[MyAppleMenu] Sep 24, 2012

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** Apple's iPod Touch For The Win ****
<http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2410024,00.asp>
Tim Bajarin, PC Magazine


> Even if users choose a different smartphone, the iPod touch offers so much versatility that it could be a very attractive supplemental option and, at the very least, could replace a point-and-shoot camera. Add in its other features as well as access to Apple's apps and services and it becomes the kind of device that one can justify buying over similarly priced single-purpose devices.



**** Apple Sending Out Emails Notifying iCloud Users Of Storage Downgrades ****
<http://www.tuaw.com/2012/09/24/apple-sending-out-emails-notifying-icloud-users-of-storage-downg/>
Michael Grothaus, TUAW


> Apple has began sending out emails notifying iCloud members of imminent storage downgrades to their accounts. The emails have been sent to iCloud members who were previously paid MobileMe subscribers.



**** Mike Isaac ****
<http://allthingsd.com/20120923/scuffgate-some-early-adopters-claim-iphone-5-case-is-scratch-tacular/>
John Paczkowski, All Things D


> A number of Apple early adopters claim that the back case of the iPhone 5 is highly susceptible to scratching and more visible signs of wear and tear, according to multiple reports from across the Web.

> Perhaps even more serious, numerous accounts state that users are receiving iPhone 5 devices damaged directly out of the packaging, before customers have had chance to actually lay hands the device.



**** Caching Post ****
<http://www.mnot.net/blog/2012/09/24/caching_POST>
Mark Nottingham, Mnot's Blog


> Back to Apple: even without the benefit of this context, they're still clearly violating the spec; the original permission to cache in 2616 was contingent upon there being explicit freshness information (basically, Expires or Cache-Control: max-age).

> So, it's a bug. Unfortunately, it's one that will make people trust caches even less, which is bad for the Web. Hopefully, they'll do a quick fix before developers feel they need to work around this for the next five years.



**** Source: Apple Aggressively Recruiting Ex-Google Maps Staff To Build Out iOS Maps ****
<http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/23/source-apple-aggressively-recruiting-ex-google-maps-staff-to-build-out-ios-maps/>
Darrell Etherington, TechCrunch


> Apple is going after people with experience working on Google Maps to develop its own product, according to a source with connections on both teams. Using recruiters, Apple is pursuing a strategy of luring away Google Maps employees who helped develop the search giant’s product on contract, and many of those individuals seem eager to accept due in part to the opportunity Apple represents to build new product, instead of just doing “tedious updates” on a largely complete platform.

So, the gentleman agreement between Apple and Google not to poach each other's staff is no longer?


**** Showdown: Parallels Desktop 8 Vs. VMWare Fusion 5 ****
<http://arstechnica.com/features/2012/09/parallels-desktop-8-and-vmware-fusion-5-pro-review-showdown/>
David Girard, Ars Technica


> Apart from the bugs I saw in Mountain Lion 8, I think Parallels Desktop 8 earns that extra cost with its solid performance, far superior Linux OpenGL support, and existing feature set. But if your needs are more big-business-oriented, VMWare Fusion 5 Pro might be more your thing.



**** Apple Got The iPhone 5'S Physical Design Right ****
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57518399-37/apple-got-the-iphone-5s-physical-design-right/>
Brooke Crothers, CNET


> Apple stretched out the 4S just enough to allow for a bigger screen, while making it lighter and easier to hold.



**** Apple Maps: Damned If You Do, Googled If You Don’t ****
<http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/09/23/apple-maps/>
Jean-Louis Gassée, Monday Note


> The ridicule that Apple has suffered following the introduction of the Maps application in iOS 6 is largely self-inflicted. The demo was flawless, 2D and 3D maps, turn-by-turn navigation, spectacular flyovers…but not a word from the stage about the app’s limitations, no self-deprecating wink, no admission that iOS Maps is an infant that needs to learn to crawl before walking, running, and ultimately lapping the frontrunner, Google Maps. Instead, we’re told that Apple’s Maps may be  “the most beautiful, powerful mapping service ever.”






The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** The Pendulum Swings, Again ****
<http://jacquesmattheij.com/the-pendulum-swings-again>
Jacques Matheij



**** AT&T Bets That An Ecosystem Will Innovate ****
<http://www.technologyreview.com/news/428989/att-bets-that-an-ecosystem-will-innovate/?ref=rss>
Jessica Leber, Technology Review


> To compete in the app economy, the giant telecommunications company is opening up its data to outside software developers.



**** A Lot Of Lead Bullets: A Response To The New York Times Article On Data Center Efficiency ****
<http://blog.diegodoval.com/2012/09/23/a-lot-of-lead-bullets-a-response-to-the-new-york-times-article-on-data-center-efficiency/>
Diego's Weblog


> The assertions made in it essentially paint our engineers and operations people as a bunch of idiots who are putting together rows and rows of boxes on data centers and not caring what this costs to their businesses, nay, to the planet.

> And nothing could be further from the truth.






MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** On The Importance Of Food ****
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/9555805/Lawrence-Norfolk-on-the-importance-of-food.html>
Lawrence Norfolk, Telegraph


> And when I think of any dish that hovers between disaster and triumph, part of me still finds it magnificent.



**** Poem Of The Week: Silt Whisper By Ailbhe Darcy ****
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/sep/24/poem-week-silt-whisper-ailbhe-darcy?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Carl Rumens, The Guardian



**** The Dark And Starry Eyes Of Ray Bradbury  ****
<http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-dark-and-starry-eyes-of-ray-bradbury>
Lauren Weiner, The New Atlantis


> Truth be told, the proportion of greatest hits among his more forgettable works is not high. Yet the effect Bradbury has had is as potent as that of creators like L. Frank Baum, Rod Serling, and Steven Spielberg — probably as potent as all three combined, considering the large swaths of American popular culture he is father to.



**** Beyond The Brain ****
<http://wilsonquarterly.com/article.cfm?AID=2196&src=longreads>
Tanya Marie Luhrmann, The Wilson Quarterly


> In the 1990s, scientists declared that schizophrenia and other psychiatric illnesses were pure brain disorders that would eventually yield to drugs. Now they are recognizing that social factors are among the causes, and must be part of the cure.






SingaporeSurf
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**** Open Letter To PM Lee ****
<http://singaporealternatives.blogspot.sg/2012/09/open-letter-to-pm-lee.html>
Goh Meng Seng, Singapore Alternatives


> I feel that what you and your ministers lack is not a Conversation or communication channel with Singaporeans but rather, the lack of empathy of the common people's life with different income levels. This empathy cannot be gained nor learned through mere Conversation. This empathy could only be gained through the actual living of the commoner's life.



**** East Meets Waste ****
<http://waste360.com/recycling/east-meets-waste>
Steven Averett, Waste360



**** 6 Million? Are You Kidding Me PM?  ****
<http://miak.livejournal.com/701405.html>
Innersanctum



**** Opposition Politician Chee Raises S$30,000 To Clear Bankruptcy ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1227746/1/.html>
S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia


> Dr Chee said he'll make the necessary arrangements to remit the money to the Official Assignee this week.



**** Goat Days ****
<http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2012/09/24/goat-days/>
Alex Au, Yawning Bread


> So, if religious leaders insert themselves into political debates, the way to deal with them is to point this out openly. Say so in open forums, whether you’re a minister or an ordinary citizen. Convince fellow citizens to join you in taking the stand that political debate must be secular. Build a consensus that political space should be free of religion. Instead of leaving people sway-able by religiously-based arguments, inoculate them through open discussion.

> Do not do things in dark corners, whispering the name of the Internal Security Act.



**** PAP The Wedge ****
<http://politicalwritings.wordpress.com/2012/09/24/pap-the-wedge/>
Political Writings


> With all these legacy, how do you expect people to trust the PAP? Why shouldn’t people be cynical? Why should they embrace the PAP?

> Are you willing to pay the price, Mr Wong? More importantly, what about your party leadership?



**** The Frustration Of Lawrence Wong, And Others ****
<http://andrewlohhp.wordpress.com/2012/09/24/the-frustration-of-lawrence-wong-and-others/>
Andrew Loh


> And really, it is not hard to do things better. All it takes is honesty and a desire to hear authentic views. I’m not, of course, saying that those who participated in the TV forum were not authentic. What I am saying is that the representation – both on the NC committee and the audience in such forums – should not only be non-partisan but also – just as importantly – to be seen to be non-partisan.



**** Singapore Inflation Up At Slower Pace In August ****
<http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/1227715/1/.html>
Channel NewsAsia


> The central bank noted in a statement that headline inflation is expected to rise in September due largely to a "surge" in the cost of Certificates of Entitlement (COE) for motor vehicles in August.

> However, it said the sluggish economy means inflation will continue "at a more moderate pace than that seen earlier this year."



**** Motoring Public Angry That’s Why: Traffic Wardens As Punching Bags ****
<http://rogerpoh.wordpress.com/2012/09/24/motoring-public-angry-thats-why-traffic-wardens-as-punching-bags/>
SpotlightOnSingapore


> The security firms deny that there’s a quota. This may be true but its advertisement for traffic wardens lists profit sharing as one of the incentives of the job. I leave it to your imagination what this means.



**** Talking About My Generation ****
<http://www.publichouse.sg/categories/topstory/item/781-talking-about-my-generation>
Publichouse.sg



**** Chee Soon Juan – The Man And His Beliefs – Part I ****
<http://theonlinecitizen.com/2012/09/chee-soon-juan-the-man-and-his-beliefs-part-i/>
Kumaran Pillai & Leo Khaw, The Online Citizen



**** Singapore A “Barren Island’ In The 1950S??? A Miscommunication Or Another Untruth? ****
<http://theonlinecitizen.com/2012/09/singapore-a-barren-island-in-the-1950s-a-miscommunication-or-another-untruth/>
Jen, The Online Citizen


> Credit should always be given where it is due while hyperbolic claims and lies should also be debunked accordingly. You can fool some of the people some of the time but history has shown that the truth will out some day, always.



**** Singapore's Banning Of That Anti-islam Video: Why It Was A Mistake ****
<http://journalism.sg/2012/09/24/singapores-banning-of-that-anti-islam-video-why-it-was-a-mistake/>
Cherian George, Journalism.sg


> But instead of telling the world that we have an untrustworthy, combustible Muslim minority – thus confirming the stereotypes that its enemies are keen to perpetuate – we would be showing confidence in our ability to out-talk, out-reason and outlast the forces of intolerance.



**** Au Revoir? ****
<http://benoblak.blogspot.sg/2012/09/au-revoir.html>
Benoblak


> A whole new world, a new fantastic point of view? What do I gain by moving? Improved quality of life, cheaper housing and transport. But at what cost? Uncertainty, higher tax rates, being by myself in a whole new world, which can be really scary. And yet I feel an overwhelming desire to pack up and leave. There's always that thing about greener pastures but I really don't want to see myself cleaning tables at the age of 65 at my local coffeeshop. I guess the only thing truely holding me back is the fear of failure. But I do not want to live in regret either. 



**** News Of F1 Extension Delights All But Bay Area Businesses ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/news-f1-extension-delights-all-bay-area-businesses-20120923>
May Chen, Straits Times


> Their main beef: The disruption to business when the area goes into lockdown for the three-day extravaganza.



**** The Function Of Religion And The Archbishop’s Letter ****
<http://newasiarepublic.com/?p=40368>
Huang Ziming, New Asia Republic


> But really, what is not political in Singapore, and what is the private sphere?



**** F1 Extension Delights Almost Everyone ****
<http://everythingalsocomplain.com/2012/09/24/f1-extension-delights-almost-everyone/>
Everything Also Complain


> At 3000 LUX levels, the lighting is <i>four times</i> the lights at sports stadiums. The gorgeous illuminated skyline that we’re so proud of, the one that helicopter cameras glide across every year like a director lingering over naked thighs in a porno film, is the result of a dozen generators belching 3 megawatts of electricity, the same amount that could light up a few Malaysia Cup final matches at the National Stadium, or serve a few underprivileged households.



**** Channel News Asia Sneakily Adds Names To Legitimise Quotations ****
<http://newnation.sg/2012/09/channel-news-asia-sneakily-adds-names-to-legitimise-quotations/>
New Nation



**** “Is WP Living Up To Expectations?” “Yes” Says JG ****
<http://atans1.wordpress.com/2012/09/24/is-wp-living-up-to-expectations-yes-says-jg/>
Thoughts Of A Cynical Investor


> Expectations are different. The WP has to manage expectations, or live up to them. Or do both. It cannot continue doing things the old way. It must also communicate more.



**** Losing Her Stripes? ****
<http://www.economist.com/node/21563354>
The Economist


> But the anxiety behind the comments is that hard-studying Singaporeans lack creativity and an ability to think laterally. This is now seen as a competitive disadvantage in what are often called “knowledge economies”, where innovation and inventiveness are at a premium. Are the tiger mothers, Mr Lee seems to be wondering, now putting Singapore’s future prosperity at risk?