briley

I normally click on "View new content" to see what has come up since I last visited ThaiVisa,

But over the last few months I have noticed that when I get half way through the new posts I see the same post on page X as I did on page Y - it seems most new postings are coming up twice in the listing.

Is it me or Firefox (version 3.6) or Thai Visa's problem?

I'd also like to be able to "view new content" but for only certain, selected, forums. A few forum have no interest for me. Is that possible?

I have often wondered,

How many people are shot using their own gun?

If you live in a Condo you can not compare your water cost with a house as someone else said.

If it is using municipality water then the Condo pays the bill to the municipality and you pay your share to the Condo. As the condo is a BIG user it pays a lot for it's water, I hear 20-25 baht a cu metre.

If the Condo has a bore hole then the condo has to pay 3.5 baht a cu metre to the municipality for 'permission to pump'.

After that add the cost of running the pumps. One in the bore hole, one to pump through the filters, one to pump to the roof, one to pressurise the top few floors (if you want a decent supply). (This costs around 3.2 baht per cu m)

Now the cost of re-packing the filters each year and other annual maintenance.

Then add in the cost of getting rid of the waste water, again this has to be filtered and cleaned before being released somewhere.

And the toilet water goes into the septic tanks that do not run for free.

Finally pipes, valves, tanks etc do not last forever.

Two years ago we did a detailed study in our building and came up with a figure of around 17 baht per cu m.

So I would say up to 25 baht per cu m would be fair.

(Incidentally in the UK the cost is close to 250 baht per cu m plus a standing charge as a comparison.)

Most hard disk manufacturers will let you download a free copy of Acronis True Image from their website that only works if you have one of their hard drives.

Is anything happening around Chiang Mai this year?

Nothing down by the river, the normal venue.

Any one person holding a proxy can only hold proxies for 3 units.

So the person with 9 units has to find 3 people to act as proxy.

PattayaParent -

Firstly be certain if you want to change a condo rule or the condo regulations.

The Condo regulations are registered with the Land Registry and appear to have the force of law. They must comply with the Condo act that defines some of the what must be in the regulations.

To change them you have to have 50% of the area of the condo voting yes, not just those attending the meeting. You can have a follow up meeting with a lesser requirement.

To change condo rules, that can be done by the committee, juristic manager, building manager etc. But they are only rules and can be hard to enforce!

10 to 50 Baht per sq metre per month for maintenance. Plus sinking fund, water meter, insurance etc

You must ask the condo office before agreeing to buy anything.

Maybe only me but I can't see any ad - just the details down the right hand side and a blank box next to it in the middle where I assume the add should appear?

Using v 3.6.11 of firefox

Ripley, a lot of different things in very few sentences!

Your last sentence - Not sure we have discussed any specific regulations here.

Your second sentence - I am suggesting that individuals living in a condo should take personal responsibility for their own behaviour, not necessarily those in the management team (although they should as well).

Third sentence - I think it is an individual's responsibility to correct a 'wrong' situation. You see someone being robbed do you just stand by and say it is the police's responsibility to do something, not mine?

What I have met is the attempt to produce 'rules' for every situation, and every time a problem arises want another set of 'rules' rather than trying to use common sense. Producing good rules or regulations is very hard and in a simple yet complex community like a condo it is not necessarily the best way of working with people.

But all this is just my view, and I know I tend to be more easy going than some other people.

ripley - I take your "codifying procedures" as meaning rules and regulations.

At one extreme lots of rules and regulations take the strain of worrying about your own behaviour out of your hands and puts it onto the rule maker. So as long as you obey the rules you are acting 'socially'.

At the other extreme a lack of rules and regulations puts the responsibility for behaving on the shoulders of the individual. You must decide what behaviour is acceptable in your environment.

Neither extreme works very well. There is a need to have some rules, and then to know when and where to implement them. On the other hand one also needs to enforce non-existent rules (or introduce a rule) at times to ensure harmonious living.

I spend a lot of time looking at rules, regulations and especially laws and find that mostly they are very badly drafted and always raise more questions than they answer.

For that reason I would prefer a light touch regarding rules and encourage people to take responsibility for their own behaviour. Point out when behaviour is unacceptable and take action if it continues and upsets others.

Of course that raises the point, who decides when behaviour is unacceptable! Hopefully, in a Condo, a management team made up of many of my previously listed 'groups' can manage the balancing act most of the time.

Reading this thread I wonder why some people get so hung up about procedure, unless it is because things are going against them?

The Juristic Manager, Building manager, staff and committee are all there to carry out the wishes of the owners.If the owners don't like what is happening they can vote them out (or call for the manager/staff to be sacked). It is easy to get a general meeting, just 20% of owners or a majority of the committee. (Forget - can the Juristic person call a meeting on their own?)

The main thing is to have a building that runs reasonably well, at least to the standard the majority of the owners want. Conflict should be avoided as much as possible - not just conflict between owners but within the management 'team'. (That does not mean you can not have disagreement and debate.)

Here I am going to try and tread very carefully. I agree with the Australian (forget whom) who said you can never please everyone, and add that you have to treat everyone differently. I personally find that different nationalities act and react in different ways. That does not mean any nationality is wrong, just different. For example you might think that many (not all) Americans are loud and forthcoming in their declarations, wants and wishes. It is very easy to go along with the loud and vocal people and ignore the quiet (but often equally annoyed) people in a building. Equally it is easy to go along with the comments from those who live in the building and forget that those who live outside the building are equally owners.

Personally I think that anyone involved in the management of a Condo has to keep in mind the following groups as they each have a different need, desire, expectation:

1. Each different nationality - Thai, American, European, Japanese, Korean, Singaporean etc.
   
2. Those who live and work from the building - divided into those who are 'rich' and those who can only just afford their unit and it's fees.
   
3. Those who own a unit as a retirement location, divided into those who stay for 2 weeks a year to those living there all year.
   
4. Those looking to their unit as an investment and want a quick return against those who consider it their home - then the value is, to some extent, immaterial until they sell.
   
5. Those whose units are a rental business, again divided into those who live in the building, those who live nearby and those who live in another country.
   

I have 15 'groups' here and I am sure everyone can add more groups. And I have ignored the tenants. You have to keep them happy as well otherwise they leave and that annoys their landlords.

So each Condo must have a management system that suits them. So long as it works and is not at odds with the law where is the problem? As the Condo Act is sometimes contradictory, often unclear and leaves many areas uncovered so it should be used as a basis on which to build 'your' management system.

And good luck to those who do get involved - you'll need it!

It is 50% of the owners to change the regulations registered at Land Registry. These then have the force of law.

Rules can be made without this. By the Juristic Manager and with the help support or whatever of the committee, but are hard to enforce, ie no parking in this place etc

Think the next concert is from the 26th Dec to the 2nd Jan.

Nothing new about the concerts at Prasartland - been going on every dry season for at least the last 7 years. At least this year they stop at midnight. Previous years has been 2am.

Oops .......... no I hadn't read the OP correctly!

In that case look at:

http://radioarchive.cc/index.php

for radio programmes and

http://thebox.bz/

For TV programmes (already mentioned by someone else).

I use HiDownload Platinum. You play the BBC programme from i-Player and HiDownload picks up and downloads the full file for you. Works a dream with all flash stuff.

Very nice evening, nice to put faces to TV names.

Doesn't worry me if I know or don't know people's real names - I forget them anyway!

Very nice food, especially the salads and coleslaw.

Many thanks to the organisers.

Set up TOT and PEA (electricity) a few years back.

PEA was fine worked from day 1 - think I took a letter from PEA to the bank.

TOT took about 3 months before it started working. I check with TOT each month to make sure they were paid.

Years later all payments have gone without any hitch. Much easier than 7/11 for me.

The other option is to pre pay them. Just give them, say, 5,000 Baht in advance.

The modem password is probably the default, so few people change it.

Try username admin and password admin, password or just nothing. Works on may modems. Or google the model you have (or of course look on the modem for a sticker!)

I thought that the cyber endings would have changed!

You only need to insure the contents of the condo, including your fittings and fixtures.

The unit, walls and the space should be insured by the Condo.

As that is the majority of the cost of many condo's you don't insure for the price you paid.

username is your phone number @ whichever cyber package you are on (goldcyber or the like)

password is your phone number

vpi is 1

vci is 32

encapsulation is PPPoE LLC

protocol is G.dmt

Can't you 'see' these settings on your old modem?

Just PM'ed you Mr Panda

Hey, if it is a 'retired' person then offering to pay would invalidate their visa and I don't want to be responsible for getting anyone deported!

And it was said tongue in cheek - British humour???????????

No1

I assume you know that there are three lift companies in Chiang Mai - but they operate a cartel and will not poach each others work.

They do seem to be honest and know their work. The last major work was correctly priced, but I am always worried about giving a million baht contract without at least a couple of opinions.

So far no lift (or even elevator) engineers around!