GammaGlobulin

If one watches the series, The Sopranos, one can compare the quality of writing, selection of music, choice of film locations, which went into the creation of the Mafia story 25 years ago, versus what is on offer today. Like night and day. These days, viewers would not recognize a good production if they fell over it. The bar has been lowered, just too low, and getting lower by the year. what was, 25 years go, is now a lost world. New Jersey and the TRISTATE area was an amazing place to live, back in the day. Cheese Steaks were CHEAP.

It might be better if the pressure cooker were electric. Kitchens get hot in Thailand. An electric pressure cooker makes more sense during the Hot Season.

Dry does not bother me. I am talking about shoe-leather tough meat. Terrible product. Maybe they use it for some kind of stir frying. Or, for dog food.

Are you SURE??? If this would work, then...I will buy one. But, you don't know just how tough these old birds are, maybe. I have never purchased tougher chicken breasts. Not even suitable for dog food, actually. What do people do with this meat, anyway? Because the store sells a lot of it. Do they chop it up and stir fry it or something? Even then, it must be like chewing on a dog toy or chewing gum. Really a bad product. However, a decent price. I have never run into meat like this in Taiwan, for example. I thought of contacting the store to find out what's happening. But then, would they even tell me? Maybe I will send them an email...because it's quite strange. Anyway...I like pressure cookers. Easy to use. Saves energy. And FAST. Easy to clean. THANKS for the alternative idea. But, NO WAY that this meat is suitable for anything else, such as broiling over the coals, or anything else. Terrible. .

Also, impossible to return a phone, even if only an hour old. It disgusting. I insisted upon returning a phone when the dumb clerk opened it and began setting it up without my permission. I had no way of knowing if the phone was new or not...he had broken the Samsung seal away from my presence. What a wingnut. But, the store refused to give me replacement in an unopened box. NEVER BUY in Thailand. This is the only solution. Buy Amazon, etc. At least you get decent after sales service. Staff are always poorly trained, except for one I like at JIB, who is intelligent.

a. He seems to have had good taste in food, just judging by his last meal in the OP. b. We need to check his phone for evidence, and also security cams. c. He does not look like the type who would drown. d. Why go sprinting toward the beach, and then be followed 15 seconds later by the same tourist with whom he had had an argument or disagreement, moments before in a bar? e. Never drink and swim, especially at night.

One's view of OpenAI concerning whether or not it followed it's original mission under Musk and others might largely depend upon which side of the story one listens to, for example, Musk's, Sam's, or others' views. OpenAI is not open, as in opensource, or transparent. Is OpenAI beneficial to mankind? And note: Nobody was being transparent with stakeholders, maybe. Lawsuits have been filed, and withdrawn. https://boardmember.com/elon-musk-and-openai-an-example-of-misleading-stakeholders/#:~:text=For example%2C Musk%2C who provided,developing its AI for self- As for me, I believe in Musk. So, I don't really care how transparent he might be. I just want good results. And, it might be a bad idea to share advanced tech with the Commie Bandits, or anybody else.

You mean... Lost in The Funhouse. And, of course, I very much DO trust Sapolsky. Still, I am one of the most liberal of anyone I know. Just as long as the argument is logical.

No! I am merely a quack.

Trump should build bridges, just as China has done....but from... Cancun to Cuba, and then from Cuba to Key West. Also, ... Baja California should belong to California....just due to the name, and also the position of Baja CALIFORNIA.

Then... Naples would be on the Gulf of America. People in Naples might not like that. As I recall, those who live in Naples actually LIKE the name.... Gulf of Mexico. ============ But, Greenland is a good idea. ============= Canada already belongs to the USA...so no difference.

Agree. Any Topic, even obliquely relating to the sphere of Social Sciences, should automatically garner a 'minus 10' rating. It is ONLY in the Natural Sciences, if one becomes extremely lucky, that one can write something original. Most Social Science research is trash, as you correctly state. And, have you ever stopped to consider just how many Man-Hours are completely wasted by students, at major universities around the world, rehashing trash, and regurgitating trash, just to get a Social Sciences degree, which, in the end is worth less than they had expected when they first began their studies as freshmen? Such an unfathomable cost to both students and their families this financial burden must be! And yet, the students go into debt, just to be taught uncommonly common sense? Let's hope that if you ever return to university, in order to continue your education, as so many of us do.... That you will not waste time on the Social Sciences. Don't be a Dreamer! Instead, dive into the Natural Sciences, and make every tuition-dollar count for you. U. Wash has an amazing program for off-campus learning, for example.... I am thinking about taking this course. If you want to be my study-buddy, please let me know. The cost per credit is minimal..... Let's Go for it.....!

"A bridge too far" Indeed!

Dear Folks, Does anything makes sense, these days?.... To YOU, I mean. Or, do you find yourselves stuck, each day, in an ever more incomprehensible world, and feeling increasingly adrift? aa. On the positive side, we have optimistic news from Google's AI: bb. On the negative side, we have our more realistic human-based view of what is actually happening to us. And this only tells us that we no longer understand the complex systems that impact us, daily...just as.... these systems continue to gain in complexity, by the year. How much longer will it be before we can no longer keep up, even while we are fighting to stay afloat during this first week of 2025? cc. Have we, during the past two decades, created a society which is one too complex for us to easily survive? And, why would we have intentionally done this? dd. Do you think you will be able to adapt to our increasingly complex society, with its complex systems, one which is growing more complex, by the year, at an increasingly rapid rate....an almost exponential rate? ee. And what are the limits of human adaptability, given that the rate of change and the rate of complexity seems to be unstoppable? ff. Almost EVERYBODY loves to look at exponential curves. And here is one, a very old one: gg. But what about Exponential Rise of Complexity in our world? Do YOU think you will be able to keep up? Maybe. But, then.... What if you cannot keep up. Yet, the world just continues to become more complex, year by year. Then.... What will you do? Crawl in a hole, or something? Or, will you decide to have an AI Implant, as envisioned by Musk, and others? Just to maintain your status quo in the world. We are talking about exponential techno-social evolution here, which will progress even faster than Moore's Law, while, YOU, will continue to evolve only at a biological snail's pace, and will not adapt quickly enough to keep up. What will you do? What will be your strategy to survive, knowing what is ahead? I worry about this, almost constantly. Any answers which might help us to survive the inevitable? Thank you. Regards, Gamma

Or, line one of those snivelling Harvard undergrad coeds....

My only question might be: Will Zuckerberger's shift toward Trump provide Zuck with what is needed to solve his problem of the..... Metaverse? Once a nitwit, always a nitwit. Zuck can run. But, can he hide from his AI?

Yes. Truly. They are the Communist Bandits that we always knew them to be, and they have not changed their spots. GongFei (共匪) is their name.... And dastardly dealing is their game. Just hope that Trump is up to his game, in order to deal with this Commie Crew. Just ask Gordon G. Chang, of Cornell, if you want to know more: BUT.... My question is: a. Will Gordon outlive the Chinese Communist Party? b. Or, will it be the other way round? Gordon is a very nice guy. But, one must take what he says with a grain of salt.

Just one more consideration concerning Chinese moving to Northern Thailand, and....FACE: a. Chinese care about FACE. b. Most Chinese do not consider moving to Thailand to be as "step up" from living in China. c. Most Chinese consider China to be far superior to Thailand. d. Do you really think most Chinese would like to WRITE HOME to their friends in China, and say....we have moved to Northern Thailand....For Good, and Forever? e. Give me a break! f. Most of their friends back in China know that Chinese who come here are on their way to something BETTER than Thailand. g. For the average Chinese family, just coming to Northern China, without having a definite plan to get to a far better place than Thailand, would be a.....TOTAL loss of face. Their friends back home could just not understand something so silly. h. Most Chinese are willing to sacrifice almost anything for their children and their next generation. i. So....leaving China just to settle forever in Thailand would be.....something that their friends could not comprehend. And this would represent a loss of face. j. The majority of Chinese have a long game plan. They will sacrifice for many years, just in order to reach their goals, for their family. NO WAY can Northern Thailand ever be worth this sacrifice. No matter just HOW GREAT the Smoking Season is...here in Glorious Chiang Mai. (Personally, I LOVE the smoking season...but.....I am not TRULY Chinese......yet...through and through.)

One other not unimportant consideration: a. In the USA/Canada, Chinese can buy land, and own it. b. In Thailand, this is not really possible. c. For Chinese, traditionally, land ownership is almost as important as family.

She is a real self-promoter. And, she is most definitely NOT representative of most Chinese families here. More power to her. But, she is not what this Topic is about. Also, definitely NOT my type.

I am a decent man. I also know a few Chinese girls who are looking for someone like me. Unfortunately, at the moment, I consider myself to be unavailable for Love with the Proper Chinese Stranger. If I wanted a relationship with a nice Chinese woman, than I would just ask my Chinese friends. But most of them know that I am no longer looking. Also, of course, my standards are just too high for the types of Chinese women who come to this part of the woods. For one, I would need at least an MA-graduate-Chinese-woman from a decent uni. IQ would need to be minimum of 135 on the Wechsler, (WAIS), or preferably higher. Otherwise, what would be the point? Would there even be any point in our pillow talk, after a few Nights in White Satin? Also, what many here might NOT understand is that many of the Chinese families who arrive in Chiang Mai, or Northern Chiang Mai, are NOT here for the very long-term. This is just a stepping stone to their REAL goal which is to get to the USA, or maybe Vancouver, Toronto, etc. They come here for their children's future, in order to attend international schools, some in Phuket, for example. But, as soon as their children are able to qualify to be admitted to far better private schools in the USA, then they will be gone in a flash. What is it that YOU think that I do not know about what is happening......???? I have been in China, and Greater China, almost ALL of my life. I have met MANY extremely intelligent Chinese women at unis, and also through teaching. My Chinese brother-in-law was a PhD and postdoc at U. Penn. Nobel Prize Laureate Advisor for his thesis....blah, blah..... Twice as smart as I, which might not be saying much. The thing is.... You guys here who are commenting are just GUESSING about what might be happening. But I KNOW what is happening. There are very few Chinese from China who come here to settle for a very long time. Their end-goal is to emigrate to a country which they perceive to be BETTER than China. AND, they do NOT believe that Thailand is better than China.....No Way! And, when they finally do reach places like California, such as La Jolla, California...they are in paradise. Or, Vancouver. Or, other similar high-end places and environments. Do you really THINK that these families wish to come from China to settle here???? Forever???? Think again...because.... They will be OUT OF HERE, as fast as you can say, Jack Robinson, and just as soon as they can. This is just a way-station, on their way to better pastures. Can you blame them? They have money. Why would they want to waste time here? They have no special love for the local culture. They want something better. And, for them, and for their children, they perceive high-end places as being better. Also, when they finally do attain their goal, and when their kids have been accepted to a USA school, in California, they are in bliss, believe me. They have fought for years to attain their goal. And they are happy. There is NO WAY that Northern Thailand can provide what they are seeking in the USA, and in places such as Vancouver. So.....this is the way it is.

Time to seal up your windows. Buy air purifiers. Buy good quality 3M masks. Don't worry about what you cannot change.

In my view, after buying from local online stores and also from Amazon USA: Just for peace of mind....and from this perspective alone.... a. I would FAR prefer to pay more, in some cases (due to import duty), and buy from Amazon USA. b. When I buy from Amazon, everything works well, and the site is very well designed, and I know what to expect, and I get great support. c. For me, I am willing to pay more for the superior service and better products, and reliability of delivery, that I have come to expect from Amazon USA. d. You just gotta ask yourself: What is your time worth? AND, what is the avoidance of undue and unnecessary stress worth to you? e. I am SICK AND TIRED of buying from the Lazada and Shopee sites. They need to UP THEIR GAME before they entice me back into their fold. f. For some items, ordered from Amazon, the import duty is out of sight. In this case, then just do not buy. And do without. g. Example: Bed sheets. Ordering bed sheets form Amazon USA incurs a very hefty import duty. (But, then, if you know someone in China, then they can hand-carry high quality cotton bed sheets, on their next return trip to Thailand, if they happen to have extra space in their luggage, and if they happen to be good friends. h. Just, by all means, avoid buying garbage. The more garbage we buy, the more we encourage the importers to import garbage.

Next time I will try TCL inverter. I have 2 24,000 BTU Panasonics and one 18,000 BTU Panasonic. I would NOT buy these again. Dealing with Panasonic is extremely stressful here. Life is just too short. So, better option might be to go with TCL if TCL is as good and CHEAP as many have said it is. Then, if something goes wrong.....you can just discard it and get another one, and buy two or even three for the same cost as a Panasonic unit. Maybe this is the best way to buy ACs in Thailand?

Just buy from Amazon, USA. The gov there enforces rules and regulations that minimize problems for consumers. I would happily pay the increased import duty, and buy from Amazon, rather than to buy from Lazada, and encounter the problems that I have experienced in the past. Also, Amazon will give me free shipping to Thailand, from the USA. Some items are just super high on import duty, and then....the best option is to just not buy. I hope to become a semi-minimalist, just by restricting my buying to Amazon, and also only those items that are free delivery, and also not super-high import duty.