dhream

16 hours ago, Deepinthailand said:

More dross you just can't help yourself can you never mind on day you will learn

12 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

A LOT has changed since that post of more than six months ago:

 

--Roku has an entirely new line of boxes and an updated stick.

--Amazon has also just in the past month came out with a 2nd gen Fire TV stick.

--Sony Playstation Vue online TV has gone nationwide in the U.S., and I've used it for a couple months, and over time they've expanded their reach to a broader range of platforms than at launch, including on Roku, IOS, Android and a web interface.

 

Over time, I've found the following results personally:

--my Google Chromecast Audio has gone in the drawer, because I could never get it to perform reliably from the Chrome browser, which is the main way I wanted to use it.

 

--my Google Chromecast has gone in the drawer, because I prefer to use a set-top TV box or stick with a remote control device controlling an on-screen menu, as opposed to using a phone or tablet to cast content to my TVs.

 

--Amazon Fire TV's have become my favorite OTT streaming device/platform, partly because I have an investment in the Amazon platform via Amazon Prime Music, partly because I think the Fire TV box is very easy and speedy to use and I've been able to sideload onto it all the Android apps I want to use. Not to mention they're very inexpensive.

 

--But for this holiday season, I passed on getting the 2nd gen Fire TV stick because neither it nor the current Fire TV box support the coming HDR video standard. Instead, on an upcoming trip to the U.S., I'm thinking of picking up a $69 Mi Box set-top box from Walmart that handles both 4K and HDR video along with running the newest Android TV (Android) platform.

 

 

Thank you for this timely update, John!

On other blogs the assertion was made that the 'android boxes' are really only for geek tweakers, and a Roku 3 or above was the way to go.

However we almost all have to use a VPN in Asia. I also have a spare Cisco (ex linksys) router, that is a 4K ready powerhouse, but has lost it's 'memory' that it is a linksys router after a brown out. My other devices can see it, but Linksys software cannot, so mayhaps I need to learn to flash DD-WRT to get that viable again, and then run my (PIA) VPN through that, instead of per home device as current.

Phew! And I don't even watch much TV since the internet really took off as an interactive medium (forums etc.)

On 09/11/2016 at 7:06 AM, trogers said:

Make Entrapment legal as Singapore has done.

 

This would induce fear in offering and accepting bribes.

Unintended consequences much?

A large percentage of males in the Kingdom, could be then arrested for soliciting prostitutes. 

Of course, Singapore avoid this by making prostitution legal, which if nothing else is pragmatic.

Now if only they'd apply that to illegal substances (Opium was legal in Singapore until a few decades ago, it was cultural before Nixon and his hand-outs got involved, nothing to do with the disastrous War on Science, er, drugs.)

21 minutes ago, trogers said:

 

Opium was legal in Singapore when the British was the colonial master, and made illegal when Singapore became independent. Guess who sold the opium...?

Not the entire story. The Singapore Government literally 'Grandfathered' Opium into illegality. I know this because my exes now deceased maternal Grandpa would take her to a legal opium den in her pram, and getting into all sorts of bother from Grandma for doing so!

That infant is barely 40 now, so it was some time after independence when the last old Chinaman died of old age, and they then closed the den doors.

Proof that, opium is not 'deadly' when used correctly, and the whole 'war on' is mostly a moral panic fabrication, serving powerful vested interests with much to lose from ending prohibition, not least the legal system, and LEO's involved.

If it was good enough for Queen Victoria, -yet another long lived opium user- and dinosaur Keef Richards, it's good enough for us harried plebs as well. OK, it's back to your regular BiB programming now...

FOUR YEARS to build 80% of a sewage treatment plant?

Still waiting on the mere stroke of a VIP pen to wrap it up?

That famous island holiday atmosphere must really be contagious.

They could get inspiration from 'clean' Pattaya's 'Cavorting Porpoises" sculpture, and create some Cavorting Poop logs, complete with semi-digested tomato skin bikinis.

1 minute ago, cheapskatesam said:

Wow loads of replies.. from the high-rollers (you'll starve to death with 700 quid)  to the more realistic.. 

 

Not sure what to think now really. My budget will increase next year i'm sure

I'm looking seriously at Chon Buri next time. Half way between Pattaya and BKK so i can easily have a day out at the beach or the city whilst living in a "cheap" rent area.. 

 

I found this site - http://www.renthub.in.th/en Loads of nice looking places under 10,000.. many of them have facebook pages that reply to messages also :D

 

 

I don't smoke and i sometimes drink at the weekend..

I like Thai food.. but sometimes crave a burger or Indian curry

 

I am hoping to find a good woman to settle down with but i'm not desperate (i'm 29) and i'm very picky.. she must have a job and not think of me as a ATM 

Thaifreindly is a minefield and a waste of time i'll stick to more traditional methods i think.

If you're 29 then the cost of living is the least of your worries. How do you hope to stay here for any length of time without paying a motza for some sort of visa that will allow you to? BTW, I wish you the very best, you have shown a desire for something better, and you're striving toward it!

12 hours ago, scorecard said:

 

...who will then claim the reward money...

Oh yes, that's another priceless bit of Thainess, the cops giving themselves the 'citizens bounty' reward!

I don't quite know who in this story I despise more.

What are they waiting for, a 'Red Bull' style offer they can't refuse?

12 hours ago, DavisH said:

The salary / money in the bank requirements are ridiculous. Our combined salary is more than 100K a month, but when I retire I could live on 30-40K comfortably. But then again, this policy is not about attracting retirees to live here. Remember, this is a policy pushed by the Health Ministry, so as to reduce any burden of sick, under insured retired foreigners living here; and just taking the wealthiest ones who how can afford to pay / spend lots of money here. Fortunately, work-based and marriage based extensions are still relatively easy to obtain. 

Pray do tell how I can 'easily obtain' a work visa, I'd love the chance to be gainfully employed here. Unfortunately, and no disrespect to Ajarns, there's not much 'gain' in such employment, and everyone else appears to have been recruited by a multinational from their home country.

What 'burden' are you on about? Everyone else seems to agree that without hard cash or insurance, you're going on the BBQ. 

The only people who are a 'burden' are careless uninsured tourists, or tourists who break the policy rules while making themselves an expensive inpatient, and even so, that's not a situation unique to 'poor' Thailand (that mysteriously has way too mutt football club and steel mill owning billionaires for its supposed status as a 'developing' nation).

Just now, sanemax said:

IMO , Thailand seems to be wanting to encourage infirm elderly people here , maybe the idea is to set up care homes , old people homes ?

Swiss Government actually do have something like that in the North, unless I was misinformed. Note however that the Swiss Government are behind it, in some sort of joint effort with a Thai provider whom I understand to be a private institution.

A lot of uncertainty. But...

Even in Thailand, if it is a total disaster, and they lose money or expats as a result, they will revert to the current system, or come up with an even better (for us) plan.

The average Thai cannot AFFORD to alienate their expat base much more, for much longer.

Lost expat income will reverberate through the economy in unimaginable ways, each job lost will hit the next battler in the food chain, and so on.

It has long been stated that tourism is the only 'bright spot' in a sputtering economy, we are all pretty much long term tourists here, because all we have is a NON IMMIGRANT ANNUAL EXTENSION OF STAY and so do the MARRIED expats with half Thai children in some cases.

It is a precarious way to build a life or a retirement.

The thing is, when the elites in BKK make a mess of their 'guest laws' it's the middle class and below who (as always) take the loss.

There is a point when all but those expats with nothing to lose, will just reluctantly move on to somewhere they can see out their days with much more stability, than is evident at every level of society here right now.

12 hours ago, BarnicaleBob said:

Can anyone tell me one benefit to having this new 10 year visa?

1. You still have to do 90 day checks

2.  You still have to do an annual check of which we don't have the details on yet. 

3.  It isn't really a 10 year visa, it is a 5 year visa that you can extend another 5 years, what is the fee for the extension?

4.  10,000 baht cost for 5 years comes to 2,000 a year, that is 100 baht a year more or 500 baht more expensive for the 5 years.

5.  So not only does it cost more and you still have to go to immigration the same number of times but you must have 3 million baht rather than 800,000 or 100,000 baht income rather than 64,000 baht.  

What is the advantage of this so called 10 year visa?

The advantages, BB, are abundant, and quite clear!

But only if your name is Mr. Somchai Takemorebaht, and you warm a chair at the Thai Government Treasury.

If this is a ten year medical visa, then the guys signing up for it in it's current form need a brain transplant.

5 minutes ago, Wilsonandson said:

***Breaking News***
More details emerging from Chiang Rai Times
Posted 15 minutes ago on the net.
http://mobile.dudasite.com/site/chiangraitimes1?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chiangraitimes.com%2Fthailand-to-promote-10-year-visa-for-medical-tourism.html&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.th%2F#2902

Welcome to the Hospital California, you'll be admitted any time you like, but you can never leave.

9 hours ago, JB300 said:

The new regs seem to imply that you can only spend 50% of the 3Million, I'm wondering if this 1.5Million is for "End of Term care" as it is with the SRRV in the Philippines.

 

I am more than sceptical this more than adequate sum would be put to appropriate use, were it to be explicitly earmarked for palliative care.

We won't exactly be in a position to check!

And what if you just drop dead? Will your bereaved other get it? Unlikely!

It's a rushed-out dogs breakfast of an idea, seem to be a rash of them lately, mainly relating to local issues, but no less hideously malformed at birth.

2 minutes ago, Wilsonandson said:

And they all voted for the Brexit.

And if I hear another whine about the drop in the earning power of the pound!

It is still nowhere near the non-value of the Aussie 'Peso' and never will be.

Disclosure: I hold citizenship to both.

1 hour ago, Wilsonandson said:

How do you know angels won't save us? Do you have a hotline to God?

I do, he said " 'Wilsonandson' are fake, I'm the only one true 'Godandson', PS: sorry were late with the second coming, but you guys are just too entertaining to interrupt. Keep up the senseless bickering!"

14 minutes ago, dentonian said:

 

Absolute nonsense!

Agreed, one of the zanier ideas out there, and it's EVERYWHERE! From France to the Mid West to Australia.

Guys who seriously believe anyone and his hijab wearing bint can lob off a plane and get handed out a 'free life' as if it was a toy from a freaking Kinder Surprise Egg.

Dumb as they come, and they come in their MILLIONS apparently.

2 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Based on lots of your assumptions about a half baked visa change. You don't have the authority to assert certainty about this.

In fairness, is he any worse off speculating than the actual seat-warmers who hatched this cunning plan?

'THAILAND.GOV' the long-running sitcom, is the best un-reality show out there bar none! They make 'Yes Minister' look like a Punch & Judy stall.

On 26/08/2016 at 8:36 AM, bruceamstutz said:

 

I think maybe they mean a RUGER  9mm

The Luger was found in the loom. OK?

One guy making a token effort at preserving a sterile crime scene, or maybe he didn't want to mess up his parade gloss...

On 24/08/2016 at 3:29 PM, Alive said:

These constant murders are ridiculous. The police academy failed society for letting this mentally unstable person graduate and get a gun. The academy should be investigated. It's probably just a pay-for-a-diploma place where idiots like this worthless human soul are appreciated. If Thailand's cops are respectable they should look into this school and all the others and look in the mirror because they are a failed institution.

In a parallel universe, perhaps.

Besides, this is not really a Thai specific thing, it IS a male thing. Violent murder/suicide happens everywhere, even in gun shy UK, and I believe there was one 'decent' guy in Ireland who surprised his 'close-knit community' (gotta love press bullshit!) who did the Missus and kids for, before turning out his own lights, just a few months ago?

A brave but unwise move.

He may have had a leg to stand on if he was personally harassed illegally.

But as it is, it seems he has, by inserting himself into a matter of legal pedantry, done something far more serious in the Thai mind, and that is caused a massive loss of face, particularly to an authority organisation.

Not particularly wise, however morally and legally correct.

On 09/11/2016 at 7:06 AM, trogers said:

Make Entrapment legal as Singapore has done.

 

This would induce fear in offering and accepting bribes.

Unintended consequences much?

A large percentage of males in the Kingdom, could be then arrested for soliciting prostitutes. 

Of course, Singapore avoid this by making prostitution legal, which if nothing else is pragmatic.

Now if only they'd apply that to illegal substances (Opium was legal in Singapore until a few decades ago, it was cultural before Nixon and his hand-outs got involved, nothing to do with the disastrous War on Science, er, drugs.)

On 14/11/2016 at 11:20 AM, sawadeeken said:

Wearing of seat belts is proven to save lives................ WORLDWIDE...................... Up To You................  But I 'buckle up' for my own safety, and for the law secondly........

Ageed, And Good luck getting insurance to pay up if they find out a claimant was unsecured in an accident, and the injuries will be the giveaway, assuming they survive.

On 09/11/2016 at 7:06 AM, trogers said:

Make Entrapment legal as Singapore has done.

 

This would induce fear in offering and accepting bribes.

Unintended consequences much?

A large percentage of males in the Kingdom, could be then arrested for soliciting prostitutes. 

Of course, Singapore avoid this by making prostitution legal, which if nothing else is pragmatic.

Now if only they'd apply that to illegal substances (Opium was legal in Singapore until a few decades ago, it was cultural before Nixon and his hand-outs got involved, nothing to do with the disastrous War on Science, er, drugs.)