

**** A Dashboard For Your Body <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/04/garden/gadgets-to-track-your-health-home-tech.html?_r=1>
Farhad Manjoo, New York Times

**** Five Favorite Text-selection Tips <http://www.macworld.com/article/161494/2011/08/favorite_selection.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Sharon Zardetto, Macworld

**** Syncing PDFs With The iPad <http://www.macworld.com/article/161538/2011/08/syncing_pdfs_with_the_ipad.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Jason Snell, Macworld

**** Apple Continues To Upset The High Price Myth <http://www.technightowl.com/2011/08/apple-continues-to-upset-the-high-price-myth/>
Gene Steinberg, Tech Night Owl

**** AT&T To Revoke Unlimited Data Plans From Jailbreaking iPhone Tetherers <http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2011/08/att-to-revoke-unlimited-data-plans-from-jailbreaking-iphone-tetherers.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss>
Casey Johnston, Ars Technica

**** ImageXY Makes Resizing Images Quick And Easy <http://www.macworld.com/article/161568/2011/08/imagexy_makes_resizing_images_quick_and_easy.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Dan Frakes, Macworld

If you need to edit or process your images, you’ll want a full-featured image editor such as Acorn or Photoshop. But for frequent resizing tasks, ImageXY is quick to launch, easy to use, and fast to finish.

**** How To Import Photos Into Aperture 3 <http://www.macworld.com/article/161525/2011/08/understanding_aperture_importing.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Derrick Story, Macworld

**** Sandy Bridge And Thunderbolt Make It Worth That Mac Upgrade <http://www.suntimes.com/technology/ihnatko/6879566-417/sandy-bridge-and-thunderbolt-make-it-worth-that-mac-upgrade.html>
Andy Ihnatko, Chicago Sun-Times

When you prepare to lay out a grand or two for a new Mac, you’re hoping for a transformative experience. Sandy Bridge and Thunderbolt do for the Mac in 2011 what a flux capacitor and a Mr. Fusion machine did for a DeLorean in “Back To The Future.”

**** Apple Releases Xcode 4.1.1 Via Mac App Store To Address Installation Alert Issue <http://www.macrumors.com/2011/08/04/apple-releases-xcode-4-1-1-via-mac-app-store-to-address-installation-alert-issue/>
Eric Slivka, MacRumors

Apple today addressed that confusing behavior with the release of Xcode 4.1.1 through the Mac App Store, a small delta update that removes the installation alert that has been causing problems for users. Users who have already successfully installed Xcode 4.1 do not need to install the updated version.

**** Less Code, Less Effort <http://inessential.com/2011/08/04/less_code_less_effort>
Brent Simmons, Inessential

Here are a few things I’ve been doing lately to write better code, and less code, with less effort.

**** Lion Install Borked? Apple Giving Free Lion USB Sticks To Some <http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/08/no-lion-internet-recovery-apple-giving-free-lion-usb-sticks-to-some.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss>
Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

Lion users who run into disk trouble may be able to get a USB recovery drive with a Lion installer for free from AppleCare—if a tech support person decides that the situation qualifies. Apple sent out an internal memo to AppleCare and Apple Store employees earlier this week that USB flash drives with Lion are now available to give to qualifying customers, though the customer has to have explored other options first.



The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Tiny, Cloud-Powered Desktops <http://www.technologyreview.com/business/38171/?ref=rss>
Erica Naone, Technology Review

The profusion of mobile devices is driving advances in cloud-based productivity apps built for the small screen.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** The Words We Live By <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/04/arts/the-art-of-summer-words-we-live-by.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss>
Dwight Garner, New York Times

Language here has teeth; it seeks you out; it wants a piece of you.

**** Summer Readings: It By Stephen King <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/aug/04/it-stephen-king-summer-readings?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Xan Brooks, The Guardian

Maybe it's finally time to revisit this old haunt, to reassure myself that It is still as sleek, scary and rambunctiously entertaining as I remember.



SingaporeSurf
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**** Was Dr Tony Tan's Son Disrupted <i>Before</i> He Was Given The President Scholarship? <http://singstatistician.blogspot.com/2011/08/was-dr-tony-tans-son-disrupted-before.html>
Thoughts Of A Singapore Statistician

**** The Blood Price Of Defence And Security In The Lion City <http://military-life.blogspot.com/2011/08/blood-price-of-defence-and-security-in.html>
Military Life

At the end of the day, such cases of fatalities only serve to reinforce the bitter pill that NSFs and NSmen continue to swallow, in that we are 2nd class citizens in our own country. We male citizens and 2nd generation PRs who have to serve NS undertake more responsibilities and liabilities without commensurate benefits.

**** 蔬菜批发价大跌 零售价却没调低 <http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp110804_012.shtml>
å¼ å«¥èŠ¯, 联合早报

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**** For A Change, A Happy Worker <http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/for-a-change-a-happy-worker/>
Au Waipang, Yawning Bread

In short, our bureaucratic system has kept a man here for eleven months, forbidden to work, running out of money, and at the end of the drawn-out process, he is told that whatever injury he has suffered does not qualify for any compensation.

**** Unfair To Have One Rule For Landed Homes, Another For Resale Flats <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_698182.html>
Denis Distant, Straits Times

**** Adopt Aussie Housing Rules <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_698181.html>
Gan Boey Keow, Straits Times

**** Some Questions On Dr Patrick Tan’s NS Stint <http://furrybrowndog.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/some-questions-on-dr-patrick-tans-ns-stint/>
Furry Brown Dog

**** "Open Government" Club Closes The Door To Singapore <http://journalism.sg/2011/08/03/open-government-club-closes-the-door-to-singapore/>
Journalism.sg

A group of countries and international NGOs is launching the Open Government Partnership, "a new multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance".

**** Netizens Call To Reconsider Pay Cut For Rehired Teachers <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_698407.html>
Straits Times

The decision by the Ministry Of Education (MOE) to implement a pay cut of up to 30 per cent for teachers who are rehired after retirement has drawn flak online, with netizens echoing the Singapore Teachers' Union's call for a rethink.

**** National Day Is About The People Of Singapore <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/08/national-day-is-about-the-people-of-singapore/>
Jen Tai, The Online Citizen

Please do put aside your own political agendas and place Singapore and Singaporeans first.

**** Judge: Can One Be Guilty Of Offence If Police Gave Permission? <http://www.yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/4921-judge-can-one-be-guilty-of-offence-if-police-gave-permission>
Singapore Democratic Party

“How can we be expected to reasonably know that a permit was needed for the activity when the police had stated that the same activity conducted earlier was permissible?” asked Dr Chee Soon Juan.

Justice Loh seemed confused as well. He asked the Deputy Public Prosecutor for clarification: If someone asks a friend for permission to do something and that something turned out to be against the law, it would be difficult for him to say that his friend had given him permission and expect to use that as a defence in a court of law.

**** The Riddle Of GIC’s Performance And CPF Funds <http://furrybrowndog.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/the-riddle-of-gics-performance-and-cpf-funds/>
Furry Brown Dog

The question now is whether the CPF-GIC model is sustainable if Singapore values keeping the cost of living low more than being able to pay interest on CPF deposits by its overseas investment returns. This might also explain why the Singapore government seems intent on forever making it harder and harder for depositors to withdraw their CPF savings through the introduction of innovative policies such as CPF Life, and Minimum Sum. This is especially true when one considers that the baby-boomer generation of workers are nearing retirement.

**** Experts: Only 3 Out Of 5 Will Qualify <http://news.insing.com/tabloid/experts-only-3-out-of-5-will-qualify/id-37e03d00>
Shin Min Daily News

Experts believe that only three out of the five presidential hopefuls will receive the certificate of eligibility. They are Dr Tan Cheng Bock, Dr Tony Tan and Mr Tan Kin Lian.

**** Should President Be 'Voice Of The People?' <http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC110805-0000014/Should-President-be-voice-of-the-people?>
Yak Chin Hua, Today

While this role of being a voice of the people is not stated in the Constitution, it is not excluded either. It is up to Singaporeans to decide if they wish to elect a President who promises to play this role in a constructive manner.