[MyAppleMenu] Nov 1, 2011

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** New MacBook Pros (Late 2011) Feature Updates That Boost Performance And Value <http://www.macworld.com/article/163307/2011/10/new_macbook_pros_late_2011_feature_updates_that_boost_performance_and_value.html#lsrc.rss_main>
James Galbraith, Macworld

The new MacBook Pro lineup won’t cause any buyer’s remorse for those who purchased a member of the early 2011 family, or perhaps even for buyers of a 2010 MacBook Pro. If you have a laptop that's older, however, the late 2011 MacBook Pros feature faster processors, larger capacity hard drives in the 13-inch models, and improved graphics in the 15- and 17-inch models that combine to make already attractive systems an even greater value.

**** Keeping Track Of Coffee Orders <http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/31/app-smart-extra-keeping-track-of-coffee-orders/?partner=rss&emc=rss>
Bob Tedeschi, New York Times

On iPhone, the free app CoffeeRunLE displays a list of typical java attributes and additives, so you can record someone’s order for a medium cappuccino with three sugars and low-fat milk, for instance.

**** New iPhone Faces Battery Complaints <http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/31/new-iphone-faces-battery-complaints/?partner=rss&emc=rss>
Nick Wingfield, New York Times

The discussions forums on Apple’s Web site are ablaze with comments from iPhone 4S customers about the poor battery life of the new Apple phone. Many of the people complaining say the battery on the iPhone 4S seems to drain quickly even when they’re not using the device much and even after they have shut down some of the power-hungry features that can affect battery performance.

**** Corel Painter 12 Opens Up World Of Creativity <http://www.macnews.com/2011/10/31/corel-painter-12-opens-world-creativity>
Tami Fry-Pietsch, MacNews

**** Despite New CPU Options, Apple Reportedly Questioning Future Of Mac Pro <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/10/31/despite_new_cpu_options_apple_reportedly_questioning_future_of_mac_pro.html>
Kasper Jade, AppleInsider

Although the Mac maker has reportedly developed a revision to the existing Mac Pro that may or may not see the light of day, people familiar with the matter said management as far back as May of 2011 were in limbo over whether to pour any additional resources into the product line. 

**** LaCie Little Big Disk (2TB) Review: More Affordable Thunderbolt Storage <http://www.anandtech.com/show/5032/lacie-little-big-disk-2tb-review-more-affordable-thunderbolt-storage>
Anand Lal Shimpi, AnandTech

Thunderbolt products are finally starting to roll out. The Pegasus was a good start, and the Little Big Disk gives customers a more palatable price point. To hit the lower price LaCie does sacrifice a bit on capacity and performance. The move to 2.5" hard drives and only being able to accommodate two of them in its small chassis limits peak performance to around 200MB/s. Compared to USB 2.0 and FireWire 800 options however, that's not bad at all. Even compared to GigE, you're still looking at a significant performance improvement. If you do a lot of large file transfers onto your external storage, the Little Big Disk will likely be a huge step up from your current solution.

**** Sorenson Updates Squeeze, Debuts Squeeze 8 Lite <http://www.macworld.com/article/163312/2011/10/sorenson_updates_squeeze_debuts_squeeze_8_lite.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Jackie Dove, Macworld

Squeeze 8 Lite is targeted to a growing segment of users who need to easily publish high-quality video online, but who do not need the high-end capabilities of enterprise or broadcast professionals that the main software package is designed for.

**** Mac OS X Trojan Leeches Off Your GPU To Mine Bitcoins <http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2395624,00.asp#fbid=0czh_0GSMk8>
Sara Yin, PC Magazine

Another day, another piece of Mac malware. This time security firms have discovered a Mac OS X Trojan that steals processing power to create Bitcoin, a virtual currency beloved by libertarians, computer programmers, and hackers of all shades.

**** Get Smarter With iTunes U <http://www.macworld.com/article/163267/2011/11/get_smarter_with_itunes_u.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Kirk McElhearn, Macworld

**** Legal Issues Prompt Apple To Remove Amazon Cloud Music Player From App Store <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/11/01/legal_issues_prompt_apple_to_remove_amazon_cloud_music_player_from_app_store.html>
Sam Oliver, AppleInsider

A third-party iOS application that streamed music from Amazon's Cloud Drive service has been removed from the App Store due to legal complications with the music industry.

**** How To Sort And Organize Your iPhoto Library <http://www.macworld.com/article/162194/2011/09/how_to_sort_and_organize_your_iphoto_library.html>
Macworld

**** Plex 2.0 For iOS Ramps Up Video Streaming; Plex 0.9.5 For Mac/Windows Released As Well <http://www.tuaw.com/2011/11/01/plex-2-0-ramps-up-video-streaming/>
Mel Martin, TUAW

Plex is an advanced Media Server that runs on your Mac and manages and distributes your audio and video to other computers, a connected TV and your iOS devices via the Plex iOS app.

**** Apple Retail Chief Ron Johnson Officially Departs With No Replacement <http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/11/01/apple_retail_chief_ron_johnson_officially_departs_with_no_replacement.html>
Katie Marsal, AppleInsider

**** Apple Releases GarageBand For iPhone And iPod Touch <http://www.loopinsight.com/2011/11/01/apple-releases-garageband-for-iphone-and-ipod-touch/?utm_source=loopinsight.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+loopinsight%2FKqJb+%28The+Loop%29>
Jim Dalrymple, The Loop

**** "Siri, How Much Data Do You Gobble Up In A Month?" Ars Investigates <http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2011/11/how-data-heavy-is-siri-on-an-iphone-4s-ars-investigates.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss>
Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

If you own an iPhone 4S and perform all 11 of these same queries every single day for a month over your carrier's 3G connection, you can expect to use roughly 20MB or so in a 30-day month. But it's unlikely that that you'll be asking those same questions, or with the same frequency.

**** Tim Cook Starts To Make Apple His Own <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204394804577012161036609728.html>
Jessica E. Vascellaro, Wall Street Journal

But the moves Mr. Cook has made since he officially took over the CEO title provide signs of how he will seek to run Apple in the years ahead, imposing more discipline on a place that for years was guided by Mr. Jobs's gut.



MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** A Murder In Salem <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/A-Murder-in-Salem.html>
E.J. Wagner, Smithsonian

In 1830, a brutal crime in Massachusetts riveted the nation—and inspired the writings of Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

**** In Loss, A Mother Explores Dark Questions And Bright Memories <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/01/books/blue-nights-by-joan-didion-review.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss>
Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

Ms. Didion’s heartbreaking new book, “Blue Nights,” is at once a loving portrait of Quintana and a mother’s conflicted effort to grapple with her grief through words: the medium the author has used throughout her life to try to make sense of the senseless. It is a searing inquiry into loss and a melancholy meditation on mortality and time.

**** In Praise Of Memorizing Poetry—Badly <http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/poem/2011/11/william_butler_yeats_on_being_asked_for_a_war_poem_.html>
Robert Pinsky, Slate

What we learn by misremembering our favorite lines.



SingaporeSurf
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**** PM Lee Needs To Be Less Narrow Minded And Look Further Into The Future (As What He Always Claim) <http://sgpublicpolicy.wordpress.com/2011/10/31/pm-lee-needs-to-be-less-narrow-minded-and-look-further-into-the-future-as-what-he-always-claim/>
Scrutinizing The Singapore Government

Productivity, or technology is the one important factor that Singapore is lacking, if the reports of how unproductive Singapore workers are compared to other advanced economies are any indication. As an economy approaches maturity as in any advanced country, this factor becomes the most important factor in improving GDP growth since there is only so much labor and capital you can invest.

**** The New Media, Politics & Our Youths <http://yawshinleong.blogspot.com/2011/10/new-media-politics-our-youth.html>
Yaw Shin Leong

**** Domestic Helpers Are People, Not Robots. <http://kirstenhan.me/2011/11/01/domestic-helpers-are-people-not-robots/>
Funny Little World

Is this the right attitude to have towards another human being, even if they are under our employ?

**** Singapore's High Imprisonment Rate.... <http://singaporemind.blogspot.com/2011/11/singapores-high-prison-population.html>
Diary Of A Singaporean Mind

**** Income Inequality In Singapore – And What We Can Do About It <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/11/income-inequality-in-singapore-and-what-we-can-do-about-it/>
Joseph Teo, The Online Citizen

**** Singapore’s Jobless Rate Falls As Companies Increase Payrolls <http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-10-31/singapore-s-jobless-rate-falls-as-companies-increase-payrolls.html>
Shamim Adam And Sarina Yoo, Bloomberg

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate eased to 2 percent in the three months through September from 2.1 percent the previous quarter, the Ministry of Manpower said in a statement today. That’s better than the median estimate of eight economists surveyed by Bloomberg News for a rate of 2.3 percent. The economy added an estimated 32,300 jobs last quarter, compared with 24,800 in the previous period.

**** Little Rest For Singapore's Silent Army <http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/30/world/asia/little-rest-for-singapores-silent-army/>
Hilary Whiteman, CNN

"What's really striking is that Singapore has done a good job of addressing cases of physical and sexual abuse against domestic workers... but they have really fallen behind the norm in terms of not including these workers under the labor law and considering them as workers," says Nisha Varia from Human Rights Watch. "It's something Singapore should feel really embarrassed about."

While maids are recognized under Singapore's Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, the legislation doesn't regulate pay or working hours. That is agreed in a contract between the employer and employee, along with their recruitment company.

**** Digital Radio From MediaCorp To Cease <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1162810/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia

Come December, MediaCorp will discontinue its Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) service which was widely seen as the "replacement technology" for FM radio more than a decade ago.

However, the effectiveness and reach of DAB was soon overtaken by technology which offered listeners a wider range of convenient access to radio alongside the FM services such as online streaming as well as mobile phone apps.

**** Great Opportunities For Iskandar <http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/2011/11/great-opportunities-for-iskandar.html>
Chua Chin Leng, My Singapore News

The average Singaporeans will definitely welcome such an alternative. And there could be many alternatives that the Malaysian govt can provide, cheaper and even better than Singapore, if they are clear in what they want.

**** Govt, Bosses, Unions - Things To Get 'Noisier': Tan Chuan-Jin <http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_729308.html>
Toh Yong Chuan, Straits Times

The government, employers and unions have previously solved problems quietly behind the scenes, but things will get 'a bit noiser' going forward, minister of state for manpower Tan Chuan-Jin said on Monday.

**** The New Game In Town <http://singaporedesk.blogspot.com/2011/11/new-game-in-town.html>
Singapore Notes

**** Asean Mulls Making Military Equipment <http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/11/1/nation/9810919&sec=nation>
The Star

Asean countries are looking at producing their own military equipment for the region in an effort to reduce operational costs, Defence minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.

Dr Zahid said Malaysia hoped to become the regional hub for the production of military equipment.

**** SIA Unveils Long-haul Budget Carrier <http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8368306>
AAP

Singapore Airlines has launched a budget carrier that will fly on medium and long-haul routes, including to Australia and China.

**** æ¸©å·žç‚’æˆ¿å›¢è¿›å†›æ–°åŠ å¡ 旅游时“抢”房 <http://nb.city.ifeng.com/qtwz/detail_2011_11/01/99592_0.shtml>
温州商报

ä»€ä¹ˆä¸œè¥¿è®©ä»–ä»¬åƒä¹°ç™½èœä¸€æ ·è´­ä¹°æ–°åŠ å¡æˆ¿äº§ï¼Ÿç­”æ¡ˆéƒ½å¾ˆç›¸åƒï¼šæ–°åŠ å¡çŽ¯å¢ƒå¥½ã€æŠ•èµ„å›žæŠ¥çŽ‡é«˜ã€è´·æ¬¾åˆ©çŽ‡ä½Žï¼Œå€¼å¾—æŠ•èµ„â€¦â€¦

**** Ok To Work Continuously Non-Stop For 12 Days??? <http://singapore-lighthouse.blogspot.com/2011/11/ok-to-work-continuously-non-stop-for-12.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2Fymrch+%28Singapore+Social+and+Political+Thoughts%29>
Singapore Social And Political Thoughts

**** Singapore Airlines Unveils Long-haul Budget Carrier <http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ivx4sC6pAh7GanNAxUVSISMr4aBw?docId=CNG.35f5ae608a85881eeb1b91d9639d25f8.281>
AFP

Analysts have said SIA is moving to tap into a growing consumer demand for low-cost travel over longer distances as most of Asia's low-cost carriers cover short-haul routes.

Scoot is expected to compete directly with AirAsia X, the long-haul affiliate of Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia and British tycoon Richard Branson's Virgin Group.

**** MDA Issues Guidelines On Pay TV Contracts <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1162861/1/.html>
Sharon See, Channel NewsAsia

The Media Development Authority (MDA) has released a set of guidelines to limit the charges pay TV operators can impose on consumers who terminate their contracts early.

It is also limiting the contract term to a maximum of two years to ensure consumers are not locked into unnecessarily long contracts.

**** Singapore Airlines Shows Off Scoot Low Cost Brand <http://blogs.crikey.com.au/planetalking/2011/11/01/singapore-airlines-shows-off-scoot-low-cost-brand/>
Ben Sandilands, Crikey

Today’s announcement doesn’t add much to earlier guidance, however it is important because Singapore Inc, so to speak, had made known its displeasure at the airline’s declining performance in terms of contributing to traffic numbers at Changi Airport or to its tourism industry.

Similarly Singapore Airlines investors, including the major government interest held by Temasek Holdings, had also become unhappy with its dismal attempts to make its short haul Tiger Airways low cost franchise into a credible answer to the success of Malaysia based budget carrier Air Asia and its long haul Air Asia X division or even mix it with the Qantas owned Jetstar operation and its puppet Jetstar Asia carrier which is based in Singapore and controlled by Qantas.

**** Sylvia Lim, PAP MPs Spar Over Happiness Gauge <http://trulysingapore.wordpress.com/2011/11/01/sylvia-lim-pap-mps-spar-over-happiness-gauge/>
Yours Truly Singapore

High GDP means high salaries for elites like you, not for common folks like us. Perhaps that is why high GDP means happiness to you but not to us.