[MyAppleMenu] Apr 20, 2012

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Ask The iTunes Guy: iTunes Tips And Tricks ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/1166469/ask_the_itunes_guy_itunes_tips_and_tricks.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Kirk McElhearn, Macworld


> There are many tips and tricks that can make working with iTunes a bit faster or easier, and we’ve gotten a number of questions about such techniques. In this installment, I answer questions about some of the little things in iTunes, tips and tricks that every iTunes user should know.



**** Time And Taste ****
<http://www.marco.org/2012/04/20/time-and-taste>
Marco Arment


> But all of the money, web traffic, and cheap cardboard boxes in the world can’t buy two huge factors that contribute to Apple’s modern success: time and taste.



**** 10 Graphic Examples Of The Abomination That Is iTunes On Windows ****
<http://www.troyhunt.com/2012/04/10-graphic-examples-of-abomination-that.html>
Troy Hunt's Blog


> This is a rant; an unapologetic, no holds barred rant on why something that I hold in such high esteem – my iOS devices – could have come from the evildoers who created this spawn of Satan: iTunes. 



**** Should Apple Countersue Parents For Neglecting Their Kids? ****
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57416418-71/should-apple-countersue-parents-for-neglecting-their-kids/>
Chris Matyszczyk, CNET



**** How To Keep Track Of Recent Files And Folders On Your Mac ****
<http://teratalks.com/2012/04/how-to-keep-track-of-recent-files-and-folders-on-your-mac/>
Tera Thomas O'Brien, Tera Talks


> Recent Redux’s pop up window lists more information and it’s updated live. From within the context menu you can preview, open, copy, share, copy file paths, and find an item in the Finder.



**** Apple, Google, Intel Fail To Dismiss Staff-poaching Lawsuit ****
<http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/19/us-apple-poaching-lawsuit-idUSBRE83I0VF20120419>
Jonathan Stempel, Reuters


> District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, rejected the companies' bid to dismiss claims brought under the federal Sherman antitrust law and California's own antitrust law, the Cartwright Act.

> "The fact that all six identical bilateral agreements were reached in secrecy among seven defendants in a span of two years suggests that these agreements resulted from collusion, and not from coincidence," Koh added.



**** Seven Instagram Alternatives For iOS ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/1166321/seven_instagram_alternatives_for_ios.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Karissa Bell And Leah Yamshon, Macworld


> Instagram users unsure about a Facebook future have plenty of options, especially on the iOS platform. Several iOS apps promised mobility, social features, and filters and effects of their own. Consider these apps as possible ways to fill the Instagram void.



**** Morse Code Your Way To A Tweet With TeleTweet. Wait, What? ****
<http://www.macgasm.net/2012/04/19/morse-code-your-way-to-a-tweet-with-teletweet-wait-what/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+macgasm%2Fmain+%28Macgasm%29>
Joshua Schnell, Macgasm


> TeleTweet, a Twitter client from Shacked Software, let’s you tweet from the courtesy of your very own digital Morse code machine.



**** Apple's post-PC World ****
<http://www.macworld.co.uk/blogs/?entryid=3348320&blogid=8>
Andy Ihnatko, Macworld UK


> No, I no longer wish I had an 11in Air. What I have here – a third-generation iPad and an Apple Wireless Keyboard – is better. I have better-than-good native iOS apps to handle almost all of my mobile needs. When only a desktop app will do, I have VNC, and/or the wonderful OnLive Desktop service that allows me to run Microsoft Office on a virtualised Windows 7 server.

> I don’t see doom for the 11in MacBook. But I do think whatever Apple does to this Mac will tell us a lot about how the company wishes to define computing in general, and Mac OS specifically, for the next five years.






The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Unlock Interesting Data From Your Gmail Account With Gmail Meter ****
<http://thenextweb.com/apps/2012/04/19/unlock-interesting-data-from-your-gmail-account-with-gmail-meter/>
Drew Olanoff, The Next Web






MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Facts, 360 B.C.-A.D. 2012 ****
<http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-talk-huppke-obit-facts-20120419,0,809470.story>
Rex W. Huppke, Chicago Tribune


> To the shock of most sentient beings, Facts died Wednesday, April 18, after a long battle for relevancy with the 24-hour news cycle, blogs and the Internet. Though few expected Facts to pull out of its years-long downward spiral, the official cause of death was from injuries suffered last week when Florida Republican Rep. Allen West steadfastly declared that as many as 81 of his fellow members of theU.S. House of Representatives are communists.



**** An American (Working) In Paris ****
<http://www.gq.com/entertainment/books/201204/paris-i-love-you-but-youre-bringing-me-down-rosecrans-baldwin-excerpt>
Rosecrans Baldwin, GQ


> The sun above Paris was a mid-July clementine. I bought copies of <i>Le Monde</i> and the <i>Herald Tribune</i> at a kiosk and climbed the stairs to my new office on the Champs-Elysées. For three hours, I mugged at a laptop, trying to figure out how the e-mail system worked. My fingers were chattering. I spent long, spacey minutes trying to find the @ key. They'd given me a keyboard mapped for French speakers, with the letters switched around.



**** The Crisis Of Big Science ****
<http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/may/10/crisis-big-science/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nybooks+%28The+New+York+Review+of+Books%29>
Steven Weinberg, The New York Review Of Books



**** Superheroes Movies Like Avengers Assemble Should Not Be Scorned ****
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2012/apr/19/avengers-assemble-tom-hiddleston-superhero?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Tom Hiddleston, The Guardian


> I grew up watching Superman. As a child, when I first learned to dive into a swimming pool, I wasn't diving, I was flying, like Superman. I used to dream of rescuing a girl I had a crush on (my Lois Lane) from a playground bully (General Zod). Reeve, to my mind, was the first real superhero.






SingaporeSurf
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**** Singapore’s Lee Hsien Loong Joins Facebook ****
<http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2012/04/20/singapores-lee-hsien-loong-joins-facebook/?mod=wsj_share_twitter>
Shibani Mahtani, Wall Street Journal


> After the ruling People’s Action Party was dealt a bruising, narrow win at the polls in last year’s general elections, many cited the role played by social media, a far more loosely monitored sphere than Singapore’s traditional media. Since then, many establishment politicians have embraced social networks –an arena once dominated by opposition voices – in an effort to connect more with the highly wired Singaporean population. More than 2.6 million in Singapore, or 56% of the population, is on Facebook according to social marketing website socialbakers.com. Twitter has around 619, 000 Singapore users, or 19% of the population, according to a February ComScore report.

> Mr. Lee encouraged those on the social networking sites to engage with him, and to share their thoughts. Within hours, hundreds already had – expressing their concern with increasingly frequent public transport breakdowns, the prices of housing in the city-state, its high number of foreigners and even their worries about potential defamation suits when negative comments appear on Mr. Lee’s page.



**** PM Lee Launches Official Facebook Page ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_790834.html>
Andrea Ong, Straits Times


> PM Lee noted that many of his colleagues have been using social media and had encouraged him to start his own Facebook page. 'Having watched them, I have decided to join the fun,' he added.

> While his staff will help maintain the page, PM Lee said he will try to post as often as he can himself. While he will use the page to talk about some of the things he is doing and thinking about, PM Lee also asked netizens to share their ideas, advice and suggestions on the page in the four national languages.



**** Two Factors Needed To Ensure A Mature And Democratic System	 ****
<http://www.yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/5177-two-factors-needed-to-ensure-a-mature-and-democratic-system>
Singaore Democratic Party



**** Woodlands Library Launches Asian Children's Literature Collection ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_790818.html>
Leslie Kay Lim, Straits Times


> The collection of fairytales, folklores and fables is comprised of 23,000 books and audio-visual materials from all over Asia. This includes books in Chinese, Malay and Tamil as well as 800 rare books - first, out-of-print, and handwritten - now on display for public viewing.



**** Singapore: Train Breakdowns Becoming A Part Of Life ****
<http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/04/20/singapore-train-breakdowns-becoming-a-part-of-life/>
Kirsten Han, Global Voices


> Once a symbol of pride and development, Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) trains now come with a warning: ride at your own risk. Four breakdowns and assorted delays over the past week have left many commuters stranded, late for work and exams.



**** The Minimum Wage Is A Terrible Idea ****
<http://kidons.blogspot.com/2012/04/minimum-wage-is-terrible-idea.html>
Kidon's Den


> Please think carefully before asking for a minimum wage. It looks very good and noble on paper, but the real world is a very dynamic (or corrupt) place and it is not going to work out the way you think.



**** Issue 10/12: Goodbye Rediffusion ****
<http://irreverenttimes.wordpress.com/2012/04/19/issue-1012-goodbye-rediffusion/>
The Irrevelant Times



**** Premature To Gauge Cost Of High-speed KL-S'pore Rail Link ****
<http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/4/20/business/11139031&sec=business>
Sharidan M. Ali, The Star


> A source said that the train slated for the proposed HSR was estimated to travel at an average speed 250km per hour and was capable of reaching a maximum of 300km per hour. Such speed would shorten the journey between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to 90 minutes with one or two stops for the express service.



**** No Rediffusion Materials Destroyed: National Archives ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_790661.html>
Eric Tan, National Archives of Singapore, Straits Times


> No Rediffusion materials in our archives were destroyed. We have also not received donations of audio recordings directly from Rediffusion in the past.

> The majority of Rediffusion recordings held by the National Archives were donated by private individuals since the 1990s. The rest were bought from Rediffusion.

> Regrettably, Ong Toh's storytelling segments are not among these recordings.

Good to hear.


**** Banning Park Activities Won't Nurture Eco-friendly Mindset ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_790666.html>
Kelly Ng, Straits Times


> Being eco-friendly is about developing a green mindset. Only when Singaporeans truly comprehend the need to develop green habits, and the implications of not doing so, will the green movement really take off.



**** Why Electricity Should Not Be So Expensive Here ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_790667.html>
Michael Dee, Straits Times


> The reason electricity is so expensive is because the contracts with the regional offshore gas suppliers are weighted very much in their favour.



**** Maid Falls To Her Death - 7th So Far This Year ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_790765.html>
Peter Wong, Straits Times



**** Disneyland With The Death Penalty, Revisited ****
<http://www.wired.com/opinion/2012/04/opinion-jeyaretnam-disneyland-death-penalty/>
Kenneth Jeyaretnam, Wired


> Gibson was a visionary in that he saw clear through the hype to the disturbing underbelly. It turns out our government doesn’t have the secret to prosperity, and progress and they are clearing failing in technological innovation and creativity. But others still believe in the hype and if the PAP’s model for pseudo democracy takes off then new democracies everywhere are in danger.

Previously: <a href="http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.04/gibson.html">Disneyland With The Death Penalty</a> (William Gibson, Wired).


**** Art Of The Lion ****
<http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=12&art_id=121680&sid=36120788&con_type=3&d_str=20120420&fc=7>
Ivy Ong-Wood, The Standard


> This year marks the 35th anniversary of the festival, which started off by showcasing local art from Singapore's multicultural community before going on to host big international acts.

> The focus has now changed to putting together a people's festival featuring contemporary acts from Singapore and the region. "It is important to engage and invest in artists around the region," Low said. "The intention is for Singapore to be a springboard to access the region."



**** Completing The Wage Revolution ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120420-0000006/Completing-the-wage-revolution>
Tan Meng Wah, Today


> The low-income wage earners should not be denied of a long-overdue big adjustment in wages just because costs would go up. Rapid increase in income for other income groups has also raised costs in the past. 

An honest day's pay for an honest day's work.


**** Miscommunication, Lack Of Training Revealed In Hearing On MRT Disruption ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120420-0000083/Miscommunication,-lack-of-training-revealed-in-hearing-on-MRT-disruption>
Sumita Sreedharan, Today


> There was miscommunication in the Operations Control Centre (OCC) - the nerve centre of SMRT's rail operations - during the Dec 15 disruption, while train operators behind two stalled trains testified in yesterday's Committee of Inquiry hearing that they had not been trained on how to deal with passengers in emergencies.



**** Wage Reform Issue Calls For Public Debates ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120420-0000075/Wage-reform-issue-calls-for-public-debates>
Quek Soo Beng, Today



**** Impractical To Increase Wages ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120420-0000072/Impractical-to-increase-wages>
Chan Wing Kin, Today


> The income gap must be reduced. But it is impractical to ask employers to pay more to the low-income and less to the high-income groups. This is a complicated issue, which takes time and effort to solve.

There are two separate issues here: closing the income gap, and ensuring an honest day's pay for honest day's work. The income gap problem is urgent but complicated and difficult to solve, so let's tackle the lower-hanging fruit first by making sure having a job means enough money to feed a family.


**** BN Admits To Wrongful Use Of ISA. How About PAP? ****
<http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=7523>
Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net


> The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to this day maintains that under Singapore’s ISA, “no person has ever been detained only for their political beliefs” — which of course is a blatant insult to the 22 social activists arrested in 1987 on accusations that they were “Marxists” who were “plotting to overthrow the state by force”, as well as the 50 social workers arrested in 1977 on groundless charges that they were “euro-communists” (whatever that term means).

> Singapore’s ruling PAP still insists on resisting change and on continuing to parade its old and tired propaganda about the ISA because unlike Malaysia’s ruling BN coalition, it is not yet on the verge of losing power. The only way of getting the PAP to repeal oppressive laws is to bring it to that precipice.



**** Singaporeans Close Ranks Against Post On NSF's Death ****
<http://kementah.blogspot.com/2012/04/singaporeans-close-ranks-against-post.html>
David Boey, Senang Diri


> If the Singaporean Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) ever needs an example to underline, underscore and emphasize the importance of never taking National Service (NS) for granted, this Zheng Huiting episode would be it.



**** Dirty Little Tactics By SMRT ****
<http://theonlinecitizen.com/2012/04/dirty-little-tactics-by-smrt/>
Ethan Wong, The Online Citizen


> We tried calling SMRT feedback hotline and my brother was asked to go down to claim his 8 cents back. I am thinking, waste an hour or two, a few dollars on transport fare, just to claim 8 cents. Seriously, what is SMRT thinking? Singaporeans aren't daft to know that this must be the worst deal of the century.

SMRT should have refunded 80 cents, if one-cent coins and five-cent coins is a problem. Are there any adults running the show in SMRT?