[MyAppleMenu] Dec 1, 2011

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Daily Mac App: Memo <http://www.tuaw.com/2011/11/30/daily-mac-app-memo/>
Samuel Gibbs, TUAW

Memo is basically Stickies with iCloud and password support.

**** Five Unexpected Uses For Help Tags <http://www.macworld.com/article/146323/2011/11/tooltips.html>
Sharon Zardetto, Macworld

Help tags—those little yellow rectangles of information that pop up when you hover your cursor over something—do more than just provide the name and function of a button on a toolbar. Use them to find the full name of an abbreviated file name, to get a quick summary of a help topic, and more. Here are five of my favorite tricks.

**** Converting Protected iTunes Tracks Through iTunes Match <http://www.macworld.com/article/163932/2011/11/converting_protected_tracks.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Christopher Breen, Macworld

So the trick is to alter your library in such a way that iTunes Match no longer sees these tracks.

**** Carrier IQ Is On iOS <http://blog.chpwn.com/post/13572216737>
chpwn blog

Carrier IQ, the now infamous “rootkit” or “keylogger”, is not just for Android, Symbian, BlackBerry, and even webOS. In fact, up through and including iOS 5, Apple has included a copy of Carrier IQ on the iPhone. However, it does appears to be disabled along with diagnostics enabled on iOS 5; older versions may send back information in more cases. Because of that, if you want to disable Carrier IQ on your iOS 5 device, turning off “Diagnostics and Usage” in Settings appears to be enough.

**** Apple Says Siri’s Abortion Answers Are A Glitch <http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/apple-says-siris-abortion-answers-are-a-glitch/>
Jenna Wortham, New York Times

Apple said Wednesday that the apparent inability of Siri, the virtual assistant in the iPhone 4S,  to retrieve information about abortion clinics and women’s health services in some areas was not intentional or deliberate.

**** Apple: Carrier IQ Dropped From Most Products With iOS 5 <http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/1/2603719/apple-carrier-iq-support-dropped-from-most-products-with-ios-5>
Nilay Patel, The Verge

Although references to Carrier IQ were found in iOS, Apple says "most" of its products don't support Carrier IQ as of iOS 5 and it'll completely remove it in a future update.

**** Control Photo Stream With iPhoto And Aperture <http://www.macworld.com/article/163736/2011/12/control_photo_stream_with_iphoto_and_aperture.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Derrick Story, Macworld

By using iPhoto as the dam, and Aperture as the final destination, you can enjoy the benefits of Photo Stream without drowning in a deluge of snapshots.

**** Let’s Stop With The Siri Baiting <http://tidbits.com/article/12653?rss>
Adam C. Engst, TidBITS

Siri can be useful, and is a whole lot of fun to demo, but it’s unreasonable to read anything more — certainly not Apple corporate policy — into Siri’s successes, failures, and little asides.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** When Novels Change History <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/nov/30/when-novels-change-history?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Stuart Kelly, The Guardian

Alternative history, or 'unchronie', seems to be going through something of a boom. How could it be otherwise?

**** <i>Honey Money</i>: Who Says Selling Sex Is Degrading? <http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/reviewofbooks_article/11656/>
Abigail Ross-Jackson, Spiked

Apart from the silly sociological categories and sex ed lessons, Catherine Hakim’s book is a cocky retort to today’s patronising strand of feminism.

**** Translating In The Dark <http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2011/nov/30/translating-dark/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nybooks+%28The+New+York+Review+of+Books%29>
Tim Parks, The New York Review Of Books

As a writer myself who has also done a number of translations I might be expected to have a vested interest in the idea that what skill I have in English sets me apart from the “usual reliable” translator. However, and quite regardless of whether we want to call such work translation or imitation, it does seem that a serious issue is being dispatched with indecent haste here.



SingaporeSurf
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**** 4D, Mahjong And Chap Ji Kee.. History Of Gambling In Singapore <http://remembersingapore.wordpress.com/2011/11/30/4d-mahjong-and-chap-ji-kee/>
Remember Singapore

With the completion of the Integrated Resorts (IRs) and its casinos in 2010, some said that Singapore had truly become a sin city. While they might be right, the fact is gambling has never been a stranger on this island.

**** SDP Releases Paper On Cabinet Ministers' Remuneration <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1168619/1/.html>
Vimita Mohandas, Channel NewsAsia

It also proposed pegging ministerial salaries to the mean wage of the bottom 20 per cent of Singaporean wage earners, who get S$1,400 per month.

The party also suggested providing allowances for ministers. This means ministers will be allowed to make claims for expenses incurred while performing their duties, governed by a schedule similar to civil service regulations. And these claims should be published annually, by the independent salary commission in its consolidated public statement.

**** SDP: Peg Ministers' Salaries To Poorest 20 Percent <http://www.yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/5059-sdp-peg-ministers-salaries-to-poorest-20-percent->
Singapore Democratic Party

Establish an independent salary commission to determine ministerial remuneration for each financial year. Such a commission shall compile and publish annually the salaries of ministers, along with their other commercial interests.

Do away with variable bonuses such as the GDP Bonus and the Performance Bonus which together can make up to as much as 22 months of the ministers' basic salary. Instead, the pay should comprise of the fixed salary components.

Peg ministerial pay to the bottom 20 percent of Singaporean wage earners. The SDP recommends that the MP allowance be 10 times $1,400 (mean wage of the bottom 20th percentile based on the assumption of a minimum wage in place). Ministers are paid three times the MP allowance while the prime minister 4 times more. This will bring the PM's pay to about $56,000 per month. Such an approach will ensure that the living standards of this group rise with the rest of the population.

Provide ministers with allowances for expenses incurred while performing their official duties. The claims should be published to ensure transparency and accountability.

Move the Corrupt Practices Investigation Board (CPIB) out of the Prime Minister's Office and empower it to investigate all ministers without needing the approval of the President of Singapore.

See Also: Ethical Salaries For A Public Service Centered Government [http://www.yoursdp.org/files/ethical-salaries.pdf], by Singapore Democratic Party. (PDF document)

**** Section 157(d) And The Butterfly Effect <http://www.aware.org.sg/2011/11/section-157d-and-the-butterfly-effect/>
AWARE

Each person involved in this chain of events had no idea that their individual efforts would result in the imminent repeal of this law. But they did it anyway. Individual efforts matter. And they can add up to great things.

**** SDP’s Pay Recommendation For Political Office <http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/2011/12/sdps-pay-recommendation-for-political.html>
Chua Chin Leng, My Singapore News

**** Orchids, Fathers, Sons And Anti-gay Battle-axes <https://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2011/12/01/orchids-fathers-sons-and-anti-gay-battle-axes/>
Alex Au, Yawning Bread

We have an added problem in Singapore — the government. We have a government that draws its parliamentary members disproportionately from Christian ranks — and churches have been at the vanguard of anti-gay hate spreading — but is also one that no longer knows how to lead, especially on social issues. Complicating the situation is the government’s general antipathy to advancement of human rights in Singapore. So long as the government sees strengthening human rights as a threat to its dominance, it is going to try to close off avenues provided by such arguments for any cause.

**** Sengkang Hospital To Open Earlier <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC111201-0000096/Sengkang-Hospital-to-open-earlier>
Channel NewsAsia

**** I Can Be Your Man Or Woman: Social Escort <http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/man-woman-social-escort-025006607.html>
Deborah Choo, Yahoo!

While escort agencies are considered legal, "extra" arrangements are out of their purview — a disclaimer note that some agencies have tactfully included on their website to avert legal liability. If an individual is found guilty of pimping, the person faces a maximum $10,000 fine and up to a five-year jail term.

**** Life Outside The Cabinet <http://singaporedesk.blogspot.com/2011/12/life-outside-cabinet.html>
Singapore Notes

It's interesting to note that nearly all the ministers who lost their appointments after May 7 have yet to get a "real job".

**** Police Denies SFD Permit For Anti-racism Rally <http://sfd.sg/content/police-denies-sfd-permit-anti-racism-rally>
Singaporeans For Democracy

After a series of email exchanges with the Singapore Police Force (SPF) pertaining to topics, speakers, crowd size and displays, the permit application was rejected without any reason.

**** Civil Servants To Get 2 Days Of Parent-care Leave A Year <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1168827/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia

With effect from 1 January 2012, civil servants can use this leave to care for their parents, including parents-in-law. Medical certification will not be required.

**** Protecting Turf Vs Protecting Public Interest <http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnist/protecting-turf-vs-protecting-public-interest-1.13240>
New Straits Times

Protecting turf vs. protecting public interest is likely to be the overall theme of this new case. And Singapore, which is not known for a free media environment, has become the unlikeliest battle ground to decide on this very vexing question concerning the news business.

**** The World's Best Airport? <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204397704577070502443425304.html>
Wall Street Journal

Changi is arguably the world's most fabulous airport. Since it opened in 1981, the airport has notched more than 370 "best" awards world-wide from travel trade groups and publications. A look at its operations reveals much about how to run a top-notch airport—and ways other airports could improve.

**** Potential Campaign Strategy For Bukit Brown <http://www.asiaisgreen.com/2011/12/01/potential-campaign-strategy-for-bukit-brown/>
AsiaIsGreen.com

The government already has development plans for Bukit Brown, including the current road construction and future housing development. To potentially reverse the decision already made, the alternative option must be of equal or higher value than existing plans (not necessary in monetary terms). In Singapore’s context, positioning or framing Bukit Brown as a cemetery is not persuasive enough.

**** Corruption And Press Freedom — There Is A Link <http://worldjournalism.wordpress.com/2011/12/01/corruption-and-press-freedom-there-is-a-link/>
Journalism, Journalists And The World

If a country has a vibrant and free press and a democracy, there are fewer chances for corruption to take hold and dominate the country’s economy and society. If, however, the media are controlled by the government, then there is no independent check on government power or corruption.