[MyAppleMenu] Apr 21, 2012

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
====================================
**** Microsoft Pulls Office 2011 SP2 AutoUpdate For Mac ****
<http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/12/04/20/microsoft_pulls_office_2011_sp2_autoupdate_for_mac.html>
AppleInsider


> A little over a week after releasing an update to its Office 2011 for Mac, Microsoft has stopped pushing out auto-updates for Service Pack 2 over a flaw that corrupts identity databases in the company's Outlook mail client.



**** The Three-year Itch: Why Apple Needs To Do More To Keep Older Systems Secure ****
<http://gigaom.com/apple/the-three-year-itch-why-apple-needs-to-do-more-to-keep-older-systems-secure/>
Dave Greenbaum, GigaOM


> With Apple’s accelerated OS release cycle, leaving Leopard’s Java security unsupported after less than three years is unfair to users and a potential class action lawsuit waiting to happen since Apple’s extended warranty (AppleCare) is designed to support the Mac for three years.



**** An Interview With Linus Torvalds ****
<http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/19/an-interview-with-millenium-technology-prize-finalist-linus-torvalds/>
Scott Merrill, TechCrunch


> I’m have to admit being a bit baffled by how nobody else seems to have done what Apple did with the Macbook Air – even several years after the first release, the other notebook vendors continue to push those ugly and *clunky* things. Yes, there are vendors that have tried to emulate it, but usually pretty badly. I don’t think I’m unusual in preferring my laptop to be thin and light.

I am using a MacBook Air 11-inch for my work, and I absolutely love this machine.


**** Apple Shows Off iPhone’s Use In The Enterprise World ****
<http://9to5mac.com/2012/04/20/apple-shows-off-iphones-use-in-the-enterprise-world/>
Jake Smith, 9 To 5 Mac



**** Flashback Botnet Not Shrinking, Huge Numbers Of Macs Still Infected ****
<http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9226429/Flashback_botnet_not_shrinking_huge_numbers_of_Macs_still_infected_?source=rss_keyword_edpicks>
Gregg Keizer, Computerworld


> Contrary to reports by several security companies, the Flashback botnet is not shrinking, the Russian antivirus firm that first reported the massive infection three weeks ago claimed today.

> Also on Friday, Liam O Murchu, manager of operations at Symantec's security response center, confirmed that Dr. Web's numbers were correct.

Definitely not good news for Apple.


**** DropKey Makes Exchanging Encrypted Files A Snap ****
<http://tidbits.com/article/12943?rss>
Glenn Fleishman, TidBITS


> It’s a dead simple way to exchange encrypted files with other people without a lot of overhead or fuss in making the exchange work securely. DropKey is also secure and powerful enough that security wonks will like it, too.

This will be great for groups working outside of the traditional office network.


**** Ebook Price-fixing: Apple, Publishers Face Class Action In Montreal ****
<http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Ebook+price+fixing+Apple+publishers+face+class+action+Montreal/6492438/story.html>
Jason Magder, The Gazette


> Like antitrust lawsuits launched by the Department of Justice in the U.S. and the European Union, the Quebec suit claims that Apple colluded with book publishers to artificially set electronic book prices higher than the $9.99 standard Amazon had set for most of its electronic books.

Both Apple and Amazon do not sell e-books in Singapore, where I live. I guess with all these lawsuits, I will have to wait a little bit longer for them to start selling here,.





The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Cloudflare’s Instaflare Is An Instagram For All The Images On Your Website — Seriously ****
<http://venturebeat.com/2012/04/20/cloudflare-instaflare-instagram-joke/>
Devindra Harawar, VentureBeat


> Having a bit of fun with all the Instagram hype these days, the website optimization service Cloudflare has launched Instaflare, a cheeky new feature that will let users of its platform apply filters to all of the images on your site.



**** Anontune: The New Social Music Platform From Anonymous ****
<http://www.wired.com/underwire/2012/04/anontune-anonymous/>
Angela Watercutter, Wired


> In a move sure to attract attention from the music industry, a small group of coders claiming to be part of Anonymous is putting together a social music platform. The rather ambitious goal: Create a service that seamlessly pulls up songs streaming from all around the internet.



**** Archives Digitize 19Th Century Materials For 21St Century Access ****
<http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/04/21st-century-access-to-19th-century-materials.ars>
Curt Hopkins, Ars Technica






MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Me And My Spoon ****
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/apr/20/me-and-my-spoon>
Oliver Thring, The Guardian


> To me this dinner, with its tasting notes and the rest, seemed like the dernier cri in shark-jumping foodie bullshit. Yet there could be the germ of a good idea here. 



**** Introducing Los Angeles To Itself ****
<http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-janet-fitch-20120422,0,2567427.story>
Janet Fitch, Los Angeles Times


> So many people come to Los Angeles with an idea of the city, some apotheosis of the American Dream with palm trees plus a really nice car. Then they settle down into ordinary jobs and don't even understand the part of town they live in, let alone how it fits into the city as a whole or how the city started and grew.



**** “The Taste Of Tomorrow: Dispatches From The Future Of Food” By Josh Schonwald ****
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/the-taste-of-tomorrow-dispatches-from-the-future-of-food-by-josh-schonwald/2012/04/20/gIQApEjQWT_story.html>
Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post


> Schonwald, a Chicago journalist, focuses on three broad areas of interest: the salad revolution, which has brought new ingredients to the table — think radicchio, and weeds, and greens in sealed bags — and altered mass tastes as well as those of elite foodies; efforts to grow meat in vitro, i.e., in the laboratory rather than in the cow; and the rise of land-based fish farming. Every once in a while his prose turns a little flippant, and he does use the first-person singular to excess, but he has come up with a great deal of interesting information, much of which will surprise people who eat food without giving much thought to where it comes from.



**** To Live And Write In L.A. ****
<http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-tod-goldberg-20120422,0,6760605.story>
Tod Goldberg, Los Angeles Times


> It's the threat of violence that has always made fiction about Los Angeles so fundamentally different than the raft of books about Manhattan: There always seems to be an undertone of menace. Perhaps it's a genetic marker left over from the great crime fiction that first rose out of Los Angeles, or perhaps it's that the citizens of Los Angeles have always understood that if reality can be manipulated, well, identity is nothing.






SingaporeSurf
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**** SBS To Increase Pay Of Bus Drivers By 16% ****
<http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20120421-341202.html>
AsiaOne


> SBS Transit bus drivers will get a 16 per cent pay increase from next month onwards, reported the Shin Min Daily News.

> A spokesperson added that it is hoped the monetary increase will attract more people to take up the job, as with the new measures to be implemented, more bus drivers will be needed.



**** Lee Hsien Loong And The Art Of Making The Worst Possible Move ****
<http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/lee-hsien-loong-and-the-art-of-making-the-worst-possible-move/>
Alex Au, Yawning Bread


> Lee Hsien Loong is politically gauche. He does not know how to catch the wind; he flubs his opportunities; and he is driven by fear, not inspiration. Here he is at it again, making the worst of many possible moves over what should have been a simple uncontentious matter of calling a by-election.



**** Raise Income By 40 Percent In 5 Years For Lower-income Groups ****
<http://www.raviphilemon.net/2012/04/raise-income-by-40-percent-in-5-years.html>
Ravi Philemon


> An appropriate wage policy is a very strategic, integral part of overall growth and so the call to restructure wages  cannot be ignored. My suggestion would be to raise the wages of the lower-income groups by 40 per cent in 5 years, while making sure that the increase for higher-income groups remain relatively modest. 



**** Singapore: Old Memories, New Aspirations ****
<http://soleilian.com/1445>
Soleilian



**** The Most Brilliant Strategy Becomes The Worst Liability ****
<http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/2012/04/most-brilliant-strategy-becomes-worst.html>
Chua Chin Leng, My Singapore News


> The twist and turn of events have turned a cleverly formulated strategy into a nightmare, and fielding every GRC is now a grave concern to the PAP. 

If there are no GRC, I strongly suspect the number of seats going to the opposition will be greater.


**** S'pore Pushes Integrated Approach For Urbanization Challenges ****
<http://www.zdnetasia.com/videos/spore-pushes-integrated-approach-for-urbanization-challenges-62304567.htm>
Ryan Hwang, ZDNet


> Come July, the country will take a new approach to help global cities find solutions to challenges regarding urbanization by simultaneously hosting three events--World Cities Summit, Singapore International Water Week, and the inaugural CleanEnviro Summit.



**** Face It, PM ****
<http://singaporelifetimes.blogspot.com/2012/04/face-it-pm.html>
Singapore Life And Times


> You just have to trust the crowd, prime minister. Look at George. No threats. No House Rules. And he is doing just fine.



**** Singapore PM Finally Taps Into Facebook, Twitter ****
<http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hpNvjug0xDbtUJyPR7wTf6v4_lEg?docId=CNG.fbce75d2eba2ecc24710f72328c3b9d9.471>
AFP


> With the mainstream Singapore media widely seen as pro-government, an increasing number of Singaporeans have gone online to complain about everything from an influx of foreign workers to breakdowns in the metro train network.



**** Row Over ‘Wage Shock’ Call ****
<http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?file=/2012/4/21/columnists/insightdownsouth/11140686&sec=insightdownsouth>
Seah Chiang Nee, The Star


> It is not known when or why the 1979-1981 restructuring towards a higher value-added economy had to make way – as trade union leader Lim said – to one where workers must be “cheaper, better and faster”.

> The resultant income gap is developing into Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s biggest political headache. Unless he can improve the living standards of the lower middle class and poor, the ruling PAP will have a hard time with future elections, starting from 2016.



**** Attention Expats: Singapore Is Better Than Hong Kong ****
<http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/20/attention-expats-singapore-is-better-than-hong-kong/>
Bettina Wassener, New York Times


> All in all, of course, Hong Kong does a good job in many respects: the transport infrastructure is awesomely efficient; health and education services are good; and on the personal safety front…well, name another city of seven million where a woman can go jogging on her own at night, as I do.

> Still, where Hong Kong falls down — vis a vis urban rival Singapore — is air quality.

Let's not spoil Singapore's reputation on our environmental work in our pursue of GDP growth.


**** Be More Accountable To National Servicemen With Medical Conditions ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_790910.html>
Brian Tan, Straits Times


> I suffer from a condition called beta thalassemia inherited from my parents. My haemoglobin count is lower than an average person's, and overt physical activity will cause me shortness of breath. I have fainted many times because of my condition.

> What concerns me is that when I viewed my medical docket, none of the numerous times I had lost consciousness and been evacuated to the medical centre had been recorded. No incident reports had been filed.



**** SAF Explains Its Emergency Medical Protocol ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_790979.html>
Kang Wee Lee, Singapore Armed Forces, Straits Times


> The Ministry of Defence assures the public that while the training remains tough and realistic, the SAF also maintains high safety standards to ensure that the safety of our soldiers is not compromised.



**** How Lemon Law Will Affect Buying And Selling Of Pets ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_790972.html>
Yeo Guat Kwang, Consumers Association of Singaore, Wong Hon Mun, Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority, Straits Times


> Consumers cannot get a remedy simply because they have changed their minds and no longer want the pets. There is also no remedy for defects or limitations specifically pointed out to them or which are obvious at the point of purchase.

> Pet retailers are encouraged to develop best practices that promote transparency at the point of sale, such as alerting consumers to potential genetic problems in pets.



**** 波东巴西市镇会要求 分9年摊还电梯翻新费 ****
<http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp120421_003.shtml>
林慧慧, 联合早报


> 波东巴西区议员、同时也是该市镇会主席的司徒宇斌告诉本报，他已向国家发展部要求让市镇会分期付款支付所需承担的电梯翻新费用，据司徒宇斌透露，由于需要支付利息，估计市镇会需要9年的时间才能还清这笔款项。

> 在去年5月大选以微差选票为人民行动党夺回波东巴西区的司徒宇斌，从原议员詹时中手里接管波东巴西市镇会后曾公开申诉，市镇会的财务状况不太好。



**** 陆交局将探讨 柔罗厘公会建议 ****
<http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp120421_008.shtml>
胡洁梅, 联合早报


> æŸ”ä½›å·žç½—åŽ˜åŒä¸šå…¬ä¼šçš„ä»£è¡¨æ˜¨å¤©ä¸Žé™†è·¯äº¤é€šç®¡ç†å±€å®˜å‘˜é¢è°ˆï¼Œåæ˜ é©¬æ¥è¥¿äºšç½—åŽ˜åœ¨æœ¬åœ°é­å–ç¼”è¶…è½½çš„å¿§è™‘ã€‚ä¼šè°ˆè¿‡ç¨‹èžæ´½ï¼Œé™†äº¤å±€è¡¨ç¤ºä¼šæŽ¢è®¨å…¬ä¼šçš„å»ºè®®ã€‚



**** Too Much Media Hoo-ha Over Commercial Sex Cases? ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120421-0000052/Too-much-media-hoo-ha-over-commercial-sex-cases?>
Kelly Ng Siqi, Today


> If the minor should remain unnamed to protect her identity, would not the innocent children of these accused men also deserve such protection?

> And how much of the media hoo-ha is in the interest of the wider society? Probably not much.

Maybe all should not be named, until one is proven guilty?


**** Other SMRT Operations Under Scrutiny ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120421-0000058/Other-SMRT-operations-under-scrutiny>
Cheow Xin Yi, Today


> While committee chairman Chief District Judge Tan Siong Thye said he was "pleased" with the change, he questioned how the manager could manage the "additional" responsibility of the RIMP. 

> The court also heard Raffles Place station manager Soh Cherng Hoong's testimony that, in a span of three hours during evening peak hours on a work day, an average of 30,000 commuters pass through the train station's gantries, raising safety concerns at the platforms.

Soon, we will have to queue <i>outside</i> the MRT station so as to not overcrowd on the platforms.
But at least we can eat and drink outside, right?