doctormann

I used to be an avid reader, with catholic tastes. Then my eyes started to give up and reading became difficult so I moved on to audio books. i got my cataracts fixed and my eyes are now fine but, sadly, I've not got back into the habit of reading actual hardware books. So much stuff available on the internet now - and mostly free - that it's hardly worthwhile keeping the bulky 'real' books around. I must admit though that there is something about the experience of reading a 'real' book that you just don't get from reading on a monitor or phone or Kindle.

I'm well aware of what Jomtien require for the annual extension - been doing it for 20 years now. Usually straightforward until last year when TTB apparently couldn't provide the 12-month statement on the spot. Had to come from head office so took a few days. The passbook thing is something else - I suspect that Immigration will still need to see the paper book. i don't really see what benefit the e-book confers, to be honest.

I use the branch by soi 13/4. Bank letter is no problem - done on the spot - but the 12-month statement takes a while. Apparently, they can do a 6-month statement on the spot but a 12-month one has to come from head office, or so they claim. Doesn't make a lot of sense but TiT so no surprise really.

Yes, my passbook gets updated once a year, at extension time. I'm just trying to avoid an extra visit to TTB. My passbook is full - certainly not enough room for an update so i do need a new one. Maybe TTB can provide one on the spot, when i go in for the statement and letter, but maybe not. It took them quite a few days to provide the annual statement, last year. Might be safer to get the new book a bit in advance - unless the e-book will do the job, which is why I asked if anyone had any experience of doing it that way.

TTB Bank now offers a virtual passbook as an alternative to the usual paper version. This would seem to be convenient - especially as my current passbook is full so I'm going to have to get a new one before doing my extension of stay in July. I can obviously call into the bank for this but I'm not very mobile and going into Pattaya town is a bit of a PITA. So, I'm wondering if Immigration will accept a printout of the virtual passbook in lieu of the 'real' thing. My experience has been that they need a copy of the updated book - ideally on the day of submitting the extension application - but also keep the actual book until the application is approved. I suspect that just trying to use the virtual book will not be acceptable but has anyone tried this? I deal with the TTB branch on Pattaya 2nd Road.

Unfortunately, in Pattaya, it's not just a matter of avoiding street parties as the madness goes on everywhere. What i really object to is throwing water/ice at motorcycles - this is extremely dangerous. You have to be some sort of special idiot to think that this is acceptable behaviour.

My Missus comes from there - a few km from Pichit town. I haven't been there for quite a while because, to be honest, it's about as interesting as watching paint dry. As I recall, there is a crocodile park where you can actually feed the crocs. There is also a large, concrete croc that you can go inside. Also, the usual temples but that's about it.

Wave power has been tried - <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salter's_duck> - never really took off though. Tidal power is another option - reliable and predictable but there are only a few places where it would be viable. Bristol Channel (UK) is one and the Bay of Fundy (Canada) is another. I seem to recall that France has a tidal power installation somewhere.

Bladder stones can also cause this. Maybe get an ultrasound scan. Been there, done that. Amazing number of stones were removed.

It's not MAGA, it's actually MAGAAFEE - Make America Great Again And F Everyone Else!

Einstein/Doppler

A 'relatively' good joke!

Thanks but I did this already. Project is on hold for the moment. In the interim, Mint 22.1 has been released so that is now the current LTS version.

Can be driven without a licence?

Another Update Seems as though Pipewire was not allowing Bluetooth audio output. I installed Pavucontrol from the Mint software manager and after a reboot I can now get audio played through my Echo Dot speaker. So, success but what a performance. In fact, upgrading to Mint 22 has not been very straightforward. Many things have changed and some software packages are not longer available. Some PPAs no longer work as well. i do hope that Linux Mint are not losing the plot - we really don't want to return to the days when extensive uses of the terminal was required. I was very happy with Mint 20.3 but support ends in April 2025 so an update was required, sooner or later. Anyway, all good for now.

Two small dogs and one large black dog?

Update. I now have a TP-Link UB500 dongle. Seems to pair and connect with my Echo Dot speaker but no audio is transmitted. I'm running Mint 22 on my laptop - audio server is Pipewire. I'm running Mint 20.3 on my desktop - audio server is Pulse Audio and works perfectly with the Echo Dot. Tearing my hair out - any suggestions?

Thanks for the reply. I might just speculate the 239 Baht on the TP-Link dongle. I'm not sure if the system supports the drivers or not. Probably worth the risk though. The laptop certainly has Bluetooth support - worked perfectly on Mint 20.3, using the built-in adapter.

I just updated my old Lenovo Ideapad Z370 from Mint 20.3 to Mint 22 as support for 20.3 will end fairly soon. Most things seem to work OK, although some software packages that I was using are no longer available. I've found substitutes for just about everything but I can't get Bluetooth to work. It may be that the Mint 22 kernel is not fully compatible with my hardware. I have purchased a Bluetooth dongle - very cheap. CSR 4.0 - that according to reviews is supposed to be Linux compatible. No joy - the system recognizes the dongle but it doesn't connect. So, the question is, has anyone out there found a Linux compatible Bluetooth dongle that actually works out of the box? I don't really use Bluetooth very much but it would be nice to have it. The laptop will be replaced soon anyway so it's not a big deal. Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Don't laugh - my stepson did exactly that! Good job that we have Safety Cut.

I can sign in from my Linux PC, using the Brave browser, with no problems, except ... that bl**dy Captcha thing! Most times, the images are so bad that it takes several attempts to get it to work. I have found that sometimes, not always, if instead of logging in using the normal method, I link to an email that I have been sent that confirms the status of a previous order, the Captcha seems to be bypassed. I don't normally use their phone app - just hate doing things on a small screen. However, if you want to collect free delivery tokens, etc, you have no choice in the matter.

Chicken feet not on the list? I would have scored 1. As it is, I scored a big fat zero!

I will but don't hold your breath. New laptop is going to be a birthday present - not until late next month. Watch this space.

Thanks.

I tried ChatGPT - told me 'maybe'. I think it should be OK so I'll probably risk it. Now, just need to visit the money tree.