ChristianBlessing

CyberNews has provided the best coverage of potential security issues with PayPal. And in virtually every instance the coverage cited the "hack" was a consequence of tried-and-true social engineering, by way of phishing emails and bogus Facebook Messenger messages. There can certainly be security failings on the part of companies like PayPal, but users protecting the sanctity and sophistication of their own user credentials and educating themselves about how social-engineering scams are perpetuated, will be very unlikely to experience these issues.

Not sure if masks would help, but social distancing sure would.

I believe that the / (known as solidus) is not a permissible special character in street addresses in the US. It looks like RichCor's advice is your solution. 

16 hours ago, LukKrueng said:

I think that in order for a university to issue documents for ed visa one must be a full time student which in most (if not all) cases means a minimum of 4 subjects/ term 

Payap University offers an intensive Thai language course that spans 8 levels, meeting 4 times weekly for a total of 60 hours for each level. Taking one level per offering, while time consuming, is hardly "full time", represents only a single subject, and is not a degree-track program. However, Payap University provides the necessary documentation and assistance in obtaining a education visa for this very program. Your comment may apply to a degree program, but does not appear to apply to some specialized programs such as this. 

I'm guessing the operative the word here is "formal", meaning properly accredited universities and colleges.

18 hours ago, Susco said:

How many of those 75 million were from outside the US?

Good call. Of those 75 million visitors to Orlando FL in 2018, 6.48 million were foreign visitors, with nearly 1/2 of those from Canada.

Four years ago I transported my bicycle from Bangkok to Chiang Mai on the overnight express. It was placed in the freight carriage and the cost was 90฿.

10 hours ago, Surelynot said:

There was a woman who successfully sued a microwave manufacture (in USA of course) when she tried to dry her wet kitten (it died) in her brand new microwave.......said there was nothing in the instructions advising her not to do that!!!

I do hope that you don't seriously believe this urban legend. Nice swipe at the USA of course.

23 hours ago, elektrified said:

I don't think any buses are running. Will the RTC ever resume service? The gas station that provided them with NGV gas no longer sells NGV gas. So, not looking good.

According to the RTC website only the blue line is no longer running. The other 4 routes appear to still be in service.

6 hours ago, fdsa said:

FYI Lazada is rebranded Aliexpress - owned by Alibaba holdings and hosted in China.

If you want to support local online business - use Shopee instead - made and hosted in Thailand.

Shoppee was founded in, and continues to be, a Singaporean company.

On 8/4/2020 at 11:30 AM, sezze said:

There is a thing about batteries , especially Li-ion ones is that there is a max lifetime , not relevant to the usage . Battery technology has improved already a lot , and is still improving quite rapid , which is why they can give the 8-10y warranty . Hot temperature might not hurt Li-ion as much as lead acid , but if they are hurt by heat , the result can be disaster and not only for the battery .

"Most lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells must not be charged above 45°C or discharged above 60°C. These limits can be pushed a bit higher, but at the expense of cycle life. In the worst case, if cell temperatures get too high, venting may occur, resulting in battery failure or even a cell fire"

 

While you're correct about Li-ion batteries, most modern electric vehicles are employing Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries which have a much longer lifespan at 10 years or longer. Not considering charge cycles LiFePo4 batteries are regarded as having a much longer life cycle. Tesla's goal of a "million mile" battery expresses the optimism surrounding this chemistry. With charge cycles as high as 3000 it's no wonder manufacturers can offer such long warranties. To be sure LiFePo4 is also susceptible to heat damage, but there is no temperature limit for discharge. They cannot, however, be charged below 0c, something that can be mitigated.

13 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

The battery is heavy and always places low under the car. Soon we will see these EV cars boil off in flooded sois.

The weight of an 85 kWh lithium battery pack is about 1200 lbs/544 kg., while the electric motor weighs about 70 lbs/31 kg. The weight of an internal combustion engine (ICE) and drive train can weigh between 500-1000 lbs/250-450 kg, so the differences are, while not negligible, not significant. And those battery packs are sealed and watertight, unlike ICE, which will generally be written off after flooding.

14 hours ago, sezze said:

Well , 500km isnt any issue at all for by far most people (even if they say it is ) . I'd say 300km is plenty for by far , but the problem is batteries, charge time and lifetime . Electric engines are very , extremely reliable ( if not cut corners ) . Al other things are like other cars ( i come to that in a minute ...) .  But imagine buying a 2nd hand car 6y old , not old neither brand new , but you got to spend 3/4th of the price of a new car if you need to change batteries . Which probably is the case 2-4y from when you buy it . How much is that car worth ? Or you buy/own a 8-10y old car and the batteries break down , which will happen ( in Thailand , good luck they living 10y ) , spending 3/4 of new value from car to change batteries . That car isn't worth anything at all .

2nd thing is , charging time , on a normal plug it will take at least 8h , and many times a lot longer to charge it full . Faster charge requires higher amps , much higher , and grid needs to be adapted to it .

3th thing is , aircons and heating .... forget about cooling or heating your car if you want to drive . the technology isnt difficult , problem is , it requires electric , which you normally would use from your engine , but now it is just another engine running from same battery or a heating wire . Milage goes down big time .

Interestingly in the US all EV manufacturers warranty their batteries for 8 years or 100,000 miles/160,000 KM, with some offering 10 year warranties. Buying a used EV at 2-4 years old may in fact be a great investment as the buyer has avoided the initial depreciation of the vehicle.

Your point about the grid is well-taken. Many rural parts of Thailand may struggle with both supply and reliability as demand grows.

17 hours ago, Inepto Cracy said:

My opinion says that the Hybrid market will take take off first, before we see complete conversion to vehicles running only on battery power.

Hybrids can travel further, batteries take long to charge up and their traveling range is very short too.

In the US and Europe hybrid and plug-in hybrid sales peaked in 2013 and have been falling steadily since then, while plug-in electric sales have continued rising in both markets. With the exception of Toyota, it's likely that the supply of hybrid cars will diminish, further spurring the supply of electric.

I cut my teeth on Red Hat in the nineties but eventually settled on Ubuntu. My current machine is a dual-boot Ubuntu/Windows 10 but I haven't booted Windows in months.

*Deleted Post edited out*

The Gates Foundation donated $20 million to the John Hopkin's School of Public Health for Population, Reproductive Health Institute, of a total of $1.2 billion raised. Hardly "primarily funded by none other than...". That majority of whom cannot think for themselves is vast, isn't it?

14 minutes ago, Upnotover said:

Damn, got it in 0.4 seconds.

Me too. I think. Decimals confound me ????

Whenever I am in Bangkok, which had been once yearly, I always make a visit to the Green Cotton Shop in Ploenchit Plaza. There products, which include socks, use no bleach or dye. They are all I wear, and they hold up exceptionally well.

Look them up. There are 5-6 shops in Thailand.

1 hour ago, riclag said:

 

Like I said it was confusing since the requirement said natural born 

Natural born what does it mean ?

This requirement was intended to protect the nation from foreign influence according to wiki

 

Your question is one that has beguiled legal scholars from the country's inception. There was no debate concerning Article II, Section 2, leaving it difficult to divine "intent", nor have there been higher court rulings on the matter. Barry Goldwater, the 1964 Republican nominee for president, would possibly have faced a court challenge by Democrats, had he won the election, as he was born in the Arizona Territory prior to statehood. More recently, in his bid for the Republican nomination for the 2008 election, John McCain was declared by a Senate resolution to be "natural born" although he was born of US citizens in the Panama Canal Zone.

If Senator Duckworth were to be selected by Biden as VP candidate, I would expect a reprise of the campaign to question her eligibility in the same gruesome manner in which they attacked the eligibility of President Obama. 

2 hours ago, Why Me said:

Can't be talking of the US. A tenured prof easily make $100k even at a mid-level uni, can be much more in a field like business or engineering. A very senior high school teacher might get into the 80s at best.

Fewer than 25% of instructors at American colleges and universities are tenured or on tenure track. The vast majority are non-tenured, or, worse, working as adjunct instructors. The 75% teaching in non-tenured or adjunct positions have smaller salaries, fewer benefits and less security than virtually any teacher at any grade level in a public school. It's a sad state of affairs for those aspiring to a career in academia.

14 hours ago, Bramley said:

What would you do if they said no? Best not to ask imo.

I've actually had no one ever say no. Some years ago an older woman asked me to wait a while until she felt she could relax. After some time she tapped me on shoulder and gestured that I could now recline.

To be honest I don't know with certainty how I would react if the person behind me simply said "no" with no justification. But, as I noted, I find a bit of courtesy a helpful antidote to the stress of modern-day flying.