[MyAppleMenu] Jan 9, 2012

applesurf at myapplemenu.com applesurf at myapplemenu.com
Mon Jan 9 18:59:00 EST 2012

MyAppleMenu
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**** New York Retailer Lets Customers Surf Inventory Via Apple iPad ****
<http://www.zdnet.com/blog/small-business-matters/new-york-retailer-lets-customers-surf-inventory-via-apple-ipad/1133>
Heather Clancy, ZDNet


> If your small retail operation has a hard time showing off all its inventory options because of limited space, it might want to take a cue from a New York City retailer of surfboard and surf lifestyle equipment.

> That store, Saturdays Surf, is using a mobile application from point of sale technology developer LightSpeed to help customers gain access to a wider array of its inventory — showcasing dozens more surfboards without requiring staff to lug them out of storage.

No mouse cursor -- that, I feel, is the key. You touch what you want; you don't touch to move a cursor to point to what you want.


**** Hacked Memo Leaked: Apple, Nokia, RIM Supply Backdoors For Gov't Intercept? ****
<http://blogs.computerworld.com/19531/hacked_memo_leaked_apple_nokia_rim_supply_backdoors_for_govt_intercept>
Darlene Storm, Computerworld

Quoting Slashdot, it seems that Apple had provided a backdoor access for the India government.


**** Making An iPhone Even More Child-Friendly ****
<http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/making-an-ipad-even-more-child-friendly/?partner=rss&emc=rss>
Warren Buckleitner, New York Times


> Here are four storage solutions designed to make your iPhone-size devices more toddler-friendly.






The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** A Smart Phone That Knows You're Angry ****
<http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/39434/?ref=rss>
Duncan Graham-Rowe, Technology Review


> Researchers at Samsung have developed a smart phone that can detect people's emotions. Rather than relying on specialized sensors or cameras, the phone infers a user's emotional state based on how he's using the phone.



**** Ford Bets On The Digital Car ****
<http://www.technologyreview.com/business/39413/?ref=rss>
Mahendra Ramsinghani, Technology Review


> The 108-year-old automotive company is embracing the technologies, business tactics, and spirit of Silicon Valley.






MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** The Writing Life: The Point Of The Long And Winding Sentence ****
<http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/books/la-ca-pico-iyer-20120108,0,2137466.story>
Pico Iyer, Los Angeles Times


> "Your sentences are so long," said a friend who teaches English at a local college, and I could tell she didn't quite mean it as a compliment. The copy editor who painstakingly went through my most recent book often put yellow dashes on-screen around my multiplying clauses, to ask if I didn't want to break up my sentences or put less material in every one. Both responses couldn't have been kinder or more considered, but what my friend and my colleague may not have sensed was this: I'm using longer and longer sentences as a small protest against — and attempt to rescue any readers I might have from — the bombardment of the moment.



**** Seeing The Building For The Trees ****
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/opinion/sunday/seeing-the-building-for-the-trees.html?_r=1>
Sarah Williams Goldhagen, New York Times


> Why should tree metaphors appeal to architects? Why should they be useful, even good, for people? In the Seville project, tree imagery helps construct a distinctive public place that offers shelter and areas to congregate. As under spreading trees, the boundaries defining these spaces are permeable; easy to enter and exit, they offer nature’s spatial freedom yet help people to feel more firmly rooted where they are. And tree metaphors, deployed architecturally, simultaneously lament nature’s absence and symbolically insert its presence.






SingaporeSurf
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**** Immediate Priority Is To Regain Public Confidence: SMRT's Interim CEO ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1175689/1/.html>
Hetty Musfirah, Channel NewsAsia


> In his first media interview, Tan Ek Kia said the way to do that is to "absolutely deliver a reliable system". He gave the assurance that improvement works will be implemented as soon as they are identified.



**** How Much Is Too Much? ****
<http://foomelissa.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-much-is-too-much.html>
My Life Journey


> It also came as a surprise that since this system of pegging our political leaders’ salaries to the top performers in the private sector began in 1994, there is no committee or watchdog overseeing it. Where is the accountability?

> I hope we take a leaf from history: pride, greed always eventually leads to downfall.



**** Finally Some Accountability From A Very Public Service Provider ****
<http://markabisheganaden.blogspot.com/2012/01/finally-some-accountability-from-very.html>
Seize The Day



**** Increasing Rainfall Intensity On Singapore - Flood Prevention Will Need Major Infrastructural Upgrades ****
<http://vivian.balakrishnan.sg/increasing-rainfall-intensity-on-singapore-fl>
Vivian Balakrishnan


> I would like to reiterate that the Ministry takes a serious view of every single flooding incident, and will take all reasonable steps to prevent flooding, mitigate its effects and keep the public informed of flood situations. We are prepared to undertake longer term investments and make significant infrastructural improvements to ensure the long term resilience and robustness of our overall drainage system in response to our development needs and changing climate patterns.



**** 新加坡菁英管治的政治經濟學 ****
<http://kalvinfks.blogspot.com/2012/01/blog-post.html>
香城誌


> 過去一年執政人民行動黨不斷面臨反對派的挑戰，加上民間萌生出不滿聲音，李顯龍改革的方向必須更加面對群眾，改善民生議題。然而新改革方向仍然略為舊酒新瓶，民眾依舊覺得高官仍然是高薪厚職不知民間疾苦，而富魅力的領導李光耀經已退下舞台，來年執政黨只怕依然困難重重。



**** 抱怨新加坡“无情” 只因动了真情 ****
<http://www.zaobao.com.sg/xhd/pages1/xhd120109.shtml>
李叶明, 联合早报


> 去年10月，就在她们的工作和生活已上轨道的时候，四人的S准证却遭人力部拒签，医院人事部上诉也无效。

> 上个月圣诞节前夕，晓煜不得不离开她熟悉的城市、热爱的工作和最要好的本地朋友，含泪告别……



**** Singapore's Highly Paid Ministers ****
<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203513604577146911772677518.html?mod=googlenews_wsj>
Wall Street Journal


> We're all for competence and probity in government (who isn't?) and for whatever it takes to achieve both. And it's a testament to Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew that the compensation system he devised hasn't met its downfall as ministers become overconfident and lazy. But there's always a limit to how successfully the intellectual firepower of a few well-paid technocrats can compete over the long term with the wisdom of crowds. Right now, that wisdom seems to be saying that Singapore's policy makers should lead lives a little more in tune with the 99.95%.



**** Singapore To Review Penalty Framework After Worst Subway Glitch ****
<http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-09/singapore-to-review-penalty-framework-after-worst-subway-glitch.html>
Shamim Adam And Kyunghee Park, Bloomberg


> Lawmakers in Singapore, ranked as the Asian city with the best quality of life by Mercer and the world’s easiest place to do business by the World Bank, are raising concerns about the efficiency of the country’s infrastructure system after train breakdowns and flash floods last month affected downtown areas including the Orchard Road shopping belt.



**** 2% Of PRs Who Served NS Have Citizenship Applications Rejected ****
<http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20120109-320811.html>
AsiaOne


> From 2006 to 2010, about two per cent - or 30 out of 3,000 - citizenship applications made by second-generation Permanent Residents who had gone through National Service had their applications rejected. This was Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean's written response to Worker's Party MP Sylvia Lim's question in parliament.

If they are not good enough to be citizens, can we trust them to defend our country?
You have to remember once upon a time, SAF didn't even trust some of our own citizens.


**** HDB To Speed Up Upgrading Of Old Flats ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/Parliament/Story/STIStory_753474.html>
Toh Yong Chuan, Straits Times


> In the next five years, the Housing Board will upgrade 160,000 flats under the programme, a three-fold increase compared to the last five years where 50,000 flats were picked.



**** Power Sale To Singapore Unlikely, Says OSK ****
<http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/20120109152430/Article/index_html>
Bernama


> OSK Research said it is unlikely that any party would be selling power to Singapore until gas and electricity subsidies are completely removed.



**** Minister Updates Parliament On MRT Disruptions ****
<http://app.mot.gov.sg/News_Centre/Perspective/VID/68B1100028F13900/Minister_Updates_Parliament_on_MRT_Disruptions.aspx>
Ministry Of Transport, Singapore Government


> There have been questions raised about whether our MRT system has been strained by the increase in ridership over the last few years with trains becoming more crowded. Because the operators have injected an additional 2,000 weekly trips since 2008 to cater to the higher ridership, some have speculated that the higher intensity usage of our system may have resulted in the breakdowns. I would like to assure the House of the following: First the additional trips added did not exceed the safe operating parameters of the system. Second, LTA requires the Operators to keep strictly to the maintenance regime prescribed by the manufacturers.

> Members have also asked if measures have already been taken to improve existing procedures. Even as the COI looks into these two incidents, I would like to assure this House that improvement measures have been initiated so that we are better prepared for a major train service disruption. I will speak about three areas in particular, with regard to communication with commuters, bus bridging, and coordination between Government agencies and the operators in the event of a service disruption.



**** Balakrishnan: PUB Should Not Have Used Word 'Ponding' For Floods ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_753473.html>
Feng Zengkun, Straits Times


> 'As far as I am concerned, PUB should not have not used the word 'ponding'. I call a spade a spade. A flood is a flood.'

Good.


**** PUB To Increase Stamford Canal Capacity ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120109-0000088/PUB-to-increase-Stamford-Canal-capacity>
Today


> National water agency PUB is studying options to increase the capacity of the Stamford Canal - which was blamed for the Orchard Road floods on Dec 23, last year - by 30 per cent, said minister for environment and water resources Vivian Balakrishnan in Parliament today.



**** Decision On RTS In 18 Months ****
<http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/1/9/nation/10227786&sec=nation>
Bernama



**** SLA Identifies Sites Along Rail Corridor For Interim Community Use ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1175604/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia


> These sites are near Jalan Hang Jebat, Ghim Moh Road and Kampong Bahru Flyover. They will be progressively opened (for interim community use) from April 2012.

> It said the public can enjoy free access to these sites for recreational activities with no advance booking required.



**** More Singaporeans Choose To Move To Johor ****
<http://news.insing.com/tabloid/more-singaporeans-choose-to-move-to-johor/id-87263f00>
Shin Min Daily News



**** Complete Accountability For Our Land Transport Grid ****
<http://theonlinecitizen.com/2012/01/complete-accountability-for-our-land-transport-grid/>
Howard Lee, The Online Citizen


> SMRT might be able to get by with its dubious line of being a private entity offering a public good, but MOT and LTA are clearly public sector offering a public service. Without pressing for their openness, we suffer the illusion of them always hiding behind SMRT when the train breaks down.



**** Understanding The Legal Nature Of Bank Deposits ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_753303.html>
Kelvin Low, Singapore Management University, Straits Times


> When someone deposits money with a bank, he is in effect lending money to it. Property rights to the money pass to the bank. In return, the bank owes its customer a debt. At that point, any money stolen or pilfered from the bank is its money, not its customer's.

According to professor Low, it's DBS that lost money, not the individual customers.


**** 外国留学生不再有PR邀请信 两年来的去留挣扎 ****
<http://www.zaobao.com.sg/fk/fk120109_001.shtml>
沈越, 联合早报


> 这个转变，让当年那些即将毕业的留学生措手不及，甚至是无所适从。两年过去了，这批留学生中有不少人，不管需不需要履行奖学金合约，已陆续回到自己的国家。依然留在新加坡的留学生，心情是否已平复？这两年期间，他们的生活又起了怎么样的变化？



**** Malaysia-S’pore Underground Link Will Help Us ****
<http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/1/8/focus/10218497&sec=focus>
Shankar Chelliah, The Star


> We cannot deny that we are interdependent in the economic, security and social aspects. The infrastructure enhancement will definitely spur growth in labour mobility, business transactions, retailing and tourism, as well as enhance security.



**** SMRT’s Saw Phaik Hwa Resigns, Mountbatten MP Lim Biow Chuan’s Two Cents’ Worth ****
<http://guanyinmiao.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/smrts-saw-phaik-hwa-resigns-mountbatten-mp-lim-biow-chuans-two-cents-worth/>
Kwan Jin Yao, Guanyinmiao's Musings


> Miss Saw’s resignation would not effect immediate technical or mechanical changes, but it generates impetus for improvements, and provides a blank slate for future enhancements.



**** 马城管理层交替 租户须搬迁两次 ****
<http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp120109_005.shtml>
魏瑜嶙, 联合早报


> 旧合约1月底到期，新合约3月才开始。现有管理者拒绝延长租约填补“空窗期”，要求租户这个月底把店面清空，租户在新合约开始后才能搬回来。短短一个月内必须两次搬迁，马城上百家车行业主大感苦恼。



**** What Kind Of People Are We Trying To Attract? ****
<http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=7291>
Wong Wee Nam, Sgpolitics.net


> It has been said that we may get monkeys when we pay peanuts, However when we appeal to a person’s love for money rather than his sense of mission, we may also end up attracting those greedy characters camouflaging themselves with sheep’s clothing.

> Singapore needs leaders who are not only visionary, upright and capable. They should also have the wisdom and compassion coupled with an acute sense of social responsibility. Those who think that the money is not good enough or that the money is finally good enough for you to serve, please stay away and carry on with your own business. The country can do without you.



**** Slight Delays On Parts Of Circle, East West Lines ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120109-0000037/Slight-delays-on-parts-of-Circle,-East-West-Lines>
Vimita Mohandas And Karen Ng, Today


> The signalling fault on the Circle Line was detected at Caldecott Station at around 12.45pm. As a result, trains travelling between Caldecott and Botanic Garden stations in both directions had to move slower.



**** Will Pedestrians, Cyclists Co-exist? ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120109-0000007/Will-pedestrians,-cyclists-co-exist?>
Sumita Sreedharan, Today


> Some five years after Tampines embarked on its mission to become a model cycling town, it appears that it is still a big task for cyclists and pedestrians to co-exist in peace.



**** Debate Over Ministerial Pay Is Value-laden ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120109-0000025/Debate-over-ministerial-pay-is-value-laden>
Tan Kee Lin, Today


> To put it simply, I want my leaders to serve with a heart, but I will not be envious of them or anybody else if they have more in wealth or health.



**** MRT Breakdowns: The Big Questions ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Commentary/EDC120109-0000011/MRT-breakdowns--The-big-questions>
Lin Yanqin, Today


> As Parliament sits today in hopes of shedding some light on the unprecedented disruptions to MRT services on the North-South Line last month, and a Committee of Inquiry delves into the issues involved, here are the key questions about the "backbone" of our public transport system that beg answers.

Our public transport system needs a reform, not fine-tuning.


**** The Fraud Of Discount And Subsidy ****
<http://feedmetothefish.blogspot.com/2012/01/fraud-of-discount-and-subsidy.html>
Feed Me To The Fish



**** Another House Of Cards Collapses ****
<http://twc2.org.sg/2012/01/07/another-house-of-cards-collapses/>
TWC2


> It may seem like a mystery why Shahbas and Dodar, when they were officially employed by F&I, had little difficulty getting illegal jobs without having to cough up money, but now find it harder getting legal jobs. Quite likely it would be because those employers offering illegal work were not eligible under MOM rules to hire foreign workers. They needed workers, and so were glad to have someone approach them for work. The relatively high earnings that Shahbas enjoyed ($1,400 – $1,500 a month) also reflected this scarcity.

> In contrast, those employers who are eligible under MOM rules for obtaining work permits, may see an opportunity to translate their eligibility into profit.



**** $715,000 Too Much For A Ministerial Office? Nah. ****
<https://andrewlohhp.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/715000-too-much-for-a-ministerial-office-nah/>
Andrew Loh


> To be clear, this S$1.1 million for a MR4 grade minister includes the bonus components. The basic or fixed salary for a minister at the MR4 grade is S$715,000 annually.

> But coming back to the issue of absolute dollars and cents. I do not want our ministers (even if in future the opposition comes into power) to be paid so lowly that the office of minister is seen as just another office job. It is not.



**** Paradigm Shifts Needed To Reform Political Pay Structure ****
<http://theonlinecitizen.com/2012/01/paradigm-shifts-needed-to-reform-political-pay-structure/>
Hong Weilun, The Online Citizen







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