[MyAppleMenu] Jun 2, 2012

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
====================================
**** After Years Of Flirting, Facebook And Apple Set To Achieve Relationship Status In iOS 6 ****
<http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/01/facebook-ios-6-integration/>
MG Siegler, TechCrunch


> After much speculation, Facebook integration will indeed be baked into the latest version of iOS, we’ve learned.



**** WriteRoom — A Great App For Easily-Distracted Writers… Like Me ****
<http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2012/06/writeroom/>
James Floyd Kelly, Wired


> And I’m amazed at how fast and furious my thoughts flowed from head to fingers to screen.



**** No, iOS Is Not A Prison ****
<http://www.technovia.co.uk/2012/06/no-ios-is-not-a-prison.html>
Ian Betteridge, Technovia


> By bringing up the prison thing, the EFF’s authors aren’t making their case more compelling. Instead, they’ve giving readers a convenient opportunity to roll their eyes and reject their argument. Especially readers who happily use Apple devices, and who bristle at people suggesting that they’re patsies for doing so.

Maybe EFF should get into the hardware business.


**** Wrangling PDFs In 2012’S Web Browsers ****
<http://tidbits.com/article/13018?rss>
Steve McCabe, TidBITS


> Installing the Adobe Reader PDF plug-in can affect browser behaviour in various ways. It’s time, then, for an overview of what you can do with PDFs in your browser of choice, what you can’t do, and what you might want to figure out how to do.



**** Sandboxing Strengthens The Case For Buying Direct ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/1167060/sandboxing_strengthens_the_case_for_buying_direct.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Jonathan "Wolf" Rentzsch, Macworld


> The bottom line is that sandboxing has effectively collapsed the ambiguity and customers should now purchase their apps directly instead of through the Mac App Store.

I disagree. There will be apps that I will buy direct from the publisher, because the app that I want is not on the App Store for whatever reason. But the App Store is the way forward, and I value the upsides. (BareBones, if I understand correctly, had managed to maneuver around the App Store's restriction, and I'm using the App Store's version of BBEdit without problems.)
Also:
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/1167055/sandboxing_deadline_arrives_what_it_means_for_apple_developers_and_you.html">Sandboxing deadline arrives: What it means for Apple, developers, and you</a> (Lex Friedman, Macworld): The plus side of sandboxing is that it means, in theory, that your apps will become safer and more trustworthy: Your Mac prevents them from accessing files they shouldn’t access. But that security comes with a price, at least in some cases. Some developers say that sandboxing will force them to remove features from their apps—or, in some cases, to pull them from the Mac App Store entirely.</li>
<li><a href="http://inessential.com/2012/06/01/on_buying_direct_or_via_mac_app_store">On Buying Direct or Via Mac App Store</a> (Brent Simmons, Inessential): I have to admit that I remain worried about sandboxing. I find myself discarding good ideas for apps just because of sandboxing rules. That can’t be a good thing for the platform.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.macstories.net/links/mac-app-store-vs-buying-direct/">Mac App Store vs Buying Direct</a>  (MacStories): The problem with Sandboxing, I believe, is that it introduced a change that is forcing developers of existing apps to reconsider functionalities that are not compatible with the Mac App Store anymore.</li>
<li><a href="http://daringfireball.net/linked/2012/06/01/rentzsch-mac-app-store">Rentzsch: Mac App Store vs. Buying Direct</a> (John Gruber, Daring Fireball): For typical users, I’d argue that the sandboxing rules make the Mac App Store even more compelling (albeit at the expense of severe headaches for developers).</li>
</ul>


**** Ask The iTunes Guy: Metadata, Sorting, And Sharing ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/1167032/ask_the_itunes_guy_metadata_sorting_and_sharing.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Kirk McElhearn, Macworld



**** Game In-App Purchases: A Conflict Between Developer Economics & Goodwill ****
<http://www.macstories.net/stories/game-in-app-purchases-a-conflict-between-developer-economics-goodwill/>
Graham Spencer, MacStories


> Simply using it to buy in-game currency for power-ups seems like an entirely boring and forced implementation that consumers dislike. Let’s see developers being thoughtful and creative about IAPs, because those that do will be rewarded by customer loyalty and the benefit of those IAPs not only being bought, but bought happily.



**** Little Thing: Device Chargers ****
<http://brooksreview.net/2012/06/lt-chargers/>
Ben Brooks, The Brooks Review


> I can’t remember the last time that I bothered with toting chargers around with me in my day-to-day life. That’s not only less weight and stuff to carry, but it’s a lot less of the fiddling with placing chargers.






The Tomorrow Weblog
====================================
**** From Headhunter To Startup Founder: One Woman’s Journey ****
<http://thenextweb.com/entrepreneur/2012/06/02/from-headhunter-to-startup-founder-one-womans-journey/>
Amy Vernon, The Next Web






MyAppleMenu Reader
====================================
**** Pool Party ****
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/books/review/backyard-oasis-edited-by-daniell-cornell.html?_r=1>
Alexandra Jacobs, New York Times


> This project envisions the pool not just as a source of recreation and sybaritic pleasure but as a fraught symbol that quivers with meaning and foreboding: “a particularly potent discursive field,” as Cornell, a curator at the wonderful Palm Springs Art Museum, puts it; a doppelgänger of the womb that, when drained, signifies economic and psychosocial barrenness; a “revolving door through which trouble gets to travel,” writes Dick Hebdige, a cultural critic, in an essay called “Hole: Swimming . . . Floating . . . Sinking . . . Drowning.” And that’s not even counting what a pain it can be to clean.



**** Darwin's Ghosts By Rebecca Stott – Review ****
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jun/01/darwins-ghosts-rebecca-stott-review>
Richard Fortey, The Guardian


> Stott has done a wonderful job in showing just how many extraordinary people had speculated on where we came from before the great theorist dispelled all doubts.



**** The Language Of Doors ****
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jun/01/saturday-poem-samantha-wynne-rhydderch>
Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch, The Guardian






SingaporeSurf
====================================
**** Mightier Than The Pen: Remembering Isa Detentions Of Writers ****
<http://journalism.sg/2012/06/02/remembering-isa-detentions-of-writers-and-journalists/>
Cherian George, Journalism.sg



**** Singapore Army Gets New Training Ground ****
<http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/296188/singapore-army-gets-new-training-ground>
Bangkok Post


> The Defence Ministry has proposed an additional training ground, possibly in Sukhothai, for the Singaporean military, Defence Minister ACM Sukumpol Suwanatat said yesterday.

> "Allowing Singaporean soldiers to conduct more training in our country is to help a friend," he said.



**** ä¸æ‹…å¿ƒç¾Žå›½ä¸Žæ–°åŠ å¡æå‡å†›äº‹åˆä½œ ****
<http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2012-06-02/061924523216.shtml>
娜迪娅, 南方都市报


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**** Aiyah Straits Times, Pwease Lor! ****
<http://kirstenhan.me/2012/06/02/aiyah-straits-times-pwease-lor/>
Kirsten Han, Funny Little World


> It is highly unlikely that ST will give people the “information and knowledge” to “get ahead in life”, mainly because ST rarely encourages the innovative and critical thinking that is so crucial to all of us today.

Also:
<ul>
<li><a href="http://newnation.sg/2012/06/generous-donors-teach-straits-times-a-lesson-about-unconditional-giving/">Generous donors teach Straits Times a lesson about unconditional giving</a> (New Nation)</li>
</ul>


**** A Letter To Netizens From ST Editor Warren Fernandez ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/The-Big-Story/The-Big-Story-1/Story/STIStory_806282.html>
Warren Fernandez, Straits Times


> From interacting with these families, we learnt that with the growing income gap in society comes a digital and information divide. In other words, those from better off households have an edge because they have access to information and knowledge to help them get ahead.

> One way to do this would be to provide the young in these families with access to information. Some companies do this by donating computers or software. As we are a newspaper, we thought we might donate copies of The Straits Times to these families.



**** Meet The People Session ****
<http://fivestarsandamoon.blogspot.sg/2012/06/meet-people-session.html>
Benjamin Chiang, Five Stars And A Moon



**** Making Music In Singapore ****
<http://www.informedintuitions.com/techno-youth/making-music-in-singapore/>
Informed Intuitions



**** Bridging The Rich-poor Gap ****
<http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=insightdownsouth&file=/2012/6/2/columnists/insightdownsouth/11397233&sec=Insight%20Down%20South>
Seah Chiang Nee, The Star


> Some Singaporeans welcome the recent pay increases as a step forward but critics view them as tweaking, rather than resolving, a fundamental problem.

> But as the debate flows, a dark shadow is appearing on the horizon that can worsen the situation and threaten any prospect of strong pay increases.

> The global economy appears to be slowing down as it faces woes from Europe, which Singapore has strongly invested in, and an economic slowdown in China.



**** Raise Income Cap For Overtime Pay ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120602-0000030/Raise-income-capfor-overtime-pay>
Paul Antony Fernandez, Today



**** PR Status Just A Privilege ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120602-0000041/PR-status-just-a-privilege>
Chris Ng Siu Wai, Today


> On one hand, Singapore cannot commit to its PRs, who are treated differently from citizens. On the other hand, it wants its PRs to offer the same as citizens.

Also:
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120602-0000040/NS-nudges-PRsto-make-a-choice">NS nudges PRs to make a choice</a> (Gary Chua Sheng Yang, Today): Much has been made of Singaporeans becoming xenophobic. But if PRs and foreigners do not appreciate what Singapore has given them, how then can they expect us to appreciate what foreigners contribute?</li>
</ul>


**** Taxis Could Become Harder To Flag Down ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120602-0000059/Taxis-could-become-harder-to-flag-down>
Sumita Sreedharan, Today


> Noting how, with the exception of those owned by ComfortDelGro, taxis are hired out mostly to cabbies who drive a single shift per day, Mr Lui said the authorities "need to be even more vigilant about this ... because now driving a taxi can, with high COE prices, become a substitute for owning a car". 



**** Not Being First Isn't Necessarily Bad ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_806077.html>
Ooi Can Seng, Straits Times


> If more inclusive growth means falling even further in the ranking, so be it. After all, Singapore is a country, not just a business concern.



**** Yes, Co-opt Parents' Perspectives In Education Policy ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_805944.html>
Alvin Sim, Straits Times


> It is clear from my discussions with peers who are ahead in the parenting journey that syllabuses in Singapore today are, for instance, already imparting to 10-year-olds what they may have imparted to 13-year-olds in the mid-1990s. The underlying assumption seems to be that 10-year-olds today have the higher order thinking skills expected of 13-year-olds, but is this supported by empirical evidence?

Oh great. MOE should check with parents -- who last stepped into a school as a student 30, 40 years ago -- on what to teach and what not to teach?
It is precisely the involvement of non-experts in the U.S., for example, that has some teachers teaching students that earth was created 6,000 years ago.


**** Do Away With $1.99 Pricing For Meals ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/OnlineStory/STIStory_805937.html>
Lim Kay Heng, Straits Times


> I wonder why NTUC Foodfare prices its set meal at $1.99 when the Board of Commissioners of Currency has stopped issuing 1 cent coins.



**** 投给方荣发的一票 ****
<http://www.zaobao.com.sg/yl/yl120602_008.shtml>
联合早报


> æ®æ–¹è£å‘é€éœ²ï¼Œä¸œæµ·å²¸ç«žé€‰å›¢é˜Ÿåœ¨åŽ»å¹´å¤§é€‰ç»“æŸï¼Œä¸€èµ·è°¢ç¥¨çš„æ—¶å€™ï¼Œæ›¾ç»ç§ä¸‹åè®®è¦æŽ¨é€‰è°å½“éžé€‰åŒºè®®å‘˜ã€‚è™½ç„¶ä»–æ²¡æœ‰å…·ä½“è¯´æ˜Žï¼Œä½†å­—é‡Œè¡Œé—´éšçº¦é€éœ²å¤šæ•°ä¸œæµ·å²¸é›†é€‰åŒºå€™é€‰äººæŽ¨é€‰é™ˆæ©å¿ ã€‚



**** Singapore Is The Political Enemy For BN/Umno, Not Malaysia ****
<http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/singapore-is-the-political-enemy-for-bn-umno-not-malaysia-lam-choong-wah>
Lam Choong Wah, The Malaysian Insider


> To be exact, Singapore is a political bogeyman that is constantly being played by the ruling party — BN/Umno — to frighten Malaysians in particular situations, while Malaysia is a political bogeyman for the Singapore’s People’s Action Party (PAP) too. 

> Though both BN and PAP are right-wing parties, they are adversaries, which is a history legacy issue.



**** Pre-U Sem Reflections- **** You, DPM Teo ****
<http://fifthazure.tumblr.com/post/24189167626/pre-u-sem-reflections-you-dpm-teo>
Musings From A Singaporean Cynic


> Whenever a question which hit home was asked, he simply asked for the next question. To the point where he skipped 7-8 question in a row on freedom of speech and other topics the PAP is scared of. He also maneuvered as a politician would- when asked about freedom of press, he diverted into the problems of the US press and not mention about the state of Singapore- fearing cooperate interests in free press, championing “responsible press”, forgetting the it is only responsible to the government’s view on issues. And when the term “without censorship” came in third in the data collected from us prior to the talk in “ideal attributes for Singapore”, he did not even mention it and just talk about other things. And when faced with a tough question, he turned to anecdotes and stupid analogies, including his dead grandparents, escalators breaking down, mountains and mountain ranges, before coming back to mention the problem and moving on. Fuck you, sir.