Sterling

If you'd like to give it a try for no cost, Virtualbox is free but is a bit more difficult to work with than Parallels or VMware Fusion.

In my opinion, it also has the worst performance, but it is free: https://www.virtualbox.org/

You can also download Windows 10 directly from Microsoft and use it without having to pay for it.

It will nag you to buy a license/activate and wont let you personalize parts of it, but you can use it for testing: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO

I personally use Parallels as in the past it has had the best performance, but the latest version of VMware Fusion is supposed to be as good, if not better.

I cant speak to VMware, but Parallels usually releases a new version around the same time that Apple releases a new version of MacOS, so roughly once per year.

So if you wanted the latest and greatest, you'd need to budget paying around $50 per year for each new version.

I usually only upgraded every other version, so I went with v10->v12->v14 every other year.

You can go to the Apple store and ask for help but I dont know if they would be willing to help as none of those products are made by Apple.

Good luck!

8 hours ago, Kadilo said:

I’ve downloaded Ad Blocker but it does nothing. I’m a techno fossil so what helps? The ads drive me nuts and takes an age to load. 

If you use Firefox or Chrome, try the uBlock Origin Add-On/Extension. It does an excellent job of blocking ads.

Loucous from Rides 4 Kickz did a video back in May where he looked at some tiny/knockdown houses outside Bang Saen.

Two room small house delivered and installed for around 390k baht.

That might be something to consider to live in while your main house is being built then you could use it for the MIL.

I was able to right click on the video and download it locally to my Mac and watch it with VLC.

That's a LOT of fish!

11 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

It is for professionals like you to start companies here in Thailand or bring your skills to Thai organizations.

It is not for you to work remotely for a foreign company enjoying life in Thailand. You should just get an Elite card.

Nobody cares what you do at your home office working online or making phone calls and teleconferencing.

Can you link for me where on the Smart Visa website it says I have to start a company in Thailand or join a Thai organization?

I'm not trying to be a jerk, I honestly don't see where it says that's a requirement.

Under the Qualifications for the Smart T (which is what I would apply under, it says Requirement #2 is:

2. Having an employment or service contract with an entity in Thailand or overseas with an assignment to work in Thailand. The remaining term of such contract must be at least 1 year.

The way I read that is that an applicant would need to have a contract with an entity in Thailand (not in my case) OR an entity overseas (my employer outside Thailand) who would assign me to work in Thailand.

Right, I'm thinking its more for experienced professionals like myself.

I only mentioned the digital nomad thing since many of the people on threads i've read here before seems to apply that label to anyone "working from home".

Hello all, I currently work from home and am talking with my employer (a large multinational) about the possibility of working from home in Thailand.

They are actually considering letting me make the move but I'm concerned because there doesnt appear to be a visa for a telecommuter or digital nomad.

I've read here that Immigration in Chiang Mai have said that digital nomads are not breaking the law by doing their remote work there but I dont know if my company would be ok with that.

I think they would prefer me to have an actual work visa (I dont think a Non-B would work as they have no presence in Thailand)

I did discover the Smart Visa (https://smart-visa.boi.go.th/smart/) which looks like it might work for me but I did a search here and didnt see ANYTHING about the Smart Visa in this forum.

I think I would qualify under the Smart T qualifications as I work in Cybersecurity but I'd like to know if anyone here has applied or been granted a visa and how it went for them.

Thanks!

I did some Googling and found a few forum posts that say it could be the charging port, tristar or the PMIC:

https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/586191

https://forum.ipadrehab.com/forum/iphone-logic-board-repair/580-ipad-mini-2nd-gen-charging-only-while-off

You'll need someone who is good with board level repair and doesnt charge a lot, otherwise you might be better off just getting a newer iPad.

@owl sees all How are things with Mrs Owl now? Has she seen the error of her ways?

For anyone considering moving to the Philippines, they do the same thing there. It's called Tampo and many a vlogger in the Philippines has done a video on it.

There, its usually due to some perceived slight and some women there do it just to get the guy to come to them asking "Whats wrong, what did I do? Is it because I did X or Y or Z?". Theyre just looking to get the guy to incriminate himself.

A buddy of mine with many years experience in the Philippines warned me of this the first time I dated a Filipina.

The first time she pulled this, I sat her down and said if she had an issue with something I'd done, she can talk to me and we can both talk it out like adults or I can go find a girlfriend who will. After that, no more tampo.

Owl, good update thank you. Not too much in my opinion. Did the Mrs start the rubbish fire with a strip of rubber?

@owl sees all Is this the topic you were referring to:

Was this for an OA visa or are there other ones now where the IO's are asking for insurance?

@owl sees all Thanks for the updates! Did you end up with a new laptop or was the old one able to be fixed?

@Assurancetourix Until Owl gets his PC sorted out, can you share some about your bike riding? Are you using a bicycle or motorbike? If its a bicycle, did you buy it there in Thailand or bring it in from your home country? Thanks

I dont mean to hijack the thread but does Thai Immigration conside DIY "working in Thailand"?

I cant find the post but I recall another expat said he had been doing some work outside his house for a day or two (clearing brush or something) and he got a visit from Immigration saying he had been reported for doing labor without a work permit.

I dont think anything came of it, but curious if any of the avid DIY'ers have experience the same thing?

Whats with the abandoned houses and vehicles? Was there a flood in the recent past and everything was submerged?

With regards to the bullet thing, there was a scam being run at the Manila Airport (NAIA) where it appeared that some of the security screeners were dropping bullets into passengers bags as they were examining them and then asking them to pay a "fine" before the traveler could check in for their flight. Philippine President Duterte has since ordered that any passengers "caught" with a bullet in their bags not be charged with a crime:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninoy_Aquino_International_Airport_bullet_planting_scandal

Owl, nice update. What is your opinion of the schools in your area? Is that a public school your daughter is attending?

Also, I dont think you can go wrong with giving gold as a gift. The only question is how many baht.

14 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

I would say comparing the cost for tuition would be an indication of how legit they are are. The more expensive ones would be more legit than those that are half the cost for example.

Thats EXACTLY what I was thinking. What are some ballpark rates for legit Thai language schools?

I dont mean to hijack the question but is there a price difference between a real legit Thai language school where I'd actually be going to class and trying to learn Thai vs a Thai "language school"/visa mill?

I'm actually serious about learning Thai and would like to be able to quickly sort out if a school is legit or not.

1 hour ago, PingRoundTheWorld said:

I know for a fact at least half of the units in my building are sitting empty most of the year. And this is a building on the lower end price-wise. I'd imagine the higher priced ones are faring worse, especially since they started doing stupid <deleted> like fingerprint readers to discourage Airbnb.

Serious question, not trying be snarky. How would you discourage Airbnb in your building? The fingerprint reader sounds like a good start (until the owners start including a rubber fingerprint with the condo keys so the Airbnb'ers can get in).