[MyAppleMenu] Feb 29, 2012

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
====================================
**** MagicalPad - Outliner, Mind Mapping & Notes Review ****
<http://www.macworld.com/appguide/app.html?id=1188188&expand=true>
Jeff Merron, Macworld


> As an outlining app, MagicalPad is terrific.



**** Your Life, Broadcast Live ****
<http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/your-life-broadcast-live/?partner=rss&emc=rss>
Gregory Schmidt, New York Times


> Looxcie records in a continuous five-hour loop, allowing users to capture events in their lives, both unexpected and mundane, without lugging around a video camera. An Instant Clip button on the phone lets videographers send a clip of the last 30 seconds to a social network with a single click.



**** Options For Switching Among Windows In OS X ****
<http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-57387074-263/options-for-switching-among-windows-in-os-x/>
Topher Kessler, CNET



**** A Mini Takes Over  ****
<http://www.mathdittos2.com/columns/bh/bh120228.html>
Steve Wood


> Possibly the most pleasant change with the Mini is the absence of fan noise from it when compared to my old G5.



**** Boot Camp Cloning Utility Winclone Returns To OS X ****
<http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-57386657-263/boot-camp-cloning-utility-winclone-returns-to-os-x/>
Topher Kessler, CNET



**** What To Do When The OS X Finder Requires Passwords For Managing files ****
<http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-57383188-263/what-to-do-when-the-os-x-finder-requires-passwords-for-managing-files/>
Topher Kessler, CNET


> If a problem happens with the permissions setup on the system, you may run into errors when you access or edit files, including the need to enter your admin password anytime you wish to move, open, or edit a specific file (even those in your user account).



**** Apple Loophole Gives Developers Access To Photos ****
<http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/tk-ios-gives-developers-access-to-photos-videos-location/>
Nick Bilton, New York Times


> After a user allows an application on an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch to have access to location information, the app can copy the user’s entire photo library, without any further notification or warning, according to app developers.

> Full access to the photo library was first permitted in 2010 when Apple released the fourth version of its mobile software, iOS. It was intended to make photo apps more efficient. Developers said it was unclear why Apple would tie the permission for sharing of location data to access to photos.



**** Byword Is A Solid Text Editor For Markdown-focused Writing ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/165597/2012/02/byword_is_a_solid_text_editor_for_markdown_focused_writing.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Kirk McElhearn, Macworld


> If you use Markdown and want a minimal tool to write with, Byword is a good choice, despite its limited selection of themes.



**** Use iTunes To Rip Audio From Videos ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/165594/2012/02/use_itunes_to_rip_audio_from_videos.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Kirk McElhearn, Macworld



**** Apple Announces iPad Event For March 7 In San Francisco ****
<http://www.loopinsight.com/2012/02/28/apple-announces-ipad-event-for-march-7-in-san-francisco/>
Jim Dalrymple, The Loop


> While nobody knows for sure what changes the iPad 3 will have, it is widely expected the device will have a faster processor, improved graphics processor and a Retina Display.

Also, will there be a new Apple TV 3?





The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Phone Call 'Line Noise' Could Expose Thieves ****
<http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/39807/?ref=rss>
Tom Simonite, Technology Review


> Just as people's voices betray hints of the region they originate from, so, it turns out, do phone calls. Handsets, telephone exchanges, and other call-routing infrastructure imprint subtle and almost unique fingerprints onto the audio of any phone call, a phenomenon that security company Pindrop hopes to use to prevent fraudsters from using stolen credit cards over the phone.



**** App Makers May Pick Up Part Of Your Mobile Data Tab In The Future ****
<http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2012/02/app-makers-may-pick-up-part-of-your-mobile-data-tab-in-the-future.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss>
Casey Johnston, Ars Technica



**** Microsoft Research Shows Off See-through 3D Display, Holoreflector, IllumiShare ****
<http://www.extremetech.com/computing/120293-microsoft-research-shows-off-see-through-3d-display-holoreflector-illumishare>
Sebastian Anthony, ExtremeTech






MyAppleMenu Reader
====================================
**** A Pot With Benefits ****
<http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2012/02/the_pressure_cooker_makes_a_comeback_.single.html>
Rob Mifsud, Slate


> What makes the pressure cooker so great?



**** Are We Finally Getting The Hang Of Foreign Fiction? ****
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2012/feb/29/foreign-fiction-translation-sam-jordison?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Sam Jordison, The Guardian


> One thing I am wondering, however, is if we in the English-speaking world are becoming better at understanding the value of good translated literature.



**** When writers censor themselves ****
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/feb/28/authors-censor-themselves-martin-amis>
Daniel Kalder, The Guardian


> The suppression of literature is an ancient tradition that probably started with the invention of writing and which thrives today all over the world. In the west we generally venerate those authors who stand up against acts of silencing by the authorities. But what are we to think when an author suppresses himself?



**** Is It Time To Cut Bait When It Comes To Mediocre Sushi? ****
<http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/is-it-time-to-cut-bait-when-it-comes-to-mediocre-sushi/?ref=dining>
Jeff Gordinier, New York Times


> “Instead of eating sushi ten times a month, eat it one time a month, but pay ten times as much,” he told me. “That’s how you can really experience what sushi is about.”



**** The Writer’s Job ****
<http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2012/feb/28/writers-job/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nybooks+%28The+New+York+Review+of+Books%29>
Tim Parks, The New York Review Of Books


> Since when did being a writer become a career choice, with appropriate degree courses and pecking orders? Does this state of affairs make any difference to what gets written?



**** A Night In Arzamas ****
<http://www.the-american-interest.com/article.cfm?piece=1204>
Jordan Smith, The American Interest Magazine


> When <i>The Death of Ivan Ilych</i> was published in 1886, it was instantly hailed as an artistic masterpiece. Tchaikovsky said it proved Tolstoy was “the greatest author-painter who ever lived.” The great Russian literary critic Vladmir Stosov wrote in a letter that, “in comparison to those seventy pages, everything is little and petty.” Just past 125 years after it was written, Tolstoy’s story has come to be appreciated in another capacity. Rather than rest content with its narrative brilliance, medical journal writers and Pulitzer Prize-winning authors turn to its pages for applied wisdom about dying. Whatever the mysterious sources of his genius, Tolstoy described and diagnosed psychological conditions so acutely that scientific research is confirming his insights more than a century later. Tolstoy’s suffering, and Ilych’s, it turns out, were not for naught.






SingaporeSurf
====================================
**** Singapore's Tree Huggers ****
<http://projectsbyjane.blogspot.com/2012/02/singapores-tree-huggers.html>
Projects By Jane


> In the past, the officers from the MRT station would confiscated the bicycles. But it was a losing game. The bicycles are tenacious! And they seem to multiply very quickly. Anyhoos, the MRT guys are now too busy picking up metal rail clips which are being dislodged from the aging rail tracks and falling off the viaduct.



**** Low Thia Khiang & His Magic No Of 30,000 New PR-s Yearly (And Not More!!) ****
<http://anonymousxwrites.blogspot.com/2012/02/low-thia-khiang-his-magic-no-of-30000.html>
Anonymous X



**** By-Election In Hougang Constituency ****
<http://harishpillay.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/by-election-in-hougang-constituency/>
Harish Pillay, Life One Degree North, One-o-three Degrees East


> Mr Prime Minister, if you really and honestly meant to be “trying our best on your behalf”, you have to call for the by-election immediately, no ifs, no buts, no delays. Stop the pussy-footing being undertaken by some of your PAP MPs about this. Remember, you work for us, no the other way around.



**** Changi's Budget Terminal To Make Way For New And Improved Terminal ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1186047/1/.html>
Hetty Musfirah, Channel NewsAsia


> Sources say the authorities are now looking at building a new terminal to cater to future demand. Many workers at the Budget Terminal are aware of the impending closure. Shop owners have also been informed and some say it's no surprise, as the lease for most concessions there will expire in a few months.

> MediaCorp understands the decision to move the carriers to the main terminals was reached a few weeks ago.



**** MP Urges Home-based Food Catering Business For Women ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1186038/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia


> Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports Halimah Yacob has urged the government to help a very specific segment of society - women who cannot work outside their homes as they have young children or elderly parents to look after.

> She said one way is to allow these women to run home-based food catering businesses. But first, she says the government needs to relax its rules banning home kitchens, so that these women can earn extra income from their love of cooking.

I support this.
And this is one way to unlock the potential of a flat, without having to sell the flat off or reduce the lease period.


**** Restrict New PRs To 30,000 A Year: WP's Low ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120229-0000148/Restrict-new-PRs-to-30,000-a-year--WPs-Low>
Today



**** Never-ending Need For Donations ****
<http://theonlinecitizen.com/2012/02/never-ending-need-for-donations/>
Leong Sze Hian, The Online Citizen


> When GST was raised in 2007, the primary reason given was to help the poor. With a Budget surplus of $2.3 billion last year, and a net Budget surplus of $8.2 billion over the last six years, why do the CDCs have to embark on its almost never-ending quest for more donations? The $10.9 million it raised is a pittance, relative to our Budget surpluses mentioned above.



**** How Could An MP Be So Insensitive With His Remarks? ****
<http://loner2a04.blogspot.com/2012/02/taken-during-one-of-our-lovely-dinner.html>
Loner's Heaven


> In National Service you taught us to not rely on other countries to defend ourselves. But in terms of economic defence, you're relying on foreigners to help boost the economy.



**** What Is He Talking About? ****
<http://hardhitting-nobs.blogspot.com/2012/02/what-is-he-talking-about.html>
Musings From The Lion City


> Just a simple check on the various basic scholarships on offer by the MOE and you can clearly see that some on them are only on offer for certain nationalities.



**** Local Company Hiring ‘Phantom Workers’ By Paying CPF To Unemployed PRs So As To Fill Quota To Employ More Foreign Workers ****
<http://temasektimes.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/local-company-hiring-phantom-workers-by-paying-cpf-to-unemployed-prs-so-as-to-fill-quota-to-employ-more-foreign-workers/>
The Temasek Times



**** Tax Rich More To Fund Social Spending, Says Denise Phua ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_771944.html>
Straits Times


> Make them pay more income tax, she suggested, pointing out that the rate for top earners is 'way below' those in countries such as the Nordic nations, Australia, New Zealand, China and the United States.



**** Unfettered Exits The Answer To Bunching At Train Doors ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_771697.html>
Kenneth Mak, Straits Times


> The reason MRT commuters congregate at cabin doors is that it is difficult to alight from crowded trains.

> That, accompanied by the fact that train doors will close regardless of whether one manages to leave the train, prompts most commuters to congregate at the doors, and we should not blame them for it.



**** Median Wage Rise: Small Firm's Worry ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_771809.html>
Tan Jit Khoon, Winson Press, Straits Times


> The Government must be careful in re-engineering the economy by phasing out the brick-and-mortar industries that absorb lesser-skilled Singaporean workers.



**** 反对党：政府可做更多 ****
<http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp120229_024.shtml>
联合早报



**** 超市出售“短命”食品引争议 ****
<http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp120229_009.shtml>
杨丹旭, 联合早报


> 超市出售隔天就满保质期的食品是否合理，业者有没有责任提醒顾客货架上的食品临近过期？



**** Singapore’s Populist Budget ****
<http://the-diplomat.com/asean-beat/2012/02/29/singapores-populist-budget/>
Mong Palatino, The Diplomat


> The big challenge for the Singapore government is how to convince the public about its sincerity in instituting major policy reforms in government and the economy. What politicians have to do is to simply back up their rhetoric with swift action. Otherwise, the 2012 budget will be caricatured as a grand document with empty populist promises. If this happens, it could spell the end for the 50-year reign of the PAP. 



**** Singapore’s Prime Minister Ponders Tricky By-Election Test ****
<http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2012/02/29/singapores-prime-minister-ponders-tricky-by-election-test/>
Chun Han Wong, Wall Street Journal


> Delaying a by-election for too long or opting against one – leaving about 25,000 voters without parliamentary representation for up to four and a half years – will invite further criticism and hurt Mr. Lee’s public standing, analysts say.

> “The ruling party can simply sit this out. The passage of time would ensure that the issue would no longer make the headlines,” Mr. Da Cunha said. “However, not holding a by-election would…indicate that for all the talk that the ruling party was receptive to changing with the times, it had not changed at all.”



**** MPs Want Land Costs To Be Kept Affordable For Companies ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120229-0000070/MPs-want-land-costs-to-be-kept-affordable-for-companies>
Neo Chai Chin, Today


> The divestment of industrial space by JTC Corporation to investors is an "industrial policy gone wrong" - in the words of Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Inderjit Singh - and the Government should help keep land costs affordable for companies, several MPs said yesterday.

The Singapore government has been creating lots of middlemen and enabling the middlemen get rich without adding any real values.


**** We Should Let PM Do His Job ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120229-0000056/We-should-let-PM-do-his-job>
Hri Kumar Nair, Member of Parliament, Today


> I dealt only with Asst Prof Tan's original, misconceived argument that a by-election is "automatic" or the "default" position in law.

> […]

> The law prescribes that it is for the PM to determine when elections should be called, and we should let him do his job.



**** By-election: When? Not Whether! ****
<http://article14.blogspot.com/2012/02/by-election-when-not-whether.html>
Article 14



**** Lee Hsien Loong Should Apologise To Aung San Suu Kyi ****
<http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/lee-hsien-loong-should-apologise-to-aung-san-suu-kyi/>
Alex Au, Yawning Bread


> We wanted to profit from the wealth corruptly amassed by the generals and their cronies, we hoped to get uncontested entry into Burmese investment opportunities (only to discover there were none), and our government was held back by its own record of detention without trial and other anti-democratic actions from criticising the junta.

> And if in historical hindsight we see that indeed the economic sanctions from the West made a huge difference, it would be the second great achievement for this non-violent approach. Twenty years ago, South Africa made peace with its own citizens, dismantling apartheid after suffering a decade of sanctions.

> “Engagement”, Singapore-style has nothing to show for it, by comparison.



**** Parent Volunteer Scheme Should Be Scrapped ****
<http://www.publichouse.sg/categories/topstory/item/511-parent-volunteer-scheme-should-be-scrapped>
Publichouse.sg


> The system disadvantages children from less privileged backgrounds and further exacerbates our social class divide.



**** Watch Out Singapore As Malaysia’s ‘Transforming’: Hiring Experts ****
<http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/watch-singapore-malaysia-transforming-hiring-experts-103940598.html>
Yahoo!


> Singapore will witness "stiff competition" from Malaysia for businesses if the Economic Development Board does not up its game, said a hiring expert.

> Andrea Ross, managing director for professional recruitment consultancy Robert Walters for Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam, said, "Singapore has to be more innovative, which the EDB has been doing very well in. But it has got to revamp it up moving forward."



**** Green Hawker Centres My Foot! ****
<http://politicalwritings.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/green-hawker-centres-my-foot/>
Political Writings


> It’s all about what the Govt has failed to do for hawker centres– make hawker food cheap.



**** Thaipusam Won't Be A Public Holiday, Says DPM Tharman ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1185831/1/.html>
Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia


> He added that there is a long-accepted, common understanding with regards to the number and configuration of public holidays and that "it would be sensible to maintain this".

> Mr Tharman said an increase in the number of public holidays would raise business costs and affect Singapore's economic competitiveness.