[MyAppleMenu] Dec 3, 2011

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
====================================

**** Choose The Right Mac Microphone For Speech Recognition <http://www.macworld.com/article/163860/2011/12/choose_the_right_mac_microphone_for_speech_recognition.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Kirk McElhearn, Macworld

Here's an overview of the different types of microphones you can use with speech recognition software, how they work, and what might be the best mic for the way you work.

**** Six Tips For Mastering Siri <http://www.macworld.com/article/163896/2011/12/six_tips_for_mastering_siri.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Lex Friedman, Macworld

Here’s how to master Siri’s nuances, turning it from a parlor trick to impressive productivity tool.

**** Inpaint Makes It Easy To Remove Objects From Your Photos <http://www.macworld.com/article/164002/2011/12/inpaint_makes_it_easy_to_remove_objects_from_your_photos.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Dan Frakes, Macworld

Inpaint is a one-trick pony, but it’s very good at that trick, especially considering the $4 price tag. It’s a nifty tool for Average Joes and Janes who want to clean up their snapshots.

**** MarkdownMail 3 Adds Mail Templates And Signatures <http://www.macstories.net/reviews/markdownmail-3-adds-mail-templates-and-signatures/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+macstoriesnet+%28MacStories%29>
Cody Fink, MacStories

MarkdownMail allows you to draft and compose HTML emails on your iPhone or iPad using the Markdown markup syntax.

**** Bugs & Fixes: Decoding Apple’s Safari 5.1.2 Release Notes <http://www.macworld.com/article/164005/2011/12/decoding_safari_5_1_2_release_notes.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Ted Landau, Macworld



MyAppleMenu Reader
====================================

**** Silverflash <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/02/saturday-poem-silverflash-will-eaves?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Will Eaves, The Guardian

**** Read It Again, Sam <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/books/review/read-it-again-sam.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&pagewanted=all>
David Bowman, New York Times

There are motives to reread that are unique to writers. The biographer and novelist Edmund White sums up one of the more touching ones: “I reread in order to remind myself how good you have to be in order to be any good at all.”

**** The Strange Birth And Long Life Of Unix <http://spectrum.ieee.org/computing/software/the-strange-birth-and-long-life-of-unix/0>
Warren Toomey, IEEE Spectrum

They say that when one door closes on you, another opens. People generally offer this bit of wisdom just to lend some solace after a misfortune. But sometimes it's actually true. It certainly was for Ken Thompson and the late Dennis Ritchie, two of the greats of 20th-century information technology, when they created the Unix operating system, now considered one of the most inspiring and influential pieces of software ever written.



SingaporeSurf
====================================

**** Prioritise Lift Upgrading In Tampines GRC <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/12/prioritise-lift-upgrading-in-tampines-grc/>
The Online Citizen

**** Best CPF Life Plan? <http://atans1.wordpress.com/2011/12/03/best-cpf-life-plan/>
Thoughts Of A Cynical Investor

**** Josephine Tay's Letter Not Encouraged Or Endorsed <http://thinkingbetterthinkingmeta.blogspot.com/2011/12/josephine-tays-letter-not-encouraged-or.html>
Sam Ho, Sam's Thoughts

What is far insidious is that she has the audacity to suggest that the government and public do things that are eventually aligned with their prejudices. If the government ever has to be involved, they should be more concerned about hindrances to peace, harmony and diversity, such as the exclusionary homophobic letters that populate our mainstream media.

**** æŠ˜è…¾äººçš„ä¹é¾„ä¼˜æƒ è½¦èµ„å¡ <http://www.zaobao.com.sg/yl/yl111203_014.shtml>
黄桂英, 联合早报

åœ¨å†³ç­–çš„è¿‡ç¨‹ä¸­ï¼Œå¤ªå¤šçš„ç²¾æ‰“ç»†ç®—åªä¼šç»™è®¸è®¸å¤šå¤šçš„æ¸©é¦¨æ”¿ç­–æµ‡å†·æ°´ï¼Œè€Œæ¢¦æƒ³ä¸­çš„ä¼˜é›…ç¤¾ä¼šï¼Œæ›´æ˜¯é¥é¥æ— æœŸï¼

**** No More Easy Polls For PAP <http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/12/3/focus/10019632&sec=focus>
Seah Chiang Nee, The Star

The ruling PAP is facing an uphill task trying to attract quality candidates from the private sector to stand in elections. According to WikiLeaks, the leaked US diplomatic cables, PAP MP Charles Chong admitted that the party had to field “second and third-tier candidates” since the 2006 election.

Unless PM Lee succeeds in rever­sing his recruitment fortune, the next election could spell greater trouble.

**** Four Barriers To Remaking The PAP <http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2011/12/03/four-barriers-to-remaking-the-pap/>
Alex Au, Yawning Bread

My take on the PAP is that they are not structured to be a responsive political party; they are structured to be a ruling party. Structure limits possible outcomes; organisations cannot achieve certain goals if they are not structured for it. So it’s no use wishing for a “new” PAP without looking at the way it is organised and its hard-wired relationship with the administrative bureaucracy.