BKKBike09

I wonder how long before some infantile wokery, fuelled by anger at the 'white patriarchal hegemony', demands that the 'White House' be renamed to make it more 'inclusive'.

Yeah - hard to tell. Do seem to be a couple of different vehicle styles. I'll try and take a closer look when next down that way to see exactly what's been left to bake in the sun.

I don't wish to be pedantic but it's actually 1,741. Maybe some new glasses needed with the disguise 😉

I suspect lack of confidence re pricing is going to deter more than a few potential buyers.

Meanwhile, in a newly-created parking lot just off Highway 7 near Bang Phra, several thousand vehicles await their new owners ... I was told by a local that they are Neta EV although scooting past in the car and then later from the air I couldn't tell. I'll take a closer look next time I'm down that way. I thought I could see @ExpatOilWorker with pen and clipboard taking notes, but that was also hard to tell ...

Perfectly reasonable comments. Wave a Union Jack / Cross of St George in the stands at an England match = patriotic support for the country and team Wave a Union Jack / Cross of St George next to a group of pro-Palestine demonstrators = racist intimidation by the 'far Right'. It's all about context.

The UK government needs to take firm action on illegal immigration. The Tories promised it but did nothing. Legal migration is fine: welcoming people from other countries who can make a positive contribution to the UK and who are prepared to respect the UK and the cultural heritage of the majority, although saying this is probably enough to be deemed 'far-Right' by some. Meanwhile all these economic migrants floating across the Channel have placed a significant extra burden on an already creaking asylum vetting system. Not good for genuine asylum seekers. The majority of small boat arrivals claim asylum. In the year ending June 2023, 90% (36,169 of 40,386 arrivals) had an asylum claim recorded either as a main applicant or dependant, at the time of data extraction. Small boat arrivals accounted for over one-third (37%) of the total number of people claiming asylum in the UK in the year ending June 2023. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/irregular-migration-to-the-uk-year-ending-june-2023/irregular-migration-to-the-uk-year-ending-june-2023#asylum-claims-from-small-boat-arrivals https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/irregular-migration-detailed-dataset-and-summary-tables

Actually there's a fundamental similarity, viz: 'The general population includes small minorities of far right racists, and Muslims, both of which have extremist views".

Shades of “Quand je regarde mon derrière, je vois qu'il est divisé en deux parties égales”, perhaps?

Shades of “Quand je regarde mon derrière, je vois qu'il est divisé en deux parties égales”, perhaps?

RIP. I hope not someone I know. That looks like Best Ocean Resort just off end of runway (16/34) at Best Ocean.

There wasn't a face mask in sight, so clearly not representative of modern day Thailand ...

I prefer my version.

I just get right out there with it. "You see, I speak English Thai well. I learn it from a book. Hello sawatdee khrab, I am English Thai ....Hello sawatdee khrab." So there you have it.

Ah, but you ignored my comment: "As the power/weight ratio of batteries improves, as does range/charge time, I'd like to think some interesting possibilities exist" ...

I 'took the gamble' and don't mind being questioned on it. 18 months later I'm as happy with my EV as with any other previous ICE I've bought for commuting / general urban daily use. Comfortable, quiet, reliable (so far) and uninspiring. Just like the various Honda's I've had before it. Ev's are ideal for some, far from ideal for others.

As it happens I bought a 43" Pioneer plasma flat screen 18 years ago for USD 4,000. Still works great. That would be a painful hit. I think the best strategy is to keep the car for at least eight years (ie the period of free servicing etc) and then sell for whatever you can get for it. The depreciation curve will have flattened out a lot by then. I'm hoping that - like my TV - my Atto 3 will still work fine many years down the road.

That’s the message the Daily Express wanted you to absorb. Well done. How about some Guardian nonsense to balance that, then? Some Muslim and LGBTQ+ constituents say they would feel uneasy approaching their new MPs including Nigel Farage https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/19/minority-groups-reform-seats-adjust-life-election-success-nigel-farage But nary a word about whether a Jewish constituent might feel uneasy approaching a Palestine-supporting Muslim MP, or a white pensioner represented by a 30-year old non-white MP. In all cases above - including the Guardian ones - the 'unease' could be wholly misplaced. Is it possible that an MP might actually try to serve all constituents equally, regardless of the MP's party / cultural background. That Guardian article has an interesting graphic showing the seats where Reform came 2nd. A great majority of them were in the northeast and northwest and Yorkshire - basically areas where Labour was, generally and traditionally, the party of choice.

Yet when you read the article, much of the 'fact checking' is prefaced with "This claim is misleading". So in other words a subjective interpretation. As if Trump is the only politician to massage and manipulate statistics. Biden manages to lie quite comfortably courtesy of his memory fog idiocy. I detest Trump and Biden equally. Both are octogenarian narcissists and neither is fit for the office.

It's a little off-topic, but I want to see what happens with electric powered GA aircraft. As the power/weight ratio of batteries improves, as does range/charge time, I'd like to think some interesting possibilities exist. Take a generic Cessna 172 for example. Max take off weight is just under 1,050 kg. Of that, full tanks of fuel (c. 150 litres) are about 110 kg. Lycoming O-320 engine weighs about 125 kg. Add another 10-20 kg for oil, filters, fuel lines etc. So traditional engine + fuel is about 250 kg and gives about 4 hours endurance on full tanks. All electric would be quieter, much easier for fuel management (the number of GA accidents caused by fuel exhaustion is significant), make for simpler weight and balance calculations, remove need for engine leaning, better high density altitude performance since power doesn't come from burning a fuel/air mix, no risk of shock cooling, carb icing, fuel contamination and could deliver 100% power instantaneously etc A Lycoming O-320 is a great engine. May be 80 year old design but will run happily at a cruise power setting for hours (say 75% / around 2,400 rpm). But a 1,000 hour TBO schedule puts you on the hook for maybe USD 30K to overhaul. With an electric-powered aircraft, maybe it would also be possible to integrate trickle charge solar paneling into the wings? Of course it's not all 'electric good'. I don't know how ambient air temp changes would impact battery performance, especially sub-zero. And there could be considerable CG issues. But the possibilities - at least to me - seem very exciting.

I thought it was quite amusing. People these days have no sense of humour and are so quick to take offence. I know next to nothing about Vance but he's a confident public speaker. Listening to any politician for more than a few minutes is never very entertaining, but this guy is better than many. If made to choose, I'd certainly listen to him over Trump, Biden or Harris. Here's the full speech from which the 'nooks comment was extracted.

I think the key point is my comment "not as convenient". I wouldn't say "inconvenient'. Case in point: some friends who live in Bang Saphan just asked us if we felt like going this weekend since neither wife nor me are very busy work-wise at the moment. It's a bit over 400 km. With the CRV that we had before the Atto, we'd just get in and go. With the Atto, we have to factor that it's currently 85% battery, which probably means about 300 km highway speed range. So we'll have to stop and charge en route somewhere in Pranburi. There are plenty of PTT stations on the way that have chargers, so it just needs a little planning. Also timing management if playing it safe by reserving a charge time slot at a specific station. None of which is hugely convenient. Alternatively, we could take the other car (ICE which currently has a quarter tank) and be there in well under four hours (albeit with a few speeding tickets), stopping anywhere to fill the tank.

There's never been a price war in Thailand for market share between the various Euro / US / Japanese brands, or at least not that I can recall. Largely because dealerships have their hands tied by the manufacturer on pricing. Not to mention the cartel-like behaviour of the manufacturers, none of whom want to discount. Any ICE discounts have always been very modest in % terms (single figures). I used to benefit from Ford's Friends & Family discount pricing here and it was 10%. I'm quite surprised that Honda and Toyota here haven't been making unfair competition claims about the recent EV price cuts - perhaps they are, behind the scenese. You're right that the EV discounting now is for market share. I think it's going to backfire in the short-term - who wants to buy a new car with the worry that the price will be slashed a month later? Especially - and this applies to both EV / ICE - now that financing is harder, and generally requires a bigger initial cash payment. I also suspect that much of the EV market low-hanging fruit (urban users, second car users) may now have been picked. Don't get me wrong - I really like an EV for urban daily use, but it's still not as convenient as an ICE for long-distance journeys.

I feel short-changed. Where's the 'heated argument'? He's right - a$$holes who block the doors and don't move inside the carriage deserve all the abuse they get. So nothing to argue about here anyway.

The build quality of the Atto is good (at least mine is). At those prices it's a bargain if you need / want a city or second car. Go on - treat yourself! You might like it.