[MyAppleMenu] Sep 30, 2012

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
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**** A Clockwork Orange To Scare You All Over Again ****
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/sep/30/clockwork-orange-burgess-app-ipad?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Anna Baddeley, The Observer



**** Old Maps Vs. New Maps ****
<http://vore.cc/post/32503374905/old-maps-vs-new-maps>
Vore


> There seems to be a significant difference in the way the two companies approach the task of returning search results, with Google doing whatever it takes to get any result out, while Apple seems to prefer accuracy above all.



**** Apple No Longer Thinks Maps Is The Most Powerful Mapping App ****
<http://www.macgasm.net/2012/09/29/apple-no-longer-thinks-maps-is-the-most-powerful-mapping-app/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+macgasm%2Fmain+%28Macgasm%29>
Andrew Kunesh, Macgasm


> So, why was Apple’s overhyped claim removed? Simple, it just isn’t the best thing out there and Apple acknowledges it.



**** Tim Cook’s Apology Marks The Spot For Faulty Maps App ****
<http://www.suntimes.com/technology/ihnatko/15444462-452/tim-cooks-apology-marks-the-spot-for-faulty-maps-app.html>
Andy Ihnatko, Chicago Sun-Times


> Apple’s definitely on the right track with Maps. I’d only be concerned about the app if its features were hard to use and its maps and directions were difficult to read. As-is, the app’s problems are limited to its dataset. From the user’s perspective, that’s the easiest problem to fix. So long as Apple continues to find and correct mistakes in the data, the service will continue to improve, as though by magic.



**** All Consuming ****
<http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2012/09/mobile-data-usage>
G.F., The Economist


> To charge for services is reasonable; to provide an ecosystem in which a customer has no way of knowing what they are being charged for what is not.






The Tomorrow Weblog
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**** The Case For Abolishing Patents (Yes, All Of Them) ****
<http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/09/the-case-for-abolishing-patents-yes-all-of-them/262913/>
Jordan Weissmann, The Atlantic


> Critics have suggested plenty of reasonable reforms, from eliminating software patents to clamping down on "trolls" who buy up patent portfolios only so they can file lawsuits. But do we need a more radical solution? Would we be possibly be better off without any patents at all?

> That's the striking suggestion from a Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis working paper by Michele Boldrin and David Levine, professors at Washington University in St. Louis who argue that any patent system, no matter how well conceived, is bound to devolve into the kind of quagmire we're dealing with today.



**** The Lowest Fare? Ask The Crowd ****
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/30/technology/flightfox-lets-the-crowd-find-the-best-airfares.html?_r=1&>
Randall Stross, New York Times


> A traveler goes to Flightfox.com and sets up a competition, supplying information about the desired itinerary and clarifying a few preferences, like a willingness to “fly on any airline to save money” or a tolerance of “long layovers to save money.” Once Flightfox posts the contest, the crowd is invited to go to work and submit fares.






MyAppleMenu Reader
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**** It Ain’t Necessarily So ****
<http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2012/09/17/120917crbo_books_gottlieb?currentPage=all>
Anthony Gottlieb, New Yorker


> How much do evolutionary stories reveal about the mind?



**** In The Shadow Of The Banyan By Vaddey Ratner – Review ****
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/sep/29/in-shadow-banyan-vaddey-ratner-review?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Krys Lee, The Guardian


> Historical breadth and a narrative momentum are the novel's greatest strengths.



**** The Casual Vacancy By JK Rowling – Review ****
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/sep/30/casual-vacancy-jk-rowling-review?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29>
Melvyn Bragg, The Observer


> Rowling has spoken of the sense of risk in embarking on this novel. The <i>Harry Potter</i> series must have been a tough act to follow. What she wanted to do here, I guess, was to seize on the world we can all see without going through Platform 9¾. She has done that to stunning effect.






SingaporeSurf
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**** In The National Conversation, Some Kinds Of Talk Don’t Come Cheap ****
<http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/2012/09/30/in-the-national-conversation-some-kinds-of-talk-dont-come-cheap/>
Alex Au, Yawning Bread


> The problem is that asking for a wider social safety net (e.g. medical and eldercare subsidies, lower university fees, childcare support) and more social investment (e.g. more universities, metro lines, buses) is easy, paying for it is much harder. Logic suggests that if we wish for something approaching the European level, government spending needs to climb to perhaps 30 percent of GDP or more. That’s a doubling of where we are now.



**** Manpower Realities: Beyond The Numbers ****
<http://momsingapore.blogspot.sg/2012/09/manpower-realities-beyond-numbers.html>
Tan Chuan-Jin, Singapore Government, The Manpower Blog


> Singapore cannot grow our foreign workforce without limits, given our land, infrastructure and social constraints. But to shrink our foreign workforce altogether will also be quite dire as many of our companies may close, relocate and with that a sharp rise in retrenchments and possibly higher unemployment amongst Singaporeans. We must therefore rein in the pace of foreign workforce growth, but at a pace that businesses can adjust.



**** Fear Of Associating With The SDP? ****
<http://publichouse.sg/categories/topstory/item/783-fear-of-associating-with-the-sdp>
Andrew Loh, Publichouse.sg



**** Temasek And GIC, A Tale Of Two Funds: Show The People The Money.2.0 ****
<http://theonlinecitizen.com/2012/09/temasek-and-gic-a-tale-of-two-funds-show-the-people-the-money-2-0/>
Eric Tan Heng Chong, The Online Citizen


> The general perception is they have been hoarding the returns to save for a rainy day. As we do not have full transparency, we cannot question if they have gone too far in this policy and squeezing the people to generate more budget surpluses.

Maintaining secrecy just so we can earn a few more bucks is not worthwhile.


**** NEA To Broadcast Reminders To Return Trays At Hawker Centres ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/nea-broadcast-reminders-return-trays-hawker-centres-20120930>
Feng Zengkun, Straits Times


> [NEA] called for a tender earlier this month for proposals to install public address systems with about eight speakers at the three centres. Besides "return-your-tray" messages, they will also play music.

Save the money on speakers and royalties payments for playing music, and give twenty cents rebate to each customer who return their trays. (I wonder if they are also encouraging customers to return their plates.)


**** North East CDC Holds Job Fair Just For Women ****
<http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/north-east-cdc-holds-job-fair-just-women-20120930>
Straits Times


> "It's difficult for women to rejoin the workforce, and this is one way of providing them with opportunities," said North East CDC general manager Joel Leong.

On the other hand, isn't it illegal to offer jobs that are only meant for one of the sexes? Why is the CDC encouraging this?