[MyAppleMenu] Jun 5, 2012

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Patent Trolls Beware: App Makers Partnering Up With Legal Community ****
<http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/06/patent-trolls-beware-app-makers-partnering-up-with-legal-community/>
Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica


> Now, the Appsterdam team is stepping up its game by giving independent developers access to a database of patents and prior art that they'll be able to use to determine what could be asserted against them—before they launch their apps. The database is thanks to a partnership with Article One, a "patent research community" that works within 188 countries to help the little guys figure out whether they want to proceed with their plans, and how.



**** Ad Networks Bypass iPhone Privacy Rules ****
<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303552104577440492478901490.html?mod=googlenews_wsj>
Joel Schectman And Jessica E. Vascellaro, Wall Street Journal


> To avoid the limits of Apple's rules, ad networks that serve advertisements within mobile apps have started using new identifiers that collect information like location and preferences as the user moves across apps. One of the tracking systems is based on a unique identifier located in the iPhone's wireless networking hardware—a system known as Open Device Identification Number, or ODIN. The other prominent tracking alternative, called OpenUDID, uses the device's built-in copy-and-paste function.

> These networks claim they will lose millions of dollars a week in revenue unless they can gather personal data from users to better target them. Privacy advocates argue these new techniques could allow marketers to identify individuals and violate unsuspecting users' privacy.



**** Got A Mess Of Open Windows On Your Mac’s Screen? Windownaut Does Windows ****
<http://noodlemac.com/2012/06/got-a-mess-of-open-windows-on-your-macs-screen-windownaut-does-windows/>
Ron McElfresh, NoodleMac


> Windownaut lets you place app windows in specific locations on the screen and remembers where they were placed.

> Keyboard shortcuts let you define any one of eight locations on your Mac’s screen.



**** The Best Disk Space Analyzer For OS X ****
<http://lifehacker.com/5915508/the-best-disk-space-analyzer-for-os-x>
Adam Dachis, Lifehacker



**** E-Commerce Accelerating Due To Personalization, Pinterest And iPad ****
<http://allthingsd.com/20120604/e-commerce-accelerating-due-to-personalization-pinterest-and-ipad/>
Sergio Monsalve, AllThingsD



**** Are We Using Geofencing Wrong? ****
<http://brooksreview.net/2012/06/geofuture/>
Ben Brooks, The Brooks Review


> Here’s a thought: geofence based calendar alerts. If my meeting is at my office, and I too am in my office, set the alert to only 5 minutes before. If I am at home and my meeting is at work, set alert for 15 minutes before.

> That would be cool, and that would be helpful.



**** ‘Photo Permissions On iOS’ ****
<http://brooksreview.net/2012/06/ios-dialog/>
Ben Brooks, The Brooks Review


> It’s quite a challenge to do this with one small dialog — here’s hoping it gets changed in the next update. Perhaps just allow Apps to get to Photos while stripping the location data?



**** Instapaper iOS App Gains Location-based Article Updates ****
<http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/06/instapaper-ios-app-gains-location-based-article-updates/>
Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica


> In addition to miscellaneous bug fixes, the update released over the weekend allows users to set geofenced locations for when the app should look for new articles that you may have saved from another device or the Web.






The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Could You Spare Some Internet Access? ****
<http://www.technologyreview.com/news/428067/could-you-spare-some-internet-access/>
Rachel Metz, Technology Review


> An app called Open Garden lets users share wireless bandwidth, and could reduce network congestion—if carriers don't revolt.



**** Xbox 360 "SmartGlass" Turns Phone Or Tablet Into Second Controller ****
<http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/06/xbox-360-smartglass-turns-phone-or-tablet-into-second-controller/>
Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica


> Time to grow a third hand. Microsoft today announced "SmartGlass," a new technology for Xbox 360 that will turn your phone or tablet into another controller, allowing all sorts of new scenarios for video games and entertainment in general.






MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Can Mom-and-Pop Shops Survive Extreme Gentrification? ****
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/10/magazine/can-mom-and-pop-shops-survive-extreme-gentrification.html?_r=1&smid=tw-nytmag&seid=auto>
Adam Davidson, New York Times


> During the ’70s and ’80s, the Village was the Jane Jacobs ideal, a neighborhood crammed with small mom-and-pop stores. That’s changed too. That old house-plant store is now a Marc Jacobs boutique. The dowdy bird store with the parrots in the window became Magnolia Bakery. The onslaught of luxury brands — Ralph Lauren, Jimmy Choo, Burberry, among them — has been so relentless that I’m happy when I see one of the old shops still in business. As an economics geek, I also wonder how in the world they survived. How have they innovated? How were they shrewd enough to overcome the rising rents and profit off a new, wealthy clientele?



**** Lucky ****
<http://www.kenyonreview.org/kr-online-issue/spring-2012-2/selections/stefanie-wortman-763879/>
Stefanie Wortman, Kenyon Review



**** Please Alice Notley Tell Me How To Be Old ****
<http://www.pshares.org/read/article-detail.cfm?intArticleID=9647>
Rachel Zucker, Ploughshares



**** Honors Track ****
<http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/06/honors-track/8986/>
Molly Patterson, The Atlantic



**** Where's The Beef? ****
<http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/wheres-beef_646398.html>
Victorino Matus, The Weekly Standard


> In March I flew 4,464 miles to eat boiled beef. I admit this sounds absurd. After all, couldn’t I boil the meat at home? And why even bother boiling when I can braise, roast, or grill? Who would do such a thing to beef? 

> The Austrians, that’s who—and they’ve been doing it for a long time. 



**** Why The Chinese Communist Party Is Afraid Of A Flower ****
<http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/foreigners/2012/06/tiananmen_anniversary_the_chinese_communist_party_is_on_edge_every_june_fourth_.html>
William J. Dobson, Slate


> Every June Fourth we are reminded that China is anything but a confident global power.



**** The Future Of Food: Five Frontiers ****
<http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2012/06/vertical_farms_gmo_salmon_lab_grown_meat_and_the_future_of_food_.html>
Elizabeth Weingarten, Slate


> How nanotechnology, vertical farms, and lab-grown meat may change the way you eat.






SingaporeSurf
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**** As Yale's Blunder Deepens, Singapore Bares Its Teeth ****
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-sleeper/as-yales-blunder-deepens-_b_1569495.html>
Jim Sleeper, Huffington Post


> The Singapore venture has compromised Yale deeply not because Singapore is such an evil place in the larger scheme of things - it's an authoritarian, corporate city-state with a well-educated, prosperous populace that may surprise us someday by curbing and licensing its governors -- but because Yale itself has been led so crudely, cluelessly, and prematurely into this place where it need not have gone and where, pedagogically, can ill afford to go right now.



**** Singaporeans Reawaken The "Marxist Conspiracy"	 ****
<http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4566&Itemid=195>
Asia Sentinel


> Twenty-five years later, a handful of people seek to redress an old wrong.



**** That We May Dream Again: The Commemoration Of The 25Th Anniversary Of Operation Spectrum At Hong Lim Park As I Saw It ****
<http://article14.blogspot.sg/2012/06/that-we-may-dream-again-commemoration.html>
Article 14



**** What Easing? ****
<http://hardhitting-nobs.blogspot.sg/2012/06/what-easing.html>
Musings From The Lion City



**** Mid-year Bonus For Civil Servants ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1205712/1/.html>
S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia


> Civil servants will be paid a mid-year Annual Variable Component (AVC) of 0.3 month, against a backdrop of modest economic growth and global economic uncertainty, the government announced on Tuesday.

> It has also considered the National Wages Council's (NWC) recommendation to grant a built-in wage increase of at least S$50 to low-wage workers earning up to S$1,000 per month, and decided to go beyond these recommendations for civil servants in Divisions IV and III - mainly support staff and junior officers. 



**** Scoot: World's Newest Long-haul Airline Takes Flight. So, How Much Does Super-savings Buy? ****
<http://www.cnngo.com/singapore/visit/scooting-low-cost-long-haul-skies-843151>
Ramy Inocencio, CNNGo



**** Lim Hock Siew, Singapore's 2Nd Longest-held Political Detainee, Dies ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_807250.html>
Andrea Ong, Straits Times



**** Don’t Be Swayed So Easily Singapore! ****
<http://theonlinecitizen.com/2012/05/dont-be-swayed-so-easily-singapore/>
John Chan Chi Yung, The Online Citizen


> Fundamentally, the PAP is rotten to the core and for all the displayed sincerity and displayed desire to help Singaporeans, it and its MPs cannot be trusted because they condone their own unethical behaviour, stay silent on it, justify it, and persecute those who stand up against it.

> We all must remember that much remains unfair, many remain suffering and many wronged remain unavenged.

> We must all remember that there can be no moving on when the culprits have not been caught, when they have not been made to compensate and when they have not been punished.



**** Issues Raised By Christopher Balding On Our Reserves... ****
<http://singaporemind.blogspot.sg/2012/06/issues-raised-by-christopher-balding-on.html>
Diary Of A Singaporean Mind



**** S'pore Arts Festival To Take A Hiatus In 2013 ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1205671/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia


> The annual Singapore Arts Festival will take a break next year as its organiser, the National Arts Council (NAC), conducts a review to chart the festival's future direction. 

> The council said it hopes to build a stronger arts festival that remains relevant and engages Singaporeans, and one that reflects greater ownership from the local arts community.



**** Anti-foreigner Is Not Equal To Anti-minorities ****
<http://newasiarepublic.com/?p=39131>
Chan Jia Hui, New Asia Republic


> The reality is that the statement is a hyperbole, and not in sync with the current reality. Unhappiness with foreigners has nothing to do with discriminating against minorities, it has to do with being displaced from jobs, being at a disadvantage due to national service obligations, the list goes on.

> If the PAP sincerely wants a turnaround of its fortunes, the first thing it has to do is to acknowledge and validate concerns of citizens. Making tangential and hyperbolic statements is definitely not a first step at attempting to reverse the decline in support.



**** Mice ****
<http://ericalaganfanclub.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/mice/>
Eric Alagan, Written Words Never Die


> We attracted quite unfriendly stares from the foreigners who saw their days numbered. Though they were not overtly hostile, their behaviour was somewhat disconcerting. The company did not have a structured training regime. They turned us loose and expected us to learn on the job. Obviously, someone in human resource lived in dreamland.

> It was worse with the local Singaporean technicians.



**** Dr Lim Hock Siew - A Lesson In Resilience, Strength And Humility ****
<http://publichouse.sg/categories/politics/item/629-dr-lim-hock-siew-a-lesson-in-resilience-strength-and-humility>
Andrew Loh, Publichouse.sg



**** Is SPH Biased? Reporting Half Truths? ****
<http://gintai.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/is-sph-biased-reporting-half-truths/>
Gintai_昇泰


> The main stream media can talk or deny until the cows come home. It’s the readers that matter. They will know what’s happening. Why then an ex SPH editor of 30 yrs experience set up a FB to rally all to boycot the SPH? Its obvious that they didn’t fulfill their role well.

Also:
<ul>
<li><a href="http://temasektimes.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/retired-sph-editor-set-up-facebook-page-calling-for-boycott-of-sph/">Retired SPH editor set up Facebook page calling for boycott of SPH</a> (The Temasek Times)</li>
</ul>


**** 25 Years After Operation Spectrum	 ****
<http://www.yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/5262-25-years-after-operation-spectrum>
Singaore Democratic Party



**** SingTel Plans To End Data Buffet ****
<http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2012/06/05/singtel-plans-to-end-data-buffet/>
Gaurav Raghuvanshi And Shibani Mahtani, Wall Street Journal


> SingTel believes that the changes will not affect the vast majority of its customers – but that has not stopped many of them from expressing their discontent with the telco’s new pricing model on social networks.

> A recent survey from Google found that mobile internet speeds in Singapore were among the lowest in the world, an inconvenience for many in the city-state, which is also one of the world’s most wired countries. Smartphone penetration in Singapore is approximately 55% — the highest among countries around the world, according to goglobe.com.



**** Singapore Family Sedan Matches Cost Of A U.S. Home ****
<http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-04/singapore-family-sedan-matches-cost-of-a-u-s-home.html>
Wes Goodman, Bloomberg


> At S$86,889 ($67,000) just for a permit, the total price of a Volkswagen Passat in Singapore is about the same as the median U.S. metropolitan home. A 25 percent jump in residents in seven years, coupled with the world’s highest proportion of millionaire households, has fueled a 10-fold surge in license prices over three years. The government said last week it will postpone plans to cut the number of permits available and slow traffic growth, responding to the outcry over soaring prices.

> “The COE system is well-intended in that it does limit the traffic to some extent and pollution, but it bumps up the price of even entry-level cars to a ridiculous level,” said Mathur, a senior executive who moved to Singapore from Mumbai with his wife and young son two-and-a-half years ago. Mathur said he was entitled to an interest-free, five-year loan of S$130,000 from his company, and didn’t want to spend more than that.



**** 职总廉价熟食摊的利弊与影响 ****
<http://www.zaobao.com.sg/yl/jl120605_002.shtml>
林慧颖, 联合早报


> 职总是否能在让廉价熟食摊普遍化之前，考虑到其他已经存在的摊贩的处境呢？

This is precisely the reason why NTUC FoodFare cannot be appointed to run hawker centers. In fact, I will suggest that whoever runs the new hawker centers must be prohibited to sell anything directly to end-customers.


**** "Shoebox" Living ****
<http://eviltwininsingapore.blogspot.sg/2012/06/shoebox-living.html>
Eviltwin In Singapore


> These units might be small but they are modern, designed to use available space to the maximum with all amenities.



**** New Singapore Rules To Stop Maids Falling From Windows ****
<http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gduojAnBq-nC8Dw_mDjyxAk6uzlQ?docId=CNG.a2d1e8eabff492138d0160192c475dbc.291>
AFP



**** The Past, Present And Future Of The Internal Security Act ****
<http://singaporepubliclaw.com/2012/06/05/internal-security-act/>
Jack Tsen-Ta Lee, Singapore Public Law


> However, even though there is some evidence against a person indicating involvement in a terrorist activity, it may be insufficient to allow him or her to be put on trial. Witnesses may also feel intimidated and refuse to testify against the accused. It is also said that criminal proceedings may have undesirable effects, such as stigmatizing a particular community or becoming a platform for the accused’s ideological views. Conversely, it might be said that procedures can be put in place during trials to protect the identities and safety of witnesses. Moreover, an open trial can rally communities against the extremist ideas and behaviour manifested by accused persons.



**** Give Warning Can Already ****
<http://www.myapplemenu.comhttps://andrewlohhp.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/give-her-warning-can-already/>
Andrew Loh


> Yes, she painted the roads and pasted stickers on public property. But come on, it’s not like our lives were disrupted, or some calamity befell us because of what she did – or that these were her intentions.



**** My Grandfather Road Vandalised ****
<http://everythingalsocomplain.com/2012/06/04/my-grandfather-road-vandalised/>
Everything Also Complain


> Spray painting a road may land you <i>3 years</i> in jail and a severe beating, but knocking over someone while drunk driving and splattering someone’s <i>blood</i> all over the road gives you a miserable <i>six</i> months sentence, or a fine between $1000 and $5000.



**** Will Public Transport Fees Go Up Again? ****
<http://news.insing.com/tabloid/will-public-transport-fees-go-up-again/id-0f4f3f00>
John Po and Sadat Osman, InSing.com


> In March, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew said that there would not be a fare adjustment this year because a review of the formula and framework would have to be done first.

> This means, the revisions in 2013 may mean higher fees (for commutors) because fare adjustments are being skipped this year.



**** Hawker Fare, Not Food Court Or Restaurant Cuisine ****
<http://singaporedesk.blogspot.sg/2012/06/hawker-fare-not-food-court-or.html>
Singapore Notes


> When environment and water resources minister Vivian Balakrishan made the call that hawker centres should be professionalised, and future hawkers should undergo training, he must be thinking that he still has access to the blank checks he was issued for the YOG blowout. Who's going to pay for the training centers, the professional trainers? How many plates of char kway teow must the poor hawker sell to recoup the training fees and certification costs?

I am expecting this idea will die off soon enough when hawkers realize that customers discover that food from "profesionally-trained" hawkers are not necessary tastier nor cheaper.


**** What Can Mr Chiam Do For Us? ****
<http://www.raviphilemon.net/2012/06/what-can-mr-chiam-do-for-us.html>
Ravi Philemon


> What SPP did was, it empathised with those affected by the proposed building of the nursing home (not agree with them), and questioned how the residents were engaged.



**** S’pore Bashing At Its Worst ****
<http://atans1.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/spore-bashing-at-its-worst/>
Thoughts Of A Cynical Investor