[MyAppleMenu] Aug 27, 2012

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** A Lesson In Innovation From Apple's First Interface Trial ****
<http://www.zdnet.com/a-lesson-in-innovation-from-apples-first-interface-trial-7000003202/>
David Morgenstern, ZDNet



**** How To Take Awesome HDR Photos With Your iPhone ****
<http://www.imore.com/how-take-awesome-hdr-photos-your-iphone>
Leanna Lofte, IMore



**** Apple's New Pinch-To-Zoom Monopoly Is Bad News ****
<http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2012/08/25/apple_v_samsung_verdict_creates_new_pinch_to_zoon_monopoly_that_s_bad_for_consumers.html>
Matthew Yglesias, Slate


> In some sense there'd be "more innovation" in this world since there'd be this kind of arbitrary proliferation of user interfaces. But in a more important sense there'd be less competition, since there are only so many viable ways for a person to interact with a car and a lot of those ways suck.



**** Apple Case Muddies The Future Of Innovations ****
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/27/technology/apple-samsung-case-muddies-future-of-innovation.html?_r=1>
Nick Wingfield, New York Times


> Whether consumers respond by buying the more distinctive devices is another question entirely.



**** Retina MacBook Pro Review As A Mac Pro Owner ****
<http://www.marco.org/2012/08/26/retina-mbp-review>
Marco Arment


> So while this Retina MacBook Pro is the best computer I’ve ever used, I’m also impatiently waiting for the day when I can comfortably make one of these my only computer, and it’s not there yet.



**** The Apple Tax, Part II ****
<http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/08/26/the-apple-tax-part-ii/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+monday-note+%28Monday+Note%29>
Jean-Louis Gassée, Monday Note


> Microsoft and Apple saw that an armed peace was a better solution than constant IP conflicts. Can Samsung and Apple decide to do something similar and feed engineers rather than platoons of high-priced lawyers (the real winners in these battles)?

> It’s a nice thought but I doubt it’ll happen. Gates and Jobs had known one another for a long time; there was animosity, but also familiarity. There is no such comfort between Apple and Samsung execs. There is, instead, a wide cultural divide.






The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Securing Your Voice ****
<http://www.technologyreview.com/news/428970/securing-your-voice/?ref=rss>
David Talbot, Technology Review


> Researchers turn voiceprints into passwords to avoid storing your actual speech anywhere.



**** At Box, A Fast-Moving Chief Immersed In The Cloud ****
<http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/disruptions-at-box-net-a-fast-moving-chief-immersed-in-the-cloud/>
Nick Bilton, New York Times






MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Poem Of The Week: Darts By Christina Dunhill ****
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/27/poem-week-darts-christina-dunhill?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Carol Rumens, The Guardian



**** Onward ****
<http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/09/onward/309065/?single_page=true&src=longreads>
Emma Donoghue, The Atlantic






SingaporeSurf
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**** Singapore’s National Day Rally 2012: It’s All About <i>Love</i> ****
<http://singaporeshortstories.blogspot.sg/2012/08/singapores-national-day-rally-2012-its.html>
Singapore Short Stories



**** As Singapore Globalizes Its Schools, Locals Worry ****
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/27/world/asia/27iht-educside27.html?_r=1>
Liz Gooch, New York Times


> The globalization of the country’s higher education sector has some Singaporeans concerned that bringing in more international students may have come at a cost to citizens, despite a rise in the number of Singaporean students attending universities in recent years.

> A government committee is investigating how Singapore can expand access to Singaporeans and is expected to submit its recommendations by the end of the year.



**** National Day Rally: What’s Next For Singapore? ****
<http://asiancorrespondent.com/88343/national-day-rally-whats-next-for-singapore/>
Kirsten Han, Asian Correspondent


> The mark of a successful global city is not one where everyone has adapted or assimilated so much so that everyone becomes the same. A successful global city is one where diversity is recognised and accepted. Instead of going, “We must integrate!”, a global city says, “We’re different, but that’s great!”



**** Beware Graveyards Of Public Service ****
<http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/beware-graveyards-of-public-service/>
Alex Au, Yawning Bread


> It is, in sum, not a pretty picture. Face-saving and fire-fighting seem to be at the fore. Wholistic solutions (e.g. including a transport allowance) don’t figure very much, and, in fact, a prickly defensiveness when failings are aired in public is more noticeable.

> Why is that so?  Has the quality of the public administration declined?



**** From Gay Rights To The Rights Of All Singaporeans ****
<http://article14.blogspot.sg/2012/08/from-gay-rights-to-rights-of-all.html>
Article 14


> Let us not underestimate the significance of what has happened.  Gay men may not have gained a victory yet.  Singaporeans, in general, definitely have.



**** Making Bad News Look Good ****
<http://berthahenson.wordpress.com/2012/08/27/making-bad-news-look-good/>
Bertha Harian



**** Time To Look Below The Surface At National Issues? ****
<http://www.singapolitics.sg/views/time-look-below-surface-national-issues>
Leon Perera, Straits Times


> What was missing was an honest discussion of the fundamental policy assumptions, structures and non-negotiables (dare we say ideology) which underlie these problems.



**** Behave ****
<http://desparatebeep.blogspot.sg/2012/08/behave.html>
Desparatebeep


> So, yes, I agree - Singaporeans need to learn how to behave. It's sad that we have to be told to behave after 47-years but we got to start somewhere. However, the government should also look at the cause of why we are the way we are and start tackling the problem with some urgency.



**** Govt Will Hear All Views, But Not All Will Be Taken Into Account: Amy Khor ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1222392/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia


> "There has to be balance because there are diverse views but what is important is that we close the loop. So, I think if suggestions are not taken into account, we should explain why they cannot be taken into account."



**** With Opening Near, Yale Defends Singapore Venture ****
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/27/world/asia/27iht-educlede27.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss>
Liz Gooch, New York Times


> Some academics say the rising number of universities operating in countries like China and some Gulf states shows that it is possible to work relatively freely in societies criticized for a lack of academic freedom and human rights.



**** New PAP Chapter Or New Singapore Chapter? Who Will Care More About The Future Of Singapore? ****
<http://pijitailai.blogspot.sg/2012/08/new-pap-chapter-or-new-singapore.html>
否极泰来 Piji Tailai


> A National Conservation without a free press is what PM Lee and Heng Swee Keat can offer Singaporeans.  How can you hear and read the alternative plans of Singapore in a <i>not</i> free and easy access environment? 



**** Another View Of Singapore ****
<http://robertlindsay.wordpress.com/2012/08/26/another-view-of-singapore/>
Robert Lindsay


> Lee has created a rich people’s paradise in Singapore, a nearly feudal state where the workers are so priced out of the economy that they are refusing to breed and have no roofs over their heads.



**** Singapore’s Gradualist Descent To The Welfare State ****
<http://prudentinvestornewsletters.blogspot.sg/2012/08/singapores-gradualist-descent-to.html>
Prudent Investor Newsletters


> This just goes to show that politicians everywhere and of all stripes are cut from the same cloth. They use up all kinds of populist excuses to justify the expansion of political power over society which benefits them more than their constituents.



**** U.K. Bankers Prefer To Work In Singapore Over NYC, London ****
<http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-08-26/u-dot-k-dot-investment-bankers-prefer-to-work-in-singapore-survey-says>
Ambereen Choudhury, Bloomberg


> Investment bankers in the U.K. favor working in Singapore over New York and London, where they face lower wage growth and higher taxes, according to recruitment firm Astbury Marsden.



**** æ–°åŠ å¡ç»æµŽ:ä¾é é«˜ç§‘æŠ€å¢žåŠ "抗击打"能力 ****
<http://finance.people.com.cn/n/2012/0827/c70846-18838699.html>
经济日报



**** Singapore May Raise Taxes For Social Spending As Nation Ages ****
<http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-08-26/singapore-sees-taxes-rising-on-social-spending-as-nation-ages>
Shamim Adam, Bloomberg


> “With a shrinking working population, an inadequate birth rate and a higher dependency ratio, there is an inevitability that taxes will have to be raised,” said Vishnu Varathan, a Singapore-based economist at Mizuho Corporate Bank Ltd. “I don’t think anything will change in our tax policy to make us less competitive in the next five to 10 years, but the prime minister is talking about something much further out.”



**** Thoughts On PM Lee’s National Day Rally. ****
<http://thissavvyworld.tumblr.com/post/30260579917/thoughts-on-pm-lees-national-day-rally-well-it>
Love/Hate


> Frankly, making primary school education compulsory and privatizing pre-school education already puts enormous financial pressure on middle and lower income households. This just proves how the rich in Singapore get the early advantage in their educational paths, with only about 20% of the population from lower-income households making it to universities. 



**** Chart Of The Day: Singaporeans Restrained From Buying Anything But Smartphones And Tablets ****
<http://sbr.com.sg/telecom-internet/news/chart-day-singaporeans-restrained-buying-anything-smartphones-and-tablets>
Singapore Business Review



**** All Sound And Fury, Signifying Nothing ****
<http://singaporedesk.blogspot.sg/2012/08/all-sound-and-fury-signifying-nothing.html>
Singapore Notes


> How can there be hope, heart and home when when the real issues - foreigner, infrastructure, housing, transport and healthcare - are still outstanding?



**** Singapore's Midlife Crisis ****
<http://www.singapolitics.sg/views/singapores-midlife-crisis>
Chan Mui Hoong, Straits Times


> If voters deny the PAP the political primacy it desires, there will be a vacuum in political leadership.

I will argue that there isn't too much of a political leadership in the PAP either. Or as others had said, there are many wealth managers, but no wealth creators.


**** Singapore To Get Its 5Th And 6Th Universities ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/singapore-get-its-5th-and-6th-universities-20120826>
Straits Times



**** Same Old Story: National Day Rally 2012 ****
<http://rogerpoh.wordpress.com/2012/08/26/same-old-story-national-day-rally-2012/>
SpotlightOnSingapore


> PM Lee, to no one’s surprise, did not address the root cause of the many issues troubling Singaporeans. The lack of accountability and transparency, civic and political freedoms, freedom of the media, human rights failings, gerrymandering and discriminatory upgrading projects have their roots in repression.



**** Bad Singaporean Behaviour Don’t Goes Uncriticised ****
<http://blog.dk.sg/2012/08/26/bad-singaporean-behaviour-dont-goes-uncriticised/>
DKSG


> There are a lot of examples where Singaporeans criticise bad behavior from fellow Singaporeans. It doesn’t matter if you are local or foreigner. The online community is unforgiving towards people with bad behaviour.



**** Conversation? What We Need Is A National Debate ****
<http://asingaporeanson.blogspot.sg/2012/08/conversation-what-we-need-is-national.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+ASingaporeanInAustralia+(A+Singaporean+In+Australia)>
A Singaporean In Austrlia



**** Whatever We Decide Is What We Will Leave Our Children ****
<http://andrewlohhp.wordpress.com/2012/08/26/whatever-we-decide-is-what-we-will-leave-our-children/>
Andrew Loh


> We have one home – and yes, there are many problems we face. It is precisely because of this that we must work together to find solutions. As the saying goes, a house divided must fall. It is, as Irene Ng said, up to us to decide what being a Singaporean means, and what kind of society we want to be.



**** Pre-school Sector Set For A Shake-up ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120827-0000041/Pre-school-sector-set-for-a-shake-up>
Ng Jing Yng, Today


> Among other things, a new statutory board will be set up to oversee pre-school education. A few government-run pre-school centres may also be piloted to test new concepts in kindergarten education. 

> Even so, prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, speaking at his National Day Rally yesterday, reiterated that the sector would not be nationalised, citing the need to provide parents with diversity and choice. 



**** As Social Spending Rises, Taxes Will Eventually Go Up ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120827-0000038/As-social-spending-rises,-taxes-will-eventually-go-up>
Neo Chai Chin, Today


> "Let me tell you the truth: As our social spending increases significantly, sooner or later our taxes must go up - not immediately, but if you're talking about 20 years, certainly within that 20 years, whoever's the government will at some point have to raise taxes. Because the spending will have to be done, and the spending will have to be paid for," he said.

I wonder if the PM found it tempting to label this the 'hard' truth.


**** Time To Say 'Yes' To Paternity Leave ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120827-0000044/Time-to-say-yes-to-paternity-leave>
Tan Weizhen, Today


> Paternity leave could take the form of exclusive leave for husbands, or converting some part of maternity leave for them, suggested Mr Lee in his National Day Rally speech.