[MyAppleMenu] Jan 22, 2012

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Blowing Up The Book ****
<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204468004577169001135659954.html>
Alexandra Alter, Wall Street Journal


> The new novel "Chopsticks" tells the story of a troubled young piano prodigy—using family photos, letters, documents, instant messages and YouTube videos. It's a love story, a mystery and a parable about creativity and madness.

> It's also an experiment, one that could have far-reaching implications for the book industry, as publishers stretch the definition of what constitutes a book. "Chopsticks" straddles the digital divide that is transforming the publishing world—it's both a novel and a digital app.



**** Apple Puts Users First In The Enterprise ****
<http://blogs.computerworld.com/19615/opinion_user_empowerment_drives_apples_enterprise_gains>
Johnny Evans, Computerworld


> Apple always attempts to deliver a user-centric OS. Critics will have their problems with some of the iOS implementations, and there’s some who have not fully embraced the OS X Lion ‘experience’, but the attempt to champion the user above the limitations of the system pays dividends in many ways -- look at the satisfaction levels for proof.

Microsoft's customers -- for Windows and Office -- had always been corporations and their IT departments, manufacturers and equipment makers. We use Windows because that's what we were given, not because that's what we love.


**** How U.S. Lost Out On iPhone Work ****
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/business/apple-america-and-a-squeezed-middle-class.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all>
Charles Duhigg And Keith Bradsher, New York Times


> While Apple is far from alone, it offers a window into why the success of some prominent companies has not translated into large numbers of domestic jobs. What’s more, the company’s decisions pose broader questions about what corporate America owes Americans as the global and national economies are increasingly intertwined.

> In part, Asia was attractive because the semiskilled workers there were cheaper. But that wasn’t driving Apple. For technology companies, the cost of labor is minimal compared with the expense of buying parts and managing supply chains that bring together components and services from hundreds of companies.

> For Mr. Cook, the focus on Asia “came down to two things,” said one former high-ranking Apple executive. Factories in Asia “can scale up and down faster” and “Asian supply chains have surpassed what’s in the U.S.” The result is that “we can’t compete at this point,” the executive said.

You cannot simply throw money to solve problems.





The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** From One Tragedy, Tools To Fight The Next ****
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/business/inventions-offer-tools-to-endure-future-disasters.html?ref=technology>
Nicole Laporte, New York Times


> As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. But so, apparently, is anticipation of possible necessity. The tragedy that people witnessed last year in Japan, combined with inadequacies in the country’s disaster preparedness system, spurred some of Japan’s greatest minds to come up with innovations to deal with future natural catastrophes.






MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Labyrinth ****
<http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/features/2012/01/23/120123fi_fiction_bolano?currentPage=all>
Roberto Bolaño, New Yorker






SingaporeSurf
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**** A Play On Singapore's Spending—With A 6% Yield ****
<http://online.barrons.com/article/SB50001424052748703879704577166850596795204.html?mod=BOL_twm_mw>
Kopin Tan, Barron's


> It's a good thing Singapore's national pastimes are shopping and eating, since the petite island nation is bursting at its seams with malls. Lately, however, the country's mind-numbing malls seem to be under a bit of a cloud. Gadgets like iPads and smartphones still fly off the shelves, but retail sales have started to slow. Worried about a global recession, tempered tourism and government measures to cool the red-hot property market, Singaporeans are showing rare restraint in their competitive consumption.



**** PAP's Debacle - An Exercise In Fooltility ****
<http://feedmetothefish.blogspot.com/2012/01/paps-debacle-exercise-in-fooltility.html>
Feed Me To The Fish


> I must say if Loong is not going to reign in his barking/lapping dogs like Lawrence, he is going to pay and pay (PAP) big time! Singaporeans are fooking sick and tired of the deprecating and patronizing attitude of the Pappy leeders and their cronies.