User3

Was in Korea for a few weeks working and decided to renew my expired Non-O (married) visa while there. The Thai embassy in Seoul opens at 9:00 am (9 until noon for visas). Arrived at 9:10 and was number 2 in a queue of about..er..2. Submitted paperwork for visa. I didn't have up-to-date bank statements (which they didn't want anyway) nor Police letter (which they didn't want anyway) nor doctor's certificate (which they didn't want anyway). But did have 200,000 won (which they most certainly DID want) which is a bit expensive compared to other embassy/consulates. This was Monday morning and we were out of embassy by 9:15 a.m. Came back on Wed at 9:05 a.m. trying to beat the queue, but sadly were second of three in line. Got the visa at about 9:10 and out of the embassy by 9:15 a.m.

Totally painless process and super efficient and polite staff.

Given how painless it was I'll be happy to go back there for another non-0 visa.

Great location for the embassy too, near subway station.

No response needed, just info regarding how easy the visa was in Seoul.

(there was an honorary consulate in Busan a while ago, but it seems to have been shut down within the last few months)

Thanks for the precious advises. And I may need more as things are getting more complicated ....

I'm now going room by room to show the electrician where I want the sockets. I'm happy (lucky ?) that he understands what I want to do. He has knowledge about ethernet cabling and surveillance cameras which helps a lot and even if what I ask him to do in the not the average house wiring the fact that he understands what I'm trying to achieve is really an advantage.

Basically there will be three networks in the house. A "standard" computer network, a home entertainment network and a security network. I want to have the security network physically separated from the other networks, which means more cables. As Cigar7 suggests, a 48 ports patch panel will be a minimum.

@ innerspace : I don't think a second patch panel will be needed. First I don't have the space for it, it's a residential place not an office building. The cable will not be that long anyway. And also for configuration and maintenance purpose, to have all the cables terminated in one place will make things easier. It's my opinion so far but I'm open to discussion

We have a two story house with LAN connections in every room, all of which end up in what was supposed to be the 'Maid's Room' where the switch, router, modem etc are located.

Same configuration for me

One thing to keep an eye on given that you are not running the cables yourself is that the installer understands how important long radius bends are in CAT cables and understands the importance of the connection to the sockets. (i.e. smallest amount of exposed wire possible). We found that a number of people are familiar with LAN cables but not with the importance of handling them properly. Another thing to consider is your security network. I'm not sure what you mean by that but in our experience a stand-alone (Bosch in our case) alarm and monitoring system is preferable to having your security running on a home network. It certainly can be done, but why not put it as a stand-alone? They work better, are professionally installed and, if you so desire, monitored although I think most people just route the alarm signals to their own phones and don't bother with paid monitors.

I don't like 3rd party solution for the same reason I don't like to rely on cloud storage or solution : companies get bankrupt or change business model all the time and if you rely on them for critical application then you are in deep sh_t.

I can't see any reason to separate your 'standard' network from your home entertainment network.

No intention to do so

One thing to consider is to install HDMI cables between rooms. Lots of them. With an HDMI outlet as well as a LAN outlet you have the flexibility of using LAN enabled streaming devices or, as we do, use an HDMI amplifier on the output of the dish receiver and just send the signal around the house that way.

Could you please give some more details about this application, it's not too late to add a few socket and cable if we have the use for it. But also for this kind of application don't you need to install CAT 7 cables ? and so far I haven't found anybody selling CAT 7 cable in Thailand

Using an amplifier allows you to have the maximum signal strength at the device input. It is a slightly better option than streaming the HD signals on a LAN cable as the electronics are simpler and you only need one amp. When I did this years ago (5) the signal amplifier was around 500 bucks but now I think same general one would be about 250 and they are plug in and forget. So easy for my poor old head to deal with. But of course if you wire with HDMI cables you are locked into the version/rev of what you put in. Mine are all rev 1.3 so I'm not able to take advantage of the rev 1.4 cable features but so far I see no need to. All I want is a 1080p signal at the input of the viewing device, whatever it is. By the way, these are the same type of amps that retail stores use for getting a picture to their display TVs and the quality certainly does not suffer from having a bunch of TVs on and using the same source.

Takes a bit of load off of the LAN, if that is an issue. Again, Somchai Electric and Dog Polishing co. probably are not familiar with routing such cables so care needs to be taken in selecting the people to do the install.

For two people we have a 20 port switch and it is about enough for us. But I'd consider that a minimum amount of ports and I'd suggest putting many more sockets than you ever think you will need into the system now while it's in it's embryo stage. Our 'computer area' has 3 sockets and should have had about 6. The kitchen has 2 sockets and should have had about 4, the living room has 2 sockets and should have had 4, the movie room has 2 sockets and should have had 4... it just adds up but maybe with more sockets you invent reasons to use them... who knows?

4 ports in the kitchen, what for ? I plan two as well, what do you need the additional 2 ports for ?

1 port for the i3 NUC that is the main kitchen computer, 1 for an IP camera, 1 for a Raspberry Pi that is being used as a time waster now after trying to use it to stream sound (no joy) and trying to use it as a client to the recipe database on one of the NASes. That didn't work out due tot he incredible slowness of the Pi, and the other port was to be for an IP radio/Speaker but now the music is covered by the NUC so I have to figure out something to plug into the spare LAN socket...

In any case good luck Thanks and hope your cables are ok.

(aside- we had two cables destroyed by the original installers... at least they replaced them.)

If you use NAS at all, they really should have 2 ports per device. I've got 2 QNAP NAS's and that is a total of 4 ports! But the difference in speed is worth it if you are moving large files.

By the way, these are LAN ports. I think someone may have been confused and thought I meant USB ports. The QNAPs can use port trunking to allow faster file transfers and it does make a difference.

SIDE NOTE

If your house is in a housing development be aware that a lot of houses have chambers, typically 1 foot t x 3 feet, that provide pathway from upper and lower floor. Typically for plumbing and wiring and electrical cable access. You may find that these are very opportune places to run the cables. It makes things much easier albeit does add a small amount of length to the cable run. They don't show up very well on any drawings or housing company brochures, but most of them have them.

Thanks for the precious advises. And I may need more as things are getting more complicated ....

I'm now going room by room to show the electrician where I want the sockets. I'm happy (lucky ?) that he understands what I want to do. He has knowledge about ethernet cabling and surveillance cameras which helps a lot and even if what I ask him to do in the not the average house wiring the fact that he understands what I'm trying to achieve is really an advantage.

Basically there will be three networks in the house. A "standard" computer network, a home entertainment network and a security network. I want to have the security network physically separated from the other networks, which means more cables. As Cigar7 suggests, a 48 ports patch panel will be a minimum.

@ innerspace : I don't think a second patch panel will be needed. First I don't have the space for it, it's a residential place not an office building. The cable will not be that long anyway. And also for configuration and maintenance purpose, to have all the cables terminated in one place will make things easier. It's my opinion so far but I'm open to discussion

We have a two story house with LAN connections in every room, all of which end up in what was supposed to be the 'Maid's Room' where the switch, router, modem etc are located. One thing to keep an eye on given that you are not running the cables yourself is that the installer understands how important long radius bends are in CAT cables and understands the importance of the connection to the sockets. (i.e. smallest amount of exposed wire possible). We found that a number of people are familiar with LAN cables but not with the importance of handling them properly. Another thing to consider is your security network. I'm not sure what you mean by that but in our experience a stand-alone (Bosch in our case) alarm and monitoring system is preferable to having your security running on a home network. It certainly can be done, but why not put it as a stand-alone? They work better, are professionally installed and, if you so desire, monitored although I think most people just route the alarm signals to their own phones and don't bother with paid monitors. I can't see any reason to separate your 'standard' network from your home entertainment network. One thing to consider is to install HDMI cables between rooms. Lots of them. With an HDMI outlet as well as a LAN outlet you have the flexibility of using LAN enabled streaming devices or, as we do, use an HDMI amplifier on the output of the dish receiver and just send the signal around the house that way. Takes a bit of load off of the LAN, if that is an issue. Again, Somchai Electric and Dog Polishing co. probably are not familiar with routing such cables so care needs to be taken in selecting the people to do the install.

For two people we have a 20 port switch and it is about enough for us. But I'd consider that a minimum amount of ports and I'd suggest putting many more sockets than you ever think you will need into the system now while it's in it's embryo stage. Our 'computer area' has 3 sockets and should have had about 6. The kitchen has 2 sockets and should have had about 4, the living room has 2 sockets and should have had 4, the movie room has 2 sockets and should have had 4... it just adds up but maybe with more sockets you invent reasons to use them... who knows?

In any case good luck and hope your cables are ok.

(aside- we had two cables destroyed by the original installers... at least they replaced them.)

If you use NAS at all, they really should have 2 ports per device. I've got 2 QNAP NAS's and that is a total of 4 ports! But the difference in speed is worth it if you are moving large files.

Try:

http://www2.tmd.go.th/radar/lmpLoop2.php

http://www2.tmd.go.th/radar/bma.html

http://www2.tmd.go.th/radar/sattahip.php#

Most of them have links to external sites and other stations, but sometimes the displays are not up to date so you need to check the date to make sure it's current.

If you are interested in wind try:

http://www.windfinder.com/windstatistics/rayong_utaphao

not sure if it has a link to the interior or not.

Thank you all for your input,looks like I'll have to take up gardening.

Mike.

There is saltwater fishing near Ranong, a friend of mine and I were there in Feb/Mar and caught 5 barracudas in 3 days, along with a myriad of smaller fish.

Will the water companies be disconnecting supply or at least announcing when the salinity becomes excessive?

Don't want to pollute our stored supply.

The Pollution control board has a web site that gives water quality readings from the automated samplers in some of the water treatment plants, one of the reported data is salinity.

http://58.137.231.37/wqm/GGW/ That is specific to water treatment reporting.

http://www.pcd.go.th/indexEng.cfm That is an overview of the reports available

http://www.arcims.tmd.go.th/DailyDATA/ That is specific to meteorological data

http://www.pcd.go.th/airquality/regional/Graph/createaqi2.cfm That is specific to air quality index

http://cpd.bangkok.go.th/eng-map2.html That is city planning map, fwiw.

Nope, those recipes are from a cookbook by Charmaine Solomon. It's title is 'A Taste of the Orient'.

I've never heard of the web site you are talking about.

But I am truly, really, deeply very sorry for offending you.

They also appear in another cookbook entitled 'The Complete Asian Cookbook'

Nope, those recipes are from a cookbook by Charmaine Solomon. It's title is 'A Taste of the Orient'.

I've never heard of the web site you are talking about.

But I am truly, really, deeply very sorry for offending you.

Or This:

Green Curry Paste

15 green hot chillies
3 tbsp. chopped shallots
l tbsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. chopped galangal
1 tbsp. chopped lemon grass
1/2 tsp. chopped kaffir lime rind
l tsp. chopped coriander root
5 pepper corns
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. salt
l tsp. shrimp paste

1. In a wok over low heat, put the coriander seeds, and cumin seed and dry fry for about 5 minutes, then grind into a powder.
2, Into a blender, put the rest of the ingredients except the shrimp paste and blend to mix well. Add the coriander-cumin seed mixture and the shrimp paste and blend to obtain 1/2 cup of a fine textured paste.
3. This can be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator for about 3-4 months.

Try This:

Red Curry Paste

13 small dried chillies, soaked in hot
water for 15 Minutes and deseeded
3 tbsp, chopped shallot
4 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 tbsp. chopped galangal
2 tbsp. chopped lemon grass
2 tsp, chopped kaffir lime rind
1bsp. chopped coriander root
20 pepper corns
l tsp. shrimp paste
l tbsp. coriander seed
1 tsp. cumin seed

Preparation:
1. In a wok over low heat, put the coriander seeds and cumin seeds and dry fry for about 5 minutes, then grind into a powder.
2. Into a blender, put the rest of the ingredients except the shrimp paste and blend to mix well. The add the coriander seed-cumin seed mixture and the shrimp paste and blend again to obtain about 3/4 cup of a fine-textured paste.
3. This can be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator for about 3-4 months.

True Value hardware has pizza stones, and for not much more than pocket change too. They work fine.

If you search on pizza stones using Google, you will find that most of the cooking/recipe web sites have information on using plain tiles as pizza stones. It seems there are some things to look for regarding type to stone, density etc etc. They also caution against using glazed stones for a number of reasons.

Edit: assuming you have a True Value hardware down there that is...........

HomeXpert Asia market electric lifts for chandeliers that work quite well. Maybe one of them can be modified?

They are www.homexpert.asia and are on Chaengwattana Road somewhere.

02 962 0145.

They make models for 75kg, 200 kg and 300 kg.

>So now in India they have the Honda CBR250R one make race... Honda happy everybody happy

Hi, sorry to put this in what is likely the wrong forum.. but..

Has anyone seen/heard of the facility that they are building in Chonburi. It looks like some sort of Tri-Oval thing, with what looks like a dirt track in the middle.

Google Earth: 13.03.54.75 N and 101.13.29.29 E

Google Imagry was Dec. 24th 2012 and show a lot of dump trucks and what may be scrapers working.

The outside Oval is huge and the buildings look like being very complete.

The 'Oval' is about 4km in length.

Oh, I see. It's adjacent to ESIB so is probably a car company test track.

Never mind.

Well, We can hope can't we??

Someone might build something some day.

Oil Saturated Fat Mono Saturated Poly Unsaturated Smoke Point

Butter 66% 30% 4% 150 C

Ghee 65% 32% 3% 190 - 250

Canola 6% 62% 32% 242

Coconut 92% 6% 2% 177

Corn 13% 25% 62% 236

Lard 41% 47% 2% 138 - 201

Margarine 80% 14% 6% 150
Margarine soft 20% 47% 33% 150-160

Olive Oil virgin 14% 73% 11% 215

Palm 52% 38% 10% 230

Peanut 18% 49% 33% 231

Safflower 10% 13% 77% 265

Sesame 14% 43% 43% 177 - 232




High Temp oils (above 230 deg)
Corn Oil
Palm oil
Peanut oil
Safflower Oil
Sesame oil
sunflower oil

Medium Temp oils (above 190 deg)
Cottonseed
Ghee
Lard
Olive Oil
Canola Oil

General Ranking (you figure it out- ask google)
goodish:

Coconut Olive Canola
Olive Canola Flax
Avocado Peanut and Sesame Peanut
Canola Walnut and Flaxseed Olive
Peanut Safflower
Sunflower
not so goodish:
Then comes Corn, Sunflower, Safflower and Cottonseed oils which are not recommended for cooking. Really??

Bad Oils are:
Veg Shortening
Hard Margarine
Butter
Palm Oil
Palm Kernel Oil
Coconut


Ask Google, not me. Comments to Google, not me.

Gone, Post 7

The term Scooter that the OP is using likely is considered as a LSM as defined by the BC Insurance company he is using. When he says 'scooter' he is probably meaning a bicycle with an auxiliary electric motor (google scooter for examples) or a very low-powered step through type two wheeled device that other might know as Mo-ped. In any case the Insurance company seems to want a motorcycle license to operate this device.

see:

http://www.icbc.com/registration-licensing/offroad-other/low-powered/moped

http://www.icbc.com/registration-licensing/offroad-other/low-powered

http://www.icbc.com/registration-licensing/offroad-other/low-powered/motor-assisted#different_rules

Those pages have photos of what a 'scooter' is.

On my Raspberry Pi I've used most of the 'approved' distro's and for my purposes at least Pidora (Fedora port) seems most suitable. But Arch is likely the best one. One thing that I am noticing with this newest little project is how much I dislike Linux. If only the people involved in developing it could somehow suppress their ego it would make a much nicer experience. Remembering back to the Slackware distro I got in 1986 or so (it came on something like 12 720k 3.5" disks) and how interesting and exciting it was to see something like this appear, then to look at the fracturing and compartmentalizing that has happened since.. well- it's a shame.

It's like the Apple vs. Windows fanboys but everyone in the Linux world is supposed to be on the same 'side'. Seems somehow really incestuous to me.

Oh for the good old days of RSX-11M+.

I take those commercial/sponsored sites with a grain of salt. Too much subjectivity for me.

However, I do have a aircraft related question...maybe not travel, but.

The attached pdf file is a list of all air accidents in Thailand starting from 1929. Round about 1942 there were 3 Curtiss P-40's lost (gunfire) and the operator is listed as 'AVG'. Anyone got any idea who AVG was??

Cheers

PS, there are approx 1,000 accidents listed in this database.

Air_Accidents.pdf

Try Thai Wasadu if you are looking for a very large variety of consumer grade stuff.

For metal tubing, try this place:

http://www.nscmetal.com/contact.php

I've bought thin wall aluminum tubing, in various diameters, from them a couple of times over the past 3 years. They are right in an area that has numerous shops selling most kinds of tubes, beams, channel, etc that you could want. They will cut it to whatever length you want and will even wrap it up in paper and tie the package for you.

Very pleasant people.

Cheers

PS, if you are looking at small quantities it would be best to just wander around in that area and find someone that is willing to sell pieces. Not sure what NSCmetal minimum order is but I think it's quite large.

Can you be more specific about the contamination you are seeing? Red color, ok- likely iron in one form or another.

Bad smell?? Is this by any chance a 'rotten egg' smell? Did it happen as soon as the well was drilled or over time? Or after a well repair by a local contractor? Has anything changed in your vicinity since the well was drilled? How old is the well?

Please, please can someone, anyone provide a link/number, just someone I can contact to order some silica gel packs/desicant that is reusable. I live in Chalong and have tried everywhere and spent many hours asking people, searching the net and I can't find anyone to give me a straight answer and just supply the goods!! I mean how hard can it be?

Please can anyone help?

http://www.eguide.co.th/TH/COMPANY/21817/Power-Dry-Co-Lt/detail_all.htm?Silica+Gel

I think they have a minimum size per order, but they sell most all types.

Well, to put it into perspective, I have full health coverage on my wife's plan. Full being NO LIMITATIONS. While she is a Thai gov't officer, it seems reasonable to expect anyone else to be able to piggyback on such a health plan. And as a matter of interest, her parents are both covered with no limitations as she has deemed them her beneficiaries on the basis of the plan. Her brother, who is also a gov't empoyee, i.e. civil servant, has also deemed the parents as beneficiaries so they are covered by BOTH plans.

This is quite normal for Thai gov't employees health care plans.

I go to Soon Pat Patana for my day to day needs (thankfully only a cardiologist so far)

And then there were none.

Hah, I forgot about this thread. I love you guys for keeping it alive.

Amorn— no have, that was who I asked at Fortune.

Cant use the tablet due to wifi config (thru apt)

Thanks for tip around Taksin.

Out of mild curiosity...

Why not go to Samsung??

eg. Large Samsung parts/repair facility on SeriThai rd.

ok.

Detention to me then.