[MyAppleMenu] Jul 22, 2012

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** The Real Reason We’re Upset About Sparrow’s Acquisition ****
<http://www.elezea.com/2012/07/sparrow-google-acquisition/>
Rian van der Merwe, Elezea


> The real issue is the sudden vulnerability we feel now that one of our theories about independent app development has failed.

On the other hand, <a href="http://www.marco.org/">Marco Arment</a>, a one-man shop, seems to be doing quite okay.


**** On The Business Of E-mail Clients / Sparrow ****
<http://gist.io/3158327>
Gist.io


> As a entrepreneur cashflow is king, but one off sales unfortunately dont help and you dont have much choice otherwise.



**** Users Will Take Control ****
<http://scripting.com/stories/2012/07/21/usersWillTakeControl.html>
Dave Winer, Scripting News



**** More On Sparrow And Talent Acquisitions ****
<http://www.marco.org/2012/07/21/followup-talent-acquisitions>
Marco Arment


> Don’t blame Sparrow. Blame the terrible market for email clients.



**** Apple : Help The Best App Developers Not Get “Acquihired”! ****
<http://blog.selligy.com/post/27652044305/apple-help-the-best-app-developers-not-get>
Selligy Blog


> Apple is depending on apps like Sparrow to make the iOS platform shine. Excellent apps like Sparrow cost a lot of money to build and maintain. Apple should be working hard to ensure independent app developers can earn even more than top salaries at Google, or they will all be poached away.



**** SSD Optical Drive Replacement Speeds A Sluggish MacBook Pro ****
<http://tidbits.com/article/13133?rss>
Jeff Carlson, TidBITS


> SSDs are not new, but until now replacing my laptop’s hard drive with an SSD hasn’t been practical. SSDs have been almost exactly the opposite of hard drives in key respects: prices of hard drives have remained low as capacities have risen, while SSDs have been expensive and have offered far less capacity than their spinning counterparts. Fortunately, that curve is flattening out, and so I decided I was ready for a speed boost.



**** Entitlement And Acquisition ****
<http://mattgemmell.com/2012/07/21/entitlement-and-acquisition/>
Matt Gemmell


> The Sparrow guys have homes, and families. They have every right to cash out and take new jobs. They’re winners.

> You should be cheering these people on, not yelling “traitor” in impotent fury like a jealous, confused teenager.

Also:
• <a href="http://robottuxedo.net/why-did-sparrow-sell-out">Why Did Sparrow Sell Out?</a> (Matthew Panzarino): The best thing about the guys moving on to work on projects elsewhere? That passion, the anguish over making things great; that goes with them and hopefully informs projects at Google and beyond. Just as with engineers and managers at Apple go on to make things great wherever they are.





The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Cameras Are Cyclists’ ‘Black Boxes’ In Accidents ****
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/21/technology/bicyclists-using-cameras-to-capture-accidents.html?ref=technology>
Nick Wingfield, New York Times


> Cyclists have long had a rocky coexistence with motorists and pedestrians, who often criticize bike riders for a confrontational attitude, and for blowing through stop signs or otherwise exempting themselves from the rules of the road. Now small cameras — the cycling equivalent of the black box on an airplane — are becoming an intermediary in the relationship, providing high-tech evidence in what is sometimes an ugly contest between people who ride the roads on two wheels and those who use four.



**** Consumer Data, But Not For Consumers ****
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/business/acxiom-consumer-data-often-unavailable-to-consumers.html?_r=1&ref=technology>
Natasha Singer, New York Times


> Data brokers like Acxiom have developed advanced techniques to collect and collate information about consumers’ offline, online and mobile behavior. But they have been slow to develop innovative ways for consumers to gain access to the information that companies obtain, share and sell about them for marketing purposes.






MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Does Money Make Us Write Better? ****
<http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2012/jul/20/does-money-make-writers-better/>
Tim Parks, The New York Review Of Books


> Let’s talk about money.



**** A Final Message From My Mother ****
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/magazine/a-final-message-from-my-mother.html?ref=magazine&gwh=6CDFABBF5A5E52B12D7312DF8D5FC649>
Josiah Howard, New York Times


> From the day that I first tucked that sliver of paper into my mother’s change purse, she and I wrote each other clandestine notes. They would be placed in the refrigerator or freezer, under a lamp, by the TV remote controls, or would peek out from under an ashtray. I even found one stuffed in my shoe. From the outside, our notes may have been banal summations of our days, thoughts, wishes or observations. But to my mother and me, they were a lifeline — a communication with each other that no one else shared.



**** “Fear Of Food : A History Of Why We Worry About What We Eat” By Harvey Levenstein ****
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fear-of-food--a-history-of-why-we-worry-about-what-we-eat-by-harvey-levenstein/2012/07/21/gJQAVNlR0W_story.html?wprss=rss_books>
Bonnie S. Benwick, Washington Post


> If we lived in a world where fresh fruits and vegetables were suspect and fast-food hamburgers were considered pure and healthful, would we be carefree and content? Sadly, no. Americans have suffered through such times. And if we’re condemned to repeat the history we cannot learn from, we’ll be reassessing white bread in the near future.



**** Swimming Studies By Leanne Shapton – Review ****
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jul/22/swimming-studies-leanne-shapton-review>
Kate Kellaway, The Observer


> This book is not – as its publishers would have it – a love letter to swimming. It is far more complicated. At times, it comes closer to being the opposite. It is brilliant, eccentric and moving – an immersion in a life.






SingaporeSurf
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**** AGC Vs Alex Au - An Injudicious Injunction ****
<http://www.publichouse.sg/categories/topstory/item/703-agc-vs-alex-au-an-injudicious-injunction>
Publichouse.sg


> The precedent established by the UK courts in cases since the Act was passed in the 1980s has given much latitude to publications made as part of a discussion in “good faith” of matters of general public interest.  A similar reform in Singapore is sorely needed if Singaporeans are to have a proper debate on one of the most important public institutions in the country.  Guaranteeing that, in turn, can only be salubrious for the reputation and legitimacy of the courts.



**** é¦¬å¹£ç–²å¼±â€§æ–°åŠ å¡äººç´›èµ´é¦¬è³¼å±‹ ****
<http://www.sinchew.com.my/node/255178?tid=2>
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> é¦¬å¹£ç–²å¼±ï¼ŒåŠ ä¸Šæ–°åŠ å¡å±‹åƒ¹å±…é«˜ä¸ä¸‹ï¼Œè¶Šä¾†è¶Šå¤šåœ¨æ–°åŠ å¡å·²æœ‰æˆ¿å­çš„æ–°åŠ å¡äººï¼Œç´›ç´›åŒ—ä¸Šåˆ°é¦¬ä¾†è¥¿äºžè³¼è²·å…¬å¯“å’Œæ´‹æˆ¿ã€‚



**** Can Singaporeans Enforce Accountability? ****
<http://politicalwritings.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/can-singaporeans-enforce-accountability/>
Political Writings


> Accountability is not an innate trait of politicians. It has to be enforced. And the only ones who can enforce it are voters.

> Are Singaporeans ready to enforce accountability?



**** NTUC Recommends 6 Months Of Paid Maternity Leave ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1215022/1/.html>
Joanne Chan, Channel NewsAsia


> In response to calls by the National Population and Talent Division for ideas to boost Singapore's falling fertility rate, the labour movement is recommending that working mums be given six months of paid maternity leave, and an additional six months of unpaid leave.

Also:
• <a href="http://flaneurose.blogspot.sg/2012/07/the-drive-for-more-babiesand.html">The drive for more babies...and the wrongheadedness of the approach.</a> (flâneurose): Because no one makes the decision to have kids, a lifelong commitment, just for one or two more months of leave.


**** Yale Draws Flak For Its Singapore Adventure ****
<http://world.time.com/2012/07/20/yale-draws-flak-for-its-singapore-adventure/>
Ishaan Tharoor, Time


> No matter how Yale’s administrators and the boosters for the Singapore project spin it, Yale-NUS will not be able to allow a fully free exchange of ideas within its walls, nor does it seems likely the enterprise will challenge the city-state’s decades-old authoritarianism. The Singaporean government wields its power with a velvet glove, ever eager to burnish its credentials as a stable, hospitable entrepot for global finance and trade. It has in recent years aggressively tried to promote the city as a cultural hub of Asia, with ambitious (and rather excellent) new museums and plans to support the creation of a pan-Asian university on the site of Nalanda, India, where the ruins of a 1,500-year-old university still exists. Beneath the gloss, though, lies a political system where speech is censored, people are monitored and dissent is discouraged.



**** NTUC Looks To Provide More Job Opportunities For Mature PMEs ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1215007/1/.html>
Joanne Chan, Channel NewsAsia


> President of the National Trades Union Congress, Diana Chia, said it was important to ensure that its mature PME workers stay engaged and have meaningful employment.



**** Religion And The Rules Of Charity ****
<http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/7/22/asia/11687125&sec=asia>
Lee Siew Hua and Jennani Durai, Straits Times


> Religious charities that collect money are back in the spotlight with recent allegations that City Harvest leaders misused church funds.



**** Lack Of Skilled Supervisors Reason For Bugis MRT Extension Line Tragic Accident? ****
<http://www.transitioning.org/2012/07/22/lack-of-skilled-supervisors-reason-for-bugis-mrt-extension-line-tragic-accident/>
Gilbert Goh, Transitioning.org


> The sudden new addition  not only severely stifle our transport system resulting in the infamous MRT train shut down end of last year  but also  cause our construction companies to rush through projects resulting in accidents.



**** Why Change Is Nowhere Near ****
<http://thinkformesingapore.blogspot.sg/2012/07/why-change-is-nowhere-near.html>
Think For Me, Singapore


> The bottom line is that, most of our voting population does not really, truly embrace change. It is almost a half-hearted call for change. We are not 100% ready for change. And that is why, change is <i>nowhere</i> near, not even in GE2016.



**** The Death Of Community Farms In Singapore And What They Mean For The Next Generation Of Singaporeans ****
<http://dotseng.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/the-death-of-community-farms-in-singapore/>
Dotseng



**** Free Entry To NHB Museums In August Now A Yearly Fixture ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_824699.html>
Straits Times


> Singaporeans and PRs will enjoy free admission to the permanent galleries and selected exhibitions at the National Heritage Board's (NHB) museums and institutions every August, beginning from this year.

I hope the museums will soon be free for all visitors all year round. Just like The Smithsonian museums.


**** MediShield Should Take On More Risks On Behalf Of Singaporeans ****
<http://geraldgiam.sg/2012/07/medishield-should-take-on-more-risks-on-behalf-of-singaporeans/>
Gerald Giam


> MediShield is, after all, supposed to be a form of social health insurance, not a commercial insurance scheme.



**** 旧实龙岗巴士转换站　转换成老幼社区枢纽 ****
<http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp120722_001.shtml>
林妙娜, 联合早报


> 已空置近一年的旧实龙岗巴士转换站将改建成结合老年护理、托儿以及运动设施的社区枢纽，让不同年龄层居民在同一屋檐下使用各自所需的活动设施。

• <a href="http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_824720.html">Old bus interchange to be transformed to eldercare centre</a> (Christopher Tan, Straits Times)
Great to see this. I hope to see more community-services located right in the center of towns, instead of just commercial shopping malls and more shopping malls, and a private condo or two.


**** Don't Close The Book On Bras Basah Complex ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_824721.html>
Ignatius Low, Straits Times


> There is a case for conserving Bras Basah Complex, despite its nondescript HDB podium block looks.

I have fond memories of the three places within that same area: Bras Basah Complex, the former National Library, and the MPH store. Two are gone now.


**** S'pore's Labour Regulations Lack Bite ****
<http://publichouse.sg/categories/topstory/item/699-spores-labour-regulations-lack-bite>
Ng Jing Song, Publichouse.sg


> So, instead of taking issue with the US State Department’s annual report each time it is released, Singapore should look into the real problems and correct the abuse and exploitation of these workers in a more concrete way.



**** Loving Singapore But What Is Happening To My Country? ****
<http://publichouse.sg/categories/community/item/701-loving-singapore-but-what-is-happening-to-my-country>
Andrew Loh, Publichouse.sg


> For it is in how we treat the lowest among us that determines what we as a society, as a nation, is. And when we have arrived at that place where the lower strata among us has peace of mind will we then truly have something meaningful to celebrate.

> And when we do, then we can truly feel and say we indeed love Singapore.