Gsxrnz

I got one a year ago, claimed to be factory unlocked. It's genuine but unlocked and with dodgy software. Means you can't update the software from the Apple site without rendering your phone useless.

If it can't be updated by the Apple site then why in the world do you insist that it is genuine

I didn't "insist", I merely stated. The hardware is genuine Apple hardware but it's been populated with dodgy software a la Thailand.

What happens when you plug it into iTunes?

You can use iTunes and download from the Apple store with no problem. Just don't update the software.

I got one a year ago, claimed to be factory unlocked. It's genuine but unlocked and with dodgy software. Means you can't update the software from the Apple site without rendering your phone useless.

If it can't be updated by the Apple site then why in the world do you insist that it is genuine

I didn't "insist", I merely stated. The hardware is genuine Apple hardware but it's been populated with dodgy software a la Thailand.

I got one a year ago, claimed to be factory unlocked. It's genuine but unlocked and with dodgy software. Means you can't update the software from the Apple site without rendering your phone useless.

When you give, they ask for more.

Best not to give in the first place, then you are the arsehol_e who kept ALL his money.

Try this - if they ask for 5,000, LEND them 1,000. When they ask for 5,000 the next time, tell them you'll GIVE them 1,000 but you'll apply it to the last loan they forgot to repay, so we're now square, and by the way ALL future loans will be repaid weekly. Chances are they won't ask again. Or if they DO ask again, they know that's their last chance because the next time you'll apply it to the previous loan, so no point in asking.

Net cost to you, 1,000 Baht, the look on their face when realisation hits home, priceless.

Gotta love Pavlov's theory.

Repossess the laptop, have family gather round, then wantonly piss all over it (the laptop) while screaming obscenities at them.

That sounds like a reasonable response.............. maybe I will try that.

That is a good idea and I've done comparative things to exert my authority in similar situations. Maybe actually pissing on it isn't such a flash idea, but sell it and keep the money.

Translation of "exerting my authority" does not mean I want any control over the extended family, but it means they can expect ZERO control over me or my grabout dtang.

EDIT: And if you have similar occurrences, reconsider your future.

I have only the best things to say about Thai medical care. I have always had insurance, and have had fantastic, quality service whether it was for medical, dental or pharmaceutical care.

I also once accompanied a foreign guy who had been involved in a car accident to the hospital (I just happened to be there when it happened); no questions were asked about insurance etc. (he was in a pretty bad way) and when I visited him later it turned out he had no insurance, yet the hospital continued to care for him until his eventual discharge and return home, "promising" to pay his bills.

Yes, foreigners don't get free medical care in Thailand (nor should they!), yet unlike other countries (e.g. Japan) nor are they denied emergency medical care when they need it. I once travelled in the back of an ambulance in Japan watching a close farang friend die; we were refused by 4 hospitals because she did not have her medical insurance card on her; by the time we got to the 5th, she was dead. I found out later she did have full Japanese government medical insurance.

I think you would be hard pressed to find anywhere in the world a more compassionate and empathetic group of doctors and nurses than in Thailand. They are actually a very dedicated bunch, and don't discriminate based on race, sexual preference or insurance status. I'm pretty sure some doctors and nurses back in NZ could do with reviewing their Hippocratic Oath standing next to a Thai doctor.

Credit where it's due guys.

And yes, compulsory medical insurance. Easy enough; purchase an approved policy when you buy the ticket. In all reality, there are actually only 3 or 4 full travel insurers in the world, everything else is just a rebranding/repackaging of someone else's product. Very easy to sort out, and we are all a lot better of for it (not to mention the long suffering Thai doctors and nurses!).

I can only hope insurers also offer a "Being a <deleted> while pissed" insurance policy as well, although given what I have seen lately, they may well end up losing money on that.

Berg - Whilst I agree with your comments regarding the general standard and ethics of the Thai medical fraternity, do you really believe that the integrity of some NZ medical practitioners can be questioned? I'd like some clarity because I would rate the NZ medical system as one of the best in the world.

Wow, so much negativity about a good idea. Any sensible traveller already has travel medical insurance. Many countries insist that you need travel medical insurance to enter their country. I don't see why anyone would thing this is a bad idea. As for the ones who have said if your over 60 with a pre-existing condition, I feel for you, but if something does happen while you are here why should the Thai health care system be responsible for you?

There are policies that you can get I assure you, they are just very expensive.

If you were to arrive at the airport and at the immigration check point you had to present your passport, arrival card and proof of medical insurance to the immigration officer and if you don't have it they direct you to the booth selling it, so what. Not like Thailand would be unique on that policy.

Thai hospitals are not free for foreigners...and they have to pay first to get treatment...That was my experience....an I believe is normal procedure around the country....In many other countries do you have to give a credit card before treatment..Only in America you will get hospital care for foreigners, and pay the bill later if you can...and I think that is wrong.

Try visiting New Zealand - all residents and non-residents/tourists get free public hospital care courtesy of the NZ taxpayer. if you tried to pay for anything they'd get extremely confused. There is no such thing as a cashier at a public hospital.

"thaivisa.com - where the facts never get in the way of a bigoted rant"

Does anyone know if these motorbike taxi riders are licensed by the city or some authority? Does committing a crime mean they lose their licence?

I think they just have to have a bike and pay the "boss" of the corner they operate on for the monthly privilege of wearing the jacket and permission to operate.

Not sure how it operates above that level, maybe there is some form of permit/license for the "boss" but to seriously expect that any form of checking is done on the honour or integrity (or even riding ability) of the actual driver would be seriously ludicrous conjecture.

Get the maximum value insurance you can and leave it parked unlocked with a spare key in the ignition near Nana.

Are you "legally" married in front of the Amphor?

Comparing smoking to drinking - As a lifelong heavily smoking teetotaller I can tell you that I find it extremely discomforting to sit in a gogo bar full of inebriated miscreants who under the influence of copious amounts of alcohol, act with the manners of animals and do things that would make a grown man cringe. And then there's the customers!!

Whilst these inebriated customers might disturb your peace and comfort, their drinking habits are not harmful to your health.

Don't think you read my post too well. I was (tongue in cheek) referring to the staff

I'm not a teetotaller anyway, but to take up your point I have to disagree. Other customers drinking to excess can be extremely hazardous to the health of other patrons if the excessive drinker decides to bottle you because you looked at the girl on his knee for 2 seconds too long, or mows you down on the way home riding his scooter.

There aren't too many smokers who are arrested for causing GBH or getting involved in a traffic accident while under the influence of nicotine.

After the discovery of wide spread thefts.

2.5mn tonnes at 20 tonnes a truck and they Just noticed that 10% of the stock walked out the back door?

Oh yes. This is going to be fun to watch them squirm on this one.

The trucks might be rated at 20 tonnes capacity but TIT - they would easily have got 30 tonnes on.

Anyway I'm sure it's all just a simple accounting error - some lowly typist put the decimal point in the wrong place on an official document and the authorities will ultimately discover that they now have 10% MORE than they thought they did, they've been chasing a red-herring, and all is well with the world. That assumed loss has just become a huge profit, allowing for even more "losses" to occur - Oh how I love the vagaries of government accounting.

I wonder if "red-herring" translates to Thai. I'm sure the irony would be lost in the translation anyway.

Comparing smoking to drinking - As a lifelong heavily smoking teetotaller I can tell you that I find it extremely discomforting to sit in a gogo bar full of inebriated miscreants who under the influence of copious amounts of alcohol, act with the manners of animals and do things that would make a grown man cringe. And then there's the customers!!

Here's an interesting video about the construction of what you have, and the author appears to have a passion for these things. I know sweet FA about longtails but have owned many regular outboards and boats.

I would suggest that maybe your internal shaft has become warped, and/or lack of internal lubrication has resulted in wearing of the plastic "bearings/spacers" inside the shaft, allowing the internal shaft to warp under load.

Alternatively, the outer shaft has become warped/bent and the rotation of the inner shaft is causing a centrifugal force to vibrate the whole prop shaft rig.

Cheers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajH_bLa6fBc

You may also want to check out the following forum for advice.

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/diy-marinizing/thai-longtail-mudmotor-6hp-lifan-honda-26281.html

EDIT: After watching the video again, I suspect what you are seeing as grease entry holes on the outer shaft are actually the screws that secure the inner spacers, as described in the video. I would assume that the length of the actual shaft would not actually need any lubrication as it is a rather basic setup with no real tolerance bearings that would require lube, and easy access for water to enter the whole setup from the prop end. However lube will be needed at the top at the PTO where the engine drive shaft and the prop shaft mechanically join, and also the prop bearing itself, as described in the video. I still suspect a warped internal or warped external shaft, or possibly worn spacers. The vibrations you describe would normally be associated with something being out of balance.

The BIB and the Thai mafia are like kindergarten kids compared to the Russian mafia. If they have enough people on the ground and get organised enough, it will be the BIB and the Thai mafia that will be paying tea money to THEM for the right to operate.

Now how would you know about that exactly? I confess I don't, but one hears comments like this from time to time, and you just gotta' wonder - how do you know? What enables you to make such a comparison? I do know I wouldn't want to tangle in any way to any degree at any time with the Thai mafia boys and sort of suspect that they can pretty well handle themselves in a home game.

Try this documentary and do your own research, there's tons of data available. Comparing the power and mentality of the Russian mafia to the Thai mafia is as I said, a kindergarten comparison. If they can operate widely and viciously in their own country, controlling 40% of the entire economy, easily operate in the US and cause the authorities major grief, imagine what they can do in Playschool Thailand once they achieve a significant foothold.

The Thai mafia may threaten you or undertake the odd contractual killing - and they think in Thai currency, Thai economy terms....small potatoes. The Russian boys will wipe out you and every living relative a la the original Sicilian mafia. These boys will take no prisoners and they will find it easy as hell to scare the BIB and the Thai mafia into sticking to their pitiful little bribe collecting from foreign tourists and non-helmet wearing motorcyclists, while the really big dollars are left to the Russians.

Maybe you think I'm talking about the effects that we will see on the streets? Not so - I'm talking criminal activities at corporate and government level being highly influenced and controlled by the Russian Mafioso. They have a problem with a multi million dollar scheme going pear shaped? - suddenly there will be 30 assassinations of BIB and local mafia involved as a message to the rest of the Thai administration involved to play by their rules - that will be somewhat of an incentive for others to play by the rules. If a BIB is caught taking too much from the trough now he is sent to a temporary inactive post - under Russian control it will be a permanently inactive post!

Look at the US back in the days of prohibition and more latterly in the control of the unions by mafia interests - it will all be happening here but on a more sophisticated level.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg3xrrxNyIw

The time delay is because many of those in front of you are lubricating the process.....tea money. The queue keeps getting extended as new entrants who don't know the ropes are relegated to the end of the queue. The irony is that even more will join the queue in front of you as they lubricate the process. A little monetary lubrication offer from yourself will see instant promotion in the queue to the day after tomorrow, or next Thursday at the latest.

You may not like it, but that's how it works.

Ironically, most "earths" in Thai construction are there for decoration only. There might be an earth wire in your house/condo, but try and figure out if it actually goes to a decent ground of any kind. I've never yet seen an earth pole and strap outside a house or business.

Top prize goes to the muppet that installed my new water pump. Diligently earthed the green cable between the metal body of the pump and the plastic plinth it was mounted on. I explained the problem, even got the wife to explain with much use of the Thai language app on my phone to explain "earth, ground, plastic, metal, circuit, conductivity" etc. Totally over his head - always done it this way apparently.

lol better off doing it ya self or is manual labor beneath you?

I'm unsure why you chose to draw the conclusion that manual labour might be beneath me. I'm even more unsure why you took the time to post such a conclusion in the form of a semi-rhetorical question that implied that manual labour might indeed be beneath me.

If you were curious about my technical skills and/or my willingness to undertake manual labour, perhaps you would have been better to simply ask the direct question "why didn't you install the pump yourself?".

And my direct response would have been "because the property was rented and the property owner arranged for the installation of the pump, as is their duty under the terms of the lease. I did in fact offer to install the pump myself but the property owner was concerned about possible warranty claims."

I trust your curiosity is now satisfied.

Anyone know what an Earth Loop Impedance test is? This is the ONLY correct way to know that your grounding / Earthing system is adequate.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Impedance is the tech term for resistance that can change quickly with time due to 'capacitance' and 'inductance'

Forgive the fancy words ....

For 50-60Hz grounding issues, Impedance is just resistance .

The loop test finds the impedance from your home to the power source.

If the ground is dry it may/will be high and you effectively have no ground

to the power source. You still may be well grounded inside your home.

The loop is the kind of circuit needed to measure current ....... " all current flows in a loop/circle"

And the reading should be such that

" the impedance to ground of the grounding electrode does not exceed a values that will allow 5 times (or more) of the rating of the over current device, of current to flow to ground."

OR Example: A 20 Amp breaker supplying a lighting circuit :

100 Amps of fault current would be required to flow in order to ensure that the

breaker can open under a short circuit condition in an expectable time period

(5 x 20 Amp Breaker)

220 volts / 100 amps = 2.2 ohms (maximum)

Yes correct grounding isn't that simple, it is technical but is achievable, after all it's only there to save your life.

In saying that no one seems to have answered my previous question ......WHY DO WE NEED A GROUND?

Compliments of Wiki - but do you have a different theory?

"

In electrical engineering, ⏚ ground or earth can refer to the reference point in an electrical circuit from which other voltages are measured, or a common return path for electric current, or a direct physical connection to the Earth.

A typical earthing electrode (left), consisting of a conductive rod driven into the ground, at a home in Australia. Electrical codes specify that earthing wires must be a certain color, to prevent wiring errors.

Electrical circuits may be connected to ground (earth) for several reasons. In mains powered equipment, exposed metal parts are connected to ground to prevent user contact with dangerous voltage if electrical insulation fails. Connections to ground limit the build-up of static electricity when handling flammable products or electrostatic-sensitive devices.

In some telegraph and power transmission circuits, the earth itself can be used as one conductor of the circuit, saving the cost of installing a separate return conductor. (See single-wire earth return)

For measurement purposes, the Earth serves as a (reasonably) constant potential reference against which other potentials can be measured. An electrical ground system should have an appropriate current-carrying capability to serve as an adequate zero-voltage reference level. In electronic circuit theory, a "ground" is usually idealized as an infinite source or sink for charge, which can absorb an unlimited amount of current without changing its potential. Where a real ground connection has a significant resistance, the approximation of zero potential is no longer valid. Stray voltages or earth potential rise effects will occur, which may create noise in signals or if large enough will produce an electric shock hazard.

The use of the term ground (or earth) is so common in electrical and electronics applications that circuits in portable electronic devices such as cell phones and media players as well as circuits in vehicles may be spoken of as having a "ground" connection without any actual connection to the Earth. This is usually a large conductor attached to one side of the power supply (such as the "ground plane" on a printed circuit board) which serves as the common return path for current from many different components in the circuit.

Thepprasit soi 7. Continue for 2km and you will see a big well hidden but well maintained park on your right. They have showers and parking.

Agreed ---- this park has great sports facilities and all free as far as I know.

Just goes to show....been here for nigh on 3 years and never knew it existed. I'll be checking it out soon. Thanks to the OP for asking the question and the posters that responded.