[MyAppleMenu] Mar 17, 2011

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** iPad 2's Weight Loss Secrets Bared <http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20043933-64.html>
Brooke Crothers, CNET

The biggest reduction in thickness came in the iPad 2's battery subsystem, wrote Kevin Keller, a teardown analyst at IHS iSuppli, in a research note today. This part of the iPad 2 is 2.5 millimeters thick, a 59 percent reduction from the 6.1 millimeters of the original iPad, according to Keller.

**** Owners Of Apple's New MacBook Pros Report Issues With iTunes Home Sharing <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/03/16/owners_of_apples_new_macbook_pros_report_issues_with_itunes_home_sharing.html>
AppleInsider

Numerous owners of Apple's early 2011 MacBook Pros report being unable to connect devices or maintain connections through iTunes Home Sharing.

**** New Apple Ads: iTunes Store, App Store, iBookstore <http://appadvice.com/appnn/2011/03/apple-ads-itunes-store-app-store-ibookstore/>
Joe White, AppAdvice

**** Apple's Mac App Store Delivers <http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/mac/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229301159&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All>
Thomas Claburn, InformationWeek

Developers appear to be convinced the Mac App Store has its place. In just ten weeks, the Mac App Store has seen its inventory of apps rise from around 1,000 to over 4,200.

**** Great Writing, Terrible Reading <http://furbo.org/2011/03/17/great-writing-terrible-reading/>
Craig Hockenberry, Furbo.org

Apple’s technical documentation has always been top-notch: well written with just the right amount of technical detail. Unfortunately, the documentation viewer that we use to read this valuable information has been declining in ease of use over the past few releases.

**** Why The Nitro JavaScript Engine Isn’t Available To Apps Outside Mobile Safari In iOS 4.3 <http://daringfireball.net/2011/03/nitro_ios_43>
John Gruber, Daring Fireball

**** TextWrangler 3.5.3 <http://www.macworld.com/article/158621/2011/03/textwrangler_353.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Tom Negrino, Macworld

TextWrangler is an excellent text editor for anyone who needs to work with large amounts of text, text in large numbers of files, or both. It makes manipulating text a breeze, and its price just can’t be beat.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Can Fantasy Ever Tell The Truth? <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2011/mar/17/fantasy-books-ever-tell-truth?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Damien G Walter, The Guardian

As a genre it provides simple escapism, but its metaphors may express something that realism alone can not reach.

**** Dancing The Body Electric <http://www.city-journal.org/2011/21_1_urb-nyc-dance.html>
Laura Jacobs, City Journal

New York had always been a destination for dancers; traditionally, it was where they came to put the finish on their training. But in the seventies, as if they were the incandescent flip side to those Port Authority burnouts, aspiring Pavlovas, Isadoras, and Astaires positively streamed into the city. Dance was suddenly the most vital performing art in America—the medium with the message—and the dance boom of the 1970s was on.

**** Pushing Paper <http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/reconsiderations/pushing-paper.php?page=all>
Ben Kafka, Laphams Quarterly

Why is there no Norton Anthology of Paperwork? Though the trove of Franz Kafka manuscripts hidden away in safe-deposit boxes has attracted more attention from the mainstream media, the collection of newly translated memos that the author crafted during his years as a staff lawyer for the Workers’ Accident Insurance Institute in Prague is the real treasure. Kafka: “The Institute is convinced that if the case were such that the risk category for sheep’s-wool-weaving mills had been higher than the category for cotton-weaving mills, pressure would have been exerted to get the mixed-weaving mills classified as cotton-weaving mills, a change that would, if only coincidentally, have corresponded to actual conditions.”



SingaporeSurf
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**** Tweet Carefully… <http://dlzj.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/tweet-carefully/>
Ἴκαρος Flew Too High

Cherian’s advice becomes ever more important for parties as the GE draws ever closer: if parties want to succeed in running a smooth campaign, a cohesive no-nonsense online strategy for GE is needed. Parties have to keep track on where they’re going with Facebook, tweets and videos. Loose words or actions can derail a campaign, as the PAP internet brigade is more than ready to strike and strike hard.

**** Young PAP Political Discussion: “Working To Win In Singapore’s Economy Ahead” <http://www.youngpap.org.sg/2011/03/young-pap-political-discussion-working-to-win-in-singapores-economy-ahead/>
Young PAP

Contrary to popular belief, the recent FY2011 Budget is not a General Elections budget, but a “Nanny State” budget. Dr. Tan drew statistics to show that special transfers (excluding top-ups to endowment fund and trust funds) this year and in the previous GE year in 2006 amounted to $3.2 billion and $3.6 billion respectively. These pale in comparison to non-election years in 2009 and 2008 of $4.2 billion and $4.4 billion respectively.

**** Higher Premium Option Won't Work <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_645923.html>
Julie Sim, Ministry Of Health, Straits Times

The current system is already designed to provide this variation through private integrated Shield plans. Those who are well-off and will face means testing can purchase these plans to protect against this uncertainty.

**** An Unnoticed Election Rule Change <http://atans1.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/an-unnoticed-election-rule-change/>
Thoughts Of A Cynical Investor

If I were in an opposition party that plans to use volunteers to do these tasks, I’d publicise the fact, and ask the PAP why they can’t get volunteers or pay S’poreans to do these things.

**** Christians “Less Likely To Riot” – FM Yeo <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/03/christians-less-likely-to-riot-fm-yeo/>
The Online Citizen

**** Something That Hurts.. <http://voiceforsgppl.blogspot.com/2011/03/something-that-hurts.html>
Raymond Lim, Alternative Voice For Singaporeans

**** Premieræ”¶ç‡ƒæ²¹é™„åŠ è´¹ ä¸šå†…åŒè¡Œä»æ— åŠ¨é™ <http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp110317_012.shtml>
李静仪, 联合早报

Premierå¾·å£«å…¬å¸çš„å¾·å£«æ˜¨å¤©å¼€å§‹å‘ä¹˜å®¢æ”¶å–äº”è§’é’±çš„ç‡ƒæ²¹é™„åŠ è´¹ï¼Œä½†åŒ…æ‹¬å¸‚åœºâ€œé¾™å¤´è€å¤§â€åº·ç¦å¾·é«˜åœ¨å†…çš„å…¶ä»–å…­å®¶å¾·å£«å…¬å¸ï¼Œå´éƒ½è¡¨ç¤ºç›®å‰æœªæœ‰è®¡åˆ’è¿™ä¹ˆåšã€‚

有德士业者估计，如果其他同行不跟进，Premierå¾·å£«å…¬å¸æœ€ç»ˆå¯èƒ½å¾—å‘å¸‚åœºåŠ›é‡ä½Žå¤´ï¼Œå–æ¶ˆå¾æ”¶ç‡ƒæ²¹é™„åŠ è´¹çš„å†³å®šã€‚

**** 公共交通车资若调整 涨幅将不超过2.8％ <http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp110317_011.shtml>
李静仪, 联合早报

最新出炉的数据显示，地铁和巴士车资如果今年获准调整，涨幅不可超过2.8ï¼…ï¼Œè¿™å¯èƒ½ä¼šæ˜¯è¿‡åŽ»ä¸¤å¹´æ¥å…¬å…±äº¤é€šè½¦èµ„é¦–æ¬¡ä¸Šè°ƒã€‚ä¸è¿‡ï¼Œè¿‡åŽ»å‡ å¹´é‡Œï¼Œåœ°é“å’Œå·´å£«å…¬å¸èŽ·å‡†è°ƒé«˜è½¦èµ„çš„å¹…åº¦ï¼Œå®žé™…ä¸Šéƒ½ä½ŽäºŽè½¦èµ„è°ƒæ•´æ–¹ç¨‹å¼æ‰€è®¾å®šçš„é¡¶é™ã€‚

**** The Driver, The Passengers, And Me <http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/the-driver-the-passengers-and-me/>
Yawning Bread

**** Workers' Party Chief Mulls Over GRC Bid <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_646079.html>
Jeremy Au Yong & Kor Kian Beng, Straits Times

'Contesting a GRC is an option open to me,' said Mr Low. 'And if I do take up that option, I will explain on Nomination Day the reasons.'

He stressed, however, that the decision is not one he or the WP takes lightly because it is 'a serious matter and the stakes are very high'.

**** Singapore Air Postpones New Tokyo A380 Route <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704261504576205443882834466.html>
Andy Pasztor And Susan Carey, Wall Street Journal

Singapore Airlines Ltd. on Wednesday became the latest air carrier to implement contingency plans in the midst of Japan's natural disasters and radiation fears, indefinitely postponing the start of new Airbus A380 service between Los Angeles and Tokyo.

**** A Case Of The Tail Wagging The Dog Or How The RP Has Already Changed Government Policy <http://sonofadud.com/2011/03/17/a-case-of-the-tail-wagging-the-dog-or-how-the-rp-has-already-changed-government-policy/>
Reinventing the Rice Bowl

The troubling thing is that the government has shamelessly claimed the credit for this U-turn in policy rather than recognizing the Reform Party’s role in drawing attention to failed policies and pushing for change.

**** ICT Make-up Pay: Part-time Workers Shortchanged? <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/03/no-ict-make-up-pay-for-part-time-workers/>
Leong Sze Hian, The Online Citizen

I have seen part-time workers who do not get the employer’s CPF contribution, in their make-up pay.

**** Singapore Parliament – In Desperate Need Of Alternative Voices <http://onesingaporean.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/singapore-parliament-in-desperate-need-of-alternative-voices/>
One Singaporean

It is dangerous – and I would like to stress “dangerous” – that a government, with a complicit media, is able to so easily do what it wants.

It is dangerous because this government, as indeed with all governments anywhere, are not always right. And when it is able to bulldoze through such actions, such a government will tend to become complacent, unfeeling, insensitive, and arrogant.

**** George Yeo’s Remarks – A Different Perspective <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/03/george-yeos-remarks-a-different-perspective/>
The Online Citizen

The more disturbing issue here is that the government has publicly admitted to a policy of treating different religious groups differently based on which religious group is perceived to be more sensitive and likely to “riot”. The government has indicated that it will bend over backwards to appease those groups that it believes are more willing to resort to violence to achieve their goals.

This is entirely at odds with the PAP’s avowed stance of strictly upholding the Rule of Law and never giving way because of civil disobedience. Apparently, this stance only applies to its political opponents like the Singapore Democratic Party.

**** Singapore's Sushi Restaurants Say May Replace Japanese Imports <http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/03/17/idINIndia-55650220110317>
Eveline Danubrata, Reuters

As worries grow about radiation from an earthquake-damaged nuclear plant in Japan entering the food chain, restaurants in Singapore are considering importing sushi, sashimi and other Japanese ingredients from elsewhere.

**** Singapore Export Growth Slows More Than Forecast <http://www.rttnews.com/Content/AsianEconomicNews.aspx?Id=1577592&SM=1>
RTTNews

Singapore's non-oil domestic exports grew 7.8 percent year-on-year in February, with the rate of growth decelerating from a 21 percent expansion in the previous month, the International Enterprise Singapore said Thursday.

**** Anatomy Of An Apology <http://singaporedesk.blogspot.com/2011/03/anatomy-of-apology.html>
Singapore Notes