John Drake

8 minutes ago, connda said:

Today, on both May 8th and May 9th depending on the region, we reflect and mourn the losses caused by the German Nazis who attempted to establish a Third Reich in Europe and beyond.
Prayer for those lost, killed, injured, and traumatized by those who sought to conquer the world eighty years ago.
As always in war in the past, and war in the future - civilians bear the brunt force of wars.

As a US Anti-war Veteran - I call for an end to all war.  If we don't end war soon, as Einstein so aptly pointed out, "World War 4 will be fought with rocks and sticks."

✝️☦️✡️🙏🙏🙏

Interesting to see the vast number of UK MIAs versus the extremely low number of US MIAs. Asked Grok about it and Grok said the US had a better centralized system of record keeping and many of the UK MIAs were later found to be POWs. Other factors too, but the UK MIAs almost equal the KIAs.

2 minutes ago, Tug said:

Or what’s he trying to hide from view with this latest outrage? he’s up to something.

I could accept that, except there are already so many of his toddler toys thrown out of the crib and cluttering the floor. He's grunting about Canada and Greenland again. Putting tariffs on movies. At one moment saying Iran's nuclear program is okay, the next saying there is no change. Then vague comments about whether or not he'll uphold the Constitution. How can an 80 year old man behave with such a lack of dignity and disdain for the contempt future generations will hold for him?

Trump sounding more like Kim Dotcom every day.

I hate him. Prayuth was better.

He is intentionally destroying the value of the dollar, which effects my life directly. I don't know yet if his "reforms" will mean I need to go to Manila in person for any SSA problems, the Form 7162 this year will be sabotaged, it will soon take months to get a new passport, or he will jiggle with the SSA Cola to cheat me out of more money. But, yea, I hate his fast food stuffing guts.

33 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

America is a terrible place to shoot. Extremely expensive and extremely unionised.

Not all of America. Plenty of places have much cheaper production facilites. It's Hollywood production that is dying. That said, one of the things that made Hollywood films (and even TV with series such as Foreign Intrigue, Hong Kong, and Adventures in Paradise) generate even more appeal after World War II was the movement to location shooting. The adventure genre really took off in the late 40s and on throughout the 50s and 60s, all because of location shooting. It provided authenticity. This stupid move by Trump will just limit storylines and generate even more insular filmmaking.

I wish Rubio would replace Trump as president.

The treatments for this disease also have horrific side effects. A book came out a few years ago, The Lost City of the Monkey God, which described an expedition to Honduras to uncover a heretofore unknown city. A good portion of the expedition came down with leishmaniasis, and the last part of the book details just how bad things can get. Look up the disease and then take a look at the images. It will tell you why to avoid this flesh eating disease at all costs.

15 hours ago, placeholder said:

Is Trump panicking much?

He isn't panicking, he's folding. Just like he always does. Cause chaos, create damage, and leave the country in a weaker position than when he started. That's the Trump way.

5 hours ago, NorthernRyland said:

 

What happens to tourists then? I just got a Bangkok Bank account a couple years ago but I never setup the QR codes/Prompt Pay for whatever it's all called. I'm basically in the same boat as tourists now unless my wife is with me.

 

Honestly I think I would just stop eating KFC and Pizza Co out of spite, which is easy because they're both pretty crap to be honest.

Yea, just this minute opened up my Bangkok Bank phone app and got a message they are experiencing "high transaction volume at this moment. Please try again later." Never have that problem with cash in my wallet or even with ATM machines.

3 hours ago, dinsdale said:

This month although hot has absolutely nothing on last April where it was 100⁰F/37.8⁰C + virtually everyday. That was bad. If anything this April's been a bit cooler than normal. Still hot but it is the hottest month of the hot season.

You're correct. And two years ago was even worse, with 40 and 41 readings at my house in western Bangkok during April and May. So far, this really hasn't been all that bad. Maybe the prolonged cool weather from December through March is making people feel comparatively distressed.

Just now, Jingthing said:

Yeah I totally believe that in a work context.

Compared to before AI, it seems like super human powers.

But how are you using it outside the work context?

I use it to help write articles for scholarly journals. I've had what are almost real "conversations" on abstract subjects and Grok is able to anticipate where I am going in my argument. It actually makes abstract conclusions and can engage in reading a text. I'm very impressed with it. I didn't think I would be. But I'm now willing to pay for Grok. It's database, btw, is never more than 24 hours old. I've used Gemini--not good. ChatGPT mediocre. DeepSeek--just a slower version of ChatGPT, and Meta. Grok is heads and shoulders above. Just try it. Be persistent and ask it to make connections.

Yes, I use Grok, and it's a godsend. But you need to know how to use it. By that, I mean you must bring knowledge to AI and make connections and feed those connections--at least in my field. If you just go and ask questions out of the blue, you get a glorified search engine. People who are able to use AI most effectively are going to leave everyone else in the dust.

Thailand has been advertising itself as a transshipment hub for China for at least the last six or seven years. They advertised their offering to help evade sanctions and restrictions on China directly to Chinese manufacturers. This is going to be one hub they wish they had never started.

Wish we had JFK or Eisenhower today. Or even someone remotely similar, instead of a parade of indecent men over the past 22 years, culminating with Trump, the most indecent person I've lived to see enter the White House.

Complete misunderstanding of how to use AI. You need to bring knowledge you already have to make AI work properly. In effect, you need to be able to make connections and then have AI "converse" with those connections. If you don't know anything to begin with, you're essentially going to receive what is nothing more than search engine results. Go to Grok, for example, and you'll find there are two entirely different ways it communicates, one is informational and the other is give and take and fill elliptical spaces. People not using AI properly are going to be left in the dust.

48 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that he will not touch Social Security benefits, emphasizing during his 2024 campaign and post-election that the program will remain intact without cuts to benefits. For example, he told NBC News after his election that “we’re not touching Social Security,” focusing instead on making it more efficient. Similarly, in a press conference, he reiterated that Social Security is “sacrosanct” and will not be altered in terms of benefits. His nominee for Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner, Frank Bisignano, also stated during a Senate confirmation hearing on March 25, 2025, that he has “no intent” of cutting benefits and had not discussed privatization with anyone.

Musk is just attempting to reduce waste and some staff to make it more efficient!

 

What would be the legal mechanism required for him to freeze the COLA? Or is there one? Can he just order it? Or does he need legislation?