[MyAppleMenu] Jan 23, 2012

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Apple And Agglomeration ****
<http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/apple-and-agglomeration/>
Paul Krugman, New York Times


> The point is that manufacturing plants don’t exist in isolation; they benefit a lot from being part of a manufacturing cluster, with specialized suppliers and a large pool of workers with the right skills close at hand. 



**** Holding Out For An ePub Hero ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/164925/2012/01/holding_out_for_an_epub_hero.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Serenity Cladwell, Macworld


> Sure, iBooks Author is only version 1.0—and seeing as how I’ve defended Apple in the past for features missing from its 1.0 software, I probably should withhold my judgement for the time being. But I can’t help but be disappointed.



**** How Apple Is Sabotaging An Open Standard For Digital Books ****
<http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/how-apple-is-sabotaging-an-open-standard-for-digital-books/4378>
Ed Bott, ZDNet


> Apple’s behavior is a modern, sophisticated version of the “embrace, extend, and extinguish” behavior that got Microsoft in so much trouble in the 1990s: Enter a product category supporting a widely used standard, extend that standard with proprietary capabilities, and then use those differences to disadvantage competitors. (The strategy is even more effective if you have a dominant market position in another, related category that you can use for leverage. Think Windows in the 1990s, iPad in 2012.)



**** iBooks Textbooks: Not Exactly Innovation In Education ****
<http://tidbits.com/article/12740?rss>
Steve McCabe, TidBITS


> Had iBooks 2 and iBooks Author been released back in 1996, when CD-ROMs were still a pretty neat idea, I would be writing a very different article. But today, when Apple are trying to claim that twenty-year-old ideas represent a “reinvention” of the textbook, I am less impressed. Schiller, see me after school. Grade: C-. Really must try harder.



**** Examining iBooks Author From The Publisher Perspective ****
<http://tidbits.com/article/12741?rss>
Adam C. Engst, TidBITS


> The mistake we — and so many others have made — is to assume that iBooks Author is aimed at anyone other than textbook publishers and teachers. It just isn’t.



**** Why Apple Should Follow Michelin ****
<http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/01/22/why-apple-should-follow-michelin/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+monday-note+%28Monday+Note%29>
Jean-Louis Gassée, Monday Note


> Today, Apple already demonstrates a type of curation when it decides which apps get featured as New and Noteworthy, or Staff Favorites. They might as well go all the way and please their users with subjective, personal reviews. Encourage the kommentariat to cluck its disapproval, allow dinged developers to rage online. If presented as an honest, competent effort — occasionally wrong but always with the Apple imprimatur — the review process will be as respected as any other high-quality editorial effort.






MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Seascrapers ****
<http://www.qlrs.com/story.asp?id=864>
Stephanie Ye, Quarterly Literary Review Singapore



**** Dreaming, Remembering ****
<http://www.qlrs.com/poem.asp?id=886>
Tan Wei Ning, Quarterly Literary Review Singapore






SingaporeSurf
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**** Singapore: Stop Hiding Behind Old Excuses ****
<http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/01/23/singapore-stop-hiding-behind-old-excuses>
Human Rights Watch


> “Singapore’s claims of exemption from human rights standards are just lame excuses for abuses,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The people of Singapore deserve the same rights as everyone else, not more clever stories justifying government oppression.”



**** PAP's Not Adversarial Letter Writer Linked To PAP ****
<https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150516397973964>
The Online Citizen, Facebook


> Do a search for Lou Woei Cherng and you will find that he is linked to PAP.

<a href="http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120121-0000020/PAP-MPs-not-being-adversarial-but-pointing-out-flaws-in-argument">This</a> is the letter published by Today.


**** Cyclists Start Drive To Get More Road Space ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_758697.html>
Royston Sim, Straits Times


> A trio of avid cyclists have started a project to measure lane widths of roads around Singapore, hoping it will eventually lead to more space for cyclists.

> They believe that the lanes on some roads can be narrowed to create more room for cyclists to ride between the kerb and double yellow lines at the side of the road.



**** Sexuality Education Complements Primary Role Of Parents ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_758635.html>
Liew Wei Li, Ministry Of Education, Straits Times


> The Ministry of Education (MOE) promotes abstinence as the best option for teens. Students are also taught skills such as decision-making, assertiveness and negotiation to say no.

> However, teens are now exposed to and have increased access to a myriad of information through the mass media. Therefore, beyond teaching skills on how to say no, it is important for them to receive accurate information on sexually transmitted infections and HIV, their repercussions, and how to protect themselves from a health perspective.

Imparting your values to your child by making your child ignorant has never worked.


**** Could A Public Figure Figured It Wrong? ****
<http://feedmetothefish.blogspot.com/2012/01/could-public-figure-figured-it-wrong.html>
Feed Me To The Fish


> Remember, you still have a job to do. To build and inclusive society with your heart and make a better life for all Singaporeans. However, if you think that it is a thankless job, I humbly suggest that you plan your exit by volunteering to be selected as PAP candidates in Aljunied GRC in the next election. Meanwhile, just grin and bear.