richard_smith237

8 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Interviews I have seen with passengers variously stated no seat belt sign and that seatbelt light came on. All seem to agree no announcement (not surprising given how unexpected and serious the event was, pilot would have been busy coping with it and sending out distress call/request for emergency landing first).

 

I suspect that what may be the case was that light come on but virtually simultaneous to the event at which point no one had time to react...in fact those not already seat-belted were already being catapulted about.  May have come on automatically, I think that is programmed to happen? But in that case would have been only as the plane started its extreme movements.

I quite agree...    

On nearly every flight I am on there is an announcement at the beginning of the flight... 

"the seatbelt sign has been turned off, we advise that you remain in your seat with the seatbelt fastened to protect yourselves in the event on unexpected movements"...  (or something similar). 

The crew of the Flight Deck obviously turn on the seatbelt signs when they can see some weather on their radar, however, there is also clean air turbulence which cannot be seen or predicted - hence keeping on the seatbelts

--------

I used to be very slack up until about 15 years ago or so and then kept my seatbelt fastened, even when sleeping etc.

And now, with our Son, if he's lying on the seat, or across a couple of seats we'll ensure to keep a seatbelt fastened over him...    

After this incident, I'm guessing anyone on a plane will now do the same... 

One real concern - taking a poop when such an event happens..  

8 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

 With respect, NO, especially when your mobile (smart) phone is stolen, damaged, mislaid or the battery is "dead"!

Personally I use cash which I get from my bank's ATM using my debit card. I do use this card when making certain bulk purchases at my local supermarket or booking tickets with Air Asia. I still use my trusty 3G mobile for calls and text messages - ideal FOR ME! You can stuff your QR codes. At home I have a personal computer workstation for access to the internet.

With respect, NO, especially when your wallet gets stolen, lost or mislaid...   This is exactly the same as the 'getting the phone stolen' argument and hence is basically flawed as a differentiator... 

The same could be said of your card... you can lose that, or it can stop working, become demagnetised, the chip part fails to read or become damaged etc..  so again, any comparison with a phone, fails as a differentiator... 

You prefer an ATM card and Debit Card etc.. thats fine, each to their own, thats a simple preference, an emotional decision... but when trying to justify that choice to avoid digital payments via phone the logic becomes somewhat 'wishy-washy' and ultimately flawed. 

2 hours ago, Kalasin Jo said:

Agree. I've noticed that more and more market traders are now offering QR code payment. It's spreading fast. As I pointed out to one that creates a digital trail which the tax man could access,  cash does not. 

As others have remarked it's also tedious waiting while people fiddle with their phones to make a digital payment. 

Thats six to one half a doesn't to the other....    Some people are slow paying with cash, it takes them an age to get their purse/ wallet out and dig around for the cash, then it sometimes takes an age for a cashier to count out check and triple check the change before handing it over...  

But... Some people are also luddites and just can't use their phone apps, and are thus also slow... 

Personally, I find paying QR Code much quicker than cash....  I find paying by something such as apple pay, even quicker. 

2 hours ago, Kalasin Jo said:

Anyone know what's going on payment wise when the purchaser has to present their ID card and the cashier takes a photo of the person and their ID? Seen that quite a few times locally. That can also take a while.

I think this is some of those shops which are are not fully initiate to the cashless system...  I know the cashier sometimes takes a photo of the proof of transaction on the customers phone - that may be down the individuals 'fear' of making a mistake etc...     

As far as handing over an ID card and getting a photo taken - I'm not sure about this, I've never seen it, but agree, it would take a lot longer - is that related to cash-payment, or simply a different process for something else ? (even if paying by cash).

46 minutes ago, Caldera said:

I struggle to remember having read any article that is more idiotic than this one. Anywhere. On any subject.

 

Isn't it just common sense to have a good mix of payment options at one's disposal, including cash? Especially when traveling far away from home. 

100% agree... 

I'm mostly cashless now... With nearly all my payments made from my phone... 

This year I have been in:

UK - 100% Cashless 

France - 100% Cashless 

Switzerland - 100% Cashless

Dubai - 100% Cashless 

Doha - 90 % Cashless - paid cash for a couple of taxi's

Japan - 70% Cashless - paid in cash where they wouldn't accept applepay or cards.

Thailand - 95+% Cashless (PromptPay, TrueMoney, Bolt / Grab + Cash when more convenient).

I'm now overseas again...  and have numerous options at my disposal.

US$1000 in cash (just erergency money) + Some local currency.

Having all options available makes perfect sense - the idea of someone saying I'll never use cash, I only want to use digital, just seems stupid to me...  As does the idea of someone saying I'll never digital, I only want to use cash..... 

... it seems a lot of reasoning is based purely on emotion and no logic.

Yes you...   kind of... 

If you still hold a UK address... i.e. one to where your existing DL is registered, then you can simply renew online and they will deliver to that address.

This happened to me during covid... 

While I was back in Thailand under quarantine my folks received a letter in the post with 28 days to pay a speeding the fine...   No chance to send my DL back my UK license as I was 'locked in a room'....

The issue with paying a fine in the UK at the time was that I had to send the Driving License with proof of payment to the DVLA.

Solution: Apply online for a new DL (saying I'd lost the old one) - delivery was quick... and the folks then sent the DL off to the DVLA.

(Note - the requirement to send in the DL to the DVLA after accepting a fixed penalty is no longer a requirement since Nov-22).

14 minutes ago, Jumbo1968 said:

My landlord refused to do one and even give me the correct documentation so I could do it. It’s hard to be diplomatic when the owner doesn’t speak English, started shouting abuse at my wife speaking to her like a dog she said.His parting words were I am giving you 2 months notice to vacate the property, his loss as we have been in the property for nearly 4 years.

And don't pay the last couple of months rent either...  because you know for sure you are not going to get your deposit back with a landlord like this.

1 hour ago, Jumbo1968 said:

 

If the owner doesn’t do a TM30 it’s up to the tenant, Immigration won’t accept the argument the owner won’t do it.

 

I know the chances are laughably slim... 

..... has anyone ever said to immigration..  "sure, give me the fine document, and I'll pass it on to the landlord as its their responsibility"... 

As we all know - charging someone for not doing a TM30 becasue the landlord refuses to assist is clearly wrong.

I'd move out of that place very quickly.

2 hours ago, animalmagic said:

Very difficult to give a definitive answer as we do not always get full disclosure of how much has been confiscated; can lead to lack of confidence in the currency.  HK had a problem with very good 1000 HKD bills that were counterfeit, to the extent that ATM's only dispensed 500 HKD bills as the largest value note for quite a while.

The average person encounters digital fraud more often than you would think with various frauds being attempted daily; simply ask a local how many times they have received 'dodgy' phone calls from police, their bank or claimed acquaintances..

Yep thats true, so many attempted scam phone calls, so many pishing e-mails etc.

Then there is the credit card - my card (both Thailand and UK) have been used fraudulently about 10x in total...

But, the flip side of that is the incovenience of not being able to use them would be greater and I personally never lost anything.

I've never encountered fraud using my online Banking or Paying for an item via Apple Pay or PromptPay, bank transfer etc.

2 hours ago, animalmagic said:

The planning, execution and laundering of stolen cash, bullion, jewels etc requires some skilled and determined people.  The planning and execution of digital fraud does not need anywhere near as much professional input to steal a lot more.  Several countries, the usual suspects of Russia, China, Iran and North Korea use the digital attacks to undermine competitor economies and finance other 'activities'.

Targeted attacks on corporations may very well be the norm, but their losses are passed on to the consumer.

I'd argue to takes skill not to leave a foot-print - nether scams, cash or digital..  are easy to carry out by the average person...  it takes someone with a specific skill set that most don't have.

5 minutes ago, Tazmo said:

Thanks to all those who have taken the time to reply. All useful to know.

It’s not a ‘ life or death’ situation that I must have one. I got the idea from this forum.

Anyway, from one of the replies it would appear that the Amphur that I live in, is the problem in that someone else has been waiting for “ years”!  I live in Mae Rim, Chiang Mai Province.

Its possible that they 'don't know' how to process you...      Its a fair bit of paperwork for them, and some officers at some amphur do no like doing the work... and because its fee, they see no benefit to themselves anyway... 

keep persevering if you want - they'll have to get round to it in the end.

5 hours ago, transam said:

Great, the "yellow book are useless brigade" will not show up now......😂

Eh, PJ.........🤭

Oh, I'm not so sure about that... 

... Neeranam must be getting that whiff of 'forum-cat-nip' by now

... its going to be extremely difficult for him not to show up and post some misinformation, untruths or outright lies... 

5 hours ago, animalmagic said:

Visualizing Global Losses from Financial Scams (visualcapitalist.com)

Worldwide losses to digital fraud are almost half a trillion dollars, approximately the GDP of Singapore!

 

Another factor is the fact that the fees for using the digital currency platforms are hidden -

1. interchange
2. assessment
3. e-wallet
4. payment processing

These generally come out as a cost of business to the merchant who will then increase prices so the customer pays.

 

The Marsh McLennan Cyber Crime Handbook 2021 states that the Cybercrime landscape, of which Digital Fraud and Online Payment Fraud form part of the overall picture, also covers losses to the economy and corporations through hacking, data breaches and other forms of attack to create chaos and disrupt government and business operations.  The World Economic Forum’s 2019 Cybercrime puts economic losses from cybercrime in 2020 at 3 trillion USD and projected this to double to 6 trillion USD in 2021.  Of great concern is the fact that in many sectors the speed of digitalisation far outpaces the building of cyber defence capabilities and adaptation of overall risk management strategies.

Good points... In the interests of balance - how much counterfeit cash is in circulation ?

The United States Secret Service estimates that between $70 million and $200 million in counterfeit bills are in circulation worldwide at any given time....   and what of other currencies ?

Not as much as Digital fraud - but a lot of the higher numbers of digital fraud are targeted attacks on corporations - for the every day person, i.e. us.. we are more likely to encounter countrified currency than digital fraud.

2 hours ago, Jimjim1 said:

And you have written 3 posts denigrating me, one of which got someone laughing at your comments, one got you nothing and the last one got you bewilderment, ARE ‘nt doing well 

You should read your stupid comments again and learn.

In your shoes I'd worry less about whatever emoji response another's post receives and instead spend the time understanding the tech you use if you are going to pass comment on it.

[ To denigrate - to criticise unfairly ]....     The criticism wasn't unfair if your comments are inaccurate !!

33 minutes ago, Baht Simpson said:

Dumb comparison. You don't see people being beaten up, imprisoned and executed for being bald, ginger, tall etc. Besides that, Pride is about other things too. 

 

Some people's obsession with it on here is rather sad, and when you get the same people criticizing every article of LGBT+ news it leaves one to think it's something a bit more sinister. I don't see why Pride should exist, it's all equal now isn't a valid criticism unless backed up with sound reasons.

You make a strong and valid point...

However, having a 'special' day, a 'special' 5 days or a 'special' month etc also seems to contradict the ideology of equality..... 

If anyone genuinely wants to be treated equally, why celebrate the difference in such a manner ?

5 hours ago, Jingthing said:

I think gay traveller's are attracted to gay friendly countries in general all year just as any tourism promotion board would.

There is a reason that Taiwan and Spain are much more popular among gay travellers than Iran or Jamaica or Russia. 

Erm...  Iran, Jamaica and Russia are your basis of comparison for popular tourist destinations ????

You can't even see how ridiculously flawed your examples are...    Perhaps you should have added Iraq and Afghanistan !!!

3 hours ago, Srikcir said:

the tuk tuk driver had to be aware of the child riding in the back without any safety equipment and should have moderated his driving accordingly

How does one go about 'emergency braking' with moderation ???

59 minutes ago, lavender19 said:

Bit strange really. If you brake sharply you usually travel forwards. Not backwards out of the tuk tuk

I also struggle to understand how this happened...  initially I thought the tuk-tuk was a 'side loader', but was corrected by another poster in a different thread - where it was explained that in local news the tuk-tuk was a 'rear-loader'... 

So, I'm wondering how the child fell out under heavy braking.

56 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Or, I can just use cash. 5-20K baht at a time. from ATM. Don't see the problem. In the US visiting I use CC for most things. just so easy buying gas that way. In Thailand cash is king.

We're nearly half way though the year... I think I've been to an ATM twice this year.... 

(a very rough calculations suggest cash accounts for approximately 2% of my spending in Thailand).

Thats all thats been needed - nearly all my transactions are 'cashless'... its just so much more convenient that way.

Cash is not king anymore, its nearly dead... 

That said - this is no criticism of you 'Cash is King' guys...  I'm happy you use cash...   Cash is needed, I'd hate to be in a situation where I can't use cash if I wanted to...   

I like the idea of having both cash and cash-less options available to me - I find cashless more convenient and disagree with the flawed arguments many people make against digital payment... but, I firmly believe both cash and cashless options should remain available to the customer. 

23 minutes ago, Jimjim1 said:

The OP has yet again come up with another trap for the uninitiated and should really be ashamed of himself for not only doing so but also for publishing it here.

Perhaps have published it he should now read the comments of most who disagree vehemently with him.

 

Cash is very much king

Tech has clearly passed you by and you are now responding out of paranoia.

There are risks with online digital systems - but you haven't addressed any of them in your comments. 

21 minutes ago, Jimjim1 said:

Yes you can shut down your banking app but in the time it takes to find someone with a phone who will let you call your bank in another country and wade through the incessant press this button and that button number the crims have emptied your account and are long gone, and for good measure have sold your phone to the local telephone shop for spares.

You don't know that you can wipe all data on your phone very quickly, not app by app.

I can log in on any device and erase my phone within 30 seconds... 

The caveat here is that it has to be connected to the internet, but then for crims to do anything, it also has to be connected to the internet.

20 minutes ago, Jimjim1 said:

What a load of bunkum!

Put all your financial information on your telephone so that the next crim who steals it will in double quick time have full on access to one’s money.

Every criminal knows that the majority of people have weak passwords on their telephones and getting into them is the easiest thing in the world to do.

They also know that by simply placing a password generator that can run a billion combination in an hour on the phone will give access to any who think about and use a stronger PW

 

so you Don't know what two tier authentication is then ?