[MyAppleMenu] Dec 31, 2011

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Favorite Mac Gems Of 2011 <http://www.macworld.com/article/164553/2011/12/favorite_mac_gems_of_2011.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Dan Frakes, Macworld


>From managing windows to opening apps, from tweaking Lion to perfecting photos, these inexpensive applications and add-ons will help you get the most out of your Mac without blowing your budget.


**** Text-analysis Tools Highlight Phraseology iOS Text Editor <http://www.macworld.com/article/164574/2011/12/text_analysis_tools_highlight_phraseology_ios_text_editor.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Dan Frakes, Macworld

**** iOS Developers Go Into 2012 Still Battling Patent Troll Lodsys <http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/12/ios-developers-go-into-2012-still-slugging-against-patent-troll-lodsys.ars>
Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

We may not have heard much about patent licensing firm Lodsys in recent months, but independent app developers are still working together to fight the patent bully. The Appsterdam Legal Defense team—a growing group of iOS developers pooling their ideas and resources to fight back against Lodsys—has continued to take steps to protect themselves from the kind of litigation brought by Lodsys and its apparent parent company Intellectual Ventures since they formed in August. But although progress has been made over the last five months, there's still a long way to go before indie devs feel protected.

**** Apple's Jonathan Ive Gets Knighthood In Honours List <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16367022?utm_source=loopinsight.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+loopinsight%2FKqJb+%28The+Loop%29>
BBC

Mr Ive, who can now style himself Sir Jonathan, has been made a Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE).

**** App Developers Skirt Apple's Limits With Work-Arounds <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203479104577124762705613868.html>
Jessica E Vascellaro, Wall Street Journal

The cat-and-mouse game between the Bay Area's legion of mobile developers and app kingmaker Apple Inc. is heating up.

**** Manage Clipboard History In Mac OS X With ClipMenu <http://osxdaily.com/2011/12/30/manage-clipboard-history-in-mac-os-x-with-clipmenu/>
OS X Daily

**** XCode 4 Ships A Buggy Compiler <http://blog.phusion.nl/2011/12/30/xcode-4-ships-a-buggy-compiler/>
Hongli Lai, Phusion

It is unfortunate that we have to declare OS X’s default compiler as being broken. We do not recommend its use.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Humans Have The Need To Read <http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/dec/30/humans-hardwired-read-books?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Gail Rebuck, The Guardian

The discovery that our brains are physically changed by the experience of reading is something many of us will understand instinctively, as we think back to the way an extraordinary book had a transformative effect on the way we viewed the world. This transformation only takes place when we lose ourselves in a book, abandoning the emotional and mental chatter of the real world. That's why studies have found this kind of deep reading makes us more empathetic, or as Nicholas Carr puts it in his essay, The Dreams of Readers, "more alert to the inner lives of others".

**** Gun <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/30/saturday-poem-ruth-padel-gun?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Ruth Padel, The Guardian



SingaporeSurf
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**** 45 Years Of National Service: NS Defaulter's Homecoming For National Museum Concert <http://kementah.blogspot.com/2011/12/45-years-of-national-service-ns.html>
David Boey, Serang Diri

People who followed the Melvyn Tan saga probably recall that he was fined S$3,000 by a Singaporean civil court in 2005 for evading NS 28 years ago. The Tan family also forfeited the S$30,000 security deposit - in then-year dollars a princely sum - coughed up by Melvyn's parents in 1974 when he flew to London to study music.

When this amount of money is spread over a 10-year training cycle that most NSmen undergo and with the 2.5 years of full-time NS factored into the calculus, the penalty that the system extracted from the Tan family is in my opinion a small price to pay. It works out to a sum of S$2,640 a year for every year of NS Melvyn avoided, or just S$220 a month. Pocket change for well-heeled Singaporean families.

**** Annus Mirabilis? <http://feedmetothefish.blogspot.com/2011/12/annus-mirabilis_31.html>
Feed Me To The Fish

Someone asked why am I so anti-PAP? Is it the hubris of PAP that gets my goat?

No, it is not only the arrogance. It is more than that.

**** Stamford Canal A Cause Of Flooding Again <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC111231-0000038/Stamford-Canal-a-cause-of-flooding-again>
Saifulbahri Ismail, Today

At Liat Towers, PUB said rainwater that had drained off from the roof and the back of the building overflowed into the basement area from an internal drain, as water could not flow out into the canal, which was full. 

**** Plans For Parliament Videos On iPhone, iPad <http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC111231-0000048/Plans-for-Parliament-videos-on-iPhone,-iPad>
Ng Sheau Jiuan, Clerk Of Parliament, Today

Videos of entire speeches made by Members of Parliament at the latest parliamentary sitting can be viewed online at MediaCorp's Channel NewsAsia website (channelnewsasia.com). The videos are loaded online within the same day of the sitting. 

Parliament has recently launched its free App (SGParl) on the iPhone. A similar free App on the iPad tablet platform will also be made accessible soon. With this, there are plans to enable App users to directly access the video links.

Why is Parliament relying on a private commercial entity for videos?

**** Train Platforms Could Do With More TV Screens <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_750293.html>
Stephen Tan, Straits Times

The situation is exacerbated by the constant refreshing of screens to show advertisements and movie trailers. When that happens, the train arrival times are relegated to a crawler at the bottom of the screens. So many are unable to see the arrival times.

**** æ•™è‚²éƒ¨ä¿®æ”¹æ¡è§„åº”æ›´åŠ å…¬å¼€é€æ˜Ž <http://www.zaobao.com.sg/yl/yl111231_007.shtml>
彭玉荃, 联合早报

过往情况显示，DSAå½•å–åŽçš„è½¬æ ¡ç”³è¯·å¹¶æ²¡æœ‰æ˜Žæ–‡ç¦æ­¢ï¼Œç”šè‡³å¯ä»¥è¯´æ•™è‚²éƒ¨æ˜¯å…è®¸çš„ã€‚ä»Šå¹´å®¶é•¿è¢«éƒ¨åˆ†å­¦æ ¡å‘ŠçŸ¥ä¸èƒ½æŽ¥å—è½¬æ ¡ç”³è¯·æ„Ÿåˆ°éžå¸¸é”™æ„•ï¼Œè½¬è€Œè¯¢é—®æ•™è‚²éƒ¨æ—¶ï¼Œæ•™è‚²éƒ¨å´æŠŠè´£ä»»æŽ¨ç»™ä¸­å­¦ï¼Œè¯´ç”±ä¸­å­¦è‡ªè¡Œå†³å®š,æ•™è‚²éƒ¨æ— æ³•å¹²æ¶‰ï¼Œä½†åˆç§ä¸‹è¦æ±‚å­¦æ ¡ä¸å‡†æŽ¥å—ç”³è¯·ã€‚å¦‚æžœä¸€å¼€å§‹å°±ä¸èƒ½æŽ¥å—ï¼Œä½•ä»¥æŸé¡¶å°–åæ ¡è¿˜è®©å®¶é•¿æå‡ºç”³è¯·å¹¶æ”¶å–20å…ƒæ‰‹ç»­è´¹ï¼Ÿå²‚ä¸æ˜¯å…¬ç„¶æ¬ºéª—ï¼Ÿè€Œæœ‰çš„å­¦æ ¡æŽ¥å—ï¼Œæœ‰çš„ä¸æŽ¥å—ï¼Œç®€ç›´æ··ä¹±åˆ°æžç‚¹ï¼

**** 公交业者不应各自为政 <http://www.zaobao.com.sg/yl/yl111231_011.shtml>
李静仪, 联合早报

负责监管的陆路交通管理局自2008å¹´èª“è¨€è¦æ‰“é€ ä»¥äººä¸ºæœ¬çš„é™†è·¯äº¤é€šç³»ç»Ÿçš„æ„¿æ™¯åŽï¼Œä¸€ç›´è®¾æ³•åŠ å¼ºä¸¤ä¸ªä¸šè€…ä¹‹é—´çš„èžåˆï¼Œä»¥å¡«è¡¥å…¬äº¤æœåŠ¡çš„â€œç©ºéš™â€ã€‚

**** Stamford Canal To Blame For Floods <http://everythingalsocomplain.com/2011/12/31/stamford-canal-to-blame-for-floods/>
Everything Also Complain

**** Developers – The Real Landlords <http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=insightdownsouth&file=/2011/12/31/columnists/insightdownsouth/10180945&sec=Insight%20Down%20South>
Seah Chiang Nee, The Star

By imposing stiff measures against foreigners’ speculative buying, including a 10% duty, Khaw has gained public acclaim.

Khaw has also succeeded in shortening the queue of new Singaporean graduates applying to own their first public flat.

Since becoming minister after the May election, Singapore’s once world-acclaimed public housing is slowly working to dispel public discontent over shortage and high prices.

**** More Singaporeans Choosing Staycations Over Holidays Abroad <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1174187/1/.html>
Karen Ng, Channel NewsAsia

A check with several hotels here show that figures are up by between 20 and 30 per cent, compared to the same period last year. 

Perhaps Singaporeans are getting less disposable income. Or perhaps there are more things to do nowadays.

Or perhaps the 'tourist attractions' in Singapore are getting more expensive that you'd need a specially-planned once-a-year staycation in order to go visit them.

**** S'pore's Economy Grew 4.8% In 2011 <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1174191/1/.html>
Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia

Singapore's economy grew 4.8 per cent in 2011, significantly slower than the dramatic rebound of 14.7 per cent growth in 2010. Prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, who announced the growth figures in his 2012 New Year message on Saturday, described the pace of growth for the year as "steady".

**** S'pore Faces Challenge Of Population Growth: PM Lee <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1174192/1/.html>
Hoe Yeen Nie, Channel NewsAsia

Prime minister Lee Hsien Loong said Singapore must find workable solutions to keep its society vibrant and forward-looking, maintain its economic vitality and strengthen the Singapore core, as it faces the challenge of population growth. In his 2012 New Year message on Saturday, Mr Lee described population as a "particularly complex and critical challenge".