owl sees all

Blair.

What!!!???? Never hear of bar-girls or lady-boys?

When we wrote in BASIC or COBOL back in the 1970s, we would put in little bits of code to do sum-checks on start-up. I wrote stuff in assembler and did a programme for OTIS; the lift people. Not so worried about viruses back then as people copying the coding, and presenting it as their own. When the Internet was in it's early stages, I was sometimes writing up to 5 sites a week from my shop in Wembley (UK). The biggest problem then, was establishing what the customer actually wanted. So had to be both an analyst and coder.

I've fished in a lot of places here, and never caught a pacu more than a couple of kiloes. Wife caught a 34kg catfish in Chonburi. I'll dig out a pic for that. We also have Gourami in pond seven, but they are mini-gouramis not giants. I only fish in ponds one and two for fish to eat; mostly pla nin. As for passports. I got Mildred a UK one when she was about 2. Never used it, but I thought it important to get her into the system. Easier to renew a passport than get one from scratch when in the teens. So far so good. The wife's visa was a nightmare. And when she finally got going, she was detained in Kuala Lumpa and missed her follow-on-flight to London. Had to get her a ticket back to Bangkok a few days later. Also flights to Spain from England were wasted. In all, lots of dosh done and also - just like yourself - tons of stress; all round.

Not to fret Toffeemen; Big Sam is available.

Frank Lampard is no more. Got the sack this afternoon, I believe.

Unless it's required for work, I think most can do without this stuff. All this tech is taking the world down a dark avenue.

This sounds really fishy!

First I thought of a purse. Then a pocket. But now I reckon 'money-box'

Indeed!! And he is still trying to control people. Jabs for Africa and jab IDs for the western world. All linked to ones smart-phone.

I don't, as a rule, carry coins in my pocket. As soon as I get home I put them in the daughter's 'money tube'. Last year she got a few thousand baht for her account. But, I got thinking, where do those little red sods come from? They are worth next to nothing and not really worth saving. The supermarkets are where they come from!! Went to Big C yesterday and got three of them; 25 satang a piece. Now these are the ideal coins to press into ya ears. The are small enough to go right in, and then it's doubtful if you could hear the wife's yak-yak. Think I'll try it.

I would say it was about 15 years ago when a condo block in Pattaya designed a unique entry. All you had to do was put your finger in a hole and the outer gate would open. The same thing at the bottom of the block and the same thing again at your condo door. It was scrapped, due to the fear that fingers might attach themselves to the wrong hands. I'm sure some Patts long-termers will recall that time.

If you are happy with the technology; good for you. It can open possibilities that were not possible just 50 years ago. I appreciate that. But IMO it can lead us down a dark path. I'm well past thinking that governments actually care about the populas. I'm not naive either into thinking that all this advance tech is for our benefit. A listen to Sir Blair's - or Lord Blair - input, at the recent WEF gathering, should make us very wary.

I like the KTB system. The one that is about to be no more. I like their web site, and TBH it was simplicity itself. Suddenly life will become more difficult; starting next week.

I have internet banking; it's true. I get the job done on my laptop. I appreciate that the days have gone when my pension is handed to me on my doorstep. What are 'smart-pnones' essentially about? Do they really make us happier? Have they improved our lives? Or are they the first steps in surveillance and control? If we keep going at this rate we will be just a number in some world government's giant computer.

All the more reason to run the two systems together, rather than discontinue the one that works well.

Where else would you put them?

Desperation from the police.

I stay in touch, but not through big tech. I'm in touch with the earth, the trees, birds and fish. We are being forced down a tech and AI path that I don't like. Some say it's progress. Was the nuclear bomb progress? Have to decide in life what trail you want to walk.

True enough. But overall, Thailand is not doing so bad. Look at the Europe sh!t-show, and the problems in Sth and Nth America.

I don't watch movies or films. If you can recall Shillingbury Tales, when the Frenchman arrived in an unusual way. I rest my case.

Indeed! Maybe time for me to move to another bank?!

I've seen your arms HP, and they look normal to me. There is a special technique that keeps the eyes in tip-top condition. It would be completely off-top to say about it here, so I'll keep it for Sunday.

This thread is probably being perused by 100% farang. How the Thais cope will be interesting. Can see long queues at the Krungthai banks. Many older Thais don't have a 'smart-phone', and without the help of a daughter/son or grand daughter/son, will be fretting soon over this. Must ask the question; 'why are they gonna do it'? Will upset many people. And they could easily lose customers.