[MyAppleMenu] Mar 25, 2012

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Apple Has Made Itself A Retailing Star ****
<http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2012/03/25/apple_has_made_itself_a_retailing_star/>
Michael B. Farrell, The Boston Globe


> Apple Store employees don’t always start out as computer experts. The company would rather hire someone who is personable than particularly techie, said Gallo. “They would prefer to hire a former teacher than someone who knows everything about every program,’’ he said, because much of the experience is about walking first-time customers through products.

> At the Boylston Store, they’ve hired not only teachers, but also artists, musicians, photographers, and even lawyers.



**** At Salt Lake Seminar, Visually Impaired Learn How High Tech Can Unleash Creativity ****
<http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/lifestyle/53784771-80/apple-perez-accessibility-educator.html.csp>
Brett Prettyman, The Salt Lake Tribune


> Perez’s presentation focused on accessibility features on computers and iPhone, iTouch and iPad devices from Apple. Perez does not work for Apple, but his efforts to share his knowledge of the accessibility features and associated applications earned him the title of Apple Distinguished Educator.



**** Apple Has Started Rejecting Apps That Access UDIDs Amid Privacy Concerns ****
<http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/24/apple-udids/>
Kim-Mai Cutler, TechCrunch


> Amid extra scrutiny from Congress around privacy issues, Apple has started rejecting apps that access UDIDs, or identification numbers that are unique to every iPhone and iPad, this week.






The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Pair Is A Path For The Two Of Us ****
<http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/23/pair-is-a-path-for-the-two-of-us/>
Eric Eldon, TechCrunch


> It’s packed with the features you see in private social networks like Path, but designed for two people.



**** Want To Innovate? Feed A Cookie To The Monster ****
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/business/terry-tietzen-of-edatanetworks-on-promoting-innovation.html?partner=rss&emc=rss>
Adam Bryant, New York Times



**** Avalanches Of Words, Sifted And Sorted ****
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/business/words-by-the-millions-sorted-by-software.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss>
Anne Eisenberg, New York Times


> It just keeps growing — the vast electronic archive of books, journals and scholarly literature stored on the Web. But scientists are aiming to keep up with this trove of collective knowledge by devising computer-based tools to winnow and quantify it.






MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** Bad Movie, Good Lesson ****
<http://ihnatko.com/2012/03/25/bad-movie-good-lesson/>
Andy Ihnatko


> Becoming a writer isn’t like becoming a doctor or a civil engineer or a luncheonette that serves “the best coffee in town.” You don’t have to go through a seven-year accreditation process. If you want to call yourself a writer, all you need to do is <i>finish writing something</i>.



**** The Iced-Coffee Economy: Why The Cold Stuff Costs More ****
<http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2012/03/why-does-iced-coffee-cost-more-than-hot.html>
Kurt Soller, Grub Street New York


> The difficulty with cold brew stems both from the higher fixed costs and the unpredictability of iced season.



**** It’s True: Cities Are Meaner ****
<http://www.salon.com/2012/03/24/its_true_cities_are_meaner/>
Will Doig, Salon


> Are New Yorkers — and city folk in general — really so busy and self-absorbed that we have no concern for others? Do we lack a moral compass? Is Rick Santorum right? For more than 50 years, “urban psychologists” have been faking seizures, dropping cash and breaking into cars in broad daylight to see if strangers would intervene. They’ve discovered two things. One is that people in rural areas do indeed get involved more readily than urbanites. But they’ve also concluded that this has very little to do with morality.



**** The End Of Money By David Wolman – Review ****
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/mar/25/end-of-money-wolman-review?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Felix Martin, The Guardian


> The title of Wolman's book is a bit misleading. <i>The End of Money</i> is not about the end of money, but the end of cash: it deals with the evolving technologies that enable us to pay and save without the need for coins and banknotes, and considers why this might be a good or a bad thing. 






SingaporeSurf
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**** SDP Welcomes George Yeo's Statment To Work Together	 ****
<http://www.yoursdp.org/index.php/news/singapore/5196-sdp-welcomes-george-yeos-statment-to-work-together>
Chee Soon Juan, Singaore Democratic Party


> Mr Yeo must, however, not mistaken policy difference for division. Political parties adopt different platforms and articulate different visions for our country. Contesting parties must respect, even though we disagree – sometimes passionately – with each other's viewpoints.

> We must move beyond the politics of detention without trial, defamation suits and the criminalisation of legitimate political activity.



**** George Yeo: Many Had "Lost Faith In The Government" ****
<http://article14.blogspot.com/2012/03/george-yeo-many-had-lost-faith-in.html>
Article 14


> It is good to see that with the burden of the Ministerial post off his shoulders and the lack of a Parlimanetary seat, George Yeo is able to speak his mind and admit the reality on the ground. I wonder if the extent of the populuation's loss of faith has filtered through to the leadership. 



**** Lim Hwee Hua & Cynthia Phua To Step Down As Grassroots Advisers ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1191170/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia


> The People's Association has appointed veteran grassroots leaders Mrs Daisie Yip and Professor Brian Lee as grassroots advisers for Serangoon and Paya Lebar with effect from 1 May.

Given their age, it seems unlikely Mrs Yip and Mr Lee will be contesting the next General Election under the PAP.


**** Analysis: Clogged, Creaking Airports Hamper SE Asia Carriers ****
<http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/25/us-airlines-southeastasia-idUSBRE82O04I20120325?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FworldNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+International%29>
Harry Suhartono, Reuters


> Southeast Asian carriers have ordered $47 billion worth of aircraft for the coming decade but the deals could be under threat because of the inability of airports to keep pace.

> Despite Changi's reputation for planning ahead, the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) said the fourth terminal might not be enough to meet the expected surge in air travel. "A third runway and a fifth terminal will eventually be needed for Singapore to maintain its status as a leading hub," CAPA said in a recent report, adding those two things would have to be ready by the end of this decade.



**** URA Banning New Food Joints At Serangoon Garden ****
<http://everythingalsocomplain.com/2012/03/25/ura-banning-new-food-joints-at-serangoon-garden/>
Everything Also Complain


> For a city that prides itself in innovative urban design and resourcefulness when it comes to land use, the URA’s tough love on the FnB businesses perhaps a bit too much to stomach.



**** Seven New Primary Schools For 2013 And Further Differentiation And Outreach At Primary One Registration ****
<http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/press/2012/03/seven-new-primary-schools-for-2013-and-further-differentiation-and-outreach-at-p1-registration.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+singapore-education%2Fpress+%28Press+Releases%29>
Ministry Of Education, Singapore Government


> To further differentiate between SCs and PRs, from the 2012 P1 Registration Exercise onwards, when balloting is necessary in a specific phase, SCs will be given absolute priority over PRs. SCs and PRs will continue to be eligible for the same phases, and all applicants will be admitted if the total number of applicants in any phase does not exceed the number of vacancies. However, if the number of applications exceeds the number of vacancies in a specific phase, SCs will be admitted first ahead of PRs, before home-school distance is considered.



**** Singapore’s Chinatown: A Street By Street Look ****
<http://wanderme.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/chinatown/>
I Wander


> At first glance, having a Chinatown in a city where the population is three quarters Chinese seems rather… redundant. In Singapore, however, unlike in other traditional Chinese enclaves, the area seems to function more as a bastion of things past, a conservation area, rather than as a living, breathing mixture of establishments and houses genuinely catering primarily to the local Chinese community.



**** In Flight: The Short Route To Singapore ****
<http://boardingarea.com/blogs/thewanderingaramean/2012/03/in-flight-the-short-route-to-singapore/>
The Wandering Aramean


> The route is flown on an Airbus A340-500 with only 100 seats, all business class. Booking one of those seats used to require a large chunk of cash (or getting lucky with a couple routings out of the Pacific Islands) but recently they started showing up in limited quantities for award bookings. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity and even though I don’t really have any pressing reason to be in Singapore I’m on my way. It seems like a reasonable enough place to spend a couple days. And the flights to and from seem pretty fun, too.



**** 退出内阁后首次公开演讲 杨荣文：我没有退隐 ****
<http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp120325_007.shtml>
游润恬, 联合早报


> 前外交部长杨荣文昨天在基层领袖为答谢及送别他而设的千人宴上，留下这句耐人寻味的话。他说：“这不是道别，这只不过是个里程碑。”

First sign of an u-turn?


**** 1st Section Of Downtown Line Likely To Open In Late 2013 ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_781478.html>
Goh Chin Lian, Straits Times



**** Hougang Is Not WP’s Own Little Fiefdom ****
<http://theonlinecitizen.com/2012/03/hougang-is-not-wps-own-little-fiefdom/>
Ravi Philemon, The Online Citizen



**** Talent Buy Becomes Sore Point ****
<http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=insightdownsouth&file=/2012/3/24/columnists/insightdownsouth/10969821&sec=Insight%20Down%20South>
Seah Chiang Nee, Straits Times


> Critics point out that a limited number of top foreign students is generally an asset to any university, but few are subsidised the way they are in Singapore.