[MyAppleMenu] Oct 10, 2012

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
====================================
**** Did Apple And Google Really Spend More On Patents Than R&D? Yes – But It’s Not All It Seems ****
<http://www.technovia.co.uk/2012/10/did-apple-and-google-really-spend-more-on-patents-than-rd-yes-but-its-not-all-it-seems.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Technovia+%28Technovia%29>
Ian Betteridge, Technovia


> So yes, Google and Apple did spend more on patents in 2011 than R&D. But that’s very likely to be a one-off, simply because 2011 was an unusual year which saw several highly-desirable patent portfolios come on the market. What the NYT didn’t say is that Apple also increased its R&D spending in 2011 by 33%, and that Google’s R&D spending continues to trend upwards massively, with the company spending a whopping 12% of all its revenue in R&D last year.



**** Never Miss A Movie's Bonus Scenes Again With TodoMovies ****
<http://appadvice.com/appnn/2012/10/never-miss-a-movies-bonus-scenes-again-with-todomovies>
Aldrin Calimlim, AppAdvice


> "Movies that have bonus scenes will be indicated in your watch list with a seat icon. If you see one, sit tight and don’t immediately leave the theater after the movie is over!"

Actually, what I would like to see is that <i>everyone</i> sits still until the entire movie, <i>including the credits</i> ends.


**** Do More With Mountain Lion’s Contacts ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/2011118/do-more-with-mountain-lion-s-contacts.html>
Christopher Breen, Macworld


> Contacts has hidden depths, including the ability to pull in Twitter handles and Facebook friends automatically, sync Google contacts, display a map of a contact’s address, and help you put faces to names.



**** Singapore May Ease Currency Gain As Growth Slows ****
<http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-10-09/singapore-may-ease-currency-gain-as-growth-slows-southeast-asia>
Kristine Aquino, BusinessWeek


> The Monetary Authority of Singapore will probably slow the pace of appreciation in the local dollar as moderating price pressures provide scope for measures to support economic growth, according to a survey of analysts.



**** Developers: We Warned Apple About iOS Maps Quality ****
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57529147-37/developers-we-warned-apple-about-ios-maps-quality/>
Josh Lowensohn, CNET


> Developers have been complaining about Apple's Maps since shortly after they were given the first pre-release version in early June, CNET has learned. They say they filed bug requests, sent e-mails to specific Apple employees, and vented on message boards only other developers and Apple could see.



**** Apple Ships Mic-less EarPods With New iPod Touch ****
<http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19512_7-57529040-233/apple-ships-mic-less-earpods-with-new-ipod-touch/>
David Carnoy, CNET


> The same mic-less EarPods also ship with the new iPod Nano. Oh, and these step-down EarPods don't come with a carrying case. In all other respects, including sound quality, the two EarPod versions are the same.



**** A Quick Review Of ChemBioDraw 13 ****
<http://macinchem.org/reviews/chembiodraw13/chembiodraw13_review.php>
Macs In Chemistry



**** Apple Configurator Tool For iOS Devices Gets Better iOS 6 Support, Apple TV Configuration And More ****
<http://thenextweb.com/apple/2012/10/10/apple-configurator-tool-for-ios-devices-gets-better-ios-6-support-apple-tv-configuration-and-more/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheNextWeb+%28The+Next+Web+All+Stories%29>
Matthew Panzarino, The Next Web



**** A Dragon That Takes Dictation And Controls A Mac By Voice ****
<http://allthingsd.com/20121009/a-dragon-that-takes-dictation-and-controls-a-mac-by-voice/>
Walter S. Mossberg, All Things D


> Dragon Dictate is a step forward for Mac users who need, or prefer, to use voice to write and control a computer.



**** Alternatives To Camera App Can Give You Better iPhone Photos ****
<http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/10/alternatives-to-camera-app-can-give-you-better-iphone-photos/>
Chris Foresman, Ars Technica


> Coming from a pro photography background, 645 Pro really speaks to me with its "pro camera" interface and the ability to save full-resolution TIFFs. However, ProCamera has nearly all of the advanced power with a more iPhone-like interface, and it also includes video capture and editing features. Either of these apps would likely suit the most demanding "iPhoneographers."



**** Power Management Hot Keys In OS X ****
<http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13727_7-57528700-263/power-management-hot-keys-in-os-x/>
Topher Kessler, CNET


> In old Mac systems, Apple included a power button on the keyboard that could be used to access the Power menu when the Mac was running. Apple has removed this button, but the functions invoked by it are still available in OS X by pressing Control-Eject on your keyboard.



**** Lodsys Claims Momentum In Patent Fight As Some Indie Devs Leave US ****
<http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/10/lodsys-claims-momentum-in-patent-fight-as-some-indie-devs-leave-us/>
Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica


> Patent holding company Lodsys claims it's gaining momentum in its battle with independent developers. The company posted two new blog posts on Monday evening—after almost a year and a half of silence—claiming it has both gained the favor of the US Patent and Trademark Office and made a number of new patent licensing deals with smaller companies. But some of the indie developers targeted by Lodsys have begun chest-thumping in response, declaring that Lodsys "needs to be stopped."



**** Developers Stymied By Mac App Store Approval Delays ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/2011430/developers-stymied-by-mac-app-store-approval-delays.html>
Lex Friedman, Macworld



**** Mac Gems: Write 2 Offers Advanced Word-processing Features, Minimalist Interface ****
<http://www.macworld.com/article/2011424/mac-gems-write-2-offers-advanced-word-processing-features-minimalist-interface.html>
Kirk McElhearn, Macworld


> It’s almost a no-brainer for anyone who wants sophisticated features and the capability to make complex documents while maintaining an easy-to-use, minimalist interface.






The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** Ballmer To Microsoft Shareholders: 'A Fundamental Shift [Is] Underway In Our Business' ****
<http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/9/3480696/steve-ballmer-shareholder-letter-2012-devices-services>
Tom Warren, The Verge


> Microsoft is only days away from releasing a major hardware product, the Surface RT tablet, to consumers — alongside a new touch-centric Windows 8 operating system. "This is a significant shift," says Ballmer. "It impacts how we run the company, how we develop new experiences, and how we take products to market for both consumers and businesses."



**** Be Nice To Programmers ****
<http://edu.mkrecny.com/thoughts/be-nice-to-programmers>
Edu.mkrecny.com






MyAppleMenu Reader
====================================
**** Does Biology Make Us Liars? ****
<http://www.tnr.com/article/books-and-arts/magazine/108156/deceptions#>
Oren Harman, The New Republic


> Self-love makes the world go round. But, alongside cooperation, could self-love give birth to deception?



**** Nibbled To Death ****
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/10/dining/tasting-menus-can-be-too-much-of-a-good-thing.html?_r=1>
Pete Wells, New York Times


> In the hands of a chef who grasps the challenges and possibilities of the form, a tasting menu can yield a succession of delights that a shorter meal could never contain.

> At other times, though, the consumer of such a meal may feel as much like a victim as a guest. The reservation is hard won, the night is exhausting, the food is cold, the interruptions are frequent. The courses blur, the palate flags and the check stings.



**** Marooned ****
<http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/244492>
Leigh Stein, Poetry Foundation






SingaporeSurf
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**** MDA: We Nair U-turn What ****
<http://www.mrbrown.com/blog/2012/10/mda-we-nair-u-turn.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+mrbrown+%28mrbrown%29>
mrbrown.com



**** To PM Lee: We Need To Work Smarter, Not Harder ****
<http://www.publichouse.sg/categories/topstory/item/790-to-pm-lee-we-need-to-work-smarter-not-harder>
Elaine Ee, Publichouse.sg



**** No Police Action Taken Against Australian ‘FT’ And ex-NTUC Director Amy Cheong ****
<http://temasektimes.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/no-police-action-taken-against-australian-ft-and-ex-ntuc-director-amy-cheong/>
The Temasek Times


> This is not the first time that foreigners were let off the hook by the Singapore police for posting racist remarks.



**** 10. 10. 10. ****
<http://spuddings.net/2012/10/10/10-10-10/>
Kristen Han, #spuddings


> For me, it really was all about seeing people as people, not as just criminals or statistics in a prison census. No matter how much we disagree with or are disgusted by the choices they made and the actions they took, these people are still people, and there are – should be – limits to what we do to one another.



**** NCMP Lina Chiam’s Question Discovers More New Citizens Last Year? ****
<http://leongszehian.com/?p=1926>
Leong Sze Hian


> So, news reports (“Why Singapore needs new citizens”, AsiaOne, Apr 27 ) gave the impression that the number of new citizens had declined significantly last year, when in actual fact, the number was even higher at 19,777 (15,777 plus 4,000), compared to the previous year’s 18,758.



**** High Court Dismisses SDP's Peaceful Assembly Motion ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1230529/1/.html>
Claire Huang, Channel NewsAsia


> Justice Quentin Loh said the questions set out by Mr Joseph were not framed as questions of law and not based on facts. The judge added it will be a "backdoor appeal" if their applications were allowed.



**** Population Key To Building A Better Singapore: DPM Teo ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1230572/1/.html>
S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia


> "If we don't have a sustainable core Singapore population, we won't be able to sustain the kind of Singapore that we want in the future. That is a critical element of the Singapore in the future. The current birth rate is not enough for us to sustain our population or even maintain it at its current level. We want to be able to raise the population through encouraging births," he said.

The Singapore I want is probably not the Singapore the PAP government wants.


**** Gardens By The Bay, East Coast Park To Be Linked ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1230569/1/.html>
Dylan Loh, Channel NewsAsia


> Singapore's Gardens by the Bay will be joined to East Coast Park by a park connector, with construction works to link the two expected to start in late-2013 and finish in end-2014.



**** Fine For Spitting Or Vomiting? ****
<http://gintai.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/fine-for-spitting-or-vomiting/>
Gintai_昇泰


> The reply from NEA is that the Cisco officer insisted that MF had spit and not vomited. It is his word against the Cisco officer’s word.



**** Sengkang Free Clinic: A Healthcare Model For The Whole Of Singapore ****
<http://thehearttruths.com/2012/10/10/sengkang-free-clinic-a-healthcare-model-for-the-whole-of-singapore/>
The Heart Truths



**** A Letter From Jack ****
<http://theonlinecitizen.com/2012/10/a-letter-from-jack/>
Jack Sim, The Online Citizen



**** We Will Become Strangers In Our Singapore ****
<http://blogging4myself.blogspot.sg/2012/10/we-will-become-strangers-in-our.html>
Blogging For Myself


> Don't we realize that our high standard of living comes from mortgaging away our future? Nobody is attacking us. We are killing ourselves. That is the price of front loading our lifetime expenditure and worse using it to keep up with the Joneses.



**** This Graph Is Proof That Q3 GDP Will Slip 10% ****
<http://sbr.com.sg/economy/news/graph-proof-q3-gdp-will-slip-10>
Singapore Business Review



**** Singapore Inequality: City-state Must Be Proactive In Bridging The Widening Gulf Between Rich And Poor Say Economists ****
<http://www.theinformationdaily.com/2012/06/17/singapore-inequality-city-state-must-be-proactive-in-bridging-the-widening-gulf-between-rich-and-poor-say-economists>
Information Daily


> Singapore government needs to intervene radically to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor and ensure opportunities exist for all Singaporeans to improve their quality of life, a group of economists have said in a recent paper published by the Institute of Policy Studies.



**** Does Singapore Exploit Batam? ****
<http://lishanchan.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/does-singapore-exploit-batam/>
Philosophy Etc



**** æ–°åŠ å¡ã€Œç„¡èŠã€ 總比台灣「落後」好 ****
<http://www.businessweekly.com.tw/blog/article.php?id=2196>
黃齊元, 商業周刊


> å°ç£é€™å¹¾å¹´ä¸€ç›´æŽ¢ç´¢ç‚ºä»€éº¼æ–°åŠ å¡èƒ½ï¼Œå°ç£ä¸èƒ½ï¼Ÿç­”æ¡ˆå¾ˆç°¡å–®ï¼Œæ”¿åºœæ•ˆèƒ½å’Œé–‹æ”¾ã€‚æ–°åŠ å¡æœ€å¥½çš„äººæ‰éƒ½åŽ»ç•¶å…¬å‹™å“¡ï¼Œæ”¿åºœçµ¦å¾ˆé«˜çš„è–ªæ°´ã€‚ä»–å€‘æŽ¨å‹•å»ºè¨­éƒ½æ˜¯æŒ‰æ­¥å°±ç­ï¼ŒåŸ·è¡ŒåŠ›è¶…å¼·ï¼Œæ¯”å¦‚èªªé–‹æ”¾è³­å ´ï¼›å°ç£é¦¬ç¥–å…¬æŠ•é›–ç„¶é€šéŽï¼Œé›¢æ­£å¼ç‡Ÿæ¥­é‚„è¦ç­‰å…­å¹´ã€‚

> æ–°åŠ å¡æ˜¯ä¸€å€‹çœŸæ­£çš„åœ‹éš›æ€§å¤–å‘åž‹ç¶“æ¿Ÿï¼Œç›¡ä¸€åˆ‡å¯èƒ½å¸å¼•å¤–è³‡ã€å¤–åœ‹æ—…å®¢å’Œå¤–å‹žï¼ŒåŒ…æ‹¬è—é ˜å’Œç™½é ˜ã€‚é€™å¹¾å¹´ä¸­åœ‹å¤§é™¸æœ‰éŒ¢äººå·²ä¸æŠŠéŒ¢å­˜åœ¨é¦™æ¸¯ï¼Œè€Œæ”¹æ”¾åœ¨æ–°åŠ å¡ã€‚æœ€è¿‘æœ‰ä¸€å€‹ç¥¨é¸ï¼Œè‹±åœ‹äººå°‡æ–°åŠ å¡é¸ç‚ºå…¨ä¸–ç•Œä»–å€‘æœ€æƒ³åŽ»å·¥ä½œå’Œå±…ä½çš„åŸŽå¸‚ã€‚



**** Singapore 'Needs To Change Filial-piety Mindset' ****
<http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20121010-376608.html>
Elizabeth Kamaldin, My Paper


> Singapore would be in a better position to care for the aged today, if its elderly-welfare schemes had been implemented decades ago, according to academics.



**** å¡«æµ·é€ å‡ºå¤©ç©ºä¹‹åŸŽ ****
<http://finance.sina.com.cn/world/yzjj/20121009/225213321228.shtml>
å¼ åœ†, 新浪财经


> å¯¹äºŽæ–°åŠ å¡è€Œè¨€ï¼Œé¢ä¸´çš„æœ€å¤§æŒ‘æˆ˜æ˜¯ï¼Œå¦‚ä½•ä»¥æœ€å°çš„é¢ç§¯ï¼Œåˆ›é€ æœ€å¤§çš„é­…åŠ›ã€‚

> ç²—åˆ¶æ»¥é€ ã€ä»Šå¤©ä¿®è·¯ï¼Œæ˜Žå¤©æ‹†äº†å†ä¿®çš„è¿™ç§å»ºè®¾ä¸é€‚åˆæ–°åŠ å¡ï¼Œå› ä¸ºæ–°åŠ å¡æ²¡æœ‰â€œå¤šä½™â€çš„èµ„æºå¯ä¾›æŒ¥éœï¼Œé«˜æ•ˆå·¥ä½œå“²å­¦ä¹Ÿä¸å…è®¸æµªè´¹æ—¶é—´ã€‚



**** Is Three-generation Family As Social Support Still Realistic? ****
<http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC121010-0000074/Is-three-generation-family-as-social-support-still-realistic?>
Ashley Chia, Today


> In a presentation before the discussion, Assoc Prof Straughan said that the ideology of the three-generational family support system is "no longer functional" and "moralising" eldercare has made the elderly "so afraid" of seeking help, as it would be acknowledging that their children have failed them. 

> The shrinking family nucleus will also be a "tremendous burden" in terms of finance, as it is not possible to take care of four parents and grow your own family at the same time, she added.



**** Standing Up Against Racism Is The Easy Test, Singapore Government Needs To Show Its True Colours ****
<http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/standing-up-against-racism-is-the-easy-test-singapore-government-needs-to-show-its-true-colours/>
Alex Au, Yawning Bread


> I am still waiting for the prime minister to post on Facebook his disapproval of the bus driver’s actions.



**** NatCon: More Cynical Than Wayang? ****
<http://atans1.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/natcon-more-cynical-than-wayang/>
Thoughts Of A Cynical Investor