BKKBike09

I don't have any "secret knowledge". I do have a sister who's a 20-year teacher in an Inner London state primary, who has seen (and sees) first-hand the negative impact of various covid policies - including masking - on very young children. It's not exactly a "crazy conspiracy theory". "the long-term harm to kids from masking is potentially enormous. Masking is a psychological stressor for children and disrupts learning. Covering the lower half of the face of both teacher and pupil reduces the ability to communicate. In particular, children lose the experience of mimicking expressions, an essential tool of nonverbal communication. Positive emotions such as laughing and smiling become less recognizable, and negative emotions get amplified. Bonding between teachers and students takes a hit. Overall, it is likely that masking exacerbates the chances that a child will experience anxiety and depression, which are already at pandemic levels themselves" https://healthpolicy.usc.edu/article/mandatory-masking-of-school-children-is-a-bad-idea/ "The results drawn in this study suggest the possibility that children’s language-learning experiences may have been affected by mask-wearing in many different aspects. If these findings were beyond just educators’ perception, wearing a mask not only leads to reduction of visual–auditory sensory input but also modifications of language quantity, language quality, and non-verbal cues children receive" https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.874264/full I note you have been perfectly happy not to wear a mask for months. Presumably because you felt that was a reasonable decision, given overall risk. You're an adult, so your choice to make. But at the same time you seem to be able to rationalise that it's a good thing for a 3-year old to wear a mask? Truly bizarre.

That is truly messed up. And you're okay with this?

Classic! Love it. I mean, it's not like there's anything under the car that could be damaged by mounting a kerb ...

I see the BYD web site (which gets fancier by the day, it seems) now promotes the BYD app ... although when you try to download it, it's still "not available in your country or region". Coming soon, perhaps. The web site also now has one of those "see how much you could save!" calculators. For the Atto it fixes the average battery consumption rate at 6.71 km/kWh - which equates to just over 400 km on a full battery, so somewhat below the advertised max range. In practice I think the realistic range is between 350-400 km for 'normal driving' [I've done 7000 odd km and the average consumption is stated as 15.5 kWh/100 km, so about 390 km in all]. More spirited driving (e.g. 100 km yesterday on highways at 120-130+) and range will drop to between 320-350 km. One gripe I have with the Atto is that here in Thailand the only range estimate it shows is based on a starting point of 480 km at full charge, which is not very realistic. There's no option for dynamic range estimation. Very irritating as it's only a software tweak, and is available in other markets. Hopefully BYD will unlock this here at some point.

That should be the case, although Dolphin being lighter and with skinnier tyres might have a harder time with grip. The BYD web site actually has "7s" as the 0-100 time for both Dolphin and Atto 3.

Did a few runs today to see whether Atto 3 can really do 0-100 kmh in 7.3 seconds. Out of three runs, best was actually 6.5 seconds (with a 7.1 and 7.2 before and after). This is with the stock Batman tyres squealing like stuck pigs.

"Ami is certified as a quadricycle. It is limited to 28 mph and there are no plans to increase its top speed" - https://www.citroen.co.uk/ami 28 mph! No wonder they also say "Ami is designed for an inner-city environment. Fast roads are not made for Ami! We would recommend sticking to 20 and 30 mph roads where Ami is ideal".

Time to rake over the coals a bit ... https://www.cips.org/supply-management/news/2023/august/volvo-recalls-electric-trucks-over-battery-fire-risks/ Not that I'm losing any sleep over whether my EV is going to spontaneously combust.

I'm sure you're right. However unless they introduce a special 'Cold Brew' still or sparking water, then the only thing this is advertising is beer. Initially I thought they might have some coffee drink as a peg to hang this on, but no, only that beer (which I've tried but didn't like).

You don't need to have an IDP as well as a Thai DL. Have rented (like others here) in numerous countries over past 20 years using just the Thai DL. The rental insurance will not be invalidated if you don't have an IDP. The printing on the plastic Thai DL is not durable and it starts to fade pretty quickly. Another benefit of renting with a Thai DL is that - in some countries - the police may choose not to pursue an overseas driver for a speeding ticket etc (I got one in UK some years and when I checked with plod, they said it had been cancelled because it was an overseas driver).

All true. However I'm quite surprised by the current BTS ad campaign for Chang Cold Brew. Not a bottle of water (or mention of water) in sight, only blokes sitting in a field of barley holding tankards and a dumb slogan about chilling out with Chang Cold Brew. I'd like to see a craft brewery try a campaign like this!

EXPLAINER: "Produced gas from Erawan had declined drastically by roughly 64% in 2022" - because the previous concession holder, Chevron, did not allow PTTEP access to the production assets until their concession term began in April 2022. And why did Chevron do that? Because they took exception to a Ministerial Regulation issued by the post 2014 coup government which said they would be on the hook for the decommissioning costs of ALL the Erawan assets at end of life, including actively producing assets (platforms, pipelines, subsea infrastructure) to be handed over to the new concession holder. This all went to arbitration but I don't know whether it's been concluded now.

A tour bus caught fire on the Sirat Expressway, north of the Bang Sue Central Station, causing heavy traffic congestion. Meanwhile, a Benz silver sedan, registered in Bangkok, also burst into flames.

Nothing like some live performance art to alleviate the boredom of the airport security queue ...

30.723499%, to be more precise.

I never really cared for the Bros but it was pretty popular here. Mid 90s here I had a Kwak FX400R. First bike I had here - in 1989 - was a CB400T (this being it, no less) I always liked the styling of the Kawa:

Aren't the marketer's embarrassed to have to say it produces "almost" 40 hp and "almost" 38 nm torque ... what's next, "with a top speed of almost 70 mph"! For 'not exciting but very functional' from the 80s and 90s I'd shoot for a CX500, although frankly any Honda will fit that description (except maybe an NS400R or an RC30)

Enough of the 'botched surgery'. Wasn't like it was exactly a clean break of a minor bone. Plus will competitive kick boxing will ever be a good idea with that level of damage? https://geyser.fund/project/connormcbridesrevisionsurgeryfundraiser

You'd really need to compare vehicles modified to run on LPG with vehicles modified to run on batteries for an accurate assessment. LPG is particularly dangerous because it's heavier than air, so it can pool in a confined space rather than disperse. "Everything was done according to the rules" ... never inspires much confidence in Thailand. Think of the annual 'safety inspection' to renew tax for vehicles aged 7 years or more. "Does it start, Somchai?"; "Yes"; "Okay, pass". Here are the stats for car fires per year, in Bangkok only (from an article in Thai quoting chief of Bangkok's Office of Disaster Prevention & Mitigation, who highlighted risk of LPG modifications): 2010 - 205 2011 - 200 2012 - 221 2013 - 230 2014 - 221 https://d.dailynews.co.th/bangkok/302193/

^ +1 In a country over-run with stray dogs (and cats) I couldn't in good conscience buy one. If you must buy one, I agree 100% with not buying from Chatujak or a puppy mill, but this puff piece seems to be for a broker, not for an in-house breeding operation. If you're not allowed to visit the breeder, it's all on trust that they are responsible and ethical.

So ... a nine year old car has a problem caused by its 12V battery, which is fixed by swapping it for a new one? And main power battery has a lease guarantee that when its storage capacity drops below 75%, it's a free upgrade to get it back to 90%+? Sounds terrible ... I'll grant you 'Electric Failure DANGER' would get the pulse going, but then that's not really any different from my ICE flashing a warning light that's a little engine for a basically irrelevant catalytic converter issue. I bet your TransAm would have thrown up loads of warnings and codes etc ... if it had more electrics than ignition and a push button radio (or maybe an 8-track?).

Thailand at its worst. If ever there was a more deserving case for GoFundMe ... although at least the Pattaya News story has details of the brother's bank account.

All this reminds me of Fawlty Towers: "I was just talking with my wife. We were just wondering, how often do you manage it? It must be so difficult to find the time?" [questioner means how often do Basil and Sybil have a holiday] "Well if you must know, a couple of times a week. We're quite normal here in Torquay you know" [Basil's response, because the questioner is a psychiatrist, so he assumes it must be about sex - the response made all the more amusing because he and Sybil are well into their 40s.]

Prospective BYD Dolphin owners might want to take note that it doesn't appear the daft 'BUILD YOUR DREAMS' badging can be easily removed, as I see it sits under a clear perspex cover. At least on the Atto you can remove it with a chisel and sandpaper (or dental floss and a rubber buffing wheel, if you prefer). Not sure I could live with it on the back of any car I owned.

Actually I think I'm okay with that concept, chief. Now how's about you address the topic at hand, namely that different types of battery chemistry react differently to external shocks, whether thermic, kinetic or whatever. Or are you claiming that a battery is a battery is a battery?