[MyAppleMenu] May 1, 2012

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
====================================
**** Three Alternate iOS Music Player Apps ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/1166613/three_alternate_ios_music_player_apps.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Kirk McElhearn, Macworld


> While these three apps approach playing music differently, you may find that one of them offers something you are missing in the default Music app. Try them out and see if you get more out of your music.



**** Beyond .Zip: Secrets Of The Archive Utility ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/1166598/beyond_zip_secrets_of_the_archive_utility.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Kirk McElhearn, Macworld



**** Alfred For Mac Updated With New Themes, Drag-and-drop Functionality In V1.2 ****
<http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/1/2990810/alfred-app-mac-update-version-1-2>
Vlad Savov, The Verge



**** Greenpeace Provokes Apple On Renewable Energy Stance ****
<http://www.zdnet.com/blog/green/greenpeace-provokes-apple-on-renewable-energy-stance/21070>
Heather Clancy, ZDNet


> If you poke a little deeper into that second claim, however, you’ll discover that the facility will not directly run on renewable energy. Instead, Apple’s utility provider for the site will buy renewable energy credits (RECs) to make up the difference.

> As a result, Greenpeace hasn’t really budged in its position.



**** Smithsonian To Showcase Steve Jobs’ Patents, Trademarks In Exhibit On National Mall ****
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/smithsonian-to-showcase-steve-jobs-patents-trademarks-in-exhibit-on-national-mall/2012/05/01/gIQADk6WtT_story.html>
Associated Press


> Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough says it will feature materials from the patent office and archival material from the Smithsonian’s collections. It will include an Apple Macintosh computer, mouse and keyboard; a NeXT monitor, keyboard and mouse; an Apple iPod; and copies of documents.



**** Thunderbolt Cables Prove Expensive To Make Cheaply ****
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57424353-37/thunderbolt-cables-prove-expensive-to-make-cheaply/>
Topher Kessler, CNET


> Part of the justification for such an expensive cable is that in order to maintain the high bandwidth in the cable, Apple has needed to implement active electronics to stabilize and condition the signal. While Thunderbolt could maintain connectivity using a cable without such electronics, interference and attenuation of the signal over the distance in the cable would result in degraded performance that would limit bandwidth.



**** Apple Nudging Developers To Get Apps Gatekeeper-ready ****
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57424371-37/apple-nudging-developers-to-get-apps-gatekeeper-ready/>
Josh Lowensohn, CNET


> In an e-mail sent to developers this afternoon and forwarded on to CNET, Apple urged developers to start signing their apps and other software with their Apple Developer ID certificate so they will get by Gatekeeper, a security feature that's built into Apple's next OS and designed to keep malware at bay.



**** Apple Doesn't Want Musicians To See Secret Steve Jobs Deposition ****
<http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/apple-steve-jobs-deposition-universal-music-317999>
Eriq Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter



**** Finally, A Mac App That’s Perfect For Recording Audio And Notes In Meetings ****
<http://noodlemac.com/2012/04/finally-a-mac-app-thats-perfect-for-recording-audio-and-notes-in-meetings/>
Ron McElfresh, NoodleMac



**** Clean Up Your Menu Bar With Bartender ****
<http://www.cultofmac.com/163771/clean-up-your-menu-bar-with-bartender-os-x-tips/>
Rob LeFebvre, Cult Of Mac


> Bartender allows you to hide specific menu bar apps or all of them as you like, making the top strip on your Mac monitor just that bit more classy looking.



**** The One Thing CEOs Need To Learn From Apple ****
<http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/04/the_one_thing_ceos_need_to_lea.html>
Greg McKeown, Harvard Business Review


> A few weeks before Steve Jobs passed away, I was at Apple having lunch with a leader there. We revisited the well-known story of Jobs returning to an almost-bankrupt Apple. Jobs could have tried to maximize profits by squeezing every cent out of each of the existing product lines. But instead, he led the charge to remove scores of products. (At the time, Apple had a dozen versions of the Macintosh alone.) Jobs cut out profitable business lines at a time when the company appeared it could least afford to do so, culling the business down to four clear product lines. My lunch companion and I agreed that this atypical move was critical to the Cupertino company's transformation into what is arguably the most valuable business in the world.

> But then my Apple lunch companion wondered aloud: "Why don't more CEOs bring greater clarity to what their companies should not be doing?" It's a significant question. 



**** Are Apple's Tax Games Bad For America? ****
<http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/04/are-apples-tax-games-bad-for-america/256519/>
Derek Thompson, The Atlantic


> The bright side is that, even with some of America's largest companies paying mere pennies of every earned dollar to the federal government, this isn't the best place to focus on our national revenue crisis. Corporate income taxes account for less than 10% of  government revenue -- a quarter of payroll or federal income taxes. We can't prevent Apple and Google from shuttling their dollars around Europe and the Caribbean. But maybe if we acknowledged that international income is international and gave up trying to tax it at the world's highest marginal rate, we could focus the tax revenue debate where it belongs: on Americans earners. 



**** Let's Stop The Apple Tax Dodge ****
<http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2012041830/lets-stop-apple-tax-dodge>
Isaiah J. Poole, OurFuture.org


> As both stories show, Apple and Google are doing a digital version of what manufacturing companies have done for decades when they shifted production to low-tax jurisdictions, either in the United States or overseas—only with much more ease. Because high-tech firms traffic in intellectual property packaged as a series of electronic bits, these companies are able to outsmart a tax code written in the age of factories.

> There is room for even bolder ideas for reforming our tax code to end the loopholes and gamesmanship that disadvantages countries around the world. It's past time to take our fight for tax reform up a notch, with a combination of loud protest and smart proposals.



**** Lab Tested: The New iPad 2 And Old iPad 2 ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/1166620/lab_tested_the_new_ipad_2_and_old_ipad_2.html#lsrc.rss_main>
James Galbraith, Macworld


> In our performance tests, we found the two iPad 2s to be nearly as identical as their outside appearances. The 32nm iPad 2’s Sunspider score of 1.8 was identical to that of the 45nm iPad 2. The two iPad 2s also posted identical results for the NY Times page load.



**** Using FTP With An iPad ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/1166617/using_ftp_with_an_ipad.html#lsrc.rss_main>
Christopher Breen, Macworld



**** Apple And Taxes: What The New York Times Missed ****
<http://allthingsd.com/20120430/apple-and-taxes-what-the-new-york-times-missed/>
Arik Hesseldahl, AllThingsD


> Let’s assume that Apple’s North American sales of $38.3 billion in its fiscal 2011 were taxed at that rate, and do the math: We get $3.7 billion in sales taxes paid into the coffers of states and municipalities, except in those five states that have no such tax. That amounts to more than 1.5 times the $2.4 billion the Times says Apple would have owed the federal government. Factor in VAT and other similar taxes in the U.K. and throughout Europe, and you get the idea that Apple is generating tax revenue aplenty on the sale of its goods.



**** Why The iPad Is My New Laptop ****
<http://shawnblanc.net/2012/04/ipad-laptop/>
Shawn Blanc



**** Capture Twitter Conversations With Tweetbot And Storify ****
<http://tidbits.com/article/12972?rss>
Glenn Fleishman, TidBITS






The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Twitter, The Startup That Wouldn't Die ****
<http://www.businessweek.com/printer/articles/10453-twitter-the-startup-that-wouldnt-die>
Brad Stone, BusinessWeek



**** Watch Out, Raspberry Pi: Intel Unveils Ultra-small Next Unit Of Computing PC ****
<http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/127903-watch-out-raspberry-pi-intel-unveils-ultra-small-next-unit-of-computing-pc>
Sebastian Anthony, ExtremeTech


> Details of a new, ultra-compact computer form factor from Intel, called the Next Unit of Computing (NUC) are starting to emerge.



**** When Will This Low-Innovation Internet Era End? ****
<http://www.wired.com/opinion/2012/04/opinion-fox-net-innovation/all/1>
Justin Fox, Wired






MyAppleMenu Reader
====================================
**** Roughing It With Jonathan Franzen’s ‘Farther Away’ ****
<http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/04/28/roughing-it-with-jonathan-franzen-s-farther-away.html>
Chris Wallace, The Daily Beast


> I thought about reading this book in my own ascetic redoubt, on the craggy shelf of some perilous mountain, maybe haunted by cannibals, with only a flat soccer ball to keep me company. But I don’t camp. My idea of “roughing it” is a Radisson with a meager mini bar and I get cranky when Whole Foods doesn’t have its entire grazing menu available when I visit. So I went the other way with it. I brought Franzen’s book with me to my idea of paradise, a sanctuary from the cruel elements of Manhattan Island.

> On Easter weekend, I checked into the Bowery Hotel.



**** Mexican Food North Of The Border ****
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/02/dining/north-of-the-border-its-everyones-mexican-food.html?_r=1&gwh=E8923E1D8F4120325BA05B50EE575E14>
Julia Moskin, New York Times


> For the purposes of Mr. Arellano’s tale, the story of the fast-food taco begins here, on the corner of North Sixth and Mount Vernon streets, where Route 66 used to run through town.






SingaporeSurf
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**** Overcoming Singapore's Labour Crunch "Can Be Done" ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1198562/1/.html>
Qiuyi Tan, Chnnel NewsAsia


> The only way to overcome the labour crunch is to raise productivity and wages at the same pace, he added.



**** PM: Labour Day And Missing The Point Totally ****
<http://blogging4myself.blogspot.com/2012/05/pm-labour-day-and-missing-point-totally.html>
Blogging For Myself


> I am flabbergasted at the PM grasp of economics. He cannot be so dumb. So what politics is he playing with workers here? 



**** Transport Landscape Reflects Singapore’s Income Gap And Rightwing Ideology ****
<http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/transport-landscape-reflects-singapores-income-gap-and-rightwing-ideology/>
Alex Au, Yawning Bread


> Ultimately, the question of transport reduces to a question of income gap and the privileging of the better-off. We see average Joe being asked to suffer his travel time and congestion – and road widening – while public priorities aim to keep life comfortable and affordable for those who drive. COE prices rise to $90,000 and there is still healthy demand, which says a lot about our income gap. ERP rates are kept below the levels needed for their real effectiveness at congestion-control, with the slack taken up by more road-building at public expense, a sign of privileging.



**** May Day In Singapore ****
<http://kirstenhan.me/2012/05/01/may-day-in-singapore/>
Kirsten Han, Funny Little World


> While people around the world spend May Day speaking up against the inequalities and problems in their countries, our leaders should wake up and stop chanting the same broken mantra.



**** The View From The Treetops: Singapore's Stunning Super Forest Takes Shape As Its Opening Day nears ****
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2137404/Gardens-By-The-Bay-Supertrees-Singapore-prepares-opening-day.html>
Mail Online



**** Govt Will Uplift Low-wage Workers: PM Lee ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1198498/1/.html>
S Ramesh, Chnnel NewsAsia



**** New PAP Branch Chairmen At Paya Lebar And Serangoon ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1198496/1/.html>
Chnnel NewsAsia



**** Some Buy Cars In M’sia To Beat COE Prices ****
<http://news.insing.com/tabloid/some-buy-cars-in-msia-to-beat-coe-prices/id-5f453f00>
Lianhe Wanbao



**** Not Offside ****
<http://piaroh.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/not-offside/>
Words Of The Cze



**** Three ‘Minor’ Disruptions In A Day – Singapore’s Public Rail System Sets New ‘First World’ Record ****
<http://temasektimes.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/three-minor-disruptions-in-a-day-singapores-public-rail-system-sets-new-first-world-record/>
The Temasek Times



**** Deconstructing Democracy And Freedom Of Speech ****
<http://theonlinecitizen.com/2012/05/deconstructing-democracy-and-freedom-of-speech/>
Ghui, The Online Citizen


> We need to be open to the views of our fellow citizens and encourage all forms of “responsible” speech. It is beside the point whether we agree or not. It is only in open discussion that we can achieve the best possible balance.



**** Council To Study Plastic Bag Charge ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_794188.html>
Jose Raymond, Singapore Enviornment Council, Straits Times



**** MRT Breakdown COI: Collector Shoes Failed To Detach As Expected ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/The-Big-Story/The-Big-Story-3/Story/STIStory_794298.html>
Royston Sim, Straits Times


> The collector shoes were supposed to break off from the train when they were subject to abnormal operating conditions.

> But in the first major disruption on Dec 15 last year, SMRT maintenance staff found the shoes - which draw power for the train from the third rail - were still attached to the trains.



**** Why Average Singaporeans <i>Are</i> Hurt By Inflation ****
<http://my.news.yahoo.com/why-average-singaporeans-hurt-inflation-160000127.html>
Ryan Ong, Yahoo!



**** “Average Singaporean Will Not Feel The Effects Of A Sharp Inflation.” You’re Kidding Me Again Right Eight Ball???????? ****
<http://dotseng.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/average-singaporean-will-not-feel-the-effects-of-a-sharp-inflation-youre-kidding-me-again-right-eight-ball/>
Dotseng


> What I find really unbelievable about eight ball’s claim is how he consistently fails to recognize how the escallating cost of car ownership can only sharpen the impact of inflation for even those who may not see the necessity of owning a car in Singapore. Since most goods and services don’t get teleported as much as driven from A to B throughout the entire length and breadth of Singapore – how is it even possible to draw the simplistic conclusion that the run away price of COE’s will not indirectly translate into price hikes that may even affect Singaporeans who regularly walk, cycle or take public transport. After all, if a pharmaceutical salesman has to dole out more for his four wheeled horse, who the fuck do you think these price hikes are going to passed on too?



**** PM Lee Uses Example Of Germany To Highlight Importance Of Welcoming And Integrating Foreigners ****
<http://temasektimes.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/pm-lee-uses-example-of-germany-to-highlight-importance-of-welcoming-and-integrating-foreigners/>
The Temasek Times


> It is disingenuous of PM Lee to compare Singapore to Germany as the latter has a minimum wage law to safeguard the interests of local German workers and a tighter labor policy governing the hiring of foreigners – German companies can only employ foreigners if they are unable to find suitable local candidates to fill in the positions.



**** How Much Profit Do They Want? ****
<http://xuyun74.blogspot.com/2012/05/how-much-profit-do-they-want.html>
Transitional Eternity



**** Finally A Bit Of Life In Singapore! ****
<http://boardingarea.com/blogs/onemileatatime/2012/04/30/finally-a-bit-of-life-in-singapore/>
The Wandering Aramean


> One day I hope to figure Singapore out. Meh, who am I kidding?



**** Review Of “From Third World To First” By Lee Kuan Yew ****
<http://foseti.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/review-of-from-third-world-to-first-by-lee-kuan-yew/>
Foseti



**** Think Centre’s Labour Day Message ****
<http://theonlinecitizen.com/2012/05/think-centres-labour-day-message/>
Think Centre, The Online Citizen


> All workers have the right to fair and decent working and living conditions, regular payment of wages, and adequate access to the legal and judicial system for victims of discrimination, abuse, exploitation and violence. To protect the workers better with decent work standards, Think Centre urges the government to update deficient labour legislation by amending or removing outdated policies.



**** 服务业招聘真的难吗？ ****
<http://www.zaobao.com.sg/yl/jl120501_002.shtml>
å¼ å…´ç§€, 联合早报


> 虽然酒店培训一个员工不容易，需要5ä¸ªæœˆå·¦å³çš„æ—¶é—´ï¼Œå¯æ˜¯å¥¹ä¸æƒœæˆæœ¬åœ°è¾žé€€å‘˜å·¥ï¼Œä¹Ÿä¸æ‹…å¿ƒæ‹›è˜ä¸åˆ°å‘˜å·¥ï¼Œå› ä¸ºä¸­ä»‹å…¬å¸å¯ä»¥ä»»æ„åŽ»ä¸åŒå›½å®¶ä¸ºé…’åº—æ‹›æ¥å¤–å›½åŠ³å·¥ï¼Œæ‰€ä»¥é…’åº—ä¸€ç›´ä¾èµ–ä¸­ä»‹ä¸è¿œåƒé‡Œæ‹›è˜é‚£äº›æ”¯ä»˜åŠ³åŠ¡è´¹çš„å¤–åŠ³ã€‚



**** New Rule For Indonesian Maids To Curb High-rise Falls ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_794286.html>
Amelia Tan & Goh Shi Ting, Straits Times


> New Indonesian maids here will no longer be allowed to clean out-facing windows or hang laundry outside high-rise homes.

> This rule, released by the Indonesian government on Monday to The Straits Times, is part of a contract new maids and their employers will now have to sign before the maids can work here.



**** 两公司地铁服务 　昨相继出现延误 ****
<http://www.zaobao.com.sg/sp/sp120501_011.shtml>
魏瑜嶙, 联合早报


> SMRT发言人证实，昨早一列从巴西立站开往淡滨尼站的西向列车，在途中出现列车信号故障，导致乘坐该趟列车的乘客行程略微延误，从淡滨尼到丹那美拉之间的行程所花费的时间，比平时多出四分钟。

> å¦ä¸€æ–¹é¢ï¼Œæ˜¨åˆåœ¨ä¸œåŒ—çº¿ä¸Šï¼Œå¼€å¾€æ¦œé¹…æ–¹å‘çš„åˆ—è½¦æœåŠ¡ä¹Ÿå‡ºçŽ°å»¶è¯¯ï¼Œèµ·å› åˆ™æ˜¯è½¨é“ä¿¡å·å‡ºçŽ°æ•…éšœã€‚æ–°æ·è¿å‘è¨€äººå—è¯¢æ—¶è¯´ï¼Œæ•…éšœå‘ç”Ÿåœ¨å…€é‡Œï¼ˆWoodleigh）站附近。



**** Today We Celebrate Labour Day But What Is There For Labour To Celebrate? ****
<http://singaporemind.blogspot.com/2012/05/today-we-celebrate-labour-day-but-what.html>
Diary Of A Singaporean Mind


> By expanding the workforce though the foreign influx, and proliferation of  many businesses which should not be located here, the cost of doing business goes up and businesses seek out cheaper sources of foreign labour to stay afloat creating a vicious cycle a large segment of Singaporean workforce whose wages have come under pressure to go down. 



**** A Misperception Of BMT Recruits? ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120430-0000150/A-misperception-of-BMT-recruits?>
Yeo Seow Woon, Today


> I fail to understand why medics can refuse to allow a recruit to see the camp MO and why, when a recruit reports sick, he is deemed to be malingering until proven otherwise, and not vice versa.

> Also, after an asthmatic attack, why is a recruit not allowed to rest but must resume training immediately? Not all coughs are "Tekong coughs". Coughing fits are a recognised variant of asthma.



**** Irregularities Found Before Dec 17 Disruption ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1198395/1/.html>
Hetty Musfirah, Chnnel NewsAsia


> Fresh scratch marks on the third rail cover and a cracked mirror that may have affected readings taken during checks were some of the unusual irregularities found during preventive maintenance work before the second major train disruption on 17 December.