Florin

In Bangkok TRUE is pretty much the best option for both cable TV and ADSL Internet...they're like a one-eyed man in the land of the blind, though.

I'm reasonably happy with my 4MB connection (when it works) and even though their customer service is super-shoddy, it beats the heck out of dealing with TOT or BuddyBB about these kind of matters.

As for telephony, my choice is DTAC...great customer service, best EDGE network in Bangkok and good signal (though 1-2-Call should still be better in terms of signal outside Bangkok)

Sounds like the same policy they had at the old World Trade Center branch...it is basically a city branch of the duty free shop, hence the rule.

Last week I bought a Toshiba 32'' LCD TV from Emporium for 19.900 (plus a 500 Baht voucher redeemable at any Mall/Paragon/Emporium store, so basically the set cost 19.400).

The model number is "32AV500T"...the specs for Thailand seem to be the ones seen here: http://www.sinsiamelectronics.com/catalog/...mp;osCsid=9ec29

However...on display in Emporium they had cut out "HD-Ready" from the descriptive flyer and the guy assured me it was in fact a 1080p (i.e. FullHD) display - he even selected this resolution from an HDMI video splitter and it worked. Nowhere on the box or on the set does it say FullHD...also, the print manual is generic for 6-7 similar models and basically has the spec info that can also be seen in the link above. Googling for my model didn't reveal anything new (except for an almost complete lack of info/reviews about this model) and yet I can happily run it at 1080p! I use an HDMI connection to my desktop PC and the ATI software allows me to select 1920x1080 resolution in either i/p and 24/50/60Hz refresh rate.

I had a 720p/1080i-compatible plasma before and the difference is definitely visible with the naked eye and since I'm running a PC, I doubt it is doing any hidden downscaling, I definitely have the desktop real-estate corresponding to 1920x1080 resolution and video runs smoothly, so I assume it is progressive scan.

If this is really the case, I think 19.400 for a FullHD display is quite a nice price! But the lack of any consistent info is quite puzzling...

From what I have seen in the supermarkets, Thailand has a pretty vibrant dairy (milk) industry.

Now if we can only find someone locally who knows how to make good cheese.

Hopefully its not the same person in charge of making the local wine though.

I'm very happy with "Caroline"-brand local Feta, cheddar, etc...much cheaper and quite decent!

Well, you could buy the version with integrated Intel graphics...cheaper, too. Most manufacturers have had one recall or another, I wouldn't worry too much about it unless there are endless complaints over several years, which is not the case with DELL.

I'm also not a VAIO fan at all...even if their hardware doesn't break (which it does), their software is EXTREMELY buggy...on my VGN-C23S the Sony Vista apps for controlling brightness/volume from the function keys don't work most of the time (requiring a restart), the DVD-RW is a highly shoddy Quanta OEM drive (this is just ridiculous given that Sony makes their own), the volume from the speakers is also crap and the VGA monitor output is not exactly pristine quality...plus it has only 2 USB ports, located one next to another (so basically 1 USB port).

Buy DELL. Excellent build quality and top-notch software.

The ASUS Xonar series seem to be very nice...and Hardware House has them on their website, with much better pricing than comparative Creative solutions.

HOWEVER...I have yet to see one in an actual store, if anyone sees it in Pantip, I'd love to know also.

Thanks for the replies, will check them out!

Does anyone know of any decent printing facility in Bangkok? I'm looking at printing something in A5 format with good photo quality that will hopefully not cost me an arm and a leg per copy...volume-wise, at least 500 copies with the potential for more.

Ideally, it should also be a place that does not insist on me giving them the file in PageMaker 4.0 from 1997 because it's the only software they choose to use. So it would be great if someone who has had actual experience with a place could post about it...

Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the idea, but I've tried that already...I need an already surely working disc, my one won't read the Slayers I burnt off ISOs...maybe it doesn't like Princos, I don't know.

Does anyone know a reliable console repair shop? One that can work on an Xbox (1st gen, not 360)?

I managed to screw up my Dashboard by renaming a file I wasn't supposed to when trying to install the excellent XBMC and now I'm locked out of the system and running out of ideas...

Download the Java browser offered at http://mini.opera.com - best browser for Blackberries at the moment.

As for e-mail, you can configure any POP3 e-mail account, I reckon...Gmail, for example, should work just fine.

Thai food at restaurants has been steady but I have noticed the Farang Fare inching it's way ever higher.

On the other hand, on my last trip to Foodland in Bangkok, French butter was at the same price as local butter

I just wonder about one thing: how much do savings in the account influence obtaining a CC?

If let's say your salary qualifies but for various reasons you spend most of what you make each month, is that a big problem? Are they really just interested in seeing money come into your account every month or does accumulation in that account also count heavily in the decision?

Yeah, this is a very annoying bug that Firefox has had for AGES with most online forums...in my case deleting the cookies at the time did the trick, but if that wasn't enough Reimar's suggestion should work.

I would love to get a Thaivisa breaking news alert as soon as the 901 is somewhere available... so guys ring the alarm as soon as the little one hits our shores.

The 901 is available, have seen in Seri Center in Bangkok. But don't ask me for details please.

Thanks and cheers.

Why not? I would just love to know when it will be available to others...I didn't see it in Fortune yesterday.

I don't think that the legions of MS certified people will disappear, simply because keeping PCs in working order is just one of many tasks...any terminal still needs a server/"cloud" to connect to, and building and maintaining that is no easy task and requires professionals.

Even with the advent of Linux, MS is still firmly entrenched in the office/server/networking market and will be for at least one more decade...it will depend on how much they can change with the times. MS Office still runs only on Windows/OS X (trying to use it on Linux is not a fun experience) and it is the backbone of every office on the planet...while people using OpenOffice or iWork can get basic work done, there is no solution on the market that can provide the sheer power of Word/Excel/PPT, which all took a giant step forward with the 2007 version.

What's more, with solutions like Silverlight and their new programming environments, MS still offers very developer-friendly tools for creating powerful applications. They are a very resilient company, which may not be the first one in a market, but eventually becomes at least a major player (Windows Mobile is the perfect example and XBox is following in its footsteps). I don't see MS becoming another IBM, they've (still) got too much brain/financial power for that...and even IBM, though pushed out of so many markets, is not doing too bad.

Ultimately ended up getting a new couch The old one was actually more of a "loveseat" and quite worn (came with the apartment), so it was a good excuse to get a much bigger one...2500 Baht in Carrefour made the problem go away.

The new one is imitation leather, those LCC airlines know what they're doing, super-easy to keep clean.

About 150 meters to the left when turning from Rama 4, so get off at Sala Daeng or Silom (MRT). Still will be a 10 min. walk.

Thanks for that! I'm type 0 RH negative myself, so will be taking a stroll there this week...

On and off since September 1994, living fulltime since July 2002...I like the overall experience, though there are many individual negative elements. Somehow Thailand is greater than the sum of its parts...

Yeah, I'm interested in the 901 myself, according to reports in other countries, it should cost slightly less than tha 20GB 900, so maybe we'll see it here for 17K at the beginning.

How long does it take for the initial check-up and then subsequent donations? I'm 0 RH negative and up for it...is the center closer to the Siam side of Henri Dunant? Like, should I get off at Siam station or Rajadamri station?

They demanded his resignation not because he was elected but because he broke the laws - ownership of Shin Corp.

This again...Thaksin had no official role in Shin Corp. at the time, the discussion about how he could have told his son/daughter/wife to buy and sell stuff can go on forever, as can the one about his corrupt practices...my point is that the PAD wanted to remove a democratically elected official through undemocratic means and that further elections show that they don't represent the will of the country.

The discussion about whether the village folk have been bought/sold/bribed can also go on forever, but the truth remains that there are a lot of people in this country who will vote for him and his people. Are they right? Who knows...my country has a goddamn sailor for president, I never said that the majority of voters are intelligent, but they are the majority and according to the constitution, THEY say who rules the country, not a few thousand loud protesters.

Elections were in December, rallies started in May, and press conferences all had an "if" clause - if the government attempts to rewrite the constution, if the government attempts to meddle with jidiciary process, if the government attempts to stop AEC and so on. Nothing about elections results.

Elections happened on 23 December, so what with the New Year and stuff I don't see how you can count that month. Also, Samak was elected Prime Minister on January 28 and sworn in on Feb 6. The PAD <deleted> resumed at the beginning of March...and concepts like "if" clauses are legally meaningless because the PAD does not have the authority to declare/enforce such things...It's like you or me saying that the government has to go down if we don't get a free Coke every day! Who are they to make up laws?? The government is free to do whatever they want within the confines of the constitution and also to make amendments to the constitution...is this a perfect system? No...but I didn't see the army coming up with a better one and the voters seem pretty much fine with it, enough so to keep voting the same people. Whether out of ignorance is unimportant, they have exactly the same legal rights as all those people yelling on Ratchadamnoen Nok, so unless they can come up with a further 20 million people for their cause, they should shut their traps and stop destabilizing the country.

Huh? BTS extension to Thonburi and to Bangna, you mentioned it yourself.

Thonburi was not built during his time, all I've seen are delays and tender irregularities for the signaling system...so until it's running, it's NOT done. And he's had nearly FOUR years to connect two 90% completed stations.

As for Bangna, I'll give him the credit for starting the extension, but again, just take a look at the Rama 3 / Sathorn BRT progress (or lack thereof)...I'll believe it when it's done.

In 2006 they stopped their rally as soon as the election was called, and never came back.

The way I see it, organizing mass rallies during the term of a legally elected PM who did not stay in power longer than stated in the constitution means disputing that person's right to rule and thus the election which put him there What Thaksin could've/would've done to keep himself in power for a generation is another issue entirely, but the fact remains that at the time he was the legally elected head of the Thai government.

They didn't protest against the current government at first, they gave it time to prove itself, the only reason they came out was government pushing Thaksin's agenda.

What? While there were no rallies initially, the Samak government was in power for ONE MONTH before the press conferences and saber-rattling restarted...if you became prime minister, even in a peaceful country, what in the world could you do in ONE MONTH?

How can you say that - Apirak pushed for this extention only by sheer willpower and conviction, nothing else.

You can balme him all you want, but he's the only one who builds anything in this city.

What did he build? BTS, MRT were not made during his tenure, the BRT system is taking forever to be constructed and all the while fantasy ideas abound...Bhichit Rattakul, the best governor in living memory, stopped being a Democrat after the party gave him the shaft...I'm not saying Samak was some great governor, but we're definitely no better off with this guy, just more posters seem to be flooding the city.

It has actually nothing to do with elections or politics, unless politics try to manipulate justice system, as we are witnessing now.

Nothing to do with elections? Have they not disputed the outcome of at least 3?

samran, I agree that the BTS thing has been a turf war, but usually if a politician is determined enough, they can just push their issues through by sheer willpower and power of conviction, both of which Apirak and his people don't have.

And therein lies the problem, Apirak is a perfect example of the way the Democrat party works, all pretty on TV and paper but with little know-how to push issues through...the way I see it, politics (at least here) are all about appeasing the largest amount of people, not being the most intelligent or having the best rhetoric. That's when things actually begin to get done. All over the world hard-working intellectuals have failed horribly in their political postings because of not having this sense.

plachon, I think surveys and referendums work better in countries with a stronger democratic tradition, where not even the rulers are above the system...in countries like Indonesia, if you let the people go into mob mode every other day, no one wins, it will just create a constant transition mode which will halt economic progress and still not make people happy. Suharto or no Suharto, I didn't see a lot of relaxed, happy people in Jakarta a couple of weeks ago...instead, I saw hordes of angry motorcyclists going for a protest rally, disrupting everyone's business that day...and this kind of disruption is the norm, not the exception! People criticize rulers like Malaysia's Mahathir for stifling the opposition, but you need just look at Pakistan to see what happens when everyone can do whatever they want in a potentially volatile social environment. I think that he did the best possible job under the circumstances...which is all we can ask from any ruler. In the current case, I think the DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED government should be let to carry on with their work...I think Thaksin's judicial fate is a non-issue for the continued development of the country - he's not Hitler, in this case one man in prison will not make everyone else live better. There are systems in place for checking on governments - motions in Parliament, coalitions for a stronger opposition, etc. This works very well in many countries...mob rule doesn't work well anywhere. And whatever those people's convictions are, the outcome of their actions is still a mob on the street.