[MyAppleMenu] May 19, 2011

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** OmniFocus 1.3 For iPad Updates Forecast Mode <http://www.tuaw.com/2011/05/18/omnifocus-1-3-for-ipad-updates-forecast-mode/>
Mike Schramm, TUAW

Most notably, the new version updates the app's Forecast Mode, which streamlines all of your calendar events and tasks into an easy-to-read format.

**** Twitter Announces Permissions Change, Frustrates App Developers <http://www.macworld.com/article/159960/2011/05/twitter_announces_permissions_change_third_party.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Lex Friedman, Macworld

**** Experimenting With Piracy – An Indie Mac Developer’s Perspective <http://clickontyler.com/blog/2011/05/experimenting-with-piracy/>
Clickontyler

For the last twelve months I’ve been keeping detailed records regarding the number of users pirating my Mac apps and toying with different ways of converting those users into paying customers. I’m not foolish enough to ever think I could actually eliminate the piracy — especially since I believe there are a few legitimate reasons for pirating software — but I was genuinely curious as to what the actual numbers were, the motivations behind doing so, and if there were any way I could make a small dent in those numbers.

**** Why Is Apple Trademarking “Thunderbolt” Instead Of Intel? <http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/05/18/why-is-apple-trademarking-thunderbolt-instead-of-intel/>
Devin Coldewey, CrunchGear

**** Independent Mac Retailers Step Out From The Apple Store Shadow <http://www.macworld.com/article/159702/2011/05/indymacstores.html>
Joel Mathis, Macworld

Ten years, more than 300 stores, and nearly a billion visitors after Apple opened its first retail outlet in McLean, Virginia, the landscape has shifted radically for the independent stores that once served as Apple’s main bridge to consumers. Some independent stores have adapted and continued on. A few are simply hanging on. And a few others couldn’t compete and went under in a blaze of recrimination and lawsuits.

**** Apple Has Two Licenses Down, Two To Go For Cloud Music Service <http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/05/apple-wrapping-up-licensing-for-cloud-music-announcement.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss>
Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

Apple is reportedly poised to finish signing licensing deals with all of the Big Four music labels in the near future, setting the stage for the introduction of a cloud music service at WWDC in June.

**** Malware On The Mac: Is There Cause For Concern? Ars Investigates <http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/05/malware-on-the-mac.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss>
Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

Ars spoke with 14 different Mac support specialists—including several Apple Store Geniuses—in order to get a handle on whether things have changed when it comes to dealing with malware. Their experiences are all over the map, but the general consensus does seem to lean towards a low amount of malware problems—until you get to the Geniuses.

**** ProKit 7.0 <http://tidbits.com/article/12185?rss>
Marco Tabini, TidBITS

The new release includes several bug and stability fixes, provides better font rendering and improves support for PopOver-style tooltips.

**** As Apple Stores Celebrate 10 Years, Some Employees Look To Unionize <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/05/19/as_apple_stores_celebrate_10_years_some_employees_look_to_unionize.html>
Sam Oliver, AppleInsider

A group calling itself the "Apple Retail Workers Union" is attempting to drum up support for its cause as Apple's retail business celebrates its first 10 years.



The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Can Robots Really Teach Us About Altruism? <http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/guest/26772/?ref=rss>
David Zax, Technology Review

Swiss researchers use real and simulated robots to learn about on an enduring mystery of evolutionary biology.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Roaming The Streets, Taking Surreal Turns <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/books/open-city-by-teju-cole-book-review.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss>
Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

The narrator of Teju Cole’s odd, sometimes striking, sometimes frustrating first novel is a med student named Julius who likes to wander through the streets of New York City, and the book is filled with arresting, strobe-lit glimpses of Manhattan, “this strangest of islands.”

**** David Brooks: What's The Big Idea? <http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/may/19/david-brooks-big-idea-society?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Stuart Jeffries, The Guardian

His theories on society were fashionable 200 years ago, so why are British politicians such fans of this New York Times columnist's new book?

**** The Stockholm Syndrome Theory Of Long Novels <http://www.themillions.com/2011/05/the-stockholm-syndrome-theory-of-long-novels.html>
Mark Oconnell, The Millions

But what I found with Gaddis’s gigantic exploration of fraudulence and creativity was that, though they were greatly outnumbered by the frustrations, the pleasures seemed to register much more firmly.



SingaporeSurf
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**** Singapore Enters New Era As Founder Lee Steps Down <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43078480>
Alex Kennedy, Associated Press

At the very least, the government has promised a shift in tone away from Lee's my-way-or-the-highway attitude that has helped make Singapore one of the world's wealthiest — and most tightly controlled — countries.

**** 李光耀放手 æ–°åŠ å¡ä½•å¾€ <http://finance.sina.com.cn/roll/20110519/01169863074.shtml>
宋冰, 第一财经日报

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**** Surprises In New Cabinet <http://politicshap.wordpress.com/2011/05/18/surprises-in-new-cabinet/>
Politics

**** The Real Work Starts <http://yeejj.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/the-real-work-starts/>
Yee Jenn Jong

The challenges facing Singapore are real. Many lives are affected. The way policies are shaped cannot just be driven by more of the same from the past. The changes to the cabinet have been radical and I hope the solutions the ministers can come up with will be so as well. The real work has just begun.

**** Cheaper Way To Stay Cool In School - Wear Practical Clothing <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_670154.html>
Eric J. Brooks, Straits Times

There is no need to waste additional time or money studying this matter: sometimes the simplest solutions to beating the heat are also the cheapest ones.

**** Pensions: Tell It Exactly Like It Is <http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_670156.html>
Krishnan Harihara Kasthuri Rangan, Straits Times

All the government needed to do was to quantify its clarification into dollars and state how much Mr George Yeo, Mrs Lim Hwee Hua and Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed will receive each month as pension.

**** Business As Usual <http://singaporedesk.blogspot.com/2011/05/business-as-usual.html>
Singapore Notes

The water tanks at the Woodlands block could have laced with Sarin by similarly minded foreigners. No statement will be issued by the Minister of Home Affairs about the current status of homeland security, post-Wong Kan Seng complacency.

**** Change From Within? <http://article14.blogspot.com/2011/05/change-from-within.html>
Article 14

**** Tell It As It Is <http://hardhitting-nobs.blogspot.com/2011/05/tell-it-as-it-is.html>
Musings From The Lion City

Now, PM Lee is probably trying to save the face of the ministers by saying that they jumped instead of being pushed, but this line is just giving unnecessary ammunition to the opposition.

**** Singapore Raises Growth Forecast On Manufacturing Boost <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13450579>
BBC

**** What Next? Ministers’ Salaries Must Come Down: SDP <http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/next-ministers-salaries-must-come-down-sdp-154731623.html>
Fann Sim, Yahoo!

Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chief Chee Soon Juan has called for an across-the-board cut in ministers' salaries in the wake of prime minister Lee Hsien Loong's sweeping changes to the Cabinet.

On the new cabinet appointments, Dr Chee urged Singaporeans to question not who is appointed to which ministry but rather "what policies will emanate from these new ministries."

**** Why I Oppose Yale In Singapore <http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2011/may/18/benhabib-why-i-oppose-yale-singapore/>
Seyla Benhabib, Yale Daily News

This line of reasoning – a long, convoluted one in law, philosophy, and political science -- rides the tired notion that sound "Asian” values must be respected even if they are irreconcilable with “Western” understandings of human rights and democracy. But no one professing the liberal arts, especially in Yale’s name, can fail to insist that "human rights have no walls" and that all values are subject to critical scrutiny, whether some call them "Asian" or western. If we don’t live up to these principles, then the whole project is compromised from the start.

**** Lifting The Party Whip-comments On An Article In <i>Today</i> <http://thetwophilo.wordpress.com/2011/05/18/in-reference-to-an-article-in-today-lifting-the-party-whip-pap-mps-share-their-views-by-leong-wee-keat/>
Thetwophilo's Blog

**** PAP Town Councils To Enhance Security Measures On Water Tank Access <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1129834/1/.html>
Mustafa Shafawi, Channel NewsAsia

The PAP Town Councils said they will further enhance the current security measures on access to the water tanks of HDB blocks.

**** The People That You Mentor? <http://desparatebeep.blogspot.com/2011/05/people-that-you-mentor.html>
Desparatebeep

**** PAP Should Not View Opposition As ‘Enemy’: SPP’s Pwee <http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/pap-not-view-opposition-enemy-spp-pwee-061603743.html>
Jeanette Tan, Yahoo!

**** Singaporeans Must Be Taken Care First Before Bringing In Foreign Talents <http://www.temasekreview.com/2011/05/19/singaporeans-must-be-taken-care-first-before-bringing-in-foreign-talents/>
The Temasek Review

**** Lack Of Women Newcomers Made Ministers Disappointing: Aware <http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC110519-0000886/Lack-of-women-newcomers-made-ministers-disappointing--Aware>
Esther Ng, Today

That only the men in the slate of newcomers into Parliament were given minister and minister of state (MOS) positions after the prime minister's Cabinet re-shuffle was disappointing, and points to a need for "transparency" and "clarity" in the appointment process, said former Nominated Member of Parliament, Ms Braema Mathi.

**** GE Results A Factor To Mr Mah's Stepping Down? <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1129933/1/.html>
Joanne Chan, Channel NewsAsia

National development minister Mah Bow Tan said he accepted responsibility for the unhappiness over the sharp rises in housing prices. In addition, he acknowledged that his housing portfolio may have cost him some political points with the electorate.

**** Curing The Patient With Engineers <http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2011/05/20/curing-the-patient-with-engineers/>
Au Waipang, Yawning Bread

True demonstration of reforming intent should take the form of announcing new Key Performance Indicators (KPI).