CygnusX1

I don’t think even the world’s most towering intellect could manage to work out a solution over the phone, let alone poor Joe Biden.

I’m certainly not OK with Putin’s horrendous war. What would you do - have Ukraine surrender? War is appalling, but sometimes necessary if we’re not all going to live under tyrannical regimes.

I’d argue that it’s the other way around. If you’re retired, the older you are, the less savings you need, as there won’t be as many years in which to spend it all.

Yes, I think Trump defies classification.

For a country that’s spent trillions of dollars on defense against the great enemy of Russia, that 60 billion a year is a spectacular bargain. A country fighting Russia with not only bravery but great intelligence, and zero American lives lost. Bit like being offered a new Ferrari for $99 and complaining about the price. Strange that Trump seems to be in total agreement with Leftists, who’ve continually attacked the US for involvement in foreign wars.

OK, so if my flight out of Thailand is at 2am and I’m through Immigration before midnight, then I’m not in Thailand on the new day.

I believe less than 180 days - vital to be accurate here! I now have a spreadsheet for days in Thailand, had intended to spend around 7 months here in 2024, now planning no more than 177 days (a delayed or cancelled flight could put me over 180 days if I don’t allow a safety margin). I think if I’m in Thailand at midnight that counts as being here for the next day?

Please, please - google “Sam Harris 5 myths about Israel and war in Gaza”. Option to listen to podcast or read transcript. One key quote - “The crucial distinction, which almost no one can keep in view, is that there are now 2 types of people in the world: those who intentionally torture and kill children and other noncombatants, to maximize horror, and those who avoid doing so, however imperfectly, while defending themselves against the first sort of people”. There are no good options when fighting an insane death cult. War is horrible, but sadly often the only way, and Hamas must be totally defeated in the way the Axis powers were in WW2.

After successfully completing the address in my profile (I’m a condo owner), I registered myself for a 1 month stay. Seems to have worked, no more error messages, just get message under “Inform Status” that it’s “‘in progress”. Does anyone know how long I’ll have to wait - should it be almost immediate, or does a human at Thai immigration have to look at the application first? Will I be sent an email when it’s approved? TIP - when you’re attaching files such as passport and blue book, the 2MB is not per file, it’s not more than 2MB in total for the attached files. Thank God I don’t really need a TM30, as I always leave Thailand before 90 days, but wouldn’t be surprised if it’s more strictly enforced in the future.

I swim at Jomtien beach all the time, and the Russians there seem nice enough, ordinary people, never had any problems with them at all. In fact, they’re probably some of the more respectable looking people in Pattaya. Not their fault their president’s a murderous psychopath.

I think the journalist is confusing AQI with PM2.5 levels. According to a quick web search, AQI is an index measuring levels of ozone, particulates, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, presumably some kind of weighted average.

I’m at the departure lounge about to fly Thai to Hong Kong. OK, the plane’s an hour or so late, but I class that as being on time by standards of international travel (my Qantas flight to Bangkok was over an hour late). The Thai ground staff were lovely, doing everything for me without my asking at a self check-in kiosk (way better than waiting for ages at Qantas self check-in at Sydney airport when there’s a problem).

Great video and sound. Big difference from the real thing is that I can set the volume to a comfortable level. I’ve said here before that Thailand’s quieter than Australia, as it lacks the galaxy of noisy machines in constant use in Australian suburbia, but now that someone in another condo has been using a power drill for several hours each day over the past week, I might have to revise that opinion.

I’ve seen this car several times parked at the northern end of Jomtien beach (Dongtan), though sadly minus lion. Hard not to notice a white Bentley convertible with distinctive red highlights. The feline passenger could be a solution to the soi dog problem at the beach.

We’re getting WAY off topic here, but I understand “‘sentience” as having some element of self awareness or consciousness. Current AI is all “weak AI”, ie having zero self awareness, even if it can effortlessly defeat the human world chess or Go champion, or even pass the Turing test. Strong AI is AI that’s self aware and so consequently should have the same legal rights as humans We’re nowhere near there yet, although a few would disagree.

Probably not, but a search of the internet does show they have surprisingly complex behaviours. However, you did state ‘“Attacked by jellyfish" implies they are a sentient species.” So if you’re saying above that ants and mosquitoes are not sentient, that implies that I can’t say that I was attacked by an ant. Similarly, a soldier who has been wounded by an AI drone that’s been programmed to recognise and engage humans, can’t say he was attacked by the drone, as current AI is certainly not sentient. Again, you’re severely restricting the use of the word “attacked”, and being a bit hard on the journo. In any event, can you prove that ants aren’t sentient? Where do you draw the line on animals with increasingly more complex brains? It’s a question that continues to baffle scientists and philosophers.

You have a curiously narrow definition of “‘attacked”, but the big problem with your definition is how do we know if a creature is sentient? I think we can all agree that the soi dog that just bit you is sentient, but what about the ant that stung you? Back on topic, from a quick browse of the net, it seems that jellyfish have a nerve net rather than a brain, but unlike other jellyfish, box jellyfish have surprisingly complex eyes that may be capable of forming an image, and can also exhibit complex behaviours.

Try Brave browser.

I used to wonder why box jellyfish were only found in Australian tropical waters, but it turns out that they’re in heaps of places, it’s just that they only seem to receive publicity in Australia. I think they’re seasonal in Australia?, much greater risk swimming in the summer months, not sure if that applies to Thailand. Jomtien beach now has warning signs in 4 languages. I do lots of swimming there, and nearly always receive tiny stings from jellyfish that don’t leave a mark. Box jellyfish worry me far more than the allegedly polluted water, and when I’m here in the summer months I use the condo pool instead. No idea if the Gulf of Thailand’s safer than the Andaman Sea. Curiosity of the Thai language - the casual word for vinegar is the same as the one for orange juice.

OK, all clear now! For the record, although I’ve had 5 shots of vaccine so far (4 being mRNA), I agree that it should be totally voluntary, meaning no unvaccinated person should lose his or her job. I think the speed of approval for Covid vaccines was justified in the circumstances, provided their use was strictly voluntary. However, I think some vaccines should be mandatory for children, such as for measles, which is in the news right now. By the same logic, I agree with mandatory child seats and restraints for children in cars, although I’m totally against mandatory seat belts for adults (despite the fact that even if they weren’t mandatory, I’d always fasten mine, even for a short trip).

And…?

The beauty of science is that it’s self-correcting. Nothing is ever considered as proven beyond all doubt, and in your example - I think you mean something like a new drug that was trialled on just 8 mice? - there would be heaps of young researchers eager to advance their careers by pointing out deficiencies in the trial. Not sure what you mean by “the speed of science”. It’s true that establishing the efficacy and safety of new drugs takes a long while, which is why some cancer patients are given special dispensation to be given a promising new drug that hasn’t yet passed all clinical trials.

4 gold crowns on molars on separate occasions 5-8 years ago at one of the fancier looking places in Bangkok. Apparently gold (actually gold alloy) is still the best in many ways. Around $A1,000 per crown (no root canals), would have been much cheaper if not gold. Dentist told me the crowns would last from 6 to 12 years, all good so far. He was also a specialist who travelled between clinics. Another saving is in X rays needed before work on the crown, almost negligible cost compared to Australia.

Not at Jomtien beach. I sit on the sand with the Russians, close to an area of chairs, and have never received even a hint that I should be using a chair. At least Jomtien and Pattaya beaches have huge free areas, unlike some beaches in Europe, which are either largely or completely covered in sun loungers. I’ve noticed now that Xmas/New Year is over, Wednesdays have returned to being chair free, which must hurt the earnings of the operators and confuse tourists, although it certainly does make the beach look more attractive.

Modern medical science joyfully embraces effective drugs used or inspired by traditional medicine (google discovery of artemisinin for an example). Just like any other new drug, however, they have to be proved effective according to the rigorous standards of the scientific method, which goes well beyond anecdotal evidence.