[MyAppleMenu] Dec 26, 2011

applesurf at myapplemenu.com applesurf at myapplemenu.com
Mon Dec 26 18:59:00 EST 2011

MyAppleMenu
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**** 5 Tips To Make A New Mac User’s Experience As Pleasant As Possible <http://gigaom.com/apple/5-tips-to-make-a-new-mac-users-experience-as-pleasant-as-possible/>
Dave Greenbaum, GigaOM

So you finally convinced your friends and family to retire their PC in favor of a Mac with a Christmas gift. Now, you have to deal with being the training wheels for a new operating system. You can avoid some of the hassles that go along with that, and ease the transition for new Mac users with these simple steps.

**** Apple iPad 2: Here's How To Get Started <http://www.freep.com/article/20111225/NEWS09/112250443/Apple-iPad-2-Here-s-how-to-get-started?odyssey=tab%7Cmostpopular%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE>
Mark W. Smith, Detroit Free Press

**** Scrivener 2.1 Review <http://www.macworld.co.uk/macsoftware/reviews/?reviewid=3326957&olo=rss>
Nick Spence, Macworld UK

Scrivener is an essential writing tool designed to bring order and simplicity to the creation of often-complex long-form prose – from novels to dissertations. Think of it as a digital shoebox to collect your thoughts and ideas, research and notes, video and audio material and more all in one logical, non-linear place.

**** Throwing Cold Water On MacRuby For iOS <http://www.subfurther.com/blog/2011/12/06/throwing-cold-water-on-macruby-for-ios/>
Time Code

**** New Year's Resolution: A Backup Plan <http://www.macworld.com/article/164120/2011/12/new_years_resolution_a_backup_plan.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Lex Friedman, Macworld

It's not as hard as you might think to start backing up your Mac today.

**** Ten Things To Do With Your New Mac <http://www.macworld.com/article/164411/2011/12/ten_things_to_do_with_your_new_mac.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Lex Friedman, Macworld

**** Boxee Releases 1.5 App As Last Mac, PC Version <http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/12/26/boxee.15.marks.shift.from.desktop.to.devices/>
Electronista



The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** For Start-Ups That Aim At Giants, Sorting The Data Cloud Is The Next Big Thing <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/26/technology/for-start-ups-sorting-the-data-cloud-is-the-next-big-thing.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss>
Malia Wollan, New York Times

Splunk is among a crop of enterprise software start-up companies that analyze big data and are establishing themselves in territory long controlled by giant business-technology vendors like Oracle and I.B.M.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** The Muses Of Insert, Delete And Execute <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/26/books/a-literary-history-of-word-processing.html?partner=rss&emc=rss>
Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times

“The story of writing in the digital age is every bit as messy as the ink-stained rags that would have littered Gutenberg’s print shop or the hot molten lead of the Linotype machine,” Mr. Kirschenbaum said, before asking a question he hopes he can answer: “Who were the early adopters, the first mainstream authors to trade in their typewriters for WordStar and WordPerfect?”



SingaporeSurf
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**** Longer Hours, Shorter Breaks For Bus Drivers <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC111226-0000014/Longer-hours,-shorter-breaks-for-bus-drivers>
Sumita Sreedharan And Tan Weizhen, Today

Bus operators here have been hit by a chronic shortage of Singaporeans who are keen to become bus drivers, despite the companies' best efforts, including raising the salary.

As a result, as road conditions become more difficult, bus drivers tell Today that they have been doing more overtime work and are having shorter breaks between journeys - raising concerns over the well-being of the bus drivers who ferry hundreds of thousands of commuters each day.

**** 棒打落水狗 <http://cpengng.blogspot.com/2011/12/blog-post_25.html>
快樂似神仙

公民的道德與修養乃至判斷善惡的標準，更彰顯了我們的民眾很不厚道以及不通情達理的人格特質。地鐵局真的很該死，但是讓他們有足夠的時間一次過徹底地檢查系統，超出時限，乃情有可原，我們的同胞實在不應該咄咄逼人，橫行霸道得令人心寒不已......

**** Railroading <http://piaroh.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/railroading/>
Words Of The Cze

So it seems to me that SMRT needs to get its act together and drill for such emergencies the same way SPF or SCDF do. The ground staff conducted the evacuation well; now they have to learn crowd control. The management staff has to delineate responsibility and authority clearly, as well as fix their PR problems. In other words, change the big red button to a keyhole, and make someone wear the key around his neck.

Now, there is clearly a technical failure as well which led to exposing all the other dis-satisfactory aspects of SMRT’s corporate governance. This is jumping the gun, but I have a hunch that SMRT sort of believed its own ‘world-class’ propaganda so much its staff started thinking that failures simply can’t happen, not to them. So maintenance checks slipped up. This is something the PAP and entire cluster of government-linked corporations need to pay close heed to – don’t let your own illusions of invincibility do you in. Stay on your toes.

**** Oh SHT <http://speakspokewritewrote.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/oh-sht/>
SpeakSpokeWriteWrote

**** No More $2.50 Chicken Rice? Hawker Food Prices May Rise <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_748816.html>
Huang Lijie And Feng Zengkun, Straits Times

That $2.50 plate of chicken rice may be a fantasy by the end of the decade. The reason: Some hawker stall rents are set to soar by more than 10 times in the coming years due to expiring subsidies.

**** Sometimes, The Clothes Does Not Maketh The Man <http://www.publichouse.sg/categories/community/item/340-sometimes-the-clothes-does-not-maketh-the-man>
Kumaran Pillai, Publichouse.sg

**** Educating Our Youths To Develop Empathy, Appreciation And Resilience <http://yeejj.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/educating-our-youths/>
Yee Jenn Jong

My post is not to condemn Kwek for his letter. I see it as a brave attempt by a young man to ask for better resources for JCs and polytechnics. I am concern about an attitude trend in society which seems to be highlighted by his letter. Today, we speak of character and values-based education. I see Kwek’s letter as a signal that we need to work harder on this aspect to cultivate empathy, appreciation and resilience in our youths.

**** Singapore's Education Plans In The Years Ahead <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1173388/1/.html>
Hoe Yeen Nie And Monica Kotwani, Channel NewsAsia

Minister of state for education Lawrence Wong has given the assurance that publicly-funded universities will continue to play a core role in Singapore's higher-education sector.

That means most university places will be publicly funded even as the government looks into expanding the number of university places for Singaporeans.

**** Systems Test To Affect Some Circle Line Commuters <http://www.straitstimes.com/The-Big-Story/The-Big-Story-3/Story/STIStory_748857.html>
Janice Tai, Straits Times

Some Circle Line passengers heading from HarbourFront station towards Dhoby Ghaut station on Tuesday and on New Year's Day may have to get off at Promenade station, and take another train to their destination.

This is because SMRT is conducting a systems test before the opening of two stations next month.

**** NEL Train Delayed After Electrical Surge <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1173418/1/.html>
S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia

A loud bang was heard coming from a train along the North-East Line at about 7.20 on Monday evening. Operator SBS Transit said it was due to a sudden electrical surge on the train heading towards Punggol.

**** Sex Ed: More Than Going Beyond Second Base. <http://kirstenhan.me/2011/12/26/sex-ed-more-than-going-beyond-second-base/>
Funny Little World

“What’s wrong with that?” one might ask. “If it keeps our kids safe from teenage pregnancy and STDs, scaring them is fine with me.”

Okay. But what happens when they grow up, and still carry that fear and stigma with them? Then you have a whole generation of sex-negative people, who not only judge other people for their sexual choices (even if these choices are consensual), but also feel ashamed of their own bodies and urges. Is this really healthy?

**** Call It What It Is: Flooding <http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC111227-0000048/Call-it-what-it-is--Flooding>
Peter Loon Seng Chee, Today

It would be sad if we resort to word usage to dissipate the impact of these floods. We have been offered reasons, and remedies have been promised, but the issue has become a crisis over the past two years.




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